Live from CPAC: McCain into the lion’s den; Armey disses Coulter, George Allen, Tom Coburn endorse McCain; Mac: “We should do this more often;” to shamnesty opponents: “I respect your opposition”
2:34pm Eastern. The main ballroom is full again in anticipation of John McCain’s speech. An attendee just asked one of the panelists on the “Is the GOP Lost?” panel whether he agreed that McCain should not be booed. The panelist reminded the audience of the negative receptions Ronald Reagan encountered over the years and asked for civility. As I reported early this morning, and has been picked up elsewhere, there are more than a few disgruntled CPAC’ers miffed at instructions not to boo.
Meantime, the CPAC straw poll is underway and Mitt Romney’s people are encouraging people to cast votes for him.
3:10pm Eastern. Dick Armey disses Ann Coulter.
Special guest introduced: George Allen. (Loud applause) Endorses. McCain.
Rough transcript…
Dick Armey intro’ing: He’s most likely to be the next standard-bearer of the party…take the leadership by gaining control of the size of government.
We can sit it out and those of you can join ann coulter and vote for hillary clinton.
(Boos).
I don’t like to be abusive of people, but that was really one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.
Special guest before McCain…
Sen. George Allen introduced. Standing ovation. We are at war and the preeminent role is commander in chief.
in my judgement, the best candidate is john mccain…
3:20pm Eastern. Tom Coburn is touting McCain. He says McCain has the rarest of virtues: Courage. He’s risked his political life in defense of surge…I’d rather lose the presidency than lose the war. Courage is what matters most. He has the courage grit and conviction to tell congress no.
(He didn’t have the courage, though, to cast a vote on the $44 billion stimulus lard-on. But I digress.)
Coburn: He doesn’t have a secret amnesty plan. If he does, he knows I’d kill it.
(Applause, then silence.)
Coburn defends McCain’s records on judges and sanctity of human life.
3:25pm Eastern. John McCain introduced. 50/50 cheers and boos.
I’s been along while…we should do this more often.
Pardon my absence last year…I was merely preoccupied.
Maybe i should just sit down.
You were addressed by a great governor, governor romney. had a phone conversation, congratulated. we agreed to sit down together and unite the party.
To Romney camp: I congratulate you, you did a fine job, you are welcome to join my campaign.
Then quickly moves to praising Huckabee.
Boos.
I’m proud to be a conservative, and I’m proud to make that claim because we share the most basic principles. Liberty is from our Creator, not created by governments.
Like you, I understand, as Burke observed, whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither is safe.
…I’ve always believed, like Reagan, “a political party cannot be all things to be all people.”
I attended my first CPAC conference as a guest of Ronald Reagan…
Campaigned in Iowa against agri-subsidies. Campaigned in Florida against national catastrophic health insurance bill. Opposed prescription drug benefit. Touts 2nd amendment record. I have proudly defended by 24-year pro-life record.
Segues to surge defense.
Moves to illegal immigration. Some loud boos drowned out by cheers.
On taking unpopular amnesty position: “I won’t pretend otherwise, nor will you permit me to forget it.”
A few boos, drowned out by cheers.
On illegal immigration – still provokes outspoken opposition…
“I respect your opposition.”
That’s a first.
Pledges to secure borders.
I don’t make promises to my country that I do not intend to keep.
I’m sitting in front of a guy who keeps booing.
We are arguing about hugely consequential things. Whoever the Democrat is, they will govern this country in a way that brings us backward…
i will not sign a bill with earmarks in it. any earmarks in it.
And i can assure you, sen. coburn will hold me to it.
Pledges to make tax cuts permanent.
(Large applause.)
I intend to nominate judges who have proven themselves worthy of our trust and take as their sole responsibility the enforcement of our laws made by the people’s representatives. Invokes Roberts and Alito.
Lambastes Hillary and Obama for desire to withdraw from Iraq. I intend to win the war and trust in the wisdom and courage of our commanders…We share the grief over the terrible losses we have suffered in this war…There is no other candidate who appreciates those losses more than I do…
3:45pm Eastern. Crowd breaks out in changes of “John McCain.” Defends Israel. (Applause.)
I intend to defeat the threat by staying on offense and marshaling every relevant agency…[to defend] free people against those who despise all about us…I intend to contend these issues on conservative grounds…and to keep this country safe, proud, prosperous, and free.
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» Quotes of the day
I think the attendees should quietly turn their backs on McCain, just as he has done to all of us.
I don’t like McCain’s “Thumb in the Eye” approach to conservatives, and his appearance at CPAC is going to be very interesting.
But in all, we should act civilly and instead of booing the person we should boo parts of his speech that drift from the conservative message.
