Last night I posted about the psycheldelic, craptacular McCain ad now up on YouTube and a lot of you noted that there are some nifty dog whistle calls to the the far-right voters wary of the Arizona senator’s credibility on social conservative issues.
Yesterday there was no need for any dog whistles as John McCain went to kneel down before Daddy Dobson (who said he would never vote for McCain) and the other leaders of the far right.
The Council for National Policy held one of its closed-door, press-not-invited sessions — with John McCain headlining, ostensibly to shore up his social conservative cred, since they’ve been blasting him all primary season.
“This is the most distinguished collection of conservative leaders and donors, and he was anxious to appear as part of his ongoing effort to consolidate support for his candidacy within the conservative movement,” said Charlie Black, Mr. McCain’s campaign adviser.Who is in the CNP? We’re talking far right. (H/t Right Wing Watch):…Mr. McCain and his advisers, several of whom are CNP members, have admitted he has much work to do to secure and excite the Republican Party’s conservative base. Prominent figures on the right agree.
“McCain should contrast his approach to Supreme Court appointments with that of Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told The Washington Times.
The depth of disaffection from Mr. McCain among prominent members of CNP is so strong that some are already questioning the group’s bona fides.
“It will say more about the state of the conservative movement than it does McCain,” a veteran CNP member said. “If he is accepted at CNP, this will mark the official end of the conservative movement as we knew it.”
The council was founded in 1981, just as the modern conservative movement began its ascendance. The Rev. Tim LaHaye, an early Christian conservative organizer and the best-selling author of the ‘’Left Behind'’ novels about an apocalyptic Second Coming, was a founder. His partners included Paul Weyrich, another Christian conservative political organizer who also helped found the Heritage Foundation.Other luminaries of the womb-control and bedroom peeping crowd at the CNP include Daddy Dobson, Phyllis Schlafly, Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, and Richard A. Viguerie.They said at the time that they were seeking to create a Christian conservative alternative to what they believed was the liberalism of the Council on Foreign Relations.
How did McCain do?
The fundies still want to push him further to the right on social issues, but most will endorse followers to vote for him rather than see Obama or Clinton take the White House. (Washington Times):
Speaking without notes and without hesitation, he strode energetically back and forth across the stage, making his points and calling on people who had raised their hands, according to audience members.So, the question on a lot of minds yesterday, in advance of this hobnobbing with the fringe-right, was what was McCain going to have to “pay up” to get the support of these folks? The first thing was a guarantee of nominating ultraconservatives to the Supreme Court, but he’s basically already forked that one over. The logical bit of extortion to seal the deal ? His VP pick. They want the 71-year-old senator to install a preferred wingnut in the slot. Janet Crouse:However, for many social and religious conservative CNP members, he was a flop.
Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America said she asked him about the nearly 40 percent of women in America who bear children out of wedlock and how he would address that problem.
“His response was to say his pro-life record [in Congress] answered that,” Mrs. Crouse said. “Well, I’m proud of his pro-life record, but this is not a pro-life issue but of promoting marriage and the idea that children belong within marriage, so I was not happy with his response.”
Asked if she and her organization will work hard to help elect Mr. McCain in November, she said, “I think most conservatives will support him because he is more conservative than the two choices — Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — for the Democratic Party.
Then she expressed a proviso that some other CNP members also shared.“The Maverick’s” VP pick is going to be a clear signal to the fundnut wing and the independents — both are essential groups he needs to carry to win in the general — and it will indicate how he plans to govern. It will also make clear the level of influence granted to these CNP members. Will they be on President McCain’s speed dial?Unless, she added, “he chooses a strong social conservative vice presidential candidate.” Because she represents a nonprofit organization, she could not mention anyone specifically to fill that bill.
However, she has been known to admire former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, both of whom also sought the Republican nomination this year.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around progressives that would consider casting a vote for McCain as a response to their favorite candidate not getting the Dem nom. The more you read about McCain’s fealty to these social conservatives, the more it should scare you.
