Blogs for McCain

We at Blogs4McCain just wanted to thank all the fallen, those serving, and Civic Servants like Senator John McCain for their service to freedom, liberty, and this great nation.

We live for a cause; We live for a reason.

It’s not a Conservative thing. It’s not a Liberal thing. It’s an American thing!

Memorial Day is a long standing tradition held by the American people first starting by freed Black slaves after the Civil War in 1865. It’s changed dates, however the intent has also been the same; We remember those who have fallen for our great Union. Please also check out the best Medifast Coupons to help with fast weight loss
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I’m off for vacation for a few days, and posting from me will be sporadic.  Lorraine and Ali will be holding the reigns till I get back!  Have a great Memorial Day weekend, and Viva McCain!

John McCain is quintessential Americana. More than a John Wayne war hero or John Hughes desperado, McCain is a real life cowboy ready to put everything on the line to do what’s right. That’s why we love him. That’s why we want him in the White House. For first time in a long while, the media is seeing him in the same way. Check out this excerpt from the New Hampshire Union Leader, the biggest paper in the state:

FOR MONTHS, Sen. John McCain has been roughed up by critics who say the maverick senator beloved in 2000 has been replaced by a panderer willing to say anything to get the GOP nomination. Those critics are not paying attention…

As with Iraq, McCain is taking an unpopular position [on immigration] because he believes there is no better option available — with the full knowledge that doing so could destroy his last chance to become President.

We disagree with the senator about the immigration bill. But we admire his determination to do what he believes is right even at great personal risk. McCain is gambling his political career on his belief that Americans want a leader, not a follower. So far, no other presidential candidate has had the guts to do the same.

To read the editorial in full, click here.

Most of us “get it.” It might be a bitter pill for the uberpundits to swallow, but it’s not rocket science here in Middle America: we understand the urgent need for immigration reform, especially the kind set forth in the Senate bill sponsored by John McCain and friends. From a newly minted New York Times/CNN poll and article:

As opponents from the right and left challenge an immigration bill before Congress, there is broad support among Americans — Democrats, Republicans and independents alike — for the major provisions in the legislation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

For a fact sheet on the bill’s provisions, take a look at the John McCain website. Not enough? Sign the petition.

Power Line News blogger Scott Hinderaker posts links to a transcript, and commentary of the blogger’s-only conference call.

McCain’s campaign statement on the conference call, and the resulting hubub over his position on immigration reform is here.

UPDATE: Fred Barnes has an excellent article in the Weekly Standard on the genesis and merits of the immigration reform legislation making its way through the Senate.

Here one day and gone the next. The immigration issue was at the forefront in the Senate yesterday morning until Senator Reid (D-NV) pulled it, to be debated again in late June.

Senator John McCain had time to speak some others and I before his address to the Oklahoma State Legislature.

I had the pleasure of partaking in a conference call for major press networks and blogger media persons with Senator John McCain yesterday. Our topic was Government Efficiency, however I quickly learned that McCain’s, what was suppose to be short and sweet, comments on the immigration bill facing the Senate yesterday would carry the entire questioning period.

I’ve stood silent on the Immigration issue this time. In fact, it’s the first time. About a year ago when the nation’s largest cities were holding mass organized protest, I counter protested and made state-wide headlines in Dallas, Texas. My shirt read: “A day without Intruders… sounds great!” I proudly waved the largest American flag in the middle of a crowd that despised me. I endured the persecution of my so-called peers for my views and this nation.

Needless to say, this is a topic that is on the forefront of our minds and McCain stated that this issue in particular is the most passionate issue of the Republican party. He later revised his comments saying that “abortion may” have a greater passion.

You could hear the restlessness in the Senator’s voice. He is having to defend a stance in which there are “increasing pressures” from different sides. McCain was actually surprised by the skepticism of the far right.

He was sure to touch on the topic of amnesty when saying, “this is not amnesty…not…according to the definition.” He also quickly iterated that “[we] are punishing families… a $5,000 fine, 8 years [waiting period], and they must return to their country of origin.”

While McCain was calm, he sure seemed passively annoyed by the questions that have already been answered. The highlight of the call was when a reporter asked McCain to comment on Former Massachusetts Governor and fellow Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s stance; “In the case of Governor Romney, you know, maybe I should wait a couple of weeks and see if it changes, because it’s changed in less than a year from his position before…maybe his solution will be to get out his small-varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn.’’

McCain is known for his sometimes corny sense of humor, but I had to join him on this one. This comment comes in reference to a piece in The Boston Globe which pointed out that Romney had contracted a company to do his lawn that employed illegals.

