The ..2012.... Political thread
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JennyLP:
...saying McCain is too old to be president is like saying Paul is too old to Rock n' Roll...
Has anyone here said McCain is too old to be president?
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As jaipur said, Romney's out!
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/02/07/time-magazine-blog-romney-to-quit-today/ Romney Drops Presidential Bid, Cedes Floor to McCain at CPAC Mitt Romney suspended his presidential campaign Thursday, telling a stunned conservative group that continuing his uphill battle against John McCain would hurt the Republican Party and make it more likely that the Democratic candidate would win the general election in November. In doing so, Romney moved McCain closer to the GOP nomination than he?s ever been, opening the door for the Arizona senator to make an emboldened pitch to the same conservative crowd Thursday afternoon that he needs their support more than ever to defeat the Democrats. Romney and McCain were both addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. ?If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention ? I?d forestall the launch of a national campaign and, frankly, I?d be making it easier for Sen. Clinton or Obama to win,? Romney said. ?Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.? As recently as Wednesday, the Romney campaign was drafting a road map to winning the nomination, despite trailing McCain badly in the race for delegates. But according to a campaign spokesman, Romney decided to drop out as he was writing the CPAC speech later in the day. He repeatedly cited the Iraq war effort in his decision, saying he agrees with McCain in his approach to fighting terrorism. ?This isn?t an easy decision. I hate to lose,? Romney said Thursday, as many in the crowd booed the decision. ?If this were only about me, I?d go on, but it?s never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside, for our party and for our country.? The news was surely a blow to the CPAC audience, which appeared largely unaware of the former Massachusetts governor?s plan in the minutes before his speech. At least one Romney staffer was crying as he prepared to give his speech. McCain was not told of Romney?s decision ahead of time, but told the audience when he took the podium a few hours later that he has since talked to Romney over the phone: ?I congratulated him on running an energetic and dedicated campaign. We agreed to sit down together and we agreed on the importance of uniting our party.? McCain then continued his appeal to conservatives, many of whom have been skeptical of his campaign. ?I know I have a responsibility, if I am, as I hope to be, the Republican nominee for President, to unite the party and prepare for the great contest in November. And I am acutely aware that I cannot succeed in that endeavor, nor can our party prevail over the challenge we will face from either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, without the support of dedicated conservatives,? McCain said. ?Many of you have disagreed strongly with some positions I have taken in recent years. I understand that. I might not agree with it, but I respect it for the principled position it is. And it is my sincere hope that even if you believe I have occasionally erred in my reasoning as a fellow conservative, you will still allow that I have, in many ways important to all of us, maintained the record of a conservative,? he said. The crowd was largely receptive, cheering loudly when he said he would not allow failure in the Iraq war. One of the few moments of backlash, however, came when he discussed illegal immigration, a sign that his work to forge a comprehensive immigration plan with Democrats still is considered amnesty by many conservatives. McCain said he pursued that legislation knowing it would ?imperil? his campaign, but that border security is among his highest priorities. The crowd applauded to that. Radio talk show host Laura Ingraham introduced Romney as the only conservative running for president earlier Thursday. ?I will continue to stand for conservative principles; I will fight alongside you for all the things we believe in. And one of those things is that we cannot allow the next president of the United States to retreat in the face of evil extremism,? Romney said to cheers and applause as he closed his speech. Click here to see more photos from Romney?s announcement that he will drop his presidential bid. Campaign aides said Romney was technically suspending the campaign. He had spent an estimated $35 million of his own money to fund the increasingly longshot bid. By suspending rather than quitting he will be able to continue to collect donations from contributors. But Romney would have been hard-pressed to continue in the race. He has steadily lost ground over the past few weeks to McCain, whose victories on Super Tuesday made a comeback for Romney extremely difficult. Romney?s departure from the race means McCain?s bid is nearly assured. McCain is leading Romney by nearly 3-1 in the delegate count, 703-293, and Romney also had been losing ground to Mike Huckabee, who picked up nearly as many victories as he did on Super Tuesday. ?One of the biggest barriers to Mitt Romney becoming the nominee was Mike Huckabee,? Time magazine writer Mark Halperin, who was first to break the news, told FOX News. ?I don?t think Huckabee stands much of a chance to overtake McCain either, but he certainly stood in Mitt Romney?s way.? Huckabee?s staffers say they?re staying in the race. Huckabee national chairman Ed Rollins told FOX News that Romney?s exit ?gives us a chance to run and contrast ourselves against McCain.? McCain still is trying to unite conservatives in an effort to look ahead to the general election, a task that make take more than just a speech a CPAC. McCain, who traditionally has skipped the big CPAC event, couldn?t afford to stay away this year. Last year, McCain placed fifth in the CPAC straw poll, behind Romney, Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich. Brownback and Giuliani are out of the race and supporting McCain, but the conservative chorus against him has grown stronger since he began collecting victories in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Evangelical leader Pat Robertson told FOX News Radio Thursday morning that he and other evangelicals would not support McCain, citing his temper. Robertson referenced a Wall Street Journal article describing him as a ?capped live volcano,? adding: ?You never know when he?s going to explode. ? If you?ve got a guy who?s the commander in chief with his hand on the red button, I just don?t know, I wouldn?t like to be in WWIII, and I just have a feeling he wants to show how macho he is and we might just get ourselves in something we don?t want.? Other conservatives take issue with his more moderate stances on illegal immigration, global warming and other matters. But McCain, known for his independent streak, still could sell his conservative credentials, which include hawkish national security positions, a 100 percent anti-abortion record, appointing constitutionalist judges to the bench and fiscal discipline. Romney?s departure from the race came almost a year after his formal entrance, when the Michigan native declared his candidacy on Feb. 12, 2007, at the Henry Ford Museum of Innovation in Dearborn, Mich. Over the ensuing 12 months, Romney sought the support of conservatives with a family values campaign, emphasizing his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, as well as his support for tax cuts and health insurance that would benefit middle-class families. He sought to cast McCain as being outside the mainstream of conservative thought, but McCain traded with charges that Romney was a flip-flopper on social issues. Throughout his campaign, Romney was questioned by voters and the media about his Mormon faith. Hoping to assuage voters skeptical of electing a Mormon president, Romney spoke on Dec. 6 in College Station, Texas, explicitly recalling remarks John F. Kennedy made in 1960 in an effort to quell anti-Catholic bias. He vowed to serve the interests of the nation, not the church, if elected president. Romney?s original goal was to score back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire, clearing the field and creating momentum to roll through Florida ? where he enjoyed the support of top aides to former Gov. Jeb Bush ? and seal the nomination in the Super Tuesday contests. Instead, Romney was beaten Jan. 3 in Iowa by Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister who received an unexpected outpouring of support in the caucuses from voters identifying themselves as evangelicals. Five days later, Romney suffered a second consecutive defeat in New Hampshire, when McCain won the primary in part with the support of independents attracted to his self-styled maverick campaign. He won the Michigan primary and Nevada and Wyoming caucuses early on, but his seven victories on Super Tuesday were not enough to compete with McCain?s wins in delegate-heavy states like New York, New Jersey and California. Romney canceled a campaign event in Baltimore Thursday night and planned to head to Massachusetts to get some rest. FOX News? Shushannah Walshe and Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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keithmestl:
JennyLP:
...saying McCain is too old to be president is like saying Paul is too old to Rock n' Roll...
