Politics - Conservatives to battle McCain over platform

[FWiedner]

Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September's Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party's official declaration of principles.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25561143

Note: I hope conservatives find a way to get the Republican party back on track.

[Ysabel Kid]

Note: I hope conservatives find a way to get the Republican party back on track.

They had better - I've pinched my nose as hard as I can. They stray any more, and I'm done...

[Old Ironsights]

Can't remember if I read it here or not but:

The last time the Republocrats ran an Old Guy Vet against a Young Machine Politician we got the Clintoon.

This time the McChurian is even older and the Chicago Machine is Stronger than anything Arkansas could ever com up with.

THe Republocrats just won't learn from their mistakes.

Don't run Old Guys against Young Guys unless the Old Guy is 110% Conservative/Constitutionalist.

[Naphtali]

While the man is vigorous, he is in his early seventies. Rather than battle over something that is nonsensical -- the last winner who paid attention to his platform was James K. Polk, who fulfilled every campaign promise -- concentrate on the vice-presidential nomination. This is the person who may become president during President McCain's tenure. Or the strongest likely presidential candidate in 2012 were McCain to lose.

[TCB in TN]

I just hope they pick a real conservative for the VP! Cause if they pick someone as crappy as he is then I just don't know if I can actually vote for the man!

[donw]

say all you want about mccain...i think he's the ONLY chance we have, at the moment, to survive as a nation as we know and understand it.

if the other candidate wins...we're in for ROUGH, or should i say, ROUGHER times.

IMO, the other candidate is, i suspect, a racist, an overt elitist untrained and unskilled in the ways of a functioning government, with a wife that is even worse yet...if he wins, we lose...especially gun owners...

yes...i will cling to my guns and my religon...

[Old Ironsights]

Obama's Fund Raising Arabs for the Arab

By MAUREEN DOWD

Published: June 29, 2008

OBAMA'S TROUBLING INTERNET FUND RAISING

Certainly the most interesting and potentially devastating phone call I have received during this election cycle came this week from one of the Obama's campaign internet geeks. These are the staffers who devised Obama's internet fund raising campaign which raised in the neighborhood of $200 million so far. That is more then twice the total funds raised by any candidate in history – and this was all from the internet campaign.

What I learned from this insider was shocking but I guess we shouldn't be surprised that when it comes to fund raising there simply are no rules that can't be broken and no ethics that prevail.

Obama's internet campaign started out innocently enough with basic e-mail networking , lists saved from previous party campaigns and from supporters who visited any of the Obama campaign web sites.

Small contributions came in from these sources and the internet campaign staff were more than pleased by the results.

Then, about two months into the campaign the daily contribution intake multiplied. Where was it coming from? One of the web site security monitors began to notice the bulk of the contributions were clearly coming in from overseas internet service providers and at the rate and frequency of transmission it was clear these donations were 'programmed' by a very sophisticated user.

While the security people were not able to track most of the sources due to firewalls and other blocking devices put on these contributions they were able to collate the number of contributions that were coming in seemingly from individuals but the funds were from only a few credit card accounts and bank electronic funds transfers.. The internet service providers (ISP) they were able to trace were from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries. One of the banks used for fund transfers was also located in Saudi Arabia.

Another concentrated group of donations was traced to a Chinese ISP with a similar pattern of limited credit card charges.

It became clear that these donations were very likely coming from sources other than American voters. This was discussed at length within the campaign and the decision was made that none of these donations violated campaign financing laws.

It was also decided that it was not the responsibility of the campaign to audit these millions of contributions as to the actual source (specific credit card number or bank transfer account numbers) to insure that none of these internet contributors exceeded the legal maximum donation on a cumulative basis of many small donations. They also found the record keeping was not complete enough to do it anyway.

This is a shocking revelation.

We have been concerned about the legality of 'bundling' contributions after the recent exposure of illegal bundlers but now it appears we may have an even greater problem.

I guess we should have been somewhat suspicious when the numbers started to come out. We were told (no proof offered) that the Obama internet contributions were from $10.00 to $25.00 or so.

If the $200,000,000 is right, and the average contribution was $15.00, that would mean over 13 million individuals made contributions? That would also be 13 million contributions would need to be processed. How did all that happen?

I believe the Obama campaign's internet fund raising needs a serious, in depth investigation and audit. It also appears the whole question of internet fund raising needs investigation by the legislature and perhaps new laws to insure it complies not only with the letter of these laws but the spirit as well.

end of Ms. Dowd's report
------------------------------------------------------
When McChurian Loses, with Funding being a main factor - as it will be, he will only have himself and his "Hands across the aisle" McCain Feingold anti 1st Amendment Act to blame.

[AJMD429]

They had better - I've pinched my nose as hard as I can. They stray any more, and I'm done...

The only thing IS . . . we keep SAYING that, and every time most of us bail out and vote Republican, because it is ALWAYS a "CRISIS!" because this is the election-to-end-all-elections and our very nation's fabric is at stake.

And - to some degree that has been true, but for the past 20-25 years it only gets worse.

Whenever some of us want to "bail out" and go Libertarian, the others all warn of dire things to happen, so...

my question is .... HOW will we know when the time IS right to "bail?"

Unless we all decide in unison, I'm afraid all our "defections" from the Republicans won't be en masse enough to accomplish a thing.

[Ysabel Kid]

They had better - I've pinched my nose as hard as I can. They stray any more, and I'm done...

The only thing IS . . . we keep SAYING that, and every time most of us bail out and vote Republican, because it is ALWAYS a "CRISIS!" because this is the election-to-end-all-elections and our very nation's fabric is at stake.

And - to some degree that has been true, but for the past 20-25 years it only gets worse.

Whenever some of us want to "bail out" and go Libertarian, the others all warn of dire things to happen, so...

my question is .... HOW will we know when the time IS right to "bail?"

Unless we all decide in unison, I'm afraid all our "defections" from the Republicans won't be en masse enough to accomplish a thing.

I'm trying to decide the same thing. Last President I voted for was Reagan. I've voted in every election I have been legally able to (1984 was my first), but voted against the other guy in each one after Reagan. I'm sick of doing this. But... if Obama does 1/10th of what he had promised to do - with a Dem majority in both houses - it is going to be a disaster for this country. Expect the market to tank, unemployment to jump, jobs to flee overseas, and misery which will make today look like a skip through the park. Every time tax increases have been made the results have been the same - so why would anyone expect this time to be different? Still, if McCain picks someone like Jindal as his running mate, that would make a great race in 2012 (Obama versus Jindal). Bottom line, when the GOP slides to the middle we lose - big time - and will continue to do so. Someones I wonder if the GOP leadership has a single brain cell between the lot of them!!!