McCain wins South Carolina primary

[oberliner]

Source: AP

Sen. John McCain won a hard-fought South Carolina primary Saturday night, avenging a bitter personal defeat in a bastion of conservatism and gaining ground in an unpredictable race for the Republican presidential nomination. Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama split the spoils in Nevada caucuses marred by late charges of dirty politics.


"We've got a long way to go," McCain told The Associated Press in an interview. He quickly predicted that his victory in the first southern primary would help him next week when Florida votes, and again on Feb. 5 when more than two dozen states hold primaries and caucuses.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080120/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_rdp;_ylt=AlYFTivkH8NTGE6azECw9PSs0NUE

[wisteria]

1. Somehow, I just knew it was going to play out his way.

Do or die and amazingly he comes through.

[bushisdirt]

2. I'm an Edwards fan, followed by Obama. However, it now looks

like McCain will win the Repuke nomination; Hillary will win the Democratic nomination. Most Repukes will rally around McCain; however, many Democrats will switch parties to vote for McCain. Independents will split for McCain also. McCain, who knows nothing about economics (and freely admits this), will beat Clinton by at least 5% in November. And Obama? His campaign manager blew it for him playing the race card after New Hampshire.

All this is just my opinion.

[ryanmuegge]

3. I'm worried about the toy soldier and fake war hero being the nominee, as well

The press will spend months spinning all of these narratives about him being a war hero and a straight talker. He is, of course, neither.

[bushisdirt]

6. Yeppers. You got it. How will the Dems fight it? If they try swiftboating

McCain, he'll win by 10-12 %. The Dems only hope is a Romney win. The Dems need to organize some cross-party voters now!

[iamjoy]

17. What The Hell Do You Mean

What do you mean by toy soldier and fake war hero? Surely you aren't talking about McCain.

We are Democrats. We do not smear the war record of a candidate based on hearsay or general opposition to military action. We trust that he (or if there were a she) deserved the medals and commendations. I'm quite satisfied to believe that McCain is a war hero and not pursue mudslinging in that direction. But, that was almost forty years ago.

Let us look at his record since then. The involvement in the S&L for one. This is not the same man who campaigned in 2000 - he has kissed up to all the people he challenged then. In that way he is no better than Mitt Romney with his shameless pandering.

But, as far as I'm concerned, McCain's war record is off the table. His family is too.

We're better than that.

[ryanmuegge]

19. I'm just ironically parroting the RNC from 2000.

They called him a faker then in South Carolina. Now, according to him, he is back to being a great war hero.

Plus, I'm still pissed off about them calling Kerry a faker in 2004 when he, too, was a war hero.

[AZ Criminal JD]

22. If you remember McCain stood up for Kerry in 2004

When his war record was questioned.

[BlueStater]

23. Irrelevant because he stabbed Kerry in the back during the "botched joke" thing

He's a real prick and I'm sick of hearing about how he's an honorable man. He isn't in the slightest bit.

[fujiyama]

46. I agree his response to Kerry's joke was very unfair and low on his part

but a particular Dem candidate did the same thing.

I'm not defending McCain, but it looked like many misunderstood his comment and were looking to score some cheap political points - by condemning an honorable and decent person at that.

[DiamondJay]

24. a "true war hero"?

He is no war hero. He betrayed his fellow soldiers in Vietnam by telling his captors where American planes were flying. This is not smearing, this is mere telling the truth.

[patch1234]

29. how would he know such information? .n/t

[AZ Criminal JD]

37. What a vicious smear

[Brrrp]

26. I'll tell you "what the hell" it means.

McCain gave military information to his North Vietnamese captors. He ADMITTED this in his book, "Faith of My Fathers," and said he regretted it, although he also claimed that the military information he gave them was of no value--something which is not up to him to decide. He also broke down and signed a confession.

I would have done it too, but I am not running for president as a "war hero."

[iamjoy]

33. Why Are They Mutually Exclusive?

Maybe your definition of "hero" is defined by fiction, in which the protaganist stoically endures the torture without giving away anything, maintaining silence or making glib remarks throughout.

We should not swiftboat this man on his war record.

[DiamondJay]

34. its not swiftboating

its just telling the truth. he is a traitor to his country, as he would be to his maverick "principles" he may or may not have. Not to mention we don't need another guy in the white house who likes to nap all the time either. he's older than reagan was when reagan was elected

[iamjoy]

35. His Age & Health Concern Me

But I do not think we should attack his war record. Not only is it morally wrong, but it will backfire.

