The company he keeps....

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Posted by Jim S on February 24, 2008 at 08:01:16

It seems that the republican branch of the socialist democratic party is hell bent on the total destruction of the former Republican party and creation of a one party system.


http://www.rogerhedgecock.com/pages/rh_hottopics2.html?feed=166569&article=1766373?feed=166569&article=3295289


McCain and the Company He Keeps

Roger Hedgecock
2/18/2008




John McCain may have the delegates to win the Republican nomination, but he has yet to win the minds and hearts of voters who are conservative first and Republican second.

John McCain has asked the American conservative voter to judge him by "the company he keeps". Fair enough.

The company he keeps is precisely why conservatives distrust John McCain will carry Reagan Republicanism into the White House.

First, there is the now familiar litany of Senator McCain's legislative "accomplishments". McCain-Lieberman would add 50 cents a gallon to the price of gasoline to fight global warming. McCain-Feingold "reformed" campaign finance laws to restrict your first amendment rights in the last 60 days before an election. McCain-Kennedy would have granted instant amnesty through a "Z visa" to every illegal alien in the United States. For conservatives, this is not only bad company, this is bad law.

But, for conservatives, the bad company gets worse.

Following his defeat in the 2000 presidential race by George W. Bush, Senator McCain established what he called "The Reform Institute" in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. The purpose of this "institute" was to provide jobs for his key 2000 campaign staffers to keep the team together for 2008 and to provide a lobbying mechanism for his legislative goals (see above).

Financing for "The Institute" came from George Soros and Theresa Heinz Kerry among others. For conservatives, this is as bad as company gets.

In 2006, Senator McCain disassociated himself from "the Institute" after it was revealed that a $200,000 contribution to it had come from a company seeking an FCC ruling which senator McCain, as chairman of the relevant subcommittee in the Senate, had sent a supportive letter. Shades of the Keating Five!

Senator McCain began his campaign to win over conservative voters he must count on if he is to win in November in a speech before CPAC, the conservative political action conference. Before about 6000 conservative activists last month, Senator McCain emphasized his genuine conservative credentials with regard to the budget, pro-life, and a strong military.

Booed when he mentioned immigration, Senator McCain vowed to secure the border. Savvy conservatives remember George Bush's 2000 vow ("We gotta secure our border!") and are not impressed. Without removing the magnet of illegal jobs, as Arizona and Oklahoma have done, no effort will ever "secure the border".

It is on this point that Senator McCain especially fails his own test. On immigration, the company he keeps is Juan Hernandez. Senor Hernandez is a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S. and was a former border policy advisor to Vicente Fox when he was President of Mexico. Senor Hernandez is an open border advocate. He is John McCain's "Hispanic outreach director" in the campaign. For conservatives, this is the worst company yet.

There is some time between now and when voters will finally make up their mind on the candidate of their choice for President in November. It's John McCain's turn to convince voters, including conservatives. To date, judged by his own standard of the company he keeps, John McCain does not deserve conservative voters' support.



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