McCain to Bush 43: Don’t stand so close to me
Bush 41 endorsed John McCain today. He was proud to stand next to Bush the elder. But when it comes to Bush 43, McCain’s singing “Don’t stand so close to me:”
Senator John McCain’s campaign advisers will ask the White House to deploy President Bush for major Republican fund-raising, but they do not want the president to appear too often at his side, top aides to Mr. McCain said Sunday.
After a weekend of strategy meetings at Mr. McCain’s Arizona ranch — in a sense, the first Sedona summit of the Republican Party’s new leadership — the advisers said that much remains undecided about coordinating the campaign with the White House and the party apparatus until Mr. McCain wins enough delegates to be the official nominee.
But even as the consensus was that Mr. McCain needed to “stand in the sun” on his own, as one adviser put it, without the large shadow cast by Mr. Bush, left unsaid was the difficult calculus the McCain campaign faces: Using Mr. Bush enough to try to make the tough sell of Mr. McCain to conservatives but not so much that he will drive away the independents and some moderate Democrats that Mr. McCain is counting on in November.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been using every opportunity to link Mr. McCain to Mr. Bush, even defining Mr. McCain’s candidacy as part of a “Bush-McCain” ticket that they say will essentially give the president another term.
There is also the matter of Mr. Bush’s unpopularity — polls show that only about 30 percent of voters approve of the job he is doing as president.
And though he remains relatively popular among Republicans, even there his approval rating has declined to 66 percent.
Mr. McCain’s advisers rushed to insist that they were not running away from the president, but rather that they would be reluctant to have any sitting president campaign with Mr. McCain.
Cue The Police:
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Can’t say I blame them. But after GW’s support of Mcain/Kennedy shamnesty, it’s hard to tell the difference any way.
Interesting photo in the “Related” column to the right of this thread headline doncha think?
this is how the media is going to make sure that a reublican or john mccain does not get into office. calling it a bush 3 or aligning a mccain presidency as a continuation of the bush presidency. assuredly a death spiral will insue and their candidate will win, even if it is Hillery.
watching the dems take over in 08, due to the selection of mccain by the idiot party.
Don’t blame him. Dems will try to bring McCain down by saying it’s a 3rd Bush term. Having him constantly beside him only writes the material for the Dems.
Bingo.
Hold on if he is going to continue George W Bush’s policies, it is GWB’s third term…McCain to Conservatives, what are you going to believe Me or your Lying Eyes.
McCan’t much rather have Joe Lieberman at his side.
Roger that bingo and raise you a WOOT.
Like anything, too much of one thing isn’t good. In moderation, I’m sure, even the most extreme out-of-their-mind liberal, in a contemplative moment perhaps, might find the company of the US Commander in Chief to be mildly palatable.
First McVain is way to ugly to be President of the United States. He looks like the leader of the mole people, and perhaps the Viets attached his arms from the elbow to the shoulder and from the knee to the hip. Stumpy McVain is his name. Politically he is a continuation of Bush running on the Kerry ticket. Stumpy is perhaps the most deceptive politician in American History. He thinks sitting out the Viet Nam War as a special prisoner with a female comfort nurse, recommending himself for gobs of valor medals, and proclaiming himself a war hero enables him the be better than all others as Commander in Chief and he wants you to believe that without any proof (the SwiftBoats are circling). The MSM is going to have a great time with Stumpy because he is what he is and the nearest thing alive to Bush. As Bush was the leader of the Bush Party Stumpy is the leader of the McVain Party. Looks like a RINO smells like deception (platform plank #1: promise them a fence but give them amnesty).
What else is McCain going to do?
GW’s favorable rating is down to 30% overall, and only 66% among republicans. He’s not going to turn many conservative’s into McCain supporters anyway, so what’s the point of a lot of public assocating when it is just going to lend creedance to the Dem’s “third Bush term” argument?
Standing not-too-close to the soon-to-be former president makes perfect sense.
(Must be a slow news day.)
Magnanimous.
…unless it concerns Shamnesty.
Sort of reminds me of the unofficial slogan for the state of Hawaii:
McCain graduated in the bottom 5% of his class at the Naval Academy.. out of about 900 graduates.. and that’s probably only because of his Daddy. And people want this guy as the US commander-in-chief?
#10…sadly, you are a product of our shallow media-driven culture. Try, for once, to get beyond your Paris Hiltonification phase of introspection and see the soul and character within. Stripped of the vestiges you seem to be obsessed with there are lots of very heart-warming and interesting qualities one can appreciate.
#14…class rank is NOT a measure of leadership. The elitist intellectuals might consider this factor to be of importance, but most of them haven’t set foot outside their highly-controlled lab environments for decades. The fear of being exposed to opposing ideas is akin to the serum for snake poison.
McCain’s problem isn’t Bush’s unpopularity. It’s the fact that Bush is unpopular with conservatives, and McCain is even further left than Bush is. He isn’t going to change his spots, and neither are the conservatives. Some will abandon their principles and vote for him, even as we held our noses and voted for the last several RINOs. But given McCain’s obvious and repeatedly stated contempt for the right of his party, I would guess that the percentage of conservatives who are willing to do that this time is going to be significantly smaller.
This is looking more and more like the coronation of Bob Dole.
Deja vu anyone?
It was a huge mistake for McCain to stand next to Bush 41.
It demonstrated just how old Juan McAmnesty is reminding everyone about the similarities with the former “Read My Lips” RHINO that was rejected by Conservatives.
