McCain struggles to wrap up his own party's support
By Steve Benen Thursday Jun 12, 2008 4:50pmThere’s been quite a bit of talk the past few days about a handful of House Democrats who’ve announced that they won’t endorse Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Most notably, Rep. Dan Boren, a right-wing Dem from Oklahoma said he’ll vote for Obama in November, but he won’t endorse him beforehand, calling Obama “the most liberal senator” in Congress.
Noting the phenomenon of Obama holdouts among Democratic lawmakers on the Hill, the AP said John McCain “has his own issues in his party,” but “only a handful” of GOP lawmakers have withheld their support for him.
As it turns out, though, the AP is wrong. There’s actually more than a “handful.”
At least 14 Republican members of Congress have refused to endorse or publicly support Sen. John McCain for president, and more than a dozen others declined to answer whether they back the Arizona senator.
Many of the recalcitrant GOP members declined to detail their reasons for withholding support, but Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) expressed major concerns about McCain’s energy policies and Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) cited the Iraq war.
A handful of other Republicans on Capitol Hill made the distinction between “endorsing” and “supporting,” adding that while they have not endorsed, they do support McCain.
For all the talk about Democrats having to work hard to achieve “unity” after a lengthy and contentious primary fight, it looks like Republicans are in just as awkward a spot — and McCain effectively wrapped up the GOP nomination way back in February.
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NBC's Tim Russert dies at 58 after collapsing
AP - 10 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, who pointedly but politely questioned hundreds of the powerful and influential as moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," died suddenly Friday while preparing for his weekly broadcast. The network's Washington bureau chief was 58.
Ooops. Thanks.
OMG.
Breaking news, Tim Russert died. WTF? shit.
Dit mon. Delete these above if you want.
Didn't realize I'm late.
the gop has an identity problem a lot of that has to do with the NEOCON movement/philosophy....what bush told his followers and what he did is very different.....the evangelical group for instance.....look at bush's approval rating .. mccain is following bush's policies...look at that recent farm bill many republicans voted for that bill.. they are big spenders and big goverment people in the republican party.....unless you've had your head in sand for 7plus years your aware of this..if you want on-going war,big government and a large gap between wealthy and low-middle class then you know who to vote for
This ball game ain't over for the neocons... we're all just assuming McCain will be the nominee.
enor @ 6:
that's an interesting twist....makes you think presumptive
When I began to read this post I'm thinking, but I read somewhere that a lot of repubs were holding off on McCain. Then I got to the part where you corrected what the AP had said. If I were a repub, I would feel panic if I had to back McCain. It's like putting your name on a faulty product, maybe not the wisest thing to do.
WTF, I'm not going to endorse him either.
I like to see the Repugs in disarray. It makes me warm and fuzzy.
I'm sick of NPR because of this. They want to make something of one yahoo rep in Oklahoma (of all places), and paint this as a common problem McCain and Obama have. Its bs. Its like the story I heard this morning of how Democrats were "engaging in election year politics by pushing obvious wedge issue bills like extension of unemployment benefits and windfall property taxes for oil companies." Fuck that. I want the Democrats (and the rest of Congress) to advance those issues; I don't care what the date is.
Boren is a chickenshit, not so sure what the repugs deal is.
i would like to see Paul and Barr expose the NEOCON philosophy/movement.....i think it hurts the NEOCONS..kind of a proxy war...i'm not a Paul guy but he does point out the party is living a slow death...i think buchanan said last night they don't have any good candidates...not easy for many in that party to face the unecessary war issue
But many Democrats are not endorsing Obama either. I'm guessing this happens every 4 years.
Its heart-warming to see the Rethugs have the same drama that the Dem's have.
j @ 14:
Read much?
j @ 14:
I didn't realize there was a problem with Democrats not endorsing Obama 4 years ago
Okay we're on McCain oh boy no further comment.
Think I'll go sweep the sidewalk.
karl @ 7:
If I was McCain I would be more worried about them.
