GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
Ugh. Good grief. Look:
Sen. John McCain really does want to tempt the Republican base. …
We’ve gotten our hands on an advanced transcript of this weekend’s “The Chris Matthews Show” on NBC and the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Katty Kay offered this nugget during the show’s “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” segment:
“John McCain is going to be doing more of these themed tours of America, and one of them is going to be on energy and global climate change. It could get him into trouble with Republicans, of course, and with the base, who don’t think there is much climate change going on, but it is something that he’s very passionate about and he’s going to be talking about it.”
If he starts trumpeting cap-and-trade as one of his major policy ideas, I swear to God…
May 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I know, McCain seems to try to screw conservatives everyday.
The best thing that can come of a McCain Presidency is little action, high approval ratings, and a Conservative in line to take over in four years.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
McCain is going for eight years if he can. And btw, being pro-green is a winning issue with independents. He should keep burnishing his pro-environment credentials.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I think McCain wants to lose so he can have an additional reason to be pissed off at and piss on Conservatives.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I didn’t think you believed in God…
May 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
I think this is a good idea. Whether John McCain campaigns on climate change or not, he’s still going to implement poor policies if he’s elected. Given that, I’d rather have him actually campaign on the issue to highlight how he’s a “different kind of Republican”. Because, despite years of ticking off conservatives, their really aren’t that many issues he can use in the fall to convince moderates that he’s not Bush redux. Climate change is one of them. And I wouldn’t want to forfeit a potential advantage, because my sensitive ears don’t want to hear evidence of McCain’s moderation.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Perhaps McCain is deciding to fight on the Democrats terrain. Define the yourself on issues before the other side has a chance to.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Alex,
Did you catch McCain on O’Reilly last night? Nothing short of illogical and exasperating…
Here’s the relevant excerpt from the transcript:
O’REILLY: Let’s be honest. Both parties sold out the American people on energy. Both the Republicans and the Democrats. You’ve been in the Senate 21 years. Come on. There’s no alternative energy system, and there’s nothing under development until maybe a year ago. Clinton-Gore didn’t do anything. They didn’t do anything on global warming. They didn’t do bupkis. So the American people have a right to be angry, you know. Why has it gone up? Why has a gallon of gas gone up a $1 in the last four weeks? Do you know?
MCCAIN: I think it’s because of one fundamental problem, and that is that you have a cartel that controls all of the — virtually all of the world’s oil supply.
O’REILLY: OPEC.
MCCAIN: And they obviously can set the price of oil just to the highest level that will, one, sustain it, and second of all, the United States of America must become independent, first of Middle Eastern oil, and then…
O’REILLY: It’s going to take a while because we didn’t do anything for the last three decades.
MCCAIN: I agree that we have not done enough. And I agree that we have to act. And I agree that it has to be our nation’s No. 1 priority. We’re sending over $400 billion a year…
O’REILLY: Absolutely.
MCCAIN: …to countries that don’t like us very much and to terrorist organizations.
O’REILLY: You voted against ANWR drilling. You voted against ANWR.
MCCAIN: Yes, and I’ll vote against drilling if they want to drill in the Grand Canyon, and I’ll vote against it if they want to drill in the Everglades. And I will try to make it more attractive for Florida and California and other states to have drilling off of their coasts, but I’m not going to force them to because…
O’REILLY: But no one lives in ANWR.
MCCAIN: No, it’s pristine beauty.
O’REILLY: So what? Who sees it?
MCCAIN: Well, all I do is believe that we have to preserve some of the great natural treasures of this earth…
O’REILLY: In the Arctic Circle?
MCCAIN: …no matter where they are, my friend. And I…
O’REILLY: You know, a lot of people aren’t going to like that.
MCCAIN: I know a lot of people don’t like it, but I am also an environmentalist. And so was Teddy Roosevelt, my hero. And I believe that there are just some things that you have to…
May 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Climate change is a scam. We’ve had no global warming since 1999. The globe has actually been cooling the last 9 years.
I think we’re doing a lot of bad things to the environment but global warming is the liberal’s Intelligent Design.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
I did see that, Aron, unfortunately.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Go for it. As noted in #5, his policies are going to be what they are going to be. This election (despite what the far right wants to hear) is about moderates. If he convinces the moderates that he isn’t Bush II without going off the edge and losing too much on the right, he wins. It is his only path to victory. And we on the right already know where he stands on this issue.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
eric and Matthew E. Miller are right, of course, but it’s still extraordinarily obnoxious.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I don’t think being anti-ANWR drilling is going to help him much, though.
But Obama is anti-ANWR drilling, too, so what does it matter, I guess…
May 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
That we continue to empower enemies like Iran and Venezuela when we have our own oil supply to tap is outright retarded.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I wish McCain wasn’t such a true believer (TM) in the climate cult.
If you think income taxes are bad imagine when gas is $5 a gallon and electricity is 30-40 cents per KWh.
This climate change stuff is a bigger economic threat than even the universal health care scams.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I saw this newsflash this morning… then got a call asking me to donate to “Republicans for the Majority” or something like that…
Sorry - I’ll vote for the guy, but actively support some of these agendas… no way!
This is nothing more than John McCain’s continued move to the middle-left. IMO.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Doug,
That’s the rub. McCain isn’t such a true believer in global warming. He uses it opportunistically to curry favor with moderates, independents and conservative Dems; especially in states like New Hampshire, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Minnesota…oh, and don’t forget as an ass-kissing gesture of goodwill to the liberal press.
Throughout the campaign and in debates, McCain has repeatedly conceded that global warming might well be bullshit, but in his mind, the ends justify the means, as he believes we should be doing all we can to leave a cleaner, less polluted planet to future generations…and who can argue with that?