I am beginning to think the RNC is doing everything they can to lose.
And, given the situation between Billary and Obama, we may see something completely unique and unprecedented in American politics – the simultaneous implosion of both major political parties.
Since when is Bush 43 a Conservative?
ROFL…this is getting really comical…
At least the DNC will be cleaning out their trash this August at the convention regardless of who wins, and whether they want to or not…
the GOP will still be in denial and sanctimoniously (hypocritically) claiming how ethical and better united they are (sounding a lot like Pelosi and crew regarding ethics). As long as they can continue to push how strong on terror they are (as they hide pedophiles like Foley and Happy Feet tappers like Craig, and Newt pointing Clinotn while he’s doing the same thing)……it’s all good…
I guess that’s what happens when you have a “big tent” with no foundational priorities…just win at all cost….
TOO funny
When did Newt lie under oath, Renee? Simple question that I’d like answered.
“Sometimes it’s hard to be the teacher’s pet”
You really should expand your personal menu beyond meatpies, you might be surprised what your missing, but then perhaps not.
You are what you are and that might explain your simple menu.
They expect Bush 43 HELPS with conservatives?
MSM – Epic FAIL!
Most Conservatives do NOT consider Bush a Conservative after Harriet Myers appointment, Medicare expansion, the nationalizatino of education (NCLBA), his inability to find the veto pen over pork, and his vbacking amnesty and failure on securing the southern border, Compean and Ramos, etc.
Bush is part of whats WRONG with the GOP. Bush is NOT a conservative (by his own actions) and “using” Bush 43 will only wedge conservatives further AWAY from McCain.
Does ANYONE out there even talk to real middle-american conservatives anymore before they write crap like this, or do they just go to their beltway buddies like Novak, and thier country club effite/elites like Will?
FYI, Sting, AKA Gordon Sumner, was an Public School Math Teacher before he become a New Wave and Pop Idol.
Don’t stand too close, indeed.
There’s some merit to this — McCain and Bush 43 are quite similar. Illegal immigration, income redistribution to the poor, giving lip service (but little more) to the unborn, working with Democrats, — one column that I read this morning recognized that they were similar, and tried to extrapolate from this the conclusion that we should support McCain. I conclude just the opposite, that we should not support McCain. McCain might even be worse — if he was willing to run with Kerry in 2004, how committed can he be to supporting the fight against Muslim terrorists, and appointing good judges, even if the gang of 14 hadn’t happened?
#17…
I agree, but I was only commenting on his decision not to campaign too closely with Bush. I also agree that Bush is not much of an asset with conservatives. So given that, the only reason to campaign with Bush would be if it could help him with constituencies other than conservatives. And that’s where Bush’s poor popularity rating comes in: it won’t.
Some people accuse me of being too pessimistic.
I think it’s being realistic. It doesn’t matter if conservatives hold their nose and vote for McCain – he can’t and won’t win against either Hillary or Obama in November.
If it’s The Witch vs. McNasty, two unlikeable personalities on display, one of them the first woman and the other the oldest man to have a shot at the Presidency – one of them promising everything to everyone, the other trying to promise “Everything Lite” – Hillary wins.
If it’s The Magic Negro vs. the Cranky Old White Man, the young smooth Obama will make McCain appear, well, old and cranky – plus the voters get to make history by voting for the first “black” person for President.
Remember that about 40% always vote DemocRAT, 40% always vote Republican – and it’s the undecided 20% who make or break a candidate. And they may vote for one over the other for the most trivial of reasons.
We have the worst choices all around for candidates in many decades. There isn’t anyone good to vote for. That’s just the way it is.
I have to agree that Bush 43 support being the death of any conservative’s campaign. From what I noticed about the heavy hitters in the GOP they are all getting in line and marching in lockstep just like Democrats. We have approached a one party system made up of nothing but liberal sellouts.
All I can think about during this election cycle is it reminds me of an episode from South Park. We are stuck with a choice between a sh*t sandwich or a douche bag for POTUS. I really am not happy with this “Hobson’s Choice we have been handed.
Agreed Boomer, but which one is the sandwich, and which one is the bag?
Call me unimaginative but I’m still trying to figure out how McCain is better than Hillary.
And for those who say – McCain will at least appoint the right kind of judges – I’m not even convinced of that.
Honestly I can’t figure out which is the least of the remaining evils…a sleeper cell islamist, a strident socialist, or McCain. At least with the socialist, nothing should get done which is far preferable to the getting the wrong things done.
OK, wait a minute, let’s back up – to 2004 to be exact. I want to know where all the Dems are that are going to support a REAL Vietnam war hero in McCain. I mean, they tried to pump up, or should i say trump up, John Kerry as this hero we should vote for on that basis… Are they going to sing that tune again….. probably not huh.
Okay, first off Michelle, thank you for posting that video. I used to love The Police when I was in high school and it brought back some good memories of the times when Reagan was president.
As for Renee from VA-yeah girl, the DNC better clean out their trash. Lord knows they’ve got tons of it! But when you have no morals or virtures as much of the DNC lacks, what trash is there in your world?
Here is the Obama theme song, sung by Michelle Obama: “We are just spirits in the material world…”
Can’t resist it being a Police fan.
I love it. The video was the highlight of my morning.
They both WANT to give amnesty to the illegals. When it comes to illegal immigration they should be standing there HOLDING hands!!!