This mid day jab was quickly responded to by Kevin Madden, a spokesman for Romney, “Governor Romney has been very clear that he opposes this immigration agreement, which clearly falls short of the American public’s expectations,’’ he went further to state, “It seems that a certain candidate who brokered this flawed plan is having a very difficult time coming to terms with the political fallout that has ensued and has abandoned any and all substantive arguments for it.’’

Earlier in the conference call McCain also gave more insight into the reports that say he used the “F” word targeting fellow Republican and Immigration negotiator Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). He said the reports were “a bit exaggerated,” but also stated that “we are very frank with each other [at times].” Senator Cornyn’s office will not confirm that the “F” word was used by Senator McCain.

McCain, having one of the strongest internet presences and strong eCampaign backing, jokingly stated that he would “love to have YouTube” in the closed door sessions; he thinks that it would give “insight” and shed some light to the American public. He went further to state, “it will surprise” and educate the people on how things are done and said.

I should point out that the Senator acknowledges that there is some unsubstantiated disdain from the far left regarding this bill. He believes that it is because of “personal dislike for this President” and followed up by calling it, “irrational dislike.”

McCain pointed out that he is very close to the Hispanic leadership in his home state of Arizona, where reportedly 50% of the illegal crossings happen. He thinks this is an issue that will help his party politically. He described the Hispanic people as, “small business, small government, and pro life.” He was passionate when he articulated, “we have to get” this issue out of the way. He believes there will be “pressures” in support of this bill in the near future from Labor Unions and the political Hispanic community.

While immigration was on the forefront of everyone’s tongue, I carefully noted the following:

• McCain wished, yes I said: wished, that Fred Thompson was involved in this debate; stating that Thompson too had changed his view (away from support).
• McCain reiterated that we need to stay in Iraq, saying it will take “patience and time….. unfortunately, time’s not on our side.”
• McCain’s entire purpose of the meeting might go missed by the mainstream media, but not by this blogger. McCain told us that we need to “clean up the corruption,” which he plans to lead. He also stated what was the most overlooked line, “[I would] reform defense acquisition.” Reference to Halliburton and Iraq contracts? Maybe the ‘maverick isn’t dead.’

This is an article written by Ali A. Akbar. Akbar is currently being syndicated and writes for: Blogs4McCain, Razor Politics, McCain Texas, Ali A. Akbar & Friends, and his personal temporary blog: Ali Talks. His editor can be contacted by clicking here.

Resources:

Romney’s Press Release

Fred Thompson’s Article on National Review

Senator John McCain’s Address to the Oklahoma State Legislature

Legislation being Pulled to June

The Boston Globe

UPDATE: The Politico has a short clip of McCain responding to some of his critics in a conference call today with bloggers. 

Over at the official McCain campaign blog, Christian Ferry, the eCampaign Director, posted a statement by Senator McCain on the recent bi-partisan agreement on immigration reform. As of this writing, the post has attracted 265 comments! Now, I should preface that by saying most of those comments are negative.

One of McCain’s greatest qualities is his work as a negotiator–yet his work to bring a sense of civility and comprehensive bi-partisan solutions to the Senate is often met with cynicism from the base. Why is it that the grassroots rebels against any form of bi-partisanship? Taking the cue from one commenter at the post–it is indeed a sad day in America when this happens. It’s a sad day in America when working with your colleagues to bridge the partisan divide (that is, putting ideological stripes asides) gets you called a traitor.

This is not the first time Senator McCain has faced resistance to an “unpopular” decision or piece of legislation. But make no mistake about it, McCain has never backed down from a fight he believed in, and never will. If conservatives want to throw McCain under the proverbial bus, so be it. But if they think they’ll ever get a stronger immigration reform bill (or the difficult negotiations that accompany it) out of the Senate without working in a bi-partisan fashion, then they’re only fooling themselves.

If conservatives disagree with the bi-partisan Senate bill, then let us debate that issue. But if conservatives are outraged that McCain would work across the aisle–even considering the small role he played here–then I suspect no amount of rational debate is going to convince them of the merits of the McCain position.  Such sentiments are not easily reconciled.

Chicago Sun Times (IL): Don’t Count Out McCain Just Yet

Tom Bevan

He’s too disliked by conservatives. He’s trailing in the national polls. He’s not raising enough money. For months the media’s storylines on John McCain have all focused on the reasons why he won’t win the Republican nomination for president, but perhaps they should start focusing on the reasons he could. Here are just two:

• • McCain is maintaining slim leads in the RealClearPolitics poll averages in all three crucial early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Even more important than his lead in the polls, however, is that McCain has been steadily plugging away building out organizations in these states while Rudy Giuliani has made far fewer visits and is still openly debating whether he will parti- cipate in the first critical test of the Republican race, which will come at the Ames, Iowa, straw poll in August.

