Many here seem to think that McCain is a new believer in state wide gay marriage amendments. Sorry to disappoint you, McCain has always stood the line against gay marriage in his home state:
McCain has to get himself elected too though you know, it’s not really up to us. That’s why I was disappointed when I heard he’s not even campaigning on weekends because he gets too tired. The liberal press may have just said that to make him look bad though.
You’re damn right. Let’s not live in a country where our political lords tell us that the 2nd amendment is no longer relevant because handguns risk lives, but that international terrorists (who plot to kill far more innocent people than a handgun could ever) deserve protection under our constitution. How backwards is that?
Question is mccain going to be meeting more VP candidates or is he finished looking just waiting to announce I would love to see mike steele get a look at from mccain!
Mike Steele as VP could siphon away some of the African-American vote from Obama thus eating into his strongest base of support. A McCain/Steele ticket might also go along way towards recasting the GOP as the party of Lincoln and the true party of Civil Rights in America, it also puts Maryland in play.
#6 - There’s no way - none whatsoever - that Maryland will go for McCain. Also, I don’t think nominating a lieutenant governor who ran a failed Senate bid will recast us as anything but a bunch of shameless affirmative action panderers.
As many are aware, the last Survey USA ridiculously oversampled Democrats by nearly 2 to 1 and showed Obama leading by 9 points, 48-39. This iteration of the poll is much more reasonable. And when you compare it to the last Rasmussen Ohio poll from just last week (which showed McCain +1) what we have is essentially a tied race in the Buckeye state.
Furthermore #6, it appears you are assuming MS would siphon votes away from B.O. based solely upon the fact he is black. Even if that is the case and you are voting solely based upon race…are you going to vote to put in the first A-A vice-president or first A-A President. Game. Set. Match.
Agreed with #7…thinking M.S. puts Maryland into play is ridiculous. I’m all for dreaming here, but keep it within the bounds of realism. Maryland is a LIBERAL state.
#10 - exactly. Plus, Obama, like him or not, isn’t an affirmative action pick. He went out, campaigned, and earned more votes than Hillary. Steele would just be installed as a convenient infusion of ethnicity. Which is more impressive?
SUSA or Rasmussen or anyone else can’t poll the Bradley Effect either, which will be alive and well in some parts of southeastern ohio. If McCain can get the polling average to within 1 or 1 1/2 points by November (and if you go with SUSA and Ras and neglect the Democrat pollster PPP which royally botched several contests in the primaries - then McCain might already be there), he has a good shot at holding Ohio. If McCain can hold OH, VA, CO and NV then he is president.
Adding Michael Steele wouldn’t do anything at all to break Obama’s lock on the black vote. Michael Steele was endorsed by most significant black Democrats in Maryland in 2006, given that they were miffed that the Dem establishment pimped Cardin over a former head of NAACP. He won 25% of the black vote. This is in his home state, against the whitest of white bread Democrats, with a pretty significant contingent of the black establishment behind him. It’s hysterical to imagine that blacks will desert a guy who’d be the first black president because the GOP has put Mike Steele on the bottom of the ticket. Hysterical. And of course, it’s also not helpful that he’s hopelessly unqualified for the job (to a level that makes even Obama look like a senior statesman).
Well, Matthew, you are probably right…but I wasn’t suggesting that he could McCain could win the black vote, just put a dent in it. Ken Blackwell would be another interesting pick for VP who might legitimately put Ohio in our column.
Look, I’d love - LOVE - to have an African-American on the ticket. But it’s insulting to EVERYONE involved to put someone as heinously unqualified as Michael Steele or Ken Blackwell on the ticket. If Steele had been elected to the Senate or Blackwell to the governorship, then that would be another thing. But they didn’t, and it’s not. I’m not about to advocate condescending to black folks by scooping up which unqualified African-American Republican in a bald attempt to whittle away som black votes from the Dems.
Nothing is going to make blacks vote Republican. Nothing. Not this year anyway. I’m all for outreach - but with the first AA at the top of the ticket on the Democrat side, and the history of Democrats getting 90 percent of the AA vote we can’t do a thing this year. We ought to worry about wooing the black vote in 2012. This year it would be much more beneficial to focus on the Hispanic vote.
I didn’t mean this year only Adam. I meant in any year, in any election. I don’t know what it would take for 25% of African Americans to vote for a Republican President.
Let me amend what I just said. We shouldn’t wait until 2012 - but we SHOULD wait until after this November. Because it’s a useless waste of energy. We can’t begin outreach to the AA community on Groundhog Day of 2012 and expect any electoral benefit - but I do think that starting in January of ‘09 - win or lose - the party ought to try harder to woo the black vote.
