Immigration Amnesty Protesters Make a Stand!
Latest SC Polls Show McCain leading. (Michigan anyone?)
Polls open Saturday morning, January 19th at 7 AM for the South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary.
Excitement for the race is palpable as ads on television and radio and phone calls continue to flood into voter's homes.
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. talks to supporters on the eve of the South Carolina Republican primary elections at The Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort Friday, Jan. 18, 2008, in Hilton Head Island, S.C.(AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
Arizona Senator John McCain held his next to last rally on Hilton Head Island this afternoon at the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort.The event was packed and even though the candidate was running late and the auditorium was over heated, the crowd quickly came to life when John McCain walked in accompanied by South Carolina's senior Senator Lindsey Graham and retired Texas Senator Phil Gramm (who defeated Ron Paul for the senate seat in 1984).
The presence of former Senator Phil Gramm was an attempt to stress control on spending and fiscal restraint, which is at the heart of the conservative agenda. But perhaps others were reminded of all the promises that have been made including the hardfought Gramm-Ruddman-Hollings Act which was gutted later when Democrats were able to override it's spending control provisions.
Outside the auditorium representatives with Numbers USA held signs which read "Stop McCain Amnesty" referring to McCain's attempt to work with Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) to offer a legal way for those who broke our immigration law to stay in the U.S. legally if they purchase a Z visa.
McCain fired up the crowd with some jokes and then launched into his standard stump speech and made a prediction that he will win on Saturday. After weeks of tough campaigning, McCain looked no worse for wear than when I met him in November.
But a quick survey of the crowd revealed a number of people who were there to see the candidate and be part of the event, but who did not necessarily support him.
An older couple cornered a McCain staffer on the subject of immigration, insisting that they were dead set against amnesty for illegal aliens. While the McCain staffer tried to give the campaign talking points denying McCain's position amounted to amnesty, yours truly chirped in regarding the "Z" Visas which were part of the McCain-Kennedy bill.
A man wearing a Fair Tax T-shirt and a Mike Huckabee button tried to convince another couple that Huckabee's willingness to sign a pledge regarding the Fair Tax was enough. Again, Mike's America interceded to point out that candidate pledges mean much less than the candidate's performance in office.
A father with his five year old son on his shoulders was interested in having his son witness the event of a modern campaign rally. But he disclosed to Mike's America that he had been listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio on the way over and while he was still undecided, was more inclined to vote for Thompson or Romney.
It was an exciting finish to a long campaign. The polls open at 7 AM EST Saturday and Close at 7PM.
Tom Delay "The Hammer" Slams McCain
Reminder: Live Election Night Blog/Chat starting at 7 PM EST Here at Mike's America and Patriot Blogs Across the Country!McCain hit by Hammer on the Hill
By Jackie Kucinich
The Hill
01/18/08Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) lambasted Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) Thursday for “betraying” the conservative movement.
During a private luncheon with Republican chiefs of staff on Capitol Hill, DeLay — who has criticized McCain for years — stepped up his attacks in the wake of the senator’s reemergence as a top presidential contender. DeLay said McCain has no principles and indicated he would not endorse the senator if he won the GOP primary.
“If McCain gets the nomination, I don’t know what I’ll do,” DeLay said at the Capitol Hill Club, according to a source in the room. “I might have to sit this one out.”
He added that a McCain triumph for the GOP nomination would destroy the Republican Party. DeLay delivered his luncheon address to Republicans Assuring Mutual Support (RAMS), a group of current and former chiefs of staff and staff directors.
...
Some conservatives have long mistrusted McCain, citing his work on campaign finance reform, global warming and immigration as well his opposition to President Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
Yet McCain voted against the 2003 Medicare drug bill, a measure that many in the conservative movement rallied against. As majority leader, DeLay vigorously urged his colleagues to back the legislation, which narrowly passed Congress.
McCain, a former House member, has jousted with House Republicans over the last several years.
Several years ago, McCain and then House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) engaged in public spat, with Hastert joking that he didn’t know McCain was a Republican. McCain fired back by suggesting Hastert was not fiscally responsible.
McCain does enjoy support in the lower chamber, attracting the backing of 20 House Republicans.
Meanwhile, another prominent former member of Congress has also said he will not back McCain for president.
“I served 12 years with him, six years...as one of the leaders of the Senate,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) told radio host Mark Levin on Jan. 10. “John McCain was not only against us, but leading the charge on the other side.”
He added, “There’s nothing worse than having a Democratic Congress and a Republican president who would act like a Democrat in matters that are important to conservatives.”
No comments:
Post a Comment