11 Responses to “McCain: from the dog whistle ad to the fundies’ ears”
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thanks Pam. that is one right wing conspiracy that has more power and does its work more in the shadows than many better-known abusers of the mantle of religion.
keep turning over them rocks!
Progressives who “would consider casting a vote for McCain as a response to their favorite candidate not getting the Dem nom” are the contemporary versions of the high-minded progressives of 2000 who voted for Nader because “there was no difference between the two parties.” That gave us George Bush, and you see how well that turned out.
Why do so many voters expect perfection in a candidate? We’re all only human. Last time I checked, Jesus, Buddha, and Confucius weren’t running. Of course, if the conservatives decide to stay home because McCain isn’t conservative enough (Attila the Hun isn’t running, either!) that’s okay with me. But progressives just *have* to be more pragmatic. Our country, our planet needs us to be.
He’s gonna pick Huckabee, isn’t he? Not only does he give him social conservatives, the slimmed-down squirrel eater makes McCain look livelier. And nobody wants to protect the ‘family’ more than convenant-marriage Huckabee. Shit shit shit.
I read some Huckabee supporters blogs, the posts they made after he withdrew all made reference to the VP spot. They expect it. They’re probably right.
It won’t be Thompson, he’s too old. And fucking clueless.
“I read some Huckabee supporters blogs, the posts they made after he withdrew all made reference to the VP spot. They expect it. They’re probably right.”
Choosing The Huckster as VP might just be odious enough to non-FundNuts to get them off their asses and vote against four more years of FundyReich.
With one of their own in place, it’s hard to imagine they will be satisfied with lipservice being paid to their favorite causes.
Maybe even the Naderites/etc. will see the danger and decide voting third-party (this election at least) will be a step backward.
Or, maybe all the Fundies will come out en masse and overwhelm the system…
McCain/Huckabee is my personal nightmare, esp. when coupled w/’Clinton vs. McCain’, which IMO the Demos could actually lose.
Then McCain kicks the bucket, Huckabees president, and it’s Nehemiah Scudder/Gilead time in the U.S. of A.
Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America said she asked him about the nearly 40 percent of women in America who bear children out of wedlock and how he would address that problem.
And what exactly does she expect McCain (or anyone in government) to do about that?
“His response was to say his pro-life record [in Congress] answered that,” Mrs. Crouse said. “Well, I’m proud of his pro-life record, but this is not a pro-life issue but of promoting marriage and the idea that children belong within marriage, so I was not happy with his response.”
“Outlawing abortion is not enough! LEGALIZE SHOTGUN MARRIAGE!!”
Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America said she asked him about the nearly 40 percent of women in America who bear children out of wedlock and how he would address that problem.
OT, but I couldn’t help notice this bit. Apparently, just having the State mandate forced pregnancy, by banning abortion and contraception, and denying women the ability to consent, is not enough. The State must insure that the forced pregnancy occurs within a certain, sanctioned, family structure or else, what? The resulting child doesn’t count?
Back OT, here’s a direct quote from candidate McCain (emphasis mine because, really, such enormity deserves it):
“It’s harder and harder trying to do the Lord’s work in the city of Satan,” McCain said of Washington.
Or, what trailer park said.
I really, really, really hope he was just pandering.That was my first thought, but that’s not really any better. If he’s pandering to them now, even it’s only to win the election, who’s to say he wouldn’t keep pandering to them while in the White House? After all, there’s always a second term to think about - and after that, assuming he’s not ready to retire totally, the tours and board positions available to ex-execs who kept their ears open to the right voices.
I doubt he’s totally pandering, too: the extremist ideas he’s espousing would be hard to spit out if you don’t agree on some level. I have no idea where the Republican claim that he’s “not conservative enough” comes from, as he fits in easily with everyone else the party put up this year, and has at least since the 2000 elections. The outright god talk is startling, but only the fact that he said it out loud; I would never have been surprised to learn that he thought in those terms.
“It’s harder and harder trying to do the Lord’s work in the city of Satan,” McCain said of Washington.
Unless Satan is chosen as the candidate vice-president by McCain as well, he’s out of there after two terms, same as everybody else. He can go back to Haliburton and shoot people in the face as a private citizen.