John McCain's Sedona picnic
67 species of birds or a veepstakes?
By Mark Kilmer Posted in 2008 | McCain | ranch | Veepstakes — Comments (38) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
John McCain invited several people to his ranch in Sedona, New Mexico Arizona, this weekend. There were old primary opponents like Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, and Mitt Romney. There were some prominent Republican governors, like Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist. FedEx CEO Fred Smith was there. Lindsay Graham, of course, made it, as was Joe Lieberman. Former eBay boss Meg Whitman was there. And McCain advisor Charlie Black.
And there were others.
The nation's political press decided that this was a tryout for McCain's veep spot, while Lindsay Graham, appearing on CBS' Face the Nation, told host Bob Schieffer that his best Senate buddy was just showing off his ranch and its 67 species of birds. (NOTE: I here use "press" as a generic term for the media.)
There have been other recent get-togethers at the McCain ranch, including a recent one with Minnesota Tim Pawlenty, Mel Martinez, Trent Lott, and Utah Governor Jon Hunstman. (That was in early March, with little press coverage.) Martinez cannot be veep, as he was born in Cuba.
My two bits this Memorial Day, after my solemn embrace of the memory of those who gave everything to preserve our ongoing republican (small r) experiment, is that this McCain event strikes me as a cute sort of trick. We're not going to have any better idea of who is and who is not on the any list based on any guest list to a sleepover in late May. (I like Fred Smith, but he has a day job.)
I think Utah's Huntsman, a Mormon McCain supporter, would make a fine veep, but is he out of consideration because he was invited to the wrong meeting? (After all, he agrees with McCain, and most of the rest of the media-saturated nation, on AGW.)
I'd like to think, again, that this was a trick.
Read On…
Let us say that McCain's peeps wanted attention from the political press. Why not? It's been all-Barry, 24/7, for the past month. (Yeah, Hillary breaks in now and again with that monotonous, blood-curdling whine of hers.) An event like this will do it, and politicians with day jobs – Jindal, Crist, Brownback, Graham – will show up because McCain's the nominee of their party and that's just what one does for the nominee. Plus, how often does one have the opportunity to see so many species of birds?
Now, I included Lindsey Graham amongst those who "will show up [just] because McCain's the nominee of their party." That's not entirely accurate, as Lindsey has attached himself to Arizona's senior Senator almost since setting foot in the august body (plus Bobby Byrd). They've been inseparable. (I'd use the expression "mini-me," but it's both not entirely accurate and dated.)
By the bye, I do not want to select John McCain's veep. I do not know who it will be. Every one of the names listed by anyone is unacceptable to some group of Republicans; the GOP is not what it was in 1980, when Ronald Reagan could tab the nominating contests' runner-up, the squishy moderate George H.W. Bush. McCain's runner up was Mike Huckabee, and there would be some noisy dissent amongst some activists. In fact, every candidate who ran against McCain has three strikes against them going in, and not because they opposed McCain.
If John McCain were to invite me to a BBQ in Sedona, though, I'd play it up big time. I'd hold a press conference and say basically nothing in plenty of words, just to see the political press come up with some sort of conventional wisdom about nothing in plenty of words. I'd hire a publicist and queue for the cover of one of the weekly infotainment glossies like Newsweek or Time.
Yeah, this is fun while it lasts, but don't let it allow you to forget the sacrifices made to enable us to engage in our trifling banter. It may seem like a huge price for so little of merit, but freedom is never meaningless or inexpensive when there are those who'd like to lop off its head.
« Dueling June Obama fundraising claims? — Comments (2) | The Audacity Of Hype: A Continuing Saga — Comments (2) »
John McCain's Sedona picnic 38 Comments (0 topical, 38 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Should read "regardless of how individual Republicans feel about Bush or McCain"
So does Meg Whitman, who I noticed was on the invited list. Plus they both have organizational skills, which definitely helps in swing states. This is pure speculation, but I think they are coming up with either a money-raising scheme, an organizing scheme, or some combination of the two.
----------------------------------------------------
McCain/Talent '08
As is McCain.
I don't know what my fingers were thinking.
...Berkeley, most likely.
That's for sure. All that earth energy, magnets, crystal and other hooey is enough to revoke the city's "Western State" status.