Out of curiosity, how would you outreach to the AA community? I lived in one for four years, and honestly, I can’t see very much of the GOP has that would appeal to them.
We have to somehow find a Republican that can LEAD. We have to find a way to convince blacks that affirmative action is little more than a liberal scheme based on the premise that blacks aren’t smart enough or talented enough as whites to achieve similar success. We have to find a way to totally reject the PC-culture. We need to link up with blacks of similar persuasions. I’m not sure Bill Cosby could be much help to the Republican Party - but we need to find other blacks that will echo his message. That’s our only hope. I don’t know if it will get us to 25 percent. But even 14 or 16 percent would be a success story if we could do it over the next decade. That would be a great way to counter the increasing Hispanic vote that will vote more Democrat than not (though if we can keep Hispanics voting Republican at 40 percent or so then we’re in good shape there too).
I think a much better pick from OH would be former Rep John Kasich. I think he would add some fiscal credibility to the ticket (having actually balanced the federal budget). He’s been out of the limelight for awhile, though, so I don’t know how he’d go over.
If only Voinovich were ten years younger. The guy got elected at Mayor of CLEVELAND. If there is one person that could narrow Obama’s margin in Cuyahoga Co - he’d be the guy.
But we can’t have a ticket with a combined age of 142. Sigh…
I think the most obvious way to appeal to blacks, and I think George Bush demonstrated that this can have a limited positive impact in 2004, is through religion. HotAir posted a pew survey a couple of days ago on religion. The three most religious groups, on pretty much every question, were Mormons, Jehovah Witness’s, and those attending black churches. These groups even surpassed evangelicals for depth of religiosity (and committment to some of the more dividing line aspect’s of belief). This didn’t exactly surprise me. I’ve mostly attended majority white church’s, but I am a black guy, and I’ve had some experience with black churches. Blacks are far more religious then whites, and far more serious about worship. That said, it’s obviously a very different brand of religiosity, that doesn’t connect well with the evangelicism of the South. But, it’s nonetheless a tremendous missed opportunity, that we manage to win super-majorities of white voters who’d identify as “very religious”, but lose black voters, who most frequently identify as very religious, by 10 to 1 margins.
I think Kasich wants to off Strickland and become the governor of Ohio in 2010. If he can do it, then he is going to be someone to REALLY keep an eye on for the presidency if McCain loses this year. Even if McCain wins, Kasich will only be 63 in 2016.
Speaking of VP’s, Jindal is now facing a recall petition. He broke his proimise regarding pay raises for politicians. Apparently voters in LA are upset.
I think age is only one problem. Isn’t Voinovich one of the senate republicans who have not endorsed McCain? He and Obama have a good relationship from serving on a couple committees together.
As for the GOP reaching out to the AA community, the task is actually not that difficult. There is a misconception that the AA community is flamingly liberal. I suspect if you discount issues related to race the AA community would be nearly as conservative as the majority of americans.
For example, my family uses an AA plumber who owns his own business. Its his second job as he works full-time for a local newspaper. If you only heard what he says and did not see what he looked like you would swear he was some rich, white republican even though he swears he’s a democrat. He just has traditional values, believes (obviously) in hard work and hates illegal immigration. Why isn’t he a republican? Probably because the GOP earned a reputation for racism. That is changing, but the word has not filtered through yet. But I believe its possible.
Paul Bremmer is from Connecticut but he would be a bad pick b/c he was given the responsiblitly to oversee the reconstruction of Iraq in 2003 by GWB and many blame him for the chaos that insued after that point. So i would think he would be a bad pick b/c anyone who is picked who is from the Bush Admistration would be danger to McCain, he needs to get as far away from Bush as he can.
I think that Jindal actually had a very good week with all of the media exposure he got because of his chemical castration initiative. He may be making a play for VP by highlighting some of the issues that he could help run on.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Good for him… it is time to put the primary sniping away and get McCain elected. The alternative is just too unthinkable.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
McCain has to get himself elected too though you know, it’s not really up to us. That’s why I was disappointed when I heard he’s not even campaigning on weekends because he gets too tired. The liberal press may have just said that to make him look bad though.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
“The alternative is just too unthinkable.”
You’re damn right. Let’s not live in a country where our political lords tell us that the 2nd amendment is no longer relevant because handguns risk lives, but that international terrorists (who plot to kill far more innocent people than a handgun could ever) deserve protection under our constitution. How backwards is that?
June 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Question is mccain going to be meeting more VP candidates or is he finished looking just waiting to announce I would love to see mike steele get a look at from mccain!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
#4 Greg, exactly what does MS bring to the McCain ticket?