Think about the possibilities ( now first get in the frame of mind like; remember the Nurse from Kuwait that testified before Congress that Iraqi soldiers were dumping babies out of their incubators in the ICU? That, of course, turned out to be a complete lie. She turned out to be a daughter of some Kuwaiti Diplomat that was just playing a role to get Americans all hopped up about the first Gulf War. )
Now, imagine someone (it doesn't have to be true remember) coming forward with all sorts of dirt on McCain, with 'documentation' etc. just before the Repub convention ...then the very moral delegates HAVE TO SELECT someone more suited for the grand office of the presidency... any other ideas?
You do agree they are capable of such a plan?
enor @ 19:
elieve it or not i do recall that story kuwaiti women...but to your scenario.....hey in politics anything can happen even more now simply because the NEOCONS have close to accomplishing what they been working on for years...time will tell
I'm beginning to see another interesting pattern. Each time the Fossil Media trots out another "Obama problem" story, it evaporates fairly quickly.
We had the "bitter Hill partisans won't rally" fabrication followed by a run of polling data that completely popped that bubble.
We had the stunningly ridiculous "fist bump" feeding frenzy that fell apart like wet toilet paper. The cracked pot is simmering with steaming sludge but the shelf life gets shorter with each new dollop.
Yes, the handful of knuckle dragger clans still lost in the shrinking world of teevee and tawk radio may be as remote to reason as an undiscovered Papuan rainforest enclave but most of America is waay more plugged in.
And the organizational details of the Dean/Obama operational insurgency of actual humans on the ground reaching out to actual humans may be breathtakingly effective as a personal connection to something is increasingly the main motivator in a world where everyone is over marketed with spam, junk mail, robo calls and product placements.
And being the "most liberal senator in Congress" is bad because ...?
Time again to embrace that word, that philosophy.
Dan Boring mustn't visit the Senate very often. Senator Bernie Sanders is a Socialist, and considerably to the left of anyone in either of the war monger parties.
That's bad news.
Timmeh, no more.
He has the support of GOP voters. Every breakdown shows him with 85-95 pct of goopers. Its the ones in office that know him and have to work with him that hate him. An out of control anger, an arrogance that is breathtaking and a tendency to backstab his fellow goopers if it will get him a favorable headline have gave him some unmendable fences to mend. Like he does on the campaign lie to please and change the story tomorrow. Makes the biggest lie his attention to "honorable".
the GOP will eventually support him.... those who will not have not spoken up yet as they are awaiting the arrival of their
JOHN MCCAIN IS NUTTY AS A FUCKING FRUITCAKE
post-its
Not sure if you guys saw this on "The Huffington Post," but Emanuel and Boren have stated that Boren's remarks were taken out of context...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/13/dems-not-backing-obama-ra_n_106...
From the article: "You go ask Boren," Emanuel says, "he'll tell you his view is that that was taken out of context, that he is going to support the nominee."
(He was right: "My comments were taken out of context and as I have said from day one I will vote for the Democratic nominee in November," Boren told The Huffington Post.)
Chris Rich @ 21:
nice words. when obama wins, can we all do the dean scream together!?? that was fun. and you are so right about humans. i love also how bill moyers handled being "attacked" by o'rile's "journalist."
I'm going to go a step further, and withold support of ALL republicans (now and forever)!
mccain is more corrupt than anyone except the delay/abramoff gang and boosh crime family. he has his own lobbyist mafia working on his campaign. how could any republican have a problem with mccan't unless he hasn't promised to cut them in on it.
Oh, but the traitorous mainstream media is busy harping on how will Obama unite the Democrats.
No reporting from those traitors on how yellow teeth McBush will unite the demons in the satanic republican party.
The AP is a complete tool of the GOP. How many stories have they gotten wrong lately about republicans and their criminal activity? How often have they been proven to be carrying water for the McCain campaign? How many stories about Iraq/Iran have been proven to be outright GOP/Whitehouse spin?
I suppose it is possible some of these radical right wing mccain supporters may have 14 fingers on their hands.
Dan Boren needs to lose his job, since he is a repulican mole. Same for many other Dem office holders.
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