Why did the Repubs choose Bush over McCain in 2000?

[Mike Daniels]

By any standard of achievment, McCain was superior to Bush in practically every way...experience, background, intellect, ability to work with people on the other side of the aisle, etc....

From reading posts here it doesn't appear that McCain was anything but conservative on most issues - no moderate or liberals takes on anything. So, what killed him as far as primary chances are concerned?

I gather that the fundies were predominant in getting Bush selected but what was it specifically?

I have a feeling that if it had been McCain and Gore that McCain would have won by a significant margin as he had enough appeal to moderate and independent voter that the election wouldn't have been a repeat of Bush and Gore.

Anyone have any insights?

Sincerely,

Mike

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Because I think McCain would have been less likely to allow

Cheney to stick his hand where the sun don't shine and use him for a puppet.

Or at least, that's what I think _they_ thought at the time. In the last four years, though, I fear he proved them wrong.

[Gato Moteado]

7. bingo!

people don't choose republican candidates, corporations and special interests do. since nixon, every repub pres has been a puppet for big corporations (mainly oil companies and the industrial military complex).

[hadrons]

2. Dumbya was the 'establishment' candidate .....

McCain, as overrated as they come, is too much of a wildcard ... Repukes like predictability

[Cyrano]

3. McCain is too unpredictable and can't be controlled by

the corporations and wingnuts that control the GOP.

[olddem43]

14. Well, at least since the Keating deal. n/t

[mopinko]

4. dirty tricks

both in public, and, no doubt, behind closed doors.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. McCain's candidacy was destroyed in S.C. by dirty tricks...

probably engineered by Rove.

[Killarney]

6. McCain is too moderate for them. They call him a RINO.

[AlCzervik]

* is an empty vessel

whereas McCain is not.

[Snoggera]

8. Because they tend to lean toward the idiot side of the spectrum

Gee Whiz! Wouldn't it be nifty to have the son of a president become president?

They'll shit their pants with glee when Jeb announces. Garsh! We could have 3 presidents from the same family! Nah, I don't care about their politics. I just think it's neato!

[hippiegranny]

9. because of PNAC

Bush would play (poppy said he had to). McCain wouldn't, therefore he had to be discredited in order to install their willing little puppet boy.

[WI_DEM]

10. Because McCain was a maverick and the powers to be in the GOP

didn't want a maverick. They wanted somebody they could control like W.

[Generator]

11. That and the money

Money makes the world go 'round the world go 'round. (you really have to hear and see Joel Grey's (Caberet) nasty knowing look to appreciate it fully)

[sangh0]

12. You are all wrong

Bush* won because he made an early effort to lock up ALL of the Repuke donor's money and the support of ALL the GOP party leaders. Basically, he denied all the other candidates of "political oxygen", money

Yes, Bush* pulled some dirty tricks, but that's HOW he won, NOT the reason WHY he won. Bush* won because McCain couldn't fight back effectively because Bush* had all the money and the support of the party establishment

[Ilsa]

13. Also, I think somehow * managed to get the word out to the fundies

that he was going to give them everything they ever dreamed of. I don't know how he managed it without mainstream Repugs finding out about it, but maybe his mere presence at those Midland fundie meetings was enough to spell it out.

[Cat Atomic]

15. Here's how the founder of Carlyle explains it:

"Pay him a salary and he'll be a good board member and be a loyal vote for the management and so forth'"

David Rubenstein, Carlyle founder, describing why Bush Jr. was given a position on the board of Caterair in 1992

http://money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml%3B?xml=/money/2003/07/09/cnbush09.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2003/07/09/ixcity.html


So basically, they needed an empty suit who was incurious and willing to let his "advisors" run everything.

[seabeyond]

16. bush had the christian coalition

adn was going to support their issue. first time getting a president in that would represent them