Booing in a speech is one thing. But when a policymaker gives a speech and highlights things he’s done that the audience doesn’t agree with, he should be met with silence, not boos. I always found something that goes totally flat in an audience far worse than something that’s received with a boo– at least then you have them engaged.
I would not boo, I would stand up and turn my back on him the same way he has turned his back on the party so many times. I would also put some black tape over my mouth to fufill his wish of keeping the detractors silent.
I don’t usually comment here, but that is the best advice I’ve heard yet.
I hope he thought better about utilizing the Ronald Reagan video as part of his introduction.
Stand and turn your back to McCain, then sit quietly, fold your arms across your chest, and show a total lack of interest in what he has to say …
Bluegrass,
I was thinking of the tape-over-the-mouth idea, too.
They should all get up and turn and face away from McCant. As another said Benedict Arnold was also a war hero and McCant doing nothing about the border problem and actively fighting against border enforcement for 20 plus years is enough for me to label him a traitor. He has not upheld his oath of office and this vile monera (though that may be an insult to actual pond scum) needs to just go away.
Tar and Feather the SOB.
Whatever he says is irrelevant….it cannot be believed.
C-SPAN3 ha the live feed if you’re stuck at the computer.
I agree turn your back on him! Don’t even appear to be remotely interested in a single thing McPain has to say. That will really get his goat and hopefully cause him to have a melt down.
Michelle had the best idea. Make him make the speech in a room so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Prove that we conservatives are passionate but civil. Just get up and quietly walk out.
Wow. If they have to tell people not to boo, what does that say about the guy?
Hold your noses…
Do not boo.
We are better than that! I don’t want conservatives to be all over the airwaves tonight being mocked and ridiculed. We are better than the leftists who shout down conservatives on college campuses.
Stay silent, but don’t boo. It’s beneath us.
And besides, McCain may just want a lot of loud booing to help him court independents and democrats.
The presidency is lost. The only important race in Illinois is the defeat of Dick Durbin.
Probably like the rest of you, I’m still in the first stages of grief with the Romney resignation. At times like this, we don’t like to be TOLD anything. We need to be comforted, something I think McCain is incapable of.
Should be interesting.
Why not Boo, aren’t elections all about having voices heard?
Met his lies with complete and total silence.
Show some backbone and courtesy. Stand for what you believe in without assailing the individual. If he veers off the path and you disagree, by all means let fly with the objections!
And PLEASE stop with all the whining about McCain’s lack of conservative credentials. He’s one freaking individual.
I remember when the VFW stood and turned their backs on Slick Willie. Such an action seems equally, if not even more appropriate under these circumstances. If he wants us to shut up, let’s give him his wish ,,, and nothing but our backs to stare at to remind him what he has done. Whether he ever admits it or not, it will have an impact on him. (Though doubtfully enough to get him to renounce his liberal stance)
#18….please do everyone a favor and lock yourself in your room. Your attitude and outlook are poisonous!
Whether I agree with John McCain on every issue or not is irrelevant now. He has taken the GOP nomination. Romney did an admirable thing today. He sees the battle ahead. He knows it’s time to turn the page and work out our differences with McCain. We should use this opportunity while the democrats are still fighting it out to best position ourselves against them. They are, after all, the most socialistic group of democrats to ever run for president. We cannot take a pass on this election out of spite and allow Hillary and Barak to simply walk into the Whitehouse.
If i was there I doubt i would be civil. For years he has been a leading the fight for liberal ideals and shifting the GOP leftwards. He has open hostility for conservatives and refuses to even defend the sovereignty the United States. He has promised to treat terrorist with kid gloves. Now his supporters are de4manding we blindly follow him to the demise of the GOP as the conservative party.If i was there I would boo him turn my back to him and walk out.
Well, Tom Coburn is one of my fav senators. Smart move by McCain to have him do the introduction.
Dick Armey is a complete *sshole.
The man should be shown no respect by the people he’s turned his back on and called abusive names.
Lost a lot of respect for Sen. Coburn. Can’t trust any of them any more.
Tom Coburn for President
This is bad THEATER….
McCain will prevent Hillary Clinton from uniting the Republican party, which was seen as a lock a few short weeks ago.
Tom Coburn is a fine man but his lovefest for McCain makes me puke.
On February 7th, 2008 at 3:18 pm, DesertLover said:
Tom Coburn for President
NOT AFTER ENDORSING MCPAIN. When I lived in OK, he was a good congressman from Muskogee. He shows his true colors after becoming a Senator. What is it in the Water they serve there in the Senate?
Liberal Kool Aid?
well … so much for quiet dissent … he has Tom Coburn to thank for that welcome …
uhangtight
Must be serving San Fran Nan Bay Water
My money is staying in my wallet for the first time since I could vote. The sham is a scam and all the party favors doesn’t change that.
I am going to be sick now….
