Three’s Company: First Press Report On McCain’s Memorial Weekend Cookout
The American Spectator is the first source to report on the first of McCain’s VP vetting get togethers that I am aware of. If it turns out that Mitt Romney didn’t get the nod, I have to honestly say that I am relieved.
~~John Cronin~~
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13271
By: The Prowler
THREE’S COMPANY
Despite the hype around the Memorial Weekend gathering in Sedona at Sen. John McCain’s ranch, only Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is being given serious consideration for the vice presidential nomination, say McCain insiders with knowledge of the ongoing vetting process. And even that serious consideration can only go so far.
“Jindal is the only one, but there seems to be general agreement that we need him to be the best governor he can be and a leader of the Republican Party more,” says one McCain campaign adviser. “McCain has gotten a good look at [Mitt] Romney as a competitor and as someone who is running in support of his candidacy, and frankly he can’t tell the difference. It’s been a very educational process. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is not considered a serious candidate, for much the same reason as Jindal.
“People shouldn’t forget that great policy ideas that are the strength of the Republican Party rose from the state level back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, guys like [then Michigan Gov. John] Engler and [then Wisconsin Gov. Tommy] Thompson. Guys like Jindal and Crist, and women like [Sarah] Palin in Alaska, we need them to be the next great party leaders long after McCain is gone,” says an RNC political consultant.
McCain intends to hold at least two more “Sedona Getaways” with potential McCain Administration candidates before the GOP convention at the end of August.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:24 am
What does that quote even mean? “Can’t tell the difference…”?
May 28th, 2008 at 4:41 am
What a turd McCain is if he trully feels this way. Looks like primary season hatred for Romney is too deep rooted for him to get past, even with Mitt working tirelessly for him. I hope he chooses some other fool and gets trounced in november, then maybe the republican party has a chance for future survival. The guy does not have what it takes to be president, and I am continually convinced that he deserves to be swatted down like a fly.
May 28th, 2008 at 6:08 am
Are you kiddin’ me?! What an asinine quote. Frofreak, I agree!
Sometimes you’ve just gotta say watcha gotta say… Mitt isn’t competing with McCain - he’s trying to get the paranoid old bast*%# elected! I’ve heard Mitt graciously and repeatedly state that McCain won the nomination “fair and square.” However, we know it wasn’t “fair” and yes, McCain is the SQUARE. One would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to miss the defending, cheerleading, and fundraising Mitt has done/is doing for the old toad. McCain’s insecurities prevent him from seeing the excellence of Romney. He fears being over-shadowed. What a twerp. He’ll put preserving his ego before doing what’s best for the United States of America. There is no other VP possibility out there that brings Mitt’s capabilites to the table. HELLO?! IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!
Another thing - not ONCE since McCain secured the nomination have I heard ANYTHING positive from the numbskulls that are running the McCain campaign. Not once. Every quote out of the McCain camp regarding Romney has been insulting. Those people branded Romney long ago. So, we learn what kind of dog we’ve got by the pack he runs with. Snarling, nipping, yapping mutts that bite the hands that are trying to help them.
Little chihuahua McCain. May he and his howling pack gnaw each other’s ankles off.
Bow wow.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:02 am
I have to agree. What kind of lame statement was that? What could they mean by it?
I don’t like derogatory language, but McCain and company are increasingly proving to be a bonified collection of jerks. Give Romney credit for having a tough hide and putting up with these people.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Continue to send the message to the RNC and McCain Campaign
NO MITT, NO MONEY, NO MCCAIN
Mitt is the ONLY candidate who can strengthen this ticket for a win in November.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:55 am
What a dumbfounding display of poor judgment. When you aren’t smart enough yourself, you should at least surround yourself with others that are. If this is what McCain hears from trusted “advisors”, Obama will have no trouble getting the “Bush Part III” moniker to stick.
So it is with growing unease that I look towards November. All of the remaining contenders are rising to new levels of vapidity and I don’t think I want any of them in the White House. From all three I see unbridled personal ambition at the expense of party and country. What a quagmire we are in, an unresolvable quandary. I’m suffering from an unrelenting bout of cognitive dissonance…
May 28th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I take all this talk with a grain of salt. Who are these McCain insiders anyway? These “insiders” change their minds at least once a week according to all of the different articles that are out their on the web. The “rumor” one week was that Romney was favored to be the vp according to the “insiders”. Then it was Huckabee, definitely he’s the one according to the “insiders”. I recently read where Huckabee was now out of contention for the vp according to the “insiders”. So what’s up with all of this? If I’ve learned one thing in this election cycle, it is that you don’t believe everything the media says. They have their own game plan and know how to manipulate the election process and try to sway people’s minds with their propoganda.
