McCain’s kissing up isn’t working

January 15, 2007

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has spent the better part of two years abandoning every principle he used to care about, reversing course on policies he used to take seriously, and generally kissing up to any far-right activist/group he could find. It was all part of a shameless effort whereby McCain would convince the GOP base that he’s really, truly, conservative.

It’s not working.

First up in our friend James Dobson, head of the Focus on the Family empire, who remains wholly unimpressed with McCain 1.0 and 2.0.

A prominent Christian leader whose radio and magazine outreaches are solidly in support of biblically-based marriages — and keeps in touch with millions of constituents daily — says he cannot consider Arizona Sen. John McCain a viable candidate for president.

“Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances,” said James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family as well as the Focus Action cultural action organization set up specifically to provide a platform for informing and rallying constituents.

McCain may have won over Jerry Falwell, but that was easy; Falwell has no core values or beliefs to speak of, and will go where he thinks the power is. Dobson doesn’t much care if McCain is the presumptive nominee. If McCain gets the GOP nomination, bring on the third party?

Of course, it’s not just the religious right McCain has to worry about.

Eric Kleefeld noted that the Club for Growth has polled its membership and found McCain isn’t too popular with them, either.

The Club for Growth — an organization devoted to fiscal conservatism that boasts some of the wealthiest GOP contributors in the country — has just taken a new poll of its membership, which has over 40,000 members. The survey — which was obtained by conservative writer Ryan Sager and confirmed by the Club’s president — contained some surprising findings.

First, it found that McCain is the first choice of only 5% of the Club’s members. Second, it discovered that he’s also the least-favorite GOP choice of 43% of the Club’s membership. Perhaps most surprising are McCain’s favorable/unfavorable numbers with the Club: 16%/76%.

McCain has turned off such conservatives because of his less-than-complete devotion to Bush’s tax cuts and his embrace of campaign finance reform. Asked why the numbers were so bad for McCain, the Club’s president, influential fiscal conservative Pat Toomey, offered a simple explanation: “He spouted class-warfare rhetoric usually voiced by the Democrats.”

How much more can McCain be reasonably expected to kiss up to these guys? I guess we’ll find out soon.

First up in our friend James Dobson…
CB, is this some sort of Freudian slip?

  • Wow, politicians used to just have to kis babies. Now look at what they have to kiss! One thing Bush has had is the ability to make the most obvious manipulative moves and have people accept them. McCain doesn’t have that charismatic tweak of bewitchment. Maybe he has a tin ear for hypocrisy.

  • Speaking as a private individual, I would not vote for John McCain under any circumstances,

    Wow, Dobson and I finally agree about something!

  • I think McCain’s become unhinged somewhere along the line. You could simply state, to his face and on national TeeVee, “You’re a child molester” or “You’re a coward” or just about anything and he’ll smile sheepishly or even laugh. He’ll take anything you throw at him. Amazing what the lust for power will do to a man who was once regarded as heroic. Maybe we should start referring to him as Gollum.

  • I’m really curious. If McCain did so badly in the Club For Growth poll, who is doing well with them? Kleeman’s article doesn’t mention it, nor does the article that Kleeman cited as his source.

  • Speaking as a private individual, I would vote for McCain if the circumstances were: A) It’s 2000 again, and B) it’s the GOP primary again.

  • Is it possible that James Dobson has tried to shake-down McCain–or more precisely his supporters–for hundreds of thousands of dollars? That, of course, would be extortion, but it wouldn’t run afoul of campaign finance laws if the candidate never “touched” the money. Dobson is pious, but he could be a crook, too.

  • Actually, I find this kind of a sad commentary on America in general. I mean, times were, whether or not you agreed with the leadership, they were generally intelligent people with well-defined principles.

    I am not trying to say that those don’t exist anymore, but it seems like every politician these days waters down his or her ideals in order to be elected. Why can’t people actually stand up, believe in something, and be evaluated on those beliefs alone? (These tend to be the ones who lose the primaries). Instead, the ones who win the primaries, and the elections tend to be the slimy ones (of any party), who weasel and lie their way into office.