Unless we were in his position, I don't think we should judge the actions he took under those extraordinary circumstances.

[AZ Criminal JD]

38. You are telling an absolute lie

I was in the air force (after Vietnam) and we were instructed to resist giving information but not to undergo torture. We were told to sign "confessions" and the like and that is military policy. You do not know what you are talking about.

[Brrrp]

39. Article 104 of the UCMJ prohibits giving intelligence to the enemy.

BTW, I resent being called a liar.

[AZ Criminal JD]

42. Don't care what you resent

What intelligence about American flights could McCain give in a prison camp? He would have no current knowledge of what was going on. But I doubt you understand anything about the military. The Vietnamese offered McCain early release because of the position his father held and he refused if the others weren't released. That's when they started torturing him. Go back under your slimy rock.

[Brrrp]

49. Your insults don't bother me.

What bothers me is your inability to follow a simple argument. It is not up to a POW to decide what is or is not of military value to the enemy. McCain made this decision on his own, which was not his right to do. Unlike others in this thread, I do not think he was a "traitor." But to call him a "hero" stretches the concept of heroism beyond recognition.

As for my military background, I won't discuss it here. I don't put my bag in the street.

[AZ Criminal JD]

51. You are wrong about what POWs are allowed to do

If you had a "military background" you could discuss it because you are an anonymous poster. I don't call McCain a "hero" either because as most people in the military know that term is only one that civilians use. But I don't tolerate b.s. about him either. The other day I ran across a woman who thought McCain had it easy because he was in the 'Hanoi Hilton'. She was actually dumb enough to think it was an actual hotel. I was at the 'Hanoi Hilton' prison in November, 1992 with a delegation led by John Kerry investigating POWs and so I set her straight.

[rayofreason]

36. good post!

Elections should be won on a positive high note, not through FUD.

[TheFarseer]

5. I think that's a pretty good assessment

most of the people that don't know much about politics know that they like John McCain. A McCain / Clinton matchup is very dangerous for the Dems.

[ryanmuegge]

20. I'm afraid that we will find a way to fuck the whole thing up again.

It'll at least be stealable again.

[FVZA_Colonel]

7. This does worry me.

I may be overly concerned, but I think that McCain is the greatest threat to a Democratic victory in 08. Honestly, I'm hoping that Romney or Guiliani win in Florida so that, at least, that momentum will be taken away from McCain. And I agree, he does not have the credibility that he claims he has on military issues.

[bushisdirt]

8. McCain is getting a lot of Bush-hate and Hillary-terrified votes. Hard

to combat that. McCaine IS the greatest threat to a Democratic victory. We should know within two months who'll the next President will be.

[FVZA_Colonel]

9. But how can we fix this?

How can we show people that he is really nothing more then Bush II, and you needn't be terrified of Hillary Clinton?

[bushisdirt]

11. I don't know. I'm not sure it can be done. McCain is a beloved

old man by a bunch of people who are tired of Bush. Hillary is real polarizing. Best bet would be a Romney win. I believe the Dems could still make that happen. If the Dems hold up on the stimulus package now that will be even worse for them.

[FVZA_Colonel]

12. That's what I'm hoping for as well.

If Romney can take Florida, that could put him into position to win big on Super Tuesday, and he would be a much more beatable candidate then McCain.

Though I can't help but feel that there are Freepers reading DU right now and thinking that our fears over McCain (which, I have to admit, I have contributed to) prove he needs to be the nominee.

[bushisdirt]

14. Yeah, maybe, but what you gonna do: I don't speak any

foreign languages too will, and can't write any. I can't wait for Tweety's analysis of this tomorrow. At least Fred Thompson kept Huckabee from winning. I'm more afraid of them than McCain. If McCain wins the Presidency will probably attack Iran, Iceland and Maine.

[Brrrp]

28. I dunno. If it's McCain v. Hillary, I just won't vote.

[YDogg]

30. Well, that's not especially productive.

Do you imagine republicans disappointed with mccain will simply not vote?

[humbled_opinion]

31. LOL...

I don't think Mcain draws the same ire from Repukes as Hillary does from some in the Democratic party. But I could be wrong.

[YDogg]

41. I imagine you are correct. I like Edwards, myself.

But I'll vote for a Dem regardless.

[fujiyama]

47. The republicans hate Hillary more than they like McCain...

As for the Dems, hell I just can't figure this party out.

