NPR: Conservatives Take Another Swipe at McCain

Conservatives Take Another Swipe at McCain

John McCain is the Republican front runner. And many conservatives are not too happy about it.

Columnist Robert Novak writes that there was much talk among conservatives in the days before the Florida primary about comments that McCain reportedly made disparaging Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for being too conservative (McCain says he doesn't recall making any such remarks) and other comments he made about not necessary blocking a tax increase if he was president.

"McCain as the Republican nominee would need those 'very conservative' voters," writes Novak. "He will encounter some of them at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington Feb. 7-9. His campaign Wednesday asked for McCain to speak there after rejecting an invitation to last year's meeting. At CPAC, he might well consider providing "straight talk" about Samuel Alito and promising to veto any tax increase by a Democratic Congress."

Talk-show host and columnist Hugh Hewitt has been a consistent critic of McCain and has written "I cannot understand any serious conservative supporting Senator McCain's candidacy," saying McCain that the candidate is running as "an anticonservative."

The Wall Street Journal notes that conservative talk-show host and author Michael Graham blogged after the Florida Republican primary, ""So it is over. Finished. In November, we'll be sending out our most liberal, least trustworthy candidate."

But the Journal says McCain is a lot more conservative than some give him credit for being. And as Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime friend and supporter of McCain notes, ""There's a level of practicality among Republicans I haven't seen in a long time, a focus on winning I haven't seen in a long time."

And as the paper notes "he is the candidate many Democrats least want to face, the one who would best remake his party's battered image and draw independent voters needed to win in November" despite his problems with conservatives in his own party.

8:52 PM ET | 01-31-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

These people are simply bonkers, even by Republican standards. Naturally, the same people who remain convinced that the hawkish, pro-corporate Hillary Clinton is an ultra-leftist are going to look at John McCain and declare him an "anti-conservative." The right-wing fringe in America has, while managing to pass itself off as mainstream defenders of traditional conservatism, lost all touch with reality, even if that reality is more than adequately conservative by any rational measure. One suspects that if Ronald Reagan himself rose from the grave tomorrow, and were not barred by the Constitution from seeking a third term, even he would soon be facing discontent over inadequate commitment to reactionary beliefs.

Sent by MJ Kuhns | 9:59 PM ET | 01-31-2008

for many years, mccain has been the republicans best, most obvious choice for winning the presidency and getting the country united. hard core conservatives need to get over themselves. by continuing to go for the whole pie, they are sacrificing their party. if they're still unhappy, they need to start a third party, or maybe, start supporting people who are truely conservative. george w & mitt romney, no. ron paul, yes.
side note: after listening to the last three or four congressional hearings, i have one question - how soon before i get to vote for lindsey graham for president?

Sent by adam schaeffer | 11:57 PM ET | 01-31-2008

This is too funny. What exactly does conservatism mean in this day and age anyhow? Does it mean being greedy, elitist, secretively racist and non-pluralist? How about power hungry, ethnocentric, and insensitive to people who need help? Or what about paradoxically claiming to the believe in the 'sanctity of life', yet being totally ok with bombing the crap out of other countries and killing tens of thousands of people?

Screw 'conservatives'. REAL conservatism more closely resembles historical liberalism than the vapid, self-serving, and destructive ideology that passes for it these days.

And furthermore, you 'republicans' out there should be OVERJOYED to have someone like McCain in your party. As an American HERO, he single-handedly gives relevancy to an otherwise ineffectual mess of semi-literate geriatric white men.

Sent by angsty | 12:42 PM ET | 02-05-2008

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