McCain mad at Cruz & Tea Party

[Hoosier Daddy]

Is it any surprise "Repiblicans" who are somewhere to the Left of JFK don't like conservatives?

[fickman]

I voted for McCain in '08 only because Chuck Baldwin wasn't on our ballot and I was too uninspired to write him in.

[Jaguar]

I voted Libertarian, and to be honest I was glad Obama won.

Here's why, McCain was a democrat in all but name and I believed (and still do) that he would have run this country like a democrat, left of JFK, and the country would be in no more mess than were Obama to win. The difference would be that republicans would be blamed for all the ills by the MSM which would constantly harp on the republican agenda, evil corporations, yadda, yadda, yadda. With Obama in, they would have no one to blame and in four years, if things weren't too screwed up, people would finally wake up and see what the democrats are all about.

This both worked and didn't work. The TEA party sprang up, but still the relentless bad mouthing from the MSM weakened the effort. Republicans took control of the house, but not the senate. And, to top it all off, the republicans picked a "McCain lite" to run against Obama. Yes, I voted for Romney this time around, but I can't really figure out why.

ETA: I didn't think they could STILL be blaming Bush (and getting away with it.)
I have underestimated the power of stupid.

[suthdj]

I cannot believe I voted for McCain back in 2008.

And your choices were what?

Him or Obama, there were others running for Pres but they had no chance of winning. At the time I thought McCain was the lesser of two evils.

And you were right. Don't forget, Palin was on the ticket too. She might have really shaken things up in Washington. She may still.

My hope on that match was they win and he passes away leaving her as pres. I know evil but he is useless.

[The Annoyed Man]

I cannot believe I voted for McCain back in 2008.

And your choices were what?

Well, in retrospect, and as one who vocally urged libertarians and disaffected republicans to put aside their differences with the republican party and vote for McCain because of the looming disaster of Obama, it turns out that the gulf in election results between Obama and McCain was SO huge as to have been insurmountable, so today I would tell them to vote for anybody except Obama or McCain. Here's why:

Electoral College....
Obama: 365
McCain: 173
Difference: 192 (a blowout)

Popular Vote....
Obama: 69,498,516
McCain: 59,948,323
Difference: 9,550,193 (a blowout)

States Carried....
Obama: 28 + DC + Nebraska-02
McCain: 22
Difference: 6 states + DC + Nebraska-02 (given the electoral college and popular votes, this is a blowout too)

McCain didn't have a snowball's chance in hades, even with a different running mate. The media wanted the nation's first black president, and they worked hard to make it happen. McCain's record—other than his military service—did not differentiate him differently enough from the center left of the democrat party to offer people a clear difference in direction for the nation. Thus, the people were offered basically the following choice (and the 527 media made sure that this was the only choice): On the one hand, a young, hip, glib, urban, obviously bright (he's wrong as heck about almost everything, but only a FOOL would think him stupid and thus blind himself to the danger that is Barack Obama), black man with a non-threatening multi-racial background; and on the other hand, a (seemingly) doddering old white guy with a swollen face who isn't quite sure how to use his Blackberry.

There was no way in hades that McCain was ever going to win that election, and I for one was a fool to think that it might be possible and to urge others to think the same.

The best choice in 2008 for a true conservative would have been to vote, ABSOLUTELY vote, but vote for a protest candidate like Bob Barr.....or Chuck Baldwin (or some other equally conservative or libertarian candidate). Since McCain was going to lose anyway, if all those disaffected republicans had voted for one of those two (or some other) candidate, then the post election analysis would have revealed to the republican leadership A) just how far out of touch they were then with their conservative base; and B) how big that disaffected base actually is.

The problem is, going forward from 2008, a lot of the republican party leadership are acting like there is no accountability to the party base and they are taking that base for granted. Guys like Ted Cruz are a breath of fresh air in a party that has long stagnated and ceased to be relevant except for its hold on the House. They can only frustrate and obstruct the democrats (which I don't mind) because they only control that one part of the government; but they can't get anything actually passed and signed into law because they've got to deal with a hostile Senate, and a hostile POTUS. And since all they can do is frustrate the chosen one, his media lapdogs are doing their level best to paint republicans in that light......and it's working.