[geomon666]

13. Yup, this is our "worst case scenario".

The last poll I saw I think had like only a 4% difference between who would win. So this is a wet dream for republicans and republican voting machine owners.

[NJCher]

15. you bet!

McCain, who knows nothing about economics (and freely admits this), will beat Clinton by at least 5% in November.

Americans will rally behind McCain because they want to keep the Iraq War going! They want to "spread democracy" no matter what the cost--whether it costs them in healthcare, jobs, or the domestic economy.

Iraq War all the way!

Bomb bomb bomb. Bomb bomb Iraq!



Cher

[FVZA_Colonel]

16. Unless Iraq truly does make a magical turn around in the time leading up to the election,

and not as the media has said it has, then hitting him over the head with his support of Iraq might be a working strategy for beating him. Of course, there is the possibility that even if there is no turn around Americans still won't pay attention to Iraq again.

[fujiyama]

45. I would argue

that Obama did not play the race card, but was instead accused of playing it by Hillary and her supporters.

But I agree that Hillary would not have a chance against McCain. He will definitely have much more crossover appeal than Hillary. The RWers don't particularly like McCain, but I'm sure they'll hold their noses and vote for him, if it means Hillary not winning. They loathe her. And along with VERY friendly press coverage, he will take many independents and Dems that are easily fooled into believing he is still a "maverick".

[TheFarseer]

4. Republican talking heads have been saying

as soon as we get to the "conservative states" McCain will fade. How will Rush spin this? Is SC not a Red enough state?

[maseman]

10. Look, I am more optimistic

Here's some points that make me more optimistic.

1. McCain is OOLLLLDDDD. He looks, sounds, acts and probably smells old. He talks with a clinched jaw, is short, he's kind of crooked, and sort of wrinkely. Remember Dole? Long-time Senator, war hero, purple heart, LOST!

2. He has been 100% die-hard for this Iraq war that 70% of America is against. That is a tough platform for the general election this year.

3. Repukes don't do well in tough economic times.

4. Even though McCain kissed Jerry Falwell's ass a few times recently (OK, not too recently since Falwell is pushing up daisies) he is not known at all for being friendly to the Jesus Christers out there.

5. Oh did I mention he is OLD!

[fujiyama]

48. Dole didn't get the kind of friendly press coverage McCain gets

and it's already an ingrained myth into the American populace that he's a maverick and independent. Why? The press has been telling us all that for the last 8 years.

Hillary for one, especially plays poorly against that image.

The war will not matter as much, because the media is also telling us the surge is working.

And don't fool yourself into believing that the economy is to Hillary's advantage automatically.

[Kuni]

18. McCain beats Hillary. Obama beats McCain. In the National head to head Polls I’ve seen

I think it’s time for us to smarten up and not fall for Hillary's Swiftboating of Obama.

[Divine Discontent]

21. and John Edwards, who you accidently left out

blows ALL the GOP crowd away so there's no doubt as to who wins - but, the media is starting to take John Edwards out of those head-to-head matchups because they've been told it helps John and would make their theiving of another election impossible if he beats McCain by 10 pts, but the same poll has Obama tied with him, and Clinton losing...


but who cares, back to our regularly scheduled pre-planned Democratic nomination process.

[lakeguy]

25. edwards...

who's that you ask? they guy who beats all republicants, head to head.

[Brrrp]

27. Exactly. The only race where a Republican can win is McCain v. Hillary.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/john_mccain_match_ups/election_2008_mccain_vs_clinton_and_obama

[humbled_opinion]

32. Now your talking.

I hate what Bill and Hill have done to Obama.. They have used Race to try and bring dissent. For that alone she should withdraw from the race.

[roamer65]

40. McCain...one of the Keating Five.

If he wins the nomination, we need to keep hammering on this fact.

[Xithras]

43. What's the Keating 5?

No idea.

[Xithras]

44. Nevermind. I looked it up.

I don't know how useful a 20 year old financial scandal is going to be though. The median age in the US is 36, so half the people in this country were teenagers or YOUNGER when that occurred. It will be a hard fight to get people to care about something that will be perceived as ancient history. It might ring well with the half of the population old enough to remember it, but since half of THEM are Republicans, you're talking about basing your opposition on an event that only a quarter of the population will rally behind.

There must be something better we can use against him.

[laylah]

50. I agree the age of the scandal

causes a problem; however, if the younger voters who do not remember, are reminded that THEY (and we) are still paying for that rip-off, maybe it would make a difference :shrug: