As per the Drudge Report:
MCCAIN IN REPUBLICAN STRAW POLL EMBARRASSMENT
Sat Mar 11 2006 12:50:33 ET
Facing a loss at a 2008 straw poll event this weekend, Senator John McCain of Arizona told his supporters to write in President Bush as a sign of support, leaving many sputtering.
“For the next three years, with our country at war, he’s our president and the only one who needs our support,” McCain told nearly 2,000 party activists from 26 states gathered in Memphis. McCain, realizing the national political media had descended on the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, moved to discredit the straw poll by asking delegates to vote for Bush, insiders claim.
Instead of stopping the momentum of Majority Leader Bill Frist – widely anticipated to win the straw poll – the move seemed to expose the McCain camp’s insincerity about its position with the base.
One activist said, “McCain voted against all the Bush tax cuts… maybe he should have voted for the president then, instead of waiting for a political stunt to try and distract.”
UPDATE: Frist finished first with 36.9% in the straw poll.
Romney finished second with 14.4%, just under half as many votes as Frist.
Activists rejected the McCain campaign shenanigans with Allen tying Bush at 3rd.
The president received numerous standing ovations – he is still very popular among activists despite bad poll numbers.
Mccain finished 5th.
DOING THE HATED “LOGICAL EXTENSION (So sayeth the BZ):”
I am wondering: perhaps the Gang of 14 has caught up with our Arizona senator?
This is crushing to McCain and his supporters. He will likely minimize as much as possible — as he clearly is doing now.
On the other hand, this bespeaks volumes about our national political agendas insofar as we are nationally holding straw polls a full two + years prior to the actual election.
The Testing of the Waters has officially begun — and this is radically important contrasted to, say, two elections ago — because lines are being drawn and political strengths and barriers are being analyzed.
We think we know where this is going; I submit: we haven’t a clue — as it is yet way too early to make any kind of cogent predictions.
Here is a prediction: If the party elected in 2008 doesn’t have the gonads to fight terrorism, the US will undergo severe attacks in 2009 and be a desert wasteland in 2010. Welcome back!
Many Happy Returns, Mr. Z!
McCain has lost out because he doth waffle to and fro and continuously to suit whim and whimsy and poll data.
That is ‘triangulating’. The only ‘triangulating’ a large portion of the People want these days is for dropping ordinance.
Without Bush to rail against, the Dems are in quicksand. Congress is considered even lower than the President by a substantial amount and is heading into ‘Used Car Salesman’ territory.
And some fraction of the electorate that the Dems don’t care about and that the Reps can’t figure out believe Mr. Bush has been too LAX in his duties to protect the country.
Remember, choosing the better amongst used car salesmen still leaves you with a used car salesman.
I like Rebecca’s post and idea of a dream team …so far.
Giuliani/Rice….
Hope you had a nice trip…glad to see you back safely.
P.S. I just LOVED your other picture. (smiling)…and miss it too. (LOL)
Great minds think alike. I posted on this exact same thing in my smorgasbord. I can’t tell you HAPPY I was to read the exact same article and I took out the exact same quote as you :-).
To be honest I have been very nervous about hearing people say they think he has a real shot at the nomination for 2008. I worked my butt off to get W elected and I can tell you right now I wouldn’t lift a finger to get McCain elected. I’m going to have to do another post solely dedicated to why he doesn’t deserve the Republican nomination. He has stabbed Republicans and the American people in the back 1 to many times.
See that face McCain is making. That’s the face I will be making if he is the next republican nominee.
Oh no! The republicans are in big trouble!!!!!
Kind of funny to see the GOP run away from Bush because of his poll numbers, first Dubai, i wonder what’s next?
03 14 06
Hey Blo Zep:
Glad you are back. That is such a funny pic of McCain. I gotta read your post again to put it into context. I just had to post about that! Ha!
Folks: thank you most kindly for my welcome! Politics keep on chuggin’ along no matter where you go.
AJ is Spot On — the Dems and the DEM need Bush like Hardy needed Laurel.
BTW: I saw that photo of John and KNEW I had to use it.
BZ