• • A little-noticed indication of McCain’s strength appeared last week when he edged ahead of Giuliani in the political futures markets. Much like the stock market where real money is being invested by real people, these markets often represent a more reliable and more accurate picture of where the race really stands than can be gotten from individual polls. As of this writing McCain and Giuliani were exactly tied in the political futures markets.

Taken together, these points indicate McCain’s true strength as a candidate is probably being understated by the media and the national polls.

That’s certainly how the McCain campaign feels about their position. “Despite what the pundits have said, we’ve always had a very good understanding of what we needed to do to win this race,” McCain campaign manager Terry Nelson told me on Wednesday. “Overall, we feel we’ve built the best team and we feel very good about where we are.”

The race is in the very early stages and it will almost certainly get a good shaking up when actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson enters the race, as most observers expect he will in the not-too-distant future. Thompson is getting between 10 percent to 15 percent in the national polls as a non-candidate and would most likely improve his share of support upon formally entering the contest, putting him right up near the top of the field.

It’s too soon to speculate on exactly how Thompson’s candidacy might change the dynamics of the race, but it is worth pointing out another favorable indicator for McCain is that his support in the national polls has been remarkably steady over time, even when those polls have included Thompson as an alternative.

Two months ago when pollsters were not asking about Thompson, McCain was at 21 percent in the RealClearPolitics average for the Republican nomination. Today, with every major survey including Thompson, McCain is at 22 percent. Just as important, over that same period front-runner Giuliani has seen his support decline by more than 10 percentage points, from 38 to 27.8 percent.

The bottom line is that those who were quick to write off McCain would be well advised to take another look and to remember the credo that “slow and steady wins the race.” McCain still has his flaws, and he still has a long way to go to win the nomination, but eight months away from the first primary he’s in a much better position than many people think.

Tom Bevan is executive editor of RealClearPolitics.com.

First of all, a few general reflections on tonight’s debate. I liked the format much better than the first debate. The Fox News guys did an excellent job asking questions, and didn’t seem like they were trying to knock any of the candidates.

Further, I liked the interplay between candidates, and the depth of their answers. Sure, Romney and a few others responded to the “subject” rather than the actual “question”, but I don’t think anyone ended with egg on their face (save, perhaps Ron Paul).

Now for McCain. When Mitt Romney attacked him on CFR and immigration, McCain very ably defended himself. Not only that, he scored a direct hit on McCain, and perhaps indirectly on Rudy (who’s spent the last week “clarifying” his stance on abortion). McCain answered the hypothetical on a “ticking bomb” very adroitly as well. And his response to the “enhanced interrogation technique” matter really stuck out in my mind as a highpoint of the evening.

Kudos to Rudy for calling Ron Paul out on the carpet over his “we invited 9/11″ comments. Slick Romney (or as one of my female friends watching the debate described him, “Mr. Plastic”) was fast to try and get his own two cents in. I thought it was hilarious when the Fox News boys shut him down!

More post-debate coverage and blogosphere wrap-up to come! Stay tuned! UPDATES BELOW THE FOLD.

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Over at Pajamas Media, blogger Bill Bradley writes on the positive trends he is seeing for John McCain.

Excerpts:

Since then, McCain’s struck a greater note of realism about Iraq, while remaining a strong supporter of the effort there. The surge is something he advocated years ago. Actually, he had wanted the 2003 invasion to utilize a much larger force, which might have secured the country’s infrastructure and led to a more stable Iraq. His policy differed in other major respects from Bush’s course.

While most have thought that McCain is the candidate in trouble, it is actually Giuliani. He has not developed beyond his strong opening burst in February, and has slid sharply in most national polls since then. Little more than a month ago, he had a clear lead in Nevada. In this latest poll, he is fourth, albeit within a half-dozen points of the leader, McCain. His fundraising in the first quarter was strong, but no stronger than that of the third place Democrat, John Edwards. McCain, who seemed hyper in the begininng, delivered an effective performance at the Reagan Library, but Giuliani tended to fade into the woodwork, impressing only with a remarkably diffident answer on the fate of Roe v. Wade. This led him to refocus his campaign on his historical pro-choice stance, a risky move in the Republican primaries, especially the early ones.

With McCain running a consistent first or at least a close second in the other three of the first four states — Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina — Giuliani has been hoping for commanding showings in Nevada, and then California and other big states that follow on the heels of the first four.