Why does the subject of the bridege to nowhere keep coming up Im glad McCain and Tom fought it but is that all he has to offer consertives.
Precisely, as Obama said, I think the straight talk express had a few flat tires. It derailed to the desire to say anything and do anything to get elected, or in the case of the stimulus vote, Do Nothing.
Too much damn applause.
C-SPAN has it on the Web.
McAmnesty get’s aloud applause as he comes on stage…and these are conservatives? BULL$HIT!!!
Didn’t take long for him to start lying…what farce.
I will not vote for him…never, never. ever.
No repentance whatsoever…Suck on it, John!
He makes Bob Dole look like a good candidate.
What about illegal aliens, McAmnesty?
A few of your positions raise our concerns? How about 98% of them!
Why are these so called conservatives clapping for this traitor?
No, I think he has made it painfully obvious about his support for Amnesty. Perhaps it would have been better if he had kept it a secret. Throw in his undying love and support for Kennedy, Feingold, et al and the bottom line is frighteningly left leaning.
GOP? If he is a member in good standing of the GOP it is certainly not our (Grand?)Parent’s GOP anymore and we definitely need to look in a new direction if we want any kind of Conservative future at all.
Stand behind McCain? Perhaps, but never with his support on my mind or in my hands!
Did they BUS in Liberals there?
Again- too much applause. CPAC is losing street cred among conservatives.
Just think, tonight begins the year of the rat.
WHO are those fans clapping????
That’s your decision, of course, but don’t expect a thank you note from Hillary or Obama when they take office as a result of this sort of decision.
I’ll gladly vote for McCain, if it helps keep either of those two out of office.
I’m feeling ill about this whole thing. McCain is just not a good guy, and the thought of him being the next Republican nominee is very disheartening. The whole country is going to pot!
He packed the place with his supporters. Of course they applaud. It does not sound overwhelming to me.
Gag…choke…hack, hack…spit…
I just heard McCain minimize my opposition by saying we had reasoned differences of opinion.
B
freaking
S!!!!
My loathing of this man has all to do with what he has shown of his dishonorable character…
just like the lies he’s telling right now!
Touting his gun rights nonsense, there is no mention of his McCain-Lieberman gun control bill.
Even thought I disagree with McCain on immigration the idiots at this conference booing him are lame ass whiny little brats .
he can’t give a speech, he can’t even read from the teleprompter very well. do you realize he is going to be made into mincemeat come November? he will never win, never…
secure our borders and then amnesty for all!!
NOT a good plan either!
This man can not be trusted….and will say anything.
I will never vote for him. Period!!!!
At the illegal alien portion of his speech, listening right now; I have two words for him:
Juan Hernandez
I always vote “for” a candidate, not against someone. McCain is a sure loser.
About as inspiring as listening to … well lets just rerun the “It’s not AMNESTY” clip over and over. Straight talk means different things to different people, but I hate people that will lie to your face the worst of all.
He should me drawn and quartered for the treasonous McShamnesty bill.
On the contrary, he’s causing us to unite beind her to preserve our chances in 2012.
fwiw, Michelle, you probably already saw this..
bussed in supporters?.. I thought only registrants could attend events..
should be
Wow………Once a lapdog, always a lap dog!! Now he wants up to crawl up on the fat lap with him???
For the 5th? 8th? time…:
What evidence has been presented that Mr. McCain would be any different, and better as President, than would a declared socialist?
It’s fine to trash Ms. Coulter, but what evidence has been presented to show that Ms. Coulter is not correct about Mr. McCain?
Mere statements from Mr. Armey, or Mr. Coburn, or Mr. Romney are not evidence.
I’m still waiting….
Whoa! There they are again…crickets!
Nice. Is that an example of the famed Straight-Talk Express?
Better, of course, that all conservatives should go as sheep to the GOP slaughter, right?
The DIFFERENCE between McCain and Hillary (via Brent at Hugh Hewitt’s site):
McCain voted to defund Planned Parenthood last year, Clinton didn’t and would likely expand Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding.
McCain voted to ban partial-birth abortion, Clinton didn’t and would likely reverse the partial-birth abortion ban.
McCain voted for Roberts and Alito and made the case for them in the media, Clinton didn’t.
McCain has never voted for a tax increase, Clinton will increase taxes.
McCain will continue the Bush tax cuts, Clinton will end them.
McCain will end pork-barrel spending, Clinton supports the endowment of projects like the Woodstock Museum with taxpayer funding.
McCain will not cut and run in Iraq, Clinton will work with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid to do just that.
McCain sponsored legislation to keep the Fairness Doctrine from rearing its head again, Clinton has not and has signaled moves to revive it.
McCain supports school choice, Clinton does not.
Clinton will mandate health insurance, McCain will not.
McCain voted to convict Bill Clinton on impeachment, Clinton was a witting accomplice in President Bill Clinton’s scandals.