June 27th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Mike Steele as VP could siphon away some of the African-American vote from Obama thus eating into his strongest base of support. A McCain/Steele ticket might also go along way towards recasting the GOP as the party of Lincoln and the true party of Civil Rights in America, it also puts Maryland in play.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
#6 - There’s no way - none whatsoever - that Maryland will go for McCain. Also, I don’t think nominating a lieutenant governor who ran a failed Senate bid will recast us as anything but a bunch of shameless affirmative action panderers.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
New SUSA poll for Ohio:
Obama 48
McCain 46.
As many are aware, the last Survey USA ridiculously oversampled Democrats by nearly 2 to 1 and showed Obama leading by 9 points, 48-39. This iteration of the poll is much more reasonable. And when you compare it to the last Rasmussen Ohio poll from just last week (which showed McCain +1) what we have is essentially a tied race in the Buckeye state.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I do have a feeling OBAMA is about to announce VP soon so mccain might want to speed up his VP SEARCH!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Furthermore #6, it appears you are assuming MS would siphon votes away from B.O. based solely upon the fact he is black. Even if that is the case and you are voting solely based upon race…are you going to vote to put in the first A-A vice-president or first A-A President. Game. Set. Match.
Agreed with #7…thinking M.S. puts Maryland into play is ridiculous. I’m all for dreaming here, but keep it within the bounds of realism. Maryland is a LIBERAL state.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
According to SUSA, we win in most VP match ups.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
#10 - exactly. Plus, Obama, like him or not, isn’t an affirmative action pick. He went out, campaigned, and earned more votes than Hillary. Steele would just be installed as a convenient infusion of ethnicity. Which is more impressive?
June 27th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
SUSA or Rasmussen or anyone else can’t poll the Bradley Effect either, which will be alive and well in some parts of southeastern ohio. If McCain can get the polling average to within 1 or 1 1/2 points by November (and if you go with SUSA and Ras and neglect the Democrat pollster PPP which royally botched several contests in the primaries - then McCain might already be there), he has a good shot at holding Ohio. If McCain can hold OH, VA, CO and NV then he is president.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
JA Pruce,
Adding Michael Steele wouldn’t do anything at all to break Obama’s lock on the black vote. Michael Steele was endorsed by most significant black Democrats in Maryland in 2006, given that they were miffed that the Dem establishment pimped Cardin over a former head of NAACP. He won 25% of the black vote. This is in his home state, against the whitest of white bread Democrats, with a pretty significant contingent of the black establishment behind him. It’s hysterical to imagine that blacks will desert a guy who’d be the first black president because the GOP has put Mike Steele on the bottom of the ticket. Hysterical. And of course, it’s also not helpful that he’s hopelessly unqualified for the job (to a level that makes even Obama look like a senior statesman).
June 27th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Well, Matthew, you are probably right…but I wasn’t suggesting that he could McCain could win the black vote, just put a dent in it. Ken Blackwell would be another interesting pick for VP who might legitimately put Ohio in our column.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
JA,
Not a chance on Ken Blackwell. He got clobbered by Ted Strickland. I’d rather see Voinovich on the ticket (even at 71 years old) than Blackwell.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I wonder what it would require for 25% of African Americans to vote for a Republican President.
I’m not sure if anything Republicans do would accomplish that.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Look, I’d love - LOVE - to have an African-American on the ticket. But it’s insulting to EVERYONE involved to put someone as heinously unqualified as Michael Steele or Ken Blackwell on the ticket. If Steele had been elected to the Senate or Blackwell to the governorship, then that would be another thing. But they didn’t, and it’s not. I’m not about to advocate condescending to black folks by scooping up which unqualified African-American Republican in a bald attempt to whittle away som black votes from the Dems.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Nice find, Jason. Good to see McCain has drawn a line in the sand.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Nothing is going to make blacks vote Republican. Nothing. Not this year anyway. I’m all for outreach - but with the first AA at the top of the ticket on the Democrat side, and the history of Democrats getting 90 percent of the AA vote we can’t do a thing this year. We ought to worry about wooing the black vote in 2012. This year it would be much more beneficial to focus on the Hispanic vote.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I didn’t mean this year only Adam. I meant in any year, in any election. I don’t know what it would take for 25% of African Americans to vote for a Republican President.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Let me amend what I just said. We shouldn’t wait until 2012 - but we SHOULD wait until after this November. Because it’s a useless waste of energy. We can’t begin outreach to the AA community on Groundhog Day of 2012 and expect any electoral benefit - but I do think that starting in January of ‘09 - win or lose - the party ought to try harder to woo the black vote.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Adam,
Out of curiosity, how would you outreach to the AA community? I lived in one for four years, and honestly, I can’t see very much of the GOP has that would appeal to them.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Doug,
We have to somehow find a Republican that can LEAD. We have to find a way to convince blacks that affirmative action is little more than a liberal scheme based on the premise that blacks aren’t smart enough or talented enough as whites to achieve similar success. We have to find a way to totally reject the PC-culture. We need to link up with blacks of similar persuasions. I’m not sure Bill Cosby could be much help to the Republican Party - but we need to find other blacks that will echo his message. That’s our only hope. I don’t know if it will get us to 25 percent. But even 14 or 16 percent would be a success story if we could do it over the next decade. That would be a great way to counter the increasing Hispanic vote that will vote more Democrat than not (though if we can keep Hispanics voting Republican at 40 percent or so then we’re in good shape there too).
