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As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Vise-Grip Made Manifest

For all the talk of the two or three Democrats in the House who have refused to endorse Obama, has anyone taken notice of the couple dozen Congressional Republicans who haven't backed McCain? The Hill has:

Republican members who have not endorsed or publicly backed McCain include Sens. Chuck Hagel (Neb.) and Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and Reps. Jones, Peterson, John Doolittle (Calif.), Randy Forbes (Va.), Wayne Gilchrest (Md.), Virgil Goode (Va.), Tim Murphy (Pa.), Ron Paul (Texas), Ted Poe (Texas), Todd Tiahrt (Kan.), Dave Weldon (Fla.) and Frank Wolf (Va.). [Wolf contacted The Hill following publication of the article to correct his staff’s error. His staff had said he has “yet to endorse McCain” and did not return follow-up phone calls this week].

Throughout his career in the House and Senate, McCain has been at odds with his party on a range of issues, including campaign finance reform, earmarks, immigration, healthcare, taxes and energy.

Some Senate Republicans were especially irked with McCain’s role in the “Gang of 14” deal on judicial nominations.

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who has been sharply critical of McCain on immigration, told The Hill in February, “I don’t like McCain. I don’t like him at all.”


What's amusing here is that McCain is getting the cold shoulder from both Republican moderates AND the hard right, which is a powerful indicator of his vise-like problem courting both factions at once. That's why his policy prescriptions often sound incoherent, such as his calling for increases and decreases in military spending at the same time. He's trying to play both sides at once, and it's just alienating everybody.

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