Dave Marlett, Editor theconservative@usa.net Number 12

http://www.wilderness-cry.net/tcn
23 Feb 2000

Correction!

John McCain did not win the Michigan Republican primary. His liberal friends in the Democratic Party stole it for him. Please look at the pitiful showing he made among Republicans in the exit poll below.

 All Bush Keyes McCain
Party Identification
Democrat 17 10 4 83
Republican 48 66 5 29
Independent 35 27 4 67
Ideology
Liberal 17 16 3 78
Moderate 37 33 2 64
Conservative 45 60 8 32

(CNN exit poll)

The McCain Strategy

It seems that both John McCain and television's talking heads underestimated the strength and resolve of South Carolina's conservative Republicans. In forecasting the end of the conservative movement, they factored in everything except conservatives themselves.

McCain undertook a task that was too ambitious, even with the unbridled assistance of the major media. He didn't simply try to expand the Republicans' base. He attempted to hijack the party itself for independents, disaffected Democrats and reform-craving malcontents of every stripe. In South Carolina at least, conservative Republicans had a different idea about whose party it is.

Ronald Reagan reached out to independents and boll weevil Democrats, but he didn't abandon grass-roots conservatives in the process. While McCain said he was using the Reagan model of inclusion, he was actually employing the politics of exclusion -- exclusion of conservatives.

McCain didn't just ignore the right wing of his party. He went out of his way to offend them. Could there be some truth to that rumor that McCain has a habit of demonizing those who have an honest disagreement with him? Just as he has impugned the integrity of many of his Senate colleagues, he accused pro-life organizations of corruption because they opposed his reform proposal they believed would effectively mute their defense of the unborn.

McCain didn't appear concerned about alienating traditional Republicans because he was expecting to overwhelm them with heavy turnout among Democrats and independents. Intoxicated from his New Hampshire victory fumes, McCain apparently thought he could forge a new coalition under the GOP umbrella and maybe even add the Reform Party as well.

He had so energized crossover voters in New Hampshire that he convinced himself that he could do the same in South Carolina and subsequent states, especially those with open primaries. What he obviously failed to anticipate was that by polarizing grass-roots Republicans, he ignited a backlash that caused them to turn out in droves.
(David Limbaugh WND)

TCN -Though the plan failed in conservative South Carolina, it seems to have worked again in labor and welfare dominated Michigan.

Maybe Keyes should switch over and run on the Democrat ticket so all of the Republicans can cross over and vote for a conservative. While they are willing to tolerate the moderate GW Bush, they don't seem to want a conservative on the Republican ticket. Besides, it would give the Dems a choice, something they certainly don't have now.

TCN

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