Local Reactions to McCain's Victory in Florida
Posted by: Tomahawk | 01/29/2008 10:00 PM
After the Associated Press projected John McCain as the winner of the Florida GOP Primary, Dena Bunis of the Orange County Register compiled a handful of responses from the presidential candidates' surrogates behind the Orange Curtain on her "All Things Presidential" blog:
Assemblyman Van Tran on John McCain:
Assemblyman Van Tran on John McCain:
"It just keeps coming. Tuesday is going to become my favorite day," Assemblyman Van Tran said from cold and wet Sacramento just minutes after his guy, John McCain, was projected the winner in Florida. Tran says the only thing that can stop the Arizona senator now is if the campaign implodes, and he doesn't except that to happen.Rep. John Campbell on Mitt Romney:
What the campaign is looking forward to next, he said, is an expected endorsement from Rudy Giuliani who is speaking as I write this but so far hasn't withdrawn, although he isn't talking like someone who is staying in the race. A Giuliani endorsement, Tran said, would "provide more political strength and clout for the senator coming into California and New York next week." Tran called Florida's victory "a huge win. Obviously it proves beyond a doubt that Sen. McCain can win a closed Republican primary and beat out both the evangelical conservative and a social conservative put together."
Mitt Romney supporter Rep. John Campbell would rather his guy had won but the good news he says is that the race for the GOP nomination is down to two and his candidate is in it. "Some were already writing Gov. Romney's obituary going into Michigan," Campbell said. " I think we're pleased to be one of the two people left standing." The Irvine Republican said he doesn't believe the nomination race will be decided next Tuesday.Rep. Ed Royce on Rudy Giuliani:
Congressman Ed Royce doesn't need to wait for the final results in Florida to know that his candidate, Rudy Giuliani, isn't going to win the state and to blame it on a flawed campaign strategy. "The mistake his campaign made was not understanding the importance of New Hampshire in American politics," the Fullerton Republican said from his D.C. office. Royce isn't ready to upstage the candidate and say who he will support when Giuliani inevitably drops out. The former New York City mayor has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow, Royce said. Until then, he's going to wait to say anything more.Dale Dykema on Rudy Giuliani:
Dale Dykema is mystified by how his candidate, Rudy Giuliani could blow the kind of national lead he had in the polls as well as in Florida."He didn't say anything stupid or cry or anything like that," the veteran political activist and former Lincoln Club chief said. "And his numbers just went down." Dykema is philosophical about his candidate's likely withdrawal from the race. "Politics is such that you are lucky if you win more than half the time." But Dykema isn't ready to move on to another candidates just yet. He needs a little grieving time.
CATEGORY:
Making of the President 2008
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
I'm huge on border security, so that concerns me about McCain, but I have to admit this:
When John McCain says he now believes we need border security first, I believe him.
No matter what Mitt Romney says, I don't trust him. He has flipped on too many issues at such a convenient time for his GOP primary run.
McCain will go to Michigan and tell them that the auto jobs aren't coming back. That is straight talk. No one can deny that.
The number one issue is the War on Terror and McCain is great on that. Plus he is for real when he says he wants to stop earmarks and pork-spending.
"...Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you…."
Let’s face it….our options as Republicans suck. We have two choices. John McCain, and well he’s John McCain, or Mitt Romney, and he’s a greasy, say whatever it takes to get elected, Barbie/Ken doll candidate. As conservative Republicans how can any of us honestly support either of these guys? You can use your talking points issued from whoever sent them to you and try and justify your support for these clowns….or face the facts and look at the emperor and say….”Dude…you’re freakin’ naked.” We’ve been duped for the last eight years to ignore the nudity, and frankly I’m tired of it. I’m standing on the cliff, ready to jump, and say that I would rather support an honest, true believer Democrat than another clown. What’s the worst that could happen? How would our lives be different? Would the federal government grow more than it has? Would we have a more failed economic policy? More failed immigration policy? Would the world be more pissed off at us? A worse PR machine on the war on terror? Someone out there give me an honest reason, as a conservative, why I should support John McCain or Mitt Romney over Barack Obama. Talk me off the cliff.
John McCain has received his best score on national security concern ........ voters believe he is the MAN to defend our nation from future terrorism. The shock and the pain of 9-11 still lingers in our thoughts......and I think people are seeking for the strong leader with real experience in protecting our country today.
Jump, Jimmy, jump! Geronimo.........
John McCain has received his best score on national security concern ........ voters believe he is the MAN to defend our nation from future terrorism.
That, I a agree with. But, McCain is bad on so many other issues that it doesn't matter to me.
What am I missing here. People think McCain is going to be strong on terrorism? The situation is that the terrorist are gaining strength in Afganistan. Their profits from illegal drugs are moving from 40% of their funding source to 60% in 2008. What exactly is his plan?
Jimmy,
Make room, I may be jumping too!
I'm afraid I can't argue with your logic Jimmy. The GOP is jumping the shark by going for Mccain. All I can say is that I will have a clear conscience by voting for Ron Paul.
We all know that our two leading Republican candidates are not perfect, but when you compared them to the likes of Hillary Clinton, they're aren't so bad.
Remember, we need to select a nominee that can win the White House, not someone that will just get the base excited.
I dont know about Jimmy or Allan, but i'm voting for someone that can beat Hillary, and that person is probably John McCain
And, so it is. The Republican Party lives up to its reputation as the Gutless Old Party. Once again willing to line up behind another RINO and back Insane McCain in the name of political expediency.
To Andy Favor:
I'm with you Bo-Boo. The Gutless Old Party strikes again, backing McCain (i.e. Fiengold) and all the rhetoric of doing the humanitarian thing for all the illegal aliens at the same time he's saying secure the border. Well wasn't he one who voted against that to start with?
I'd rather vote for Romney. He's on base with about every ideal - and I think he knows how to fix the economy.
While every Repbulican is looking at McCain as the guy who can deal with terrorism - let's be realistic. He's following the Bush plan; and let's see, just how popular is that with the Democrats? Some of whose votes we need to gain the White House.
Please pick up on this guys! I like his stance on terrorism but it's not going to get him into the white house unless every poll in America has been wrong and that every American agrees with him and wants to stay the course.... Now we know that's what's brought Bush under fire for so long from the liberals, the media and the Democrats. How is that defensible in a campaign between Obama and McCain? Or Hillary and McCain?
Romeny has my vote. I think he'll do well on illegal immigration, he will do well on the economy, and I think he will be sensible enough about the war on terrorism to continue to protect America.
I am jumping with Jimmy------- Hey that would be a great song for Jimmy's new CD.