May 9th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Aron, what makes you think he’ll turn on his climate friends when he gets in office?
This is the biggest economic issue right now. Doesn’t matter what we do with entitlement or taxes if we strangle the economy with European level energy prices. I just hope McCain doesn’t take this stuff to far if he’s elected.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
If Republicans had a majority in the Senate, I would vote against McCain over cap-and-trade. Because Republicans would fight a Democratic President on this.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
#13 indeed. What’s particularly “outright retarded” is that tapping ANWR would require less than 1% of ANWR’s land.
It’s an outrage we have nominated a candidate who buys into the sheer idiocy of not tapping ANWR in today’s world.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Serenity now.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Serenity now!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I believe that the Republican party needs to be firmly opposed to this talk of “global climate change” nonsense. So this is dispiriting to say the least.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
#5 “I think this is a good idea…I’d rather have him actually campaign on the issue to highlight how he’s a “different kind of Republicanâ€?. Because, despite years of ticking off conservatives, their really aren’t that many issues he can use in the fall to convince moderates that he’s not Bush redux. Climate change is one of them. And I wouldn’t want to forfeit a potential advantage, because my sensitive ears don’t want to hear evidence of McCain’s moderation.”
That’s right. Well, left.
Mac has 10 days to moderate and move to the middle before Obama does completely and Obama has already started to. The theme against him is McSame: Bush’s Third Term. That has to be repudiated NOW! Along with 100 years in Iraq and “I don’t know much about the economy.” He’s snarky and dismissive about the 100 years comment that was mentioned in the DNC ad and when reporters bring it up. He has the same tone he did in the California debate when he said Romney supported a timetable. This is Mac at his WORST.
Gore’s hilarious movie made $25 million! in the US and just as much worldwide - that isn’t all Daily Kos people that went to see it. It’s also people who may swing this election to McCain. Bill O’Reilly even praised Gore for that movie.
My point is that anything Mac does that makes you cringe, but moderates think is a positive, let him do it.
We have NO BUSINESS winning this year. None. Even less than we did in 2000. And the guy most of us liked the least is now our best chance to do that - WIN!
The Sedona Five are very, very smart. Let them play this out. If you don’t want to give money right now because you think this climate tour is absurd, like I do, then don’t give right now. But if an Obama Presidency might cost you more over the next 4-8 years (and it will for most of us), you may want to reconsider later on giving Mac or the RNC the money they need to WIN!
Or maybe it’s better if we rant and rave about it. I am perfectly content with playing the role of Sister Souljah if that’s what it takes to keep the progressive floodgate from opening for another decade.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Doug, you missed the pointed sophistry regarding the recent and upcoming decade of “slight cooling”: These, too, are further proof of Global Warming! If the earth freezes up to a gigantic snowball, that will definitively settle the matter.
I’m afraid JMac’s not joking about wanting to do something about GW, but I think the political mood is generally one of actionism — just do something, anything to fight the demonic CO2.
If only he could be talked away from “cap and trade.” Although it’s as harmful as any other additional tax, a tax on carbon would at least not put the US at a comparative disadvantage. A carbon tax would also affect imported manufactured goods. Cap’n'trade will only drive manufacturing overseas, to where it can lose the cost disadvantage of having to buy carbon emission permits.
He should review the European experience with the “carbon indulgences,” as the carbon permits are derided there. National governments were heavily lobbied for exemptions and special prices, and some big name manufacturers and utilities got massive subsidies.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
#23: Good argument. I could envision McCain doing that, and then once in office, using the current state of affairs to go ahead and drill for oil in ANWR and offshore! One can hope.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
On the other hand, ANWR should be the kind of issue were McCain stands up to the public and educates them. Like he did about Michigan jobs (which didn’t work so well, admittedly). Like Reagan did about just about everything.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
McCain really looked bad last night..I kept hoping to hear him say something that would help him, but never did.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
#26, I agree, ANWR could be a political winner in an era of $4 per gallon gas prices, and — unlike his gas tax holiday idea — it has the advantage of not being a political stunt.
The New Republic proposed a perfectly reasonable compromise back in 2001: Republians get ANWR, Democrats get the “light truck” MPG exemption removed, and I can’t for the life of me understand why McCain never embraced the idea. Both ideas would help energy dependance, and while I would ordinarily oppose free market restrictions, I think they would be justified in the name of national security.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Truth be told, I think Obama is more receptive to more oil exploration than McCain. He is already on record in favor of more nuclear power so its not a stretch to think that he could come out in favor of drilling in ANWAR if it can be done in a way to have little environmental impact. Oil at $150 a barrel, which is probably going to happen this summer, is a pretty big incentive.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
#29: Well there’ve been several votes in the Senate since 2004 on ANWR, maybe you can look them up and post him here. Personally, I wouldn’t hold my breath; Obama didn’t get to be one of the highest rated Senators by liberal interest lobbies by sticking his finger in the eyes of the party’s extremely vocal anti-ANWR contingent.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I’m old enough to remember scientists trying to scare us about a second ice age. Global Warming? I’m having none of it! I’m sticking with the ice age.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I was listening to Glenn Beck on the way to work a few days ago.
He said he’d be willing to drill in the Grand Canyon or drill through an Alaskan Caribou’s head to get to oil.
I usually disagree with Beck but I just chuckled with glee like a little school girl (no offense to little school girls).
May 10th, 2008 at 9:20 am
At least Glenn Beck didn’t say he wanted to drill little school girls.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Oily Chavez Oozes Beyond Venezuela
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=295226032195285