June 27th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I think a much better pick from OH would be former Rep John Kasich. I think he would add some fiscal credibility to the ticket (having actually balanced the federal budget). He’s been out of the limelight for awhile, though, so I don’t know how he’d go over.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
If only Voinovich were ten years younger. The guy got elected at Mayor of CLEVELAND. If there is one person that could narrow Obama’s margin in Cuyahoga Co - he’d be the guy.
But we can’t have a ticket with a combined age of 142. Sigh…
June 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I think the most obvious way to appeal to blacks, and I think George Bush demonstrated that this can have a limited positive impact in 2004, is through religion. HotAir posted a pew survey a couple of days ago on religion. The three most religious groups, on pretty much every question, were Mormons, Jehovah Witness’s, and those attending black churches. These groups even surpassed evangelicals for depth of religiosity (and committment to some of the more dividing line aspect’s of belief). This didn’t exactly surprise me. I’ve mostly attended majority white church’s, but I am a black guy, and I’ve had some experience with black churches. Blacks are far more religious then whites, and far more serious about worship. That said, it’s obviously a very different brand of religiosity, that doesn’t connect well with the evangelicism of the South. But, it’s nonetheless a tremendous missed opportunity, that we manage to win super-majorities of white voters who’d identify as “very religious”, but lose black voters, who most frequently identify as very religious, by 10 to 1 margins.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Richard M,
I think Kasich wants to off Strickland and become the governor of Ohio in 2010. If he can do it, then he is going to be someone to REALLY keep an eye on for the presidency if McCain loses this year. Even if McCain wins, Kasich will only be 63 in 2016.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Adam, you’re 100% right about that. I think he could re-energize the Gingrich coalition that swept Congress in ‘94.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I heard someone the other day pushing L. Paul Bremmer as a potential VP– that could be interesting. Anyone know what State he hails from?
June 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Speaking of VP’s, Jindal is now facing a recall petition. He broke his proimise regarding pay raises for politicians. Apparently voters in LA are upset.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
# 26 “If only Voinovich were ten years younger.”
I think age is only one problem. Isn’t Voinovich one of the senate republicans who have not endorsed McCain? He and Obama have a good relationship from serving on a couple committees together.
As for the GOP reaching out to the AA community, the task is actually not that difficult. There is a misconception that the AA community is flamingly liberal. I suspect if you discount issues related to race the AA community would be nearly as conservative as the majority of americans.
For example, my family uses an AA plumber who owns his own business. Its his second job as he works full-time for a local newspaper. If you only heard what he says and did not see what he looked like you would swear he was some rich, white republican even though he swears he’s a democrat. He just has traditional values, believes (obviously) in hard work and hates illegal immigration. Why isn’t he a republican? Probably because the GOP earned a reputation for racism. That is changing, but the word has not filtered through yet. But I believe its possible.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Paul Bremmer is from Connecticut but he would be a bad pick b/c he was given the responsiblitly to oversee the reconstruction of Iraq in 2003 by GWB and many blame him for the chaos that insued after that point. So i would think he would be a bad pick b/c anyone who is picked who is from the Bush Admistration would be danger to McCain, he needs to get as far away from Bush as he can.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I think that Jindal actually had a very good week with all of the media exposure he got because of his chemical castration initiative. He may be making a play for VP by highlighting some of the issues that he could help run on.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I had not heard Jindal is facing a recall. The voters this year want blood.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
How Can a ‘Fellow Black American’ Oppose Obama?
by Larry Elder
June 27th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
JA Pruce,
It’s encouraging to see Jindal heed good advice.
June 27th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
You called that one Aron,
I actually think that chemical castration would be a very good national domestic issue for McCain to run on. He should adopt it and run with it.