McCain Seeks to Lock Down Conservative Support After Romney Exits
Thursday: John McCain gestures while giving a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington after rival Mitt Romney dropped out of the race. (AP Photo)
John McCain immediately began locking down the support of his party’s conservative base Thursday after Mitt Romney dropped out of the Republican presidential primary race with an entreaty to conservatives to let bygones be bygones and to help McCain defeat the Democratic nominee in November.
With a gaping lead in the delegate count, McCain is unquestionably the leader for the GOP nomination but is eager to mute the scathing criticism he’s faced from the far right wing of the party for being too moderate, and convince staunch conservatives to not just resign themselves to his nomination, but embrace it.
In an early and promising sign of McCain’s ability to do so, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has in the past gone head-to-head with McCain over campaign finance reform, joined a chorus of other Senate members Thursday in saying he would support the Arizona senator.
“I think the Republican nomination is essentially over. I think there’s widespread pride among Republican conference members that one of our members is going to be the nominee for president of the United States,” McConnell said of McCain. “He’s certainly going to be our nominee. And I’m happy to support him. What he’s achieved is a remarkable accomplishment.”
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who clashed with McCain over immigration reform, also endorsed him ahead of his state’s primary in early March as did former Romney supporter Sen. Thad Cochran, who just recently told reporters, “The thought of (McCain) being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper, and he worries me.”
On his way to a vote, the Mississippi senator said he’s now on board: “Oh yes, I support John now.”
Romney formally suspended his campaign before a stunned audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington early Thursday afternoon, saying he didn’t want to hurt the party by continuing his uphill battle and dragging it out to the convention in September.
McCain’s first test following Romney’s decision was to address the same audience a few hours later — and he got a mostly cordial reception as he assured the audience of his conservative beliefs, on fiscal responsibility, national security, abortion and other issues.
He also asked for their “pardon” for skipping the conference last year, and said, “I am acutely aware that I cannot succeed in (the race for president), nor can our party prevail over the challenge we will face from either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama, without the support of dedicated conservatives.”
FOX News contributor Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland, said after the speech that McCain had to “eat a little humble pie,” but succeeded in showing conservatives that he is one of them.
“He began, I think, to link conservatives to his vision and his cause … and help them understand how his conservatism and theirs kind of meld together,” Steele said. “I think that he really did a great job today of kind of sealing that for the GOP.”
One of the few moments of backlash at CPAC, however, came when he discussed illegal immigration, a sign that his work to forge a comprehensive immigration plan with Democrats is still 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 audience applauded that.
McCain has been blasted for his position on illegal immigration, global warming, campaign finance and tax cuts by several prominent right-wing figureheads and pundits, including Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.
In a snub to McCain, radio show host Laura Ingraham called Romney the only conservative running for president at CPAC.
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told FOX News McCain still has a lot of work to do with conservatives, and that he only got some positive reception Thursday because the audience was “salted” with his supporters.
“The room was not overwhelmingly warm to him,” he said from the event site. “We’ll see if McCain really wants to build a relationship with the conservative movement. … It’s really incumbent on the next nominee, if it is McCain, to reach out to conservatives. He cannot rely just on some Democrats and independents … he has got to have a base.”
But Nation editor and FOX News contributor David Corn said of the audience reception: “If he can do this with one speech, it shows … that the conservative ideologues are real pushovers.”
Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee is pledging to stay in the race, despite trailing McCain in the delegate count by a numerical canyon, 707-195.
“I still believe that this thing is a long way from being settled and now that the field is down to two, our chances have substantially improved,” the former Arkansas governor said in New York, claiming he could unite conservatives.
Romney had 294 when he dropped his bid, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul has 14. A candidate needs only to reach 1,191 to clinch the nomination, and McCain is just a few hundred away.
Even Hillary Clinton said McCain is the presumed Democratic rival.
“It appears as though Senator McCain will be the Republican nominee, and I have the greatest respect for my friend and colleague Senator McCain,” she said in Virginia. “But I believe he offers more of the same. More of the same economic policies. More of the same military policies in Iraq.”
McCain stressed to CPAC Thursday that he would not allow defeat in Iraq, blasting Democrats for calls to withdraw prematurely. National security was the principal issue Romney cited when discussing the common ground he shares with McCain.