McCain has an ACU (American Conservative Union) rating of 82.3; Clinton has a rating of 9.
McCain has 0-percent rating from NARAL; Clinton has 100 percent
-That makes it easier for me to vote for McCain in November….
I said that earlier…..People were bussed in there…..for sure. This makes me sick….
25 years is one thing … but someone tell me … what has he done for us lately? … abso-freaking-lutely nothing …
john mccain = mincemeat come november..
doesn’t matter if it is hitlery or obambi..
even hitlery can give a better speech! anyone that thinks this guy is going to win in november is dreaming..
while i may not be waking up from this nightmare for 5 years..
don’t believe a word this liar says. he would still give us amnesty. but we will never know cause he can’t win against either of the dems.
#66- That explains a lot. If he’s counting on Hillary hate to get him in office, he needs to be aware he is even more disliked as a traitor to conservatives than Hillary as an enemy of conservatives. He will never get my vote.
McCain has an ACU (American Conservative Union) rating of 82.3; Clinton has a rating of 9.
that is his career rating. rating from 1997-2007 is 50….
WAKE UP FOLKS YOU ARE BEING SHAMMED
Can’t listen to McKennedy, but I did see the schroll at the bottom on Fox, “I stood behind my position on illegal immigrants”.
Guess what” So do I. Absolutely no way I could EVER vote for John McCain, not even to vote against Hillary and/or Obama.
i can’t listen in more i am going to upchuck my lunch.. pathetic
A standing O- I think I’m gonna spew.
While I certainly can’t defend the booing, per se… this is a man, remember, who blithely characterized each and every principled conservative of good will who dared disagree with him, re: shamnesty, as an unwashed horde of (his own words) “nativists and bigots.”
Scant few of us have yet forgiven him for either of said offenses (both his willingness to peddle our borders — and hence, our national security — to Mexico for a handful of crumpled pesos, AND the gratuitous, DU/KOS-vintage insults lobbed our way); nor is there any good or even moderately convincing reason for us to have done so.
Boos…? He’s earned ‘em.
To those of you who live in states that haven’t yet had a primary: make sure you show up and cast a blank ballot. Don’t write in anyone, just leave it blank.
It’s important for McCain to realize that without the base, he is 100% doomed in this campaign.
It’s even more important for groups like CPAC and the RNC to understand just how badly they have let the country and their party down.
Then what?
Then we tough out 4 years.
McCain better pray that Hillary Clinton is the Democrat’s nominee for she is an equally poor speaker. Hopefully, the text of his speech will be online for I want to count how many times he used ‘conservative.’ He’s running down a grocery list for the CPAC crowd yet where is passion?
#71 Artbyruth:
Finally!
Thanks for the list, especially of how McCain has actually voted.
As to what he may do or may never do, I have to take those points with several pounds of salt; but, I now have at least something to consider, before making a decision as to whether to vote for McCain.
Not definite one way or the other yet.
Still going back & forth, back & forth, ….
Another dirty trick by the McCain campaign…..they did not know about Romney too far in advance.
This BIG WELCOME was pre-planned….I would bet on it.
Good- we’ll continue to have disagreements.
You are a clear and present danger to the United States of America. You probably disagree
As bad as things are for McCain, they will get worse.
One month before the general election, the MSM will bring up the issue of his McRacialSlurs.
My BS meter is pegged out right now and it is getting so deep my watch just quit working. I can’t trust this man he will be just as bad as Obama or “she who must not be named.”
I don’t expect a thank you note from anyone, but i also didn’t expect to be stabbed in the back like McShame has done for the last 8yrs.
I being a strong conservative will vote my conscience and not be a hypocrite.
Mark my words if Juan is elected by some strange fickle of fate…get ready for the illegal invasion to expand…it costs $350 billion a yr now…how much can the country take?
Ok this really takes the whole enchilada. As long as Juan McPain has Juan Hernadez within arms reach of his campaign, I will not believe one single word from him about Amnesty. Heck he just said “I stand behind my position on illegal immigrants”, so why does anyone think he would change his mind?
Satan himself could be running against McPain and McPain STILL wouldn’t get my vote. NEVER EVER!
My wife and I shop on the Marine Base and when we stop at the gate I like to engage in pleasantries with the young Marines. As we drove on to the base I was telling my wife, who is still in the Navy, I cannot not vote and turn our military over to the likes of Hillary or Obama. McCain would have been my last choice for all the reasons that have been stated here. I cannot turn my back on the fine men and women that sacrifice for us.
My BS meter is buried in crap, I can’t see it even.
McCain has to go shower now after mingling with the great unwashed.
Loser.
Traitor.
Liberal.
90….thats the only thing any0ne can trust him to follow thru on, protecting our troops