_____________________________
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
--Aristotle
Before the crazys showed up it was amazing.
Went through there on the journey from Phoenix to Flagstaff. Kind of a neat place....(the geographic location and shops). Didn't get into the "outer limits" stuff.
Lindsay Graham really has been McCain's mini-me.The worst choice he could make is Lieberman-I hope that's just talk.Lieberman can't even bring Connecticut along...and confirms our worst fears that McCain's only real commitment is to a continued war in Iraq.The Democrats are actually quite vulnerable on their abysmal Reid-Pelosi do-nothing Congress.You can reach the American voter for instance on the energy issue by simply and repeatedly and repeatedly and yes repeatedly reminding them that a silly lawsuit against OPEC is not an answer.We know we have the resources on American territory and we know the Democrats won't let us exploit them.If McCain wants to break away and distinguish himself from the charming adolescent Obama,he should go hard right on energy supply and strenghtening the dollar.But he wants to "out-green" Obama...that's my fear...hysterical green flat earthers.So...I hope he picks an energy state conservative with an understanding of free enterprise.Bobby Jindal,anyone?
is Lieberman. There is absolutely no way they can attack him because he WAS the Democratic VP nominee only 8 years ago. Every other possibility mentioned has significant flaws or weaknesses.
And if McCain & Lieberman are elected, Lieberman would be replaced in the Senate by a Republican.
Charlie Hall
Are you kidding? Lieberman is about the worst possible choice. Have you read what Democrat blogs say about him? Ever since 2006 they have written him off as basically a Republican anyway. If McCain picks Lieberman he will piss off a huge number of Republicans and he will not pick up any Democrat votes. The sad truth is that I can easily see him making that sort of political calculation - 'well if I pick him then there will be another Republican senator' - and that shouldn't be how one selects a VP.
those who write on the lefty blogs. Those blogs are populated, for the most part, by overzealous wannabe ideologues who haven't thought a thing through in their lives.
That being said, I think you're right about McCain choosing JoeMentum. The guy lines up as a lefty across the board except for on Israeli and Middle Eastern matters.
If John McCain picks a pro-abort running mate -- including a Republican -- he loses the general, and his peeps know this.
I like Lieberman and even supported him in the 2004 primary because I believed he was the only candidate in either party to have a way forward in Iraq. (Remember, this was before the surge.) However, he does not add anything to the McCain ticket. McCain is already a moderate, and is already much stronger on defense than the present administration. He needs a candidate who will extend the blanket to the right.
~ Rachel
I hope McCain chooses someone none of us has even thought of or closely consider. I'd like to see what the pundits have to say then.
Romney was the runner up, not Huckabee. Even though Huckabee stayed in longer, he never caught up to Romney as far as delegates. Other than winning Iowa, he never won anything.
Huck was/is the runner up.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#val=R
I'm not picky about details, but since you said Google was my friend, I took a gander. Romney's down on Huck by 6 delegates on RCP. That's not counting the delegates he would've received from Michigan that aren't being counted. Romney most likely would've received 23 from Michigan according to the NY Times Here, putting him ahead of Huckabee by 17 delegates, taking 2nd place. Using CNN's numbers, Romney still pulls ahead by 3.
This is all in the past though, so I don't know why you thought it pertinent to correct someone who was right in the first place?
You want to count delegates that should have been? :-)
I'm just teasing. Of course it's no big deal either way. I just remembered that Huck had won more than just Iowa. He also won Alabama, Arkansas, West Virginia and a couple of others. So, since I bothered to Google it, I thought I would recommend that the poster do the same next time he posted something like that.
to alter reality.
Only delegates counted by the party play a part in the nominating process. Popular vote doesn't count.
Revisionism is farcical.
Order of finish:
1. John McCain
2. Mike Huckabee
3. Mitt Romney
4. Ron Paul.
For McCain to select the second place finisher, as did Governor Reagan in 1980, he would have to select Mike Huckabee. This is not going to happen.
Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business … frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise.Ronald Reagan
Perhaps the Romney clingers will take this thing all the way to the Twin Cities.
Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business … frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise.Ronald Reagan
I was almost offended you would compare me to Hillary Clinton. I didn't think I was that delusional.