“Senator Clinton and Senator Obama will withdraw our forces from Iraq based on an arbitrary timetable designed for the sake of political expediency, and which recklessly ignores the profound human calamity and dire threats to our security that would ensue,” McCain said, asking the audience to look past their disagreements with him.
“You have heard me say before that for all my reputation as a maverick, I have only found true happiness in serving a cause greater than my self-interest. For me, that cause has always been our country, and the ideals that have made us great,” he concluded.
FOX News Serafin Gomez and Trish Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hey. . . . . . let’s look at the bright side.
Lying liberal McCain will get clobbered in the general election. My hope is that his lying bigot toady Huckabee will be chosen as his running mate. I can see the yard signs now:
VOTE FOR Juan Mexicain / Gomer Pyle
SHAZAAAAAAAAM!
Here’s the good news. When they get clobbered in the general, we can all rejoice in the fact that their political careers will be over & we’ll never have to deal with them again. HALLELUJAH!
Here’s your Salvation.
republicansforobama.org
Check it out.
How very sad. I guess I will bit the bullet and put my vote in for McCain, but only out of respect for a class act like Romney.
Romney proved to me what I already knew - he ran with honor and showed that he was capable of putting his ego aside, unlike others, and do what he thought was best for our country - a country he loves very much.
I hope Romney runs in 2012. We’ll need someone with honor, integrity and intelligence to clean up the mess.
We love you Romney, you gave us reason to be proud to be an American - God Bless
See you in 2012!!
Mitt Romney did the noble thing by suspending his campaign for his party and for America.
Here is what he said at CPAC:
“If I fight on in my campaign all the way to the convention I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror.
“This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters – many of you right here in this room – have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country.”
Now if there was only some nobility in Huckabee and Ron Paul we’d lick our wounds and get to work right away to make sure the next President is a Republican.
Romney’s complete talk at CPAC is posted at:
http://mittromney.townhall.com
The CPAC speech was a scam! They “wheeled” in McCain supporters.
There is no way conservatives started chanting “John McCain! John McCain!”.
Come on buddy….! Come on buddy!!
We saw the people holding McCain signs.
This is so rediculous! Then he had the nerve to keep saying he’s a conservative.
Go ahead drive by media, spread more about how John McCain is the real conservative and how conservatives embraced him at CPAC. It’s a lie!
I’m so sick of being lied to! John McCain is 65% Liberal, maybe 35% conservative… that’s pushing it!
Jason
ExcellenceInAmerica com
I am in large a conservative through and through. I am somewhat worried about McCain’s stance regardind global warming. He does not need to align himself with the global warming cult if he wishes to win my home state of Kentucky and the other neighboring southern states. I will support McCain, however, he needs to align himself with the conservative base.
Yes, I mean that! Don’t take it too hard. As a McCain supporter, I thank the governor for leaving the race when he did. Because, if he had given that speech and not dropped out, there may have been violence that would make a lesbian gang look like child’s play! And it’s never funny to see a veteran get lynched.
Meanwhile, Hillary is claiming that she is now the most experienced economist in the race and showing off the fund-raising skills she added to her more liberal than Bill arsenal while in the White House. And just so you don’t forget, the first financial move either of the dems will make after getting in or back in (whatever the case) will be to stimulate our economy by taking money out of consumer consumers hands by raising taxes. But, there is a bright side to the Clintons getting back in the White House. Bill may start a reality show continuing his quest that he started as President of investigating UFO sightings!
John Pod, wow, there is a perfect example of a liberal who doesn’t have even a single clue about America’s global struggle with terrorists. And our freind has gone even a step further in joining our enemies in making threats against American citizens! Let me guess. Your next point is to tell us that we deserved 911 because we stopped Sadam from raping Kuwait! Listen up America. Because you can expect plenty more of this mentality if you vote the dems into the White House!
I have 2 words that will help McCain win back republicans and win the White House…CANDI RICE. There is not one other. Put her on the ticket McCain and watch the faces of the dems DROP!
I am a hard core conservative . I really don’t trust Mccain being for conservative agenda. I am totally a Fred Thompson