John McCain pro/con

[Tonks]

John McCain for president 2008


This is the McCain for president 2008 thread. This is where you talk about McCain's campaign and why you will or will not vote for him. Posts about him surging in the polls go here. Posts about his gaffs go here. Threads about something he is currently doing, like as governor, that are not about the campaign do not go here.

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[ImmortalTechnique]

wouldn't have thought a few months ago that McCain even had a shot, but he's making impressive gains in New Hampshire, and still has the best name recognition if he can get some momentum going into the later states

 

[neverforsaken]

Hrmm.... he gets my, "It's between him and Hillary or Obama" vote. Otherwise, I would rather start RINO hunting season early.

 

[ACougar]

There is no such thing as a perfect canidate.

1. Guilliani, surrounded by as much or more corruption and scandal than Mrs. Clinton. 9/11 record doesn't survive serious scrutiny, after the 1st trade center attack he had his command center built at ground zero. He recognized a communications problem among first responders and gave a no-bid contract to Moterolla and fielded the radios before it was discovered that they were worse than what they were replacing. On the one hand I'd sort of like to see the Democrates pound the living snot out of him, but at the same time the thought of this guy in the White House is just too scary.

2. Romney, I grew up in the South... I just don't see most conservative Christians getting out to vote for Romney, especially if he's running against Edwards. Perhaps things have changed more than I realized, who knows... still seems more than a little risky.

3. Huckabee, Nice guy.. but with the spotlight on him, he seems to be tripping up a bit much. From his comments on Pakistani illegal immigrants to his theology degree statements. He doesn't seem to be getting the backing of big money either, which means he's probably more honest than most... but does he still have a chance? I think not.

4. McCain, Bonafid War Hero.. moderate. I don't want to see him run against any of the top Democratic canidates, however if a Republican canidate had to be in office I'd want it to be him. Especially after his strong stand against torture.

 

[Conspiracy Theory]

After McCain-Feingold, no.

Sorry.

He only gets my vote if the other choice is a Democrat.

 

[icedtea]

He dodged the question of whether he'd have Lieberman as Vice P.
I don't know enough about him yet. I've got lots of reading on candidates to do.

 

[xapis]

McCain seems ok with having the troops in Iraq for the next 100 years: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080103/OPINION01/801030365/1008

 

[NeTrips]

He only gets my vote if the other choice is a Democrat.

isn't that the same thing?

 

[Barren]

McCain said that we should leave troops in Iraq for 100 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM

 

[KomissarSteve]

McCain said that we should leave troops in Iraq for 100 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM

He also apparently thinks that Americans aren't "concerned if we’re there for one hundred years or a thousand years or ten thousand years."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJWoGulgbec&eurl=http://thinkprogress.org/

It would appear that fifty-nine percent of the electorate does not agree.

 

[KomissarSteve]

Uh oh...more "not-so-straight-talk" from the shambles that once was the "straight talk express":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W-uzPblPXE

It would seem that he has forgotten about the following little ventures:

-Funneling $10 million to the University of Arizona in 2006.
-Slipping $14.3 million into a defense appropriations bill in 2003: "The only problem is the project to acquire more land near the base was not requested by President Bush or fully authorized by the Senate Armed Services Committee - two of McCain’s criteria for identifying so-called ‘pork.'"

King of All That Is Pork Ted Stevens (R-AK) is on record, saying of McCain that, "“One man’s pork is another man’s alternate white meat...If he asked for it, we put it in.”

 

[NeTrips]

I was reminded on another thread about McCain's almost vice-presidential bid as john Kerry's running mate. Funny how this hasn't come up in a while...

McCain said in a television interview that he would consider the unorthodox step of running for vice president on the Democratic ticket — in the unlikely event he received such an offer from the presidential candidate.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/10/politics/main605167.shtml

 

[Brennin]

I am happy John McCain won New Hampshire.

 

[xapis]

The MSM hype over the past month delivered NH for "the maverick" (sic).

