Politics Blog

Hugo Chavez, dictator of Venezuela, is proposing the formation of a anti-US military alliance with neighboring Countries:

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has called on other Latin American and Caribbean countries to form a military alliance against the United States.

The vehemently anti-US leader says Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba and Dominica should create one united force.

Do you think any Democrat House and Senate members agree with, ….. Nah!!

I explained yesterday why McCain would lose the Florida primary.

It is often said that the best way to find out how a candidate would act in office if elected, is to see who he/she surrounds himself with. Money is another factor, what people and industries are backing the candidate. These answers should be an indicator of what to expect. Who is behind the man should gauge what kind of man he is.

The great Richard Viguerie tells the story of how he and other conservatives had a “seat at the table” of the presidential campaigns of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan for. His thinking was if Conservatives aren’t at the table NOW, what makes you think there will be Conservatives at the table AFTER the election.

In the case of John McCain, truer words were never spoken. Senator Mel Martinez, Governor Charlie Crist, the NY Times, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Sam Brownback, Pete Domenici, Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman, Gordon Smith, Christopher Shays are all on the McCain team.

Look at that list again. Sure, some fiscal and social conservatives are listed, but for the most part, all are “moderates", some even Liberal. MOST support Amnesty and many are Pro-Choice. Interesting list to say the least.

On the money side of things, one of John McCain’s biggest backers is Lew Eisenberg from New Jersey. Eisenberg is a notorious Liberal Republican who has an agenda of REMOVING the Pro-Life plank out of the Republican Platform and is an advocate of Gay Marriage. Why would someone like that back John McCain and not, someone like Rudy Giuliani?

As a matter of fact, in an article I wrote on January 15th of 2007, published in Human Events, called “John McCain Goes Left for Money“, Rudy WANTED Eisenberg on his team:

Eisenberg, who was listed in the leaked Rudy Giuliani strategy memo as someone the campaign should try to sign on, is a liberal, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, activist millionaire investment banker.

Eisenberg’s support for Republicans appears to be limited, however, as his money has been sent to liberal Democrats Walter Mondale, Dick Gephardt, Tim Wirth, Chris Dodd, Bruce Babbitt, Joe Biden, and others.

In a Nov 15, 1999, Roll Call article about Eisenberg, it was reported that he had voted in just two of 11 GOP primaries between 1987 and 1997.

So, is John McCain, supposedly a pro-life Republican, holding his nose because Eisenberg can “show him the money,” or is McCain surrounding himself with like-minded allies?

I posed that question a year ago, and with the endorsements of all these Pro-Amnesty people and Open Border, Mexico first activists like Dr. Juan Hernandez, the answer is very clear.

John McCain can not be the GOP nominee for President!

Apparently, el Presidente Jorge Arbusto will be delivering a “State of the Union” address tonight.

If he had any sense at all, he’d stress securing our borders, but el Presidente will instead focus on whatever dumb politicalnon-starter his idiot advisers have thought up now.

A new poll from a relatively unknown outfit called Datamar shows Romney leading McCain by 35.6 to 23.2 percent. This might seem suspicious at first glance, but their previous polls seeem quite credible, and the cross-tabs make sense. Click the link and see for yourself.

UPDATE: Another credible poll shows Romney leading 35-28

From the latest SurveyUSA poll:

Romney has 32%, McCain 31% at this hour, effectively tied. Rudolph Giuliani and Mike Huckabee are far back. Romney leads by 17 points among voters focused on the Economy, and leads by 24 points among voters focused on Immigration. McCain leads by 14 points among voters focused on Terrorism and by 22 points among voters focused on Iraq. Romney leads by 16 among Conservatives. McCain leads by 28 among Moderates. Romney leads by 14 in SE FL. McCain leads Romney by 14 in NW FL, where Huckabee, showing twice the strength he shows elsewhere in Florida, is six points behind McCain. Romney and McCain are effectively tied in NE FL and Central FL. Compared to a SurveyUSA poll one week ago, completed after McCain won South Carolina, but before Fred Thompson dropped out, both Romney and McCain are up significantly. But Romney is up slightly more, and may have the slightest additional momentum at the wire.

…

2,000 Florida adults were interviewed 01/27/08. Of them, 1,790 were registered to vote. Of them 608 were determined by SurveyUSA to be Republicans who had either already voted in the GOP Primary, using early voting, or who were likely to vote at the precinct on 01/29/08. Among those who said they had already voted: Romney 36%, McCain 31%. Among those who had not yet voted, but who told SurveyUSA that their mind was made-up, and they would not change it before the Primary: McCain 32%, Romney 32%. SurveyUSA will endeavor to conduct some additional interviews Monday night 01/28/08, to see if there is unanticipated last-minute movement in the contest.

Not that Bush’s last State of the Union matters much, but you can click Comments and discuss what you thought of it.

The more I think about it, the more John McCain’s endorsements yesterday seem like a sign of desperation from a campaign that knows it’s going to lose in Florida on Tuesday.

Consider McCain’s vote percentages in the caucuses and primaries thus far:

South Carolina - 33%
Michigan - 30%
New Hampshire - 37%
Nevada - 13%
Wyoming - 0%
Iowa - 13%

McCain seems to have a ceiling of 37%, which he hit in New Hampshire.

In the three primaries where he did reasonably well thus far, independents and Democrats could vote. That’s where McCain scored between 30 and 37% of the vote.

And, thus far, McCain has been running against a fragmented conservative opposition that included Romney, Huckabee, Thompson and Hunter.

In Florida on Tuesday - and most of the Super Tuesday states a week later - McCain will finally have to face a real challenge:

1. It’s a closed primary. Only Republicans can vote.

2. It’s a mega-state, where he can’t win over voters with lots and lots of little townhall meetings.

3. Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter are no longer running, and Huckabee has been severely damaged by his failure to win South Carolina. So Romey is the only viable conservative hope to stop McCain. Conservatives will rally around Romney.

4. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani is strong in these states, and is competing for McCain’s voters.

Given these factors, it’s certain that McCain will win over 20% of the vote - and possible that he’ll win 30% - in Florida. But it’s unlikely that he’ll beat Romney in Florida.

That’s why McCain is pulling out all the stops. He knows he’s likely to lose, and so he’s trying harder.

It’s simple, really. To win a Republican primary, you have to win Republican votes.

For the first time that I can recall, RCP’s average of Florida polls shows Romney with a (tiny) lead.

Today I’m proud to join PoliPundit and A.J. in endorsing Mitt Romney.

We come from verydifferent perspectives on the conservative spectrum, and we all supported other candidates earlier, but it’s great to see a wide range of conservatives coalescing around one candidate. As a libertarian / fiscal conservative, I could support Romney, Paul, or Giuliani (anybody but McHuckleberry at this point). Social conservatives will not support Giuliani. Defense conservatives will not support Paul. Romney is the one candidate who can bring the Reagan coalition back together.