By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources (www.originalsources.com)
February 15, 2000
Time.com yesterday basically accused George W. Bush of having a mental problem after he told Tim Russert on Meet the Press Sunday. In an article entitled "Bush Has a New McCain Theory: Sneaky Dems" Time concluded that Bush was " nervous" which was "why he's pulling out all the stops - and, maybe, why he's getting a little paranoid."
The Iowa Caucus, New Hampshire and Delaware primaries clearly showed that the Democrats were not voting Democrat by the thousands. They appear to have switched over and voted Republican. Campaign volunteers are reporting that a huge number of Democrats are switching their registration to Republican
So, is it "paranoia" or "nervousness" to look at the votes and conclude that Democrats are voting Republican? I don't think so.
In fact, it appears, if the media has its way, the Democrats and Independents will choose the candidates for both the Republican and Democrat parties.
In a focus group reported on MSNBC, it appeared that those chosen were all strong McCain supporters. When asked if George Bush's tax cut proposals would encourage them to choose Bush over McCain there was almost a universal expression of disdain for a tax cut. I'm not at all sure that is indicative of the average family's idea. Certainly my adult children would ALL appreciate being able to keep more of the money they make in order to save for their children's education, and provide such luxuries as better health care.
It does seem that many of babyboomer generation have no interest whatever in whether or not a leader lives a moral life. These were the people who consistently opposed the impeachment of Bill Clinton. They said merely for lying to a grand jury was not an impeachable offence. Nor have they shown much interest in condemning Bill Clinton for giving American foreign policy concessions to China for campaign contributions. Consequently, this group shows almost no interest in the contradictions of John McCain's life - i.e. leaving his first wife who so faithfully waited for him during his captivity in Vietnam or taking large campaign contributions from Charles Keating, of Lincoln Savings and Loan, while participating in an effort with four Democrat Senators who tried to protect Keating from federal Bank Examiners. By siding with the Democrats for a fictitious and unconstitutional form of "campaign finance reform" he has managed to keep those issues totally out of the primary debate.
However, from the votes so far there does seem to be a move to the right by the majority. It is not a large majority, it would appear. In fact, those with a stake in the future - those with children, for example, or are concerned about the decline of American culture and the abandonment of Constitutional principle, probably are no more than 51-52% of the electorate. I believe they are a majority, but that majority is not a unified group. They are divided. And, they bicker a lot.
Where exactly does John McCain fit in the picture? He is to the right of Gore and Bradley, but quite a bit to the left of the remaining Republican candidates - George W. Bush and Alan Keyes. In responding to a question recently, Alan Keyes stated that he would NOT consider becoming a vice-presidential candidate under John McCain. "He is NOT a conservative," Keyes stated firmly. "And no true conservative should vote for him."
That probably will help George Bush more than it will Alan Keyes. In fact, at no point has Alan Keyes made a detrimental statement about George W. Bush, other than questioning early in the race that he could not win with his campaign tactics of a couple of months ago. And, he appears to have been right about that. Bush has changed his campaign tactics. In fact, in recent weeks Bush has appeared to be far closer to Alan Keyes than any other candidate in the race.
The Charleston (South Carolina) Post and Courier yesterday also reported that:
"Gov. George W. Bush expressed concern ... that Democrats are mobilizing to support Sen. John McCain in South Carolina's open Republican presidential primary. But McCain said Bush's allegation that some Democrats believe McCain would be the easier candidate to defeat in the general election in November 'flies in the face of the facts.'"'I'm very proud that Libertarians or vegetarians or anybody would consider supporting me because I have a vision of reform for America that I think is taking hold, not only in South Carolina but all over the country,' McCain said.
"Still, Bush and his surrogates claimed - without offering proof - that Democrats were trying to skew the results of Saturday's GOP primary, in which non-Republicans may vote."
Actually, for any reporter willing to get off their duff and go do a little research, there is quite a bit of proof that Democrats are voting to skew the results in open primary elections - such as those in New Hampshire and in South Carolina. The media has studiously avoided bringing up the Delaware primary - which was NOT an open primary. There George Bush received 52% of the Republican Primary vote, compared with McCain's 25%. In the Iowa Republican caucus, John McCain got a measly 5% of the vote. Democrats couldn't vote for Republican candidates in those states.
"'The only thing I'm concerned about is that Democrats flock into the Republican primary to decide who the Republican nominee is, and then head back for the Democrats in the general election,' Bush said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'"Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition and a Bush supporter, alleged on CBS that "people who are allied with (Vice President) Al Gore are indeed making telephone calls to try to encourage Democrats to vote in the Republican primary ... I think that they consider him a weaker candidate than Governor Bush."
"Bush's concern, however, has been expressed about other states with open primaries. Voting is open to non-Republicans in several upcoming GOP contests, including South Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, North Dakota, Missouri and Georgia. States with so-called closed primaries have reported a flood of inquiries from people hoping to switch their registration to Republican. McCain defeated Bush by 18 percentage points in the New Hampshire primary by securing a majority of GOP voters and a virtual sweep of the state's large independent bloc.
"'We are very concerned about any attempts by liberal Democrats to come into our party for the purpose of creating mischief as opposed to an enduring philosophy,' said Bush campaign spokesman Ari Fleischer. 'We welcome all voters who will enter the Republican primary who intend to vote Republican now and in November.'"
Tonight CNN will host a South Carolina Presidential Debate/Forum which will be broadcast from 9:00-10:30 p.m. EST. George Bush, John McCain and Alan Keyes will be the only ones in the debate. So far Alan Keyes has made no comments in any debate which would create antagonism between himself and George W. Bush. More than once he has challenged John McCain, both times on statements made about his 15 year old daughter. The first challenge was over attending a concert with his daughter of a singer known for his filthy lyrics. The second challenge came when Keyes pointed out that McCain response to a reporter over a hypothetical question about: What would you do if your 15 year old daughter was pregnant. McCain said he would "talk to her" but ultimately it would be "her decision" on whether or not to have an abortion. That, Keyes pointed out, is not a pro-life response.
Alan Keyes has outlasted three other candidates, including Steve Forbes who had millions more to spend on his campaign than Keyes has. I would expect George W. Bush, if he is true to his word in bringing together the fractious Republicans, would use most of his opponents in his Administration in key positions of leadership - with the possible exception of John McCain who does have a reputation in the Senate of being a person who creates controversy and friction in Republican circles. He is much better loved by the Democrats, which is showing in his campaign. Orrin Hatch would make a great Supreme Court judge, for example. Steve Forbes would be terrific in the Cabinet as Commerce Secretary or Treasury Secretary. And, of course, Alan Keyes would make a great Vice President or Secretary of State with his communications skills and knowledge of history and the Constitution.
There is no doubt that a Bush-Keyes slate would really wake people up and bring them to the polls to vote. That, probably, is why the media is pulling so hard to get John McCain nominated as the Republican standard bearer. Then they would undoubtedly bring out, or ask Gore questions about the skeletons in McCain's closets, and bring out all the negatives that they are carefully hiding during the primaries behind a "no negative campaigning" slogan.
To comment: mmostert@originalsources.com
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