Has anyone here said McCain is too old to be president?
YUP!
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paul ain't too old to rock n roll!...but, yes.......
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SurSteven:
paul ain't too old to rock n roll!...but, yes.......
Yeah, that makes sense.......not much of an age difference, make up your mind..
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JennyLP:
SurSteven:
paul ain't too old to rock n roll!...but, yes.......
Yeah, that makes sense.......not much of an age difference, make up your mind..
???
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As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
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hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
.......what you said!
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SurSteven:
hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
.......what you said!
..... While we live according to race, colour or creed While we rule by blind madness and pure greed Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, false religion Through the eons, and on and on Through the sorrow all through our splendour Don't take offence at my innuendo You can be anything you want to be Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be Be free with your tempo, be free be free Surrender your ego - be free, be free to yourself If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky If there's a point, if there's a reason to live or die If there's an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask Oh yes we'll keep on trying Hey tread that fine line Yeah we'll keep on smiling yeah And whatever will be - will be Innuendo - Queen / Freddie Mercury
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ONE VISION ~ QUEEN
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SurSteven:
ONE VISION ~ QUEEN
these guys give me goose bumps! love 'em. thx for the infusion!
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JennyLP:
keithmestl:
JennyLP:
...saying McCain is too old to be president is like saying Paul is too old to Rock n' Roll...
Has anyone here said McCain is too old to be president?
YUP!
I haven't read the whole thread but I'll take your word for it.
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Romney's pretext for withdrawal simply proves why he was never fit for the job. He actually had a chance for the nomination because he was the go-to candidate for all the right wing lock-steppers who couldn't stand McCain's annoying habit of weighing issues on their merit. But now, the man who claimed his sons were serving their country just as much as soldiers in Iraq just because they were campaigning for him, is claiming that he is supporting the war effort by removing himself? That's the most pathetic thing I've heard all year. Want to know what you really did, Mittens? Three little words: Cut and run!
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McCain actually had a nice speech at CPAC (from what I heard on the radio -- it was broken up by commercials). Hopefully he stays true to the words he spoke there.
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hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
Perhaps you're thinking of huckabee?
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There is no way mathematically that Romney could get the nomination now, even if he won the rest of the primaries. He needed california and didn't get it. That's why he dropped out. don't worry he'll be back in 2012. McCain didn't show up for the vote on the economic stimulus package in the senate. It failed by *one* vote...his. so much for his reaching across the aisle to work with democrats Now the democrats have got themselves into a pickle and it ain't pretty!
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Bill:
Romney's pretext for withdrawal simply proves why he was never fit for the job. He actually had a chance for the nomination because he was the go-to candidate for all the right wing lock-steppers who couldn't stand McCain's annoying habit of weighing issues on their merit. But now, the man who claimed his sons were serving their country just as much as soldiers in Iraq just because they were campaigning for him, is claiming that he is supporting the war effort by removing himself? That's the most pathetic thing I've heard all year. Want to know what you really did, Mittens? Three little words: Cut and run!
=sophistry.
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jaipur:
hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
Perhaps you're thinking of huckabee?
yep, jaipur. huckabee, romney, bush, so many more...cookie cutters they b
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hop:
jaipur:
hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
Perhaps you're thinking of huckabee?
yep, jaipur. huckabee, romney, bush, so many more...cookie cutters they b
The unfortunate thing is that there is still a dangerous faction....and it's not the people you named.
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jaipur:
hop:
jaipur:
hop:
As jaipur said, Romney's out! it is good romney is out. anyone who cannot separate church and state is a liability to not only this country but to the entire world. look where we are right now. when one's religion leads them to think their actions are led by god, we have a problem, houston. we will constantly be at war.
Perhaps you're thinking of huckabee?
yep, jaipur. huckabee, romney, bush, so many more...cookie cutters they b
The unfortunate thing is that there is still a dangerous faction....and it's not the people you named.
just my opinion - anyone who uses one particular personal religion in a publicly articulated fashion to lead a nation creates dangerous situations. you are right, the names go beyond the list i named.