If the party leadership had, instead embraced this new blood, promoted them, and said, "See? We're not democrat lite. We actually ARE the party of conservatism and we are choosing leadership who give us a CLEAR picture between conservatism and communism; and more importantly, we are NOT representing big business and lobbyists ahead of the interests of the grass-roots," then republicans could count on a tremendous showing in 2014/2016 and recapture some power.

As long as the republican party continues to offer uninspiring candidates, they will fail to inspire voters, and they'll get their butts kicked.

McCain should step down and give Arizonans a chance to elect some fresh blood. He used to be a party stalwart and a dynamic presence in republican politics. He is no longer. Anymore, he is like a toothless old lion with a tattered mane who hasn't figured out yet that his choices are leave the pride, or get wiped out by a young lion. He was a noble figure on the political stage at one time. We should continue to respect him for his past service, before he started getting all wobbly; but it is time for him to go, and the longer he tries to hang on, the more pathetic he gets. The problem is that even though he is pathetic, he still wields power and can screw things up.

I will not be making the same mistakes come 2016 that I made in 2008 and 2012.

[fickman]

I will not be making the same mistakes come 2016 that I made in 2008 and 2012.

Hopefully we can drive this point home ahead of time. . . that "electability" and "appeal across the aisle" as defined by the establishment Republicans won't be a selling point again. That dog hasn't hunted twice now; it won't hunt the next time, either.

Message to the Washington R's: back a true conservative candidate or you will lose, too.

[kde71450]

Ted Cruz.... MY MAIN MAN !!!!!!!

[mayor]

wow... I was a delegate for Ron Paul at the Texas Republican Convention and voted for chuck baldwin in the election. people who thought like i do were called all sorts of horrible things. I voted according to my convictions. that's one reason i haven't posted on this site. what a difference 2 years make.

[powerboatr]

A lot of the mess we are in is directly attributable to guys like McCain that are so stuck on maintaining the status quo by not bucking the system and old boy's club.

that is exactly why he lost to barry in 2008
he is a chicken

i salute his military service, but as a leader he is a weak cry baby

Ted is just standing his ground and so far for what seems to be a logical progression

[gthaustex]

Any time Ted Cruz makes the establishment types nervous or mad, he is doing exactly the job I want him to do. I hope he, Rand Paul and a few others up there continue to make big waves.

[K.Mooneyham]

I, too, voted for McCain back in '08. Being in the military at the time, I believed it in both the nation's and my best interest, to vote for a veteran. I have read about and seen interviews with Vietnam-era POWs, and what they endured and so I respected McCain for that, if nothing else. However, in retrospect, lets assume that a mass shooting had still taken place with McCain in office, and some large number of RINOs riding his coat-tails into office (think Senator Kirk of Illinois). How much would he, and they, have been willing to "compromise" on a gun-control bill? Would we have had such a strong resistance to such things if he had been President? Or would he have talked people into supporting it? I really do ponder this sort of stuff. What we need is to support serious CONSERVATIVE candidates in the primaries. We need leaders like Senator Cruz who are not afraid to stand up and be heard, even if they are told they are upsetting some folks, especially those folks who have only the worst designs for our future in mind. If you want to "protest vote" I certainly am not going to be able to talk you out of it, but please consider at least voting for the most conservative candidate in Republican primary races. It certainly won't hurt to send more folks like Senator Cruz to Washington, and we don't know how much it might help until we try.

[Pacifist]

Thus far, I have been absolutely ecstatic with Ted Cruz, but far more often than not, I find myself wishing that I could legitimately memorialize John McCain during the upcoming holiday.

[TexasGal]

According to someone I knew during the 2008 election that worked high up in the Obama camp, they didn't think the Republican Party really wanted to win. Then Romney has reportedly said he didn't really want the presidency either. It showed. Neither McCain nor Romney ever inspired voters. Somehow, I don't think Cruz would feel that way. But if the party didn't want him to gain power, how much chance would he have? I wonder if McCain would do everything possible to keep Cruz down. McCain needs to retire or be fired. His military service stands as honorable, but his political service not so much.

[Poldark]

Really like Ted Cruz and you know he is doing his job when the establishment are squawking.

Barry now just keeping the seat warm for Billary in 16, another Alinskyite

[kde71450]

John Mccain i respect your service, but you have to go. Your becoming a blabbering idiot LIBTARD.