    I don’t blame the politicians- after all, weaseling is getting them elected. Rather, I blame the public, who consistently votes for these critters.

    McCain is, or was, a man with well-defined and clear values (regardless of whether you agree with those or not, they were clear and well-defined). That a man with a prestigious history like his has to debase himself like this is sad; not only for him, but for his country.

  • As much as I’m enjoying the McCain Implosion Tour ’06 – ’08, one has to wonder from whom he’s getting his advice.

    Honestly … anyone know?

    I ask because most Americans who don’t pay attention latched on to his “maverick” label and saw him as a sensible Republican. He has instead (for reasons I can’t understand) decided to make an attempt to appease the Twentypercenters – that part of the population that will vote for anyone as long as they hate teh gheys and think clumps of cells are actual human beings.

    Castor Troy (#8):
    The problem is that winning has become The Only Thing. Whether politics (McCain), sports (Shawn Merriman, Barry Bonds) business (Enron, WorldCom) … doesn’t matter. People want to win, and how they do it really doesn’t seem to matter any more.

    It really is kinda sad, ain’t it?

  • Not meaning to be rude or insensitive, and maybe this has been talked about and I missed it, but what is happening to John McCain’s face? Look at his photographs from the last few months. He seems to be getting serious growths on his jowls, especially on the left side of his face.

    Is anyone aware of what this condition is or could be? Is this a symptom of a serious problem or is this a benign condition? I’m seriously concerned.

  • Unholy Moses- More than sad. Kinda tragic, actually. We still have some bastions where people serve because they believe in the greater cause- our military, and (most) government employees (I have to exempt the special political appointees on this one)- but overall, government has become one more massive paycheck (either directly, or through those lucrative lobbying contracts).

    I work to serve my country not because it makes me more money than the private sector (it doesn’t), but rather because I truly believe in a greater good, and that, somehow, we can prevail against the adversity which assails us- both internal and external- on a continuing basis. Many of the civilians and military whom I have the honor to work with feel the same.

    Would that our leadership felt the same, and acted the same.

  • colonpowwow (#10),

    Unlike Senator Frist and the rest of the GOP wackos, I’m unwilling to make a diagnosis through the internet. But it’s my considered opinion that those swollen jowls are the result of intense sucking, whether it be “religious” leaders or deep pocket contributors.

  • Ed Stephen (#12)

    I understand. How ’bout if I send you a videotape? Will that help you pinpoint your diagnosis?

    I’m not a doctor, but I play one on the internets sometimes, and my deformed medical opinion is that intense sucking results in caved-in cheeks, not swollen jowls. Likely we’re both wrong, so perhaps we should consult a sucking specialist, like Senator Lieberman, perhaps.

    Better yet, let’s go straight to the horse’s . . . uh . . . mouth. Do you have former Senator Frist’s e-mail address? Or is he in jail for securities fraud yet?

  • So what’s next for the McCainiac? Will he continue his Pepe LePew like pursuit of the radical right by bombing an abortion clinic? Or will he give up on Das Base, dump his wife and “come out,” in an attempt to woo the LCRs?

    Anything is possible with anyone who would do anything to get in the White House.

  • Gee, it kinda looks like he misundercalculated a bit with the “sloberingly-hug-the-guy-who-dissed-my-family” tactic to ingratiate “the base” as well. Perhaps he should have stayed aloof of President Bush. Ya’ think?

    I think Taio (#15) is on to something here. Change the “Straight Talk Express” to the “Straight Shooting Expressly at Family Planning Clinics” or something.

    Also, I’ve done more speculation on the growth on McCain’s face and have concluded that he has taken being two-faced to the next level and is actually growing another face.

    I’ve advanced that theory to Dr. Frist and am awaiting confimation on something or other.

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