My point was the same as Lobo's in that if they were counting the delegates Romney got from Michigan before he released his delegates for McCain he should be ahead of Huckabee. So instead McCain gets 24+ delegates from Michigan in their totals with Romney getting 0.
It's all a big conspiracy and you're all against me. Although, that might make me like Obama now.
Mike Huckabee finished second in the delegate count, despite being outspent by a large margin by Mitt Romney.
Source: Green Pages
Romney's fans cannot rewrite history.
Where did they stand when Romney gracefully bowed out, as opposed to Huckabee, who made a farce of himself hanging around like a defective chad.
Where did they stand when Romney gracefully bowed out, as opposed to Huckabee, who made a farce of himself hanging around like a defective chad.
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P08/R-PU.phtml
This is the most comprehensive election facts site on the internet. Loaded with info. Check it out.
Hillary Rodham Clinton. She'll bring along the disaffected Dems who don't want to vote for Obama. And if every name bandied about will tick off some group of conservatives, why not pick someone who will tick all of them off?
And that desire of mine cannot coexist with choosing Hillary as his VP.
many on this site have professed that winning the presidency with someone who has an (R) next to him is the most important thing, bar none, because of many different issues. This would ensure that happens, how can you not be behind it?
Arkansas State troopers knocking on your door.
McCain's main problem is with IMAGE, substance is really not an issue(we're a Post-Substance society). McCain's image as an AMALGAMATION of Democrat and Republican ideas is solidly in place. What is slightly askew is his image as a
"regressive" politician, stuck in the old ways, not hip, not modern, perhaps not as connected with the young, the female, the metrosexual, the with-it members of the ME-DIA generation. McCain can solve this problem in one fell swoop: select Chelsea Clinton as his running mate. Wait! No seriously! Such a selection would suggest youthful boldness, political correctness, and his ability to "cross the aisle" in really meaningful ways. Chelsea would bring all the Clinton supporters with her (forget individual states and their stupid governors) and, I believe, many Obama supporters who are somewhat troubled by Michelle. Hillary would be pleased instead of humiliated, Bill, too. Listen, it's win-win all around. The Obamaniacs would soil themselves facing such a ticket. I will follow this post soon with the formation of a Committee and will be prepared to accept your financial support.
Chelsea is 28 years old, which makes her ineligible to be President (Article II, Section 1).
And according to Amendment XII, "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-Presdent of the United States."
I'm afraid your thinking went a bit too outside the box this time...
There is much Law currently on the books (as Case Law)which absolutely forbids discrimination according to age. So the Constitution is simply wrong in this area and is subject to wide ranging interpretation and correction as any number of lawyers have demonstrated. So what you do is nominate Chelsea as Veep, Win, (that's the most important thing) and then take it to court if anyone dares bring up the Constitution. No Republican would do this anyway as they might offend someone and besides they would have won anyway. No Democrat would do this for obvious reasons except bitter Obamaniacs and we can handle them if we're united (the McCain/Clinton Party). Anyone thinking of objecting would be slammed by the Feminists and the youth vote. If some loser did object I would simply file a gender discrimination case (ACLU here)on Chelsea's behalf claiming that Government lawyers were actually motivated by hatred of women. All this should be settled in the courts in about 75 years when the Marxist Computer controlling the former U.S would be fully operational. No Judge on earth would dare declare Chelsea to HAVE NOT been the Vice President if she had been elected by the People and served her terms.
See? That's not outside the box - it's just Liberal Politics which, I am afraid, McCain is too naive to detect and to detest and to fight.
I got a great kick out of your scenario. That must have been some barbeque you had today to come up with that plot line - hopefully nothing illegal mixed in. :)
Another angle might be poor orgnaization. I keep hering more and more internal rumbling about how poorly organized McCain's camp is compared to the Bush machine. We all know his problems with the base. He can try to reach out to the base, but he can also try to reach out to the respective captains of repsective base constituencies.
If Crist, Lieberman and Mel's people are motivated and organized, Florida is a cakewalk regardless of how individual Republicans feel about Bush. Romney has a machine. Actually, Romney is a machine. I think McCain is trying to improve his organizational structure by getting prominent Republicans to lend him their infrastrucure, communication outlets and donors.