Sen. John McCain Worried Tenor of Campaign Could Hand Election to Obama
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ABC News
Sen. John McCain this morning expressed deep concern over the tone of the campaign for the GOP presidential nomination on “This Week,” admitting that it may actually be helping President Obama in his bid to be re-elected in the fall.
“I am concerned about that,” said McCain, speaking from Afghanistan. “And I think there is reason to be concerned about it…I don’t think I have seen one that was as personal and as characterized by so many attacks as these are.”
McCain, R-Ariz., blamed the plethora of negative attack advertisements on super PACs which, following a ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court, can receive unlimited donations that can be used for attack advertisements.
McCain blamed the Court’s “ignorance” for the new power super PACs now possess.
“I think it’s a very tough campaign and I understand that, but the fact is that these debates and these kinds of negative campaigns have driven the disapproval ratings of all of the members up.”
McCain is supporting his 2008 rival Mitt Romney in his bid for the White House and said he is confident that the former governor of Massachusetts “will succeed.”
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McCain would be an expert on campaigns gone all wrong….now wouldn’t he?
Posted by: mjs_pa | February 19, 2012, 9:18 am 9:18 am
Catering to the lunatic fringe and siding with corporations over middle class Americans put the GOP in this boat. They deserve the candidates they have after their behavior the past few years.
Posted by: D | February 19, 2012, 9:39 am 9:39 am
Well…I’ll try this again. The posting on these blogs is really getting to be a pain. Why is McCain bringing this topic up now? This fault line or divide or whatever you want to call it has existed in his Party for some time. It is exactly the reason he had to choose the totally inept Caribou Barbie as his running mate. To satisfy the extreme religious and social conservative wing nuts that his Party has pandered to for years. And now they can’t control them. And those same people have run off many moderates and independents. The bigger question right now is …John. How will you ever remake your Party after you get your ‘heads handed to you’ in November?
Posted by: CND FOX | February 19, 2012, 9:47 am 9:47 am
This from the guy who gave us Sarah Palin?
Posted by: mike | February 19, 2012, 9:47 am 9:47 am
McCain is correct. The polarization to ‘conservatism’ has alienated moderates and independents.
The claim that Santorum is a fiscal conservative is ‘False’ since he did little or nothing to ‘Not’ be a contributor to the Debt.
The claim that Santorum iss a social conservative is ‘False’ since he, like Obama is doing, seeks to impose his ideological doctrine into our Laws. He can’t even claim a moral high ground since he is baring ‘false witness’ against Romney’s involvement in the Massachusetts care for the poor.
Obama, his appointees, and his operatives in Congress have given us a ‘National Bible’ in the Affordable Care Act. And now his appointees, that are now acting like the National Clergy, are now defining and telling us ‘what is in it’. Santorum would just be appointing his Clergy to massage what Obama has imposed upon us.
Posted by: Faith-Isn't-A-Preacher | February 19, 2012, 10:00 am 10:00 am
McCain is the wrong person to discuss anything but war with. He is part of the 15 trillion dollar debt and collapse of this nation. He needs to go along with Obama and the rest of these elitists.
Posted by: Saqm | February 19, 2012, 10:43 am 10:43 am
He isn’t McRINO for nothing
Posted by: vangrungy | February 19, 2012, 11:01 am 11:01 am
John, Follow Barney’s lead and retire.
Posted by: newcountryman | February 19, 2012, 11:14 am 11:14 am
I’m not worried John because, the republicans have already lost this election. I have had enough of the GOP theatrics to last me the rest of my life. Speaking as an Independent, the republicans had better worry but, then they can always go get Sarah.
Posted by: Indymind | February 19, 2012, 11:42 am 11:42 am
Women who are religiously diverse and in most cases have a tendency to be so called cafeteria followers in respect to birth control in a private manner, and an overtly all male indoctrination of planned parenting services elimination is rather an ominous sign that the republicans have no respect to this constituency who in many instances have to raise children as a single parent with unfortunate consequence of dead beat dads. It will also foster empirically to women who see a strong authoritarian male vision of a world moving into the direction of polar opposite of equal opportunity into the realm which eliminates their personal decision making.
Posted by: emerald_sparks | February 19, 2012, 11:46 am 11:46 am
INDYMIND: Today I saw an ad for a congressional candidate, they are already starting with them. In reference to “Obamacare” Sounded as I were listening to a Faux soundbite, only appealing to the conservatives, they’ll get their candidates in the die hard red states.
Posted by: emerald_sparks | February 19, 2012, 11:50 am 11:50 am
Mc Cain is a contradiction of himself. A hero to his country in war, and a traitor to his own political party, at a time our Constitution is under attack. A Constitution he has sworn to protect. Instead of
retiring,he has stuck around D.C. long enough now to do real damage. The only good thing he did for his party was to highlight Sarah Palin. As a Republican, I am against most everything he is for and
have entered his name to the Committee for Tar and Feathering.
Posted by: Warlord | February 19, 2012, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm
Overturn the SCOTUS Citizen’s United ruling now.
Posted by: sameagain | February 19, 2012, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm
As a lifelong Independent it trouble me when I hear other Independents supporting Obama having 4 more year. I would rather have any walking, breathing, eligible american than him, no matter what name you put on the ballot opposite him I will vote for them… He is a disgrace… and a failure doesnt matter who replaces him it cant get worse than his failed promises…
Posted by: Rex | February 19, 2012, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
In an earlier comment Warlord wrote, “…have entered his name to the Committee for Tar and Feathering” and “a traitor to his own political party”
Warlord, do you see that you basically demonstrated the point he was making? It seems that you assert that someone is a “traitor to [their] party” if their opinions happen to run contrary to an idealized version of what you view republicans to represent. Such black and white thinking is not representative of reality. Believe it or not, I’m sure you also likely hold some opinions that others in your party would claim to be traitorous.
News flash, dude. All you’re doing is pushing moderates away from your party. Such actions are absolutely fascinating, yet incredibly unfortunate because it drives down intelligent political discourse and likely harms your party in the long run in regard to electability outside of primaries where more extreme viewpoints and base baiting runs rampant.
Certainly you’re welcome to continue to discuss as you see fit. I’m just saying that such an emotionally charged approach only serves to further the divisive climate we have today and in doing so, you’re probably pushing voters who would otherwise support your candidate toward less extreme pastures.
Posted by: strandedpanda | February 19, 2012, 5:24 pm 5:24 pm
Even Republicans don’t like the behavior of the Republicans. They’re toast.
Posted by: Jamie | February 19, 2012, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
This from the guy who gave us Sarah Palin?
Posted by: mike | February 19, 2012, 9:47 am 9:47 am
Sarah Palin improved McCain’s poll numbers. She did more to help defeat Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections than McCain did.
Posted by: Stacey | February 20, 2012, 9:14 am 9:14 am