Think about this. If this vp process is so hush hush and McCain is waiting for the perfect timing on announcing who is vp will be, why would he give these “insiders” the heads up on what he is thinking when he knows that these “insiders” are leaking confidential information that would be detrimental to his campaign strategy and would give a heads up to the opposing side?
I say again, I take this article with a grain of salt. I guarantee you the story will change again before the week is over.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:35 am
LeeAnn. This could be mcCain’s way of ‘vetting’. So he puts out a name, it gets trashed. Mitt’s keeps coming back. I’d like to second guess McCain, but I can’t. One thing he needs to learn, if he’s so afraid of Romney, he needs to keep Romney closer. You know, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. And I’m so blasted tired of hearing how McCain can’t stand Romney Heck, there’ve been folks I did not personally care for in the work place, but I worked just find with them. They were experts in their fields.
I too, would like to know names of these “Insiders”. Who are they? McCain has fired folks for lesser ‘crimes’, why not clean house of the ‘insiders’? One week it’s huckles. The next - Jindal. The next Mitt again. Next week, who knows who the name in the headlines will be? Or, maybe it’s some weird strategy to keep attention on Mc, and not Mitt for the next few months, so Mitt can get some more cash in before Mac’s dumb election financinag stuff kicks in. If Mitt becomes Veep, the rules then change for raising cash.
May 28th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Read about the “Cirque de Chaos” that disguises itself as McCain’s campaign organization here: http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15558.html
It’s a three-ring circus over there! These are the kinds of flower-squirting, buzzer-in-the-palms clowns that are colluding with McCain. Step right up and hear the latest imbecilic statements from some red-nosed bozos! They want to ensure that the nation doesn’t see who the true Ringmaster is – Mitt Romney!
The way things are going, come this fall, McCain will fall from the election tight-rope and the Maverick tent will collapse.
Mitt will be the main attraction in 2012.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
McCain has never cleared up publicly the assumption that they hate each other. He won’t be picking Mitt, there is obviously some bad blood there.
May 28th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
It is true. Mitt Romney over-shadows McCain. Mitt is stronger, more articulate, smarter, more accomplished, and a real leader.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
McCain WILL NOT select Romney as VP, just as Caiaphas didn’t want Jesus overshadowing him. McCain will select another as VP and then watch the McCain Express pickup steam - from there its all downhill…………………Crash and Burn.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
This article is by the “Prowler”, at The American Spectator.
Here is an article where the “Prowler” had some negative things to say about Tancredo’s backing of Mitt, based on info from some “insiders”
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12478
Here is an article where “insiders” said Dobson would back Huckabee
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12292 Didn”t he back Mitt?
There could be a pattern here of the Prowler being slightly anti-Romney, and using, or making up, insiders to write articles. I could be wrong.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Here is another article by the prowler that I think “feels” a little negative to Romney.
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=13046 He loves to quote “advisors’ or “supporters”
Another article showing his dislike for Mitt. http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12642 I think we just need to consider the source on this one, and get out that salt shaker!
May 28th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
WOW!! Well isn’t McCain just a big ol’ ungrateful jerk!!! Look at all Romney has been doing for him and his campaign? Wow, I just don’t have the words to describe how I feel. I can’t stand McCain. I almost dislike him as much as the two Dem candidates. We have NO good Presidential nominee this year
May 28th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
ITYS (I told you so). Hate to tout the ‘ol horn, but when is someone going to pay me for being right?
May 29th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Ungrateful Old Fool, if all that you all are saying is what we think Mccain is thinking.
Nothing surprises me about Mccain, it appears he surely used Mitt. However, Mitt is getting great name exposure and showing his dignity everytime he speaks. I can’t read those negitive articles, makes me furious. Lots of new votes at msnbc, Mitt is still at 88%, lots more votes, seems strange. Keep an eye on that. I think it’s leget. You can only vote once. I guess I’m a tiny bit sceptical, after all we have been through with
this bunch of what we call government leaders.