 

[scraparcs]

I expect to be voting for him for Senate again.

 

[GodGunsAndGlory]

I expect to be voting for him for Senate again.

Hopefully thats the case, unless there is a more conservative person running of course.

 

[Voegelin]

There is no such thing as a perfect canidate..

Yeah but all those you seem to like happen to be liberals.

So there are not so perfect candidates which sign on to the liberal agenda and might be OK, such as McCain, and then there is everybody else.

Come on, I'm a partisan too.

I say it. Why can't leftists?

Leftists will vote for anyone who expands government, who promises more money to the NEA, AFSCME and other government unions, who encourages more immigration (to get leftists more votes), who raises taxes, slaps more regulation on everyone, tries to micromanage affairs from Washington, DC and who is soft on national security.

Why deny it?

 

[KomissarSteve]

Yeah but all those you seem to like happen to be liberals.

So there are not so perfect candidates which sign on to the liberal agenda and might be OK, such as McCain

If you think McCain signs onto the "liberal agenda," you've been horrendously misinformed.

 

[ACougar]

Leftists will vote for anyone who expands government, who promises more money to the NEA, AFSCME and other government unions, who encourages more immigration (to get leftists more votes), who raises taxes, slaps more regulation on everyone, tries to micromanage affairs from Washington, DC and who is soft on national security.

Why deny it?

How about because it isn't true? I'm all for empowering state and local governments. I want the U.S. to have the most powerful armed forces in the world, one which will act as a real deterent to traditional warfare and which is also capble of waging asymetric warfare and winning.

I don't necessarily want to see government expanded, however I would like to see it more effective. I do support unions and barganing rights for workers. I suport pay as you go government, which does most likely mean raising taxes. I most definatly do not want to see government taking more control of our lives telling people what they can and can't do. If a persons actions to not directly infringe on the rights of another, government should stay out of it.

My point is that just because someone is to the left of you doesn't mean that all thier views are incompatable with the Republican party. There is plenty to like and dislike about McCain.

I like that he's strong on Defense, I really like that he takes a stand against torture. I like that he seems willing to take a stand against corruption and buying influence in washington. I do not like that he's not really willing to go after those who employ illegal aliens. I do not like the fact that he once asked if people who practice my religion are practicing a real religion. I do not like the fact that one minute he calls the religious right "agents of intolerance" and the next is trying to cozy up to them.

If I wanted to support a Republican with Liberal tendancies who I thought couldn't win I'd be sending cash to Huckabee. I lean toward McCain because if we Dems pick Hillary, they deserve to get pounded into the ground and McCains the one to do it.

 

[KomissarSteve]

How about because it isn't true? I'm all for empowering state and local governments. I want the U.S. to have the most powerful armed forces in the world, one which will act as a real deterent to traditional warfare and which is also capble of waging asymetric warfare and winning.

I don't necessarily want to see government expanded, however I would like to see it more effective. I do support unions and barganing rights for workers. I suport pay as you go government, which does most likely mean raising taxes. I most definatly do not want to see government taking more control of our lives telling people what they can and can't do. If a persons actions to not directly infringe on the rights of another, government should stay out of it.

My point is that just because someone is to the left of you doesn't mean that all thier views are incompatable with the Republican party. There is plenty to like and dislike about McCain.

I like that he's strong on Defense, I really like that he takes a stand against torture. I like that he seems willing to take a stand against corruption and buying influence in washington. I do not like that he's not really willing to go after those who employ illegal aliens. I do not like the fact that he once asked if people who practice my religion are practicing a real religion. I do not like the fact that one minute he calls the religious right "agents of intolerance" and the next is trying to cozy up to them.

If I wanted to support a Republican with Liberal tendancies who I thought couldn't win I'd be sending cash to Huckabee. I lean toward McCain because if we Dems pick Hillary, they deserve to get pounded into the ground and McCains the one to do it.

Voegelin is hissing and shrinking away from the nuanced viewpoints in your post like a vampire from sunlight.