2thepoint: You absolutely crack me up!!! You are right on!!!
I do have to say, I do remember Mccain saying about Mitt that he ran an excellant race. He also said about their dislike, that was the primaries, and that Mitt was a fine
person. Do we remember those belly laughs on the airplane, that did not look like hate to any of us who saw them! I’m curious, seems Mitt has been much of a spokesman for Mccain, I personally would not let someone I hated speak for me. Just does not make sense to me. Then there is the money angle. Is Mccain savy enough
to use Mitt??? I’ll let you all be the judge of that!! Yea, right!!!!
May 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am
McCain has mentioned that he has no problems with Romney at all, he doesn’t go around repeating it. Nothing seems to indicate he can’t stand Romney except the media hype, which is something to be wary of.
As for other things, I don’t want to see Romney as VP, they are going to loose this election cycle. You just wait and see. I’d rather go all the way for 2012. What Romney chooses to do is fine with me.
Voting for McCain seems to be the best thing we can do, given our options.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Thanks, Paulee. Politics is an absurd business! Yes, I remember the McCain/Romney belly laugh photograph. My mind then fast forwards to the Huckabee/McCain photo on McCain’s campaign bus when Huck and McCain were pig-snorting / yuck -yucking at Huck’s usual, tiresome jabs at Mitt…
McCain is a double-dealing schemer, but Mitt was well aware of McCain’s character flaws when he dropped out of the campaign and endorsed John. But, given the looming reality of our presidential choices, Mitt believes that McCain is the better choice.
McCain would be a fool to OPENLY refute Romney because Romney’s putting in time and sweat for him. To McCain, Mitt = MONEY. It’s behind closed doors where real feelings are revealed. The proof of the putrid pudding LEAKS from those who are closest to the candidate - McCain’s advisors/aides. If McCain truly valued Romney, would we keep hearing nasty innuendoes about Mitt from McCain’s camp?
And, just what did Romney do at the Sedona soiree that was so egregious? Forget to laugh at just the right time at one of McCain’s jokes? Place his napkin on the wrong knee? Lick a barbecued rib? Heaven forbid, comment on the gas crisis? When an organization operates from a pre-conceived dislike of someone, every opportunity to justify that belief will be seized upon. It’s ridiculous!
It would be a BRILLIANT move for our country if McCain chose Mitt for VP, but MR will continue to work for conservatives because of his core values, not because he hopes to receive a royal McCain annointing.
On another note, most online “vote fors” are cheesy, but a chance to click for our man, Mitt, SHOWS WHO WE BELIEVE IN! Huckabee is currently leading this poll - but not by much. Here’s the link: http://www.thenextright.com/who-should-mccain-pick-vp
May 29th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Regarding the quote that started this entire conversation: “McCain has gotten a good look at [Mitt] Romney as a competitor and as someone who is running in support of his candidacy, and frankly he can’t tell the difference. It’s been a very educational process. Let’s just leave it at that.”
CHECK OUT YAHOO NEWS by Michael Scherer - Thu May 29, 3:30 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080529/us_time/teammccainreadyforprimetime
[Back in Washington, the anxiety level of Republicans is rising. "The McCain camp is now acting without much rhyme or reason," says a prominent consultant. "And it all goes to the top." Another Republican campaign strategist, in a thinly veiled reference to McCain, says, "Somebody is behaving impulsively is the point."]
Some of McCain’s advisers have toppled from the trapeze, landed on their heads, and are speaking Romney garbledygook. Popcorn! Peanuts!
I rest my “circus” case about the McCain camp.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
2thepoint: Oh yes, how well I remember Huck poking fun at Mitt and Mccain going along for the ride. These are tell tale signs to me, not to hold our breath. Also, at that msnbc poll Mitt is still at 88% with over 10,000 new votes???? Curious?? I’ll go over and vote at the link you provided. This whole process is really being a drain. I can’t believe this is the best we have. It’s really sad!
May 29th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
2thepoint brings up a point that disturbs more than any other: a candidate is only as good or great as the people that he can attract to his campaign and eventually administration. If McCain is surrounding himself with these myopic, ill-informed “advisors”, it is because he can’t attract or excite any better. Since Romney is certainly one of the best available, if McCain rejects him when he is willing to suffer McCain and his team’s mediocrity, what are we left with?
McCain’s organization was a joke last summer, and by some miracle he pulled it out. That, more than anything, is why his “insiders” so envy Romney who had an A-list team that was organized around a strategy that was data driven and well executed. Romney’s only misstep was stirring up the twin hornets nests of McCain and Huckabee who then allied to bring him down in a tag team fashion.
Fast forward to this summer, and McCain’s organization (if you can call it that) is still a shambles, and I see no evidence from the Maverick’s past history that he has the executive skills to do anything about it.
So, if he is not smart enough to bring in the “turn around” artist, his campaign is lost.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
DEG You are right- I think the republicans are going to loose this election cycle. I believe there is a large group of republican insiders who recognize that Romney is their only hope of winning but McCain is the Maverick and he is doing his own thing.
We are in this mess not only because of the bigotry but also because of the PRESS. Fox News really promoted John McCain. In 2012, Americans need to get their political information from other sources outside of the usual sources. Fox News really did a number on the republican party. Sean Hannity will deny it but Fox News was responsible for putting McCain on top.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I just can’t pull the lever if Huckles is on the ticket. It won’t work with me and my values and ethics.
Sorry McCAin. Huckles is your loser ticket. Pick him, and you retire in Arizona much quicker than you thought. Pick Romney, and you get a new address.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Well, I am with you Chris. I cannot vote for McCain if he obnoxiously puts Huckabee on the ticket… I really don’t think he will stupidly do that… will he????
Not too sure, but if he does, there goes 2 things, my sanity and a candidate for whom I can logically vote….
MITT10…. I wrote to Fox news and told them I was going to limit my watching of their station when I noticed how the touted McCain and started getting nasty about Mitt. They bought into or fed into that “negative campaign” crap that came up and it just was not true… I cannot help it and neither can Mitt that the truth was there and needed to be exposed. “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard”
KKSM
May 29th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I don’t see McCain Romney ticket winning the whitehouse either honestly. The republican party is in shambles, I’d rather see Romney just promoting the conservative cause for 2012.
Watch how the GOP will lose senate seats, hopefully the nation will come afloat… like it has during the Clinton administration. I still want to see Hillary secure the nomination.
June 1st, 2008 at 2:12 am
Don’t even joke about Hillary - America nominating Hillary effectively abandons the victims of the Rwanda Genocide again.
As Glenn Beck says, here’s how I got there:
In 1994, the U.S., led by Clinton, had a UN obligation to intervene. Clinton avoided our obligation by denying it was genocide – even though Hutus were killing 56,000 Tutsis each week – a murder rate 5 times the Holocaust. Incredibly, the media, Democrats, even African-American leaders, all trusted Clinton and abandoned Rwanda.
We’re not talking about infidelity – this is about genocide. It’s not a personal attack. It’s about human rights and a huge U.S. foreign policy mistake - it’s very serious.
We’re all humans and we care about other humans, don’t we? If you can’t care about 800,000 dying needlessly than what do you care about?
So why bring up Rwanda?
It matters how the Clintons lose.
If they’re seen as losing to the rock star first African-American Obama phenomenon, Obama wins the nomination - that’s it.
However, if Clinton loses, in part, because America held them responsible for abandoning Rwanda – we earn a little more respect in the world, especially in Africa, and we take a step towards healing the wounds in our soul from 1994.
This small amount of justice for Rwanda may again give hope to African children and pride for American children.
I know Romney, or his supporters, can’t do much to help, but let’s not even joke about letting the Clintons back in the White House.
Thanks…Matt
June 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 am
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June 3rd, 2008 at 6:53 am
If the Clinton’s get back into the White House, we are misguided and our memories
have gone to sleep! If Obama gets into the White House, hold on to your pocketbook,
your desires, your dreams, and you’d better love Hip-hop! I know everything these days seems much more liberal, and the minorities seem to get their way, but I’m sorry
folks, I’m liking the way things used to be. I loved that we Pledged Alligence to Our
Flag, that a tear would appear at the words of the Star Spangled Banner, that we could do and have what our ambitions allowed, that we had the faith of our choice,
we could light our Christmas tree, that we respected our President, honored our
military, of course I could go on. We have to keep our ideals alive, we have to stand together for the good of this country and the future generations. We need leadership
that will ground this country, it’s time for innovation and honest people at the head
of this government that care about this countries future. No lip service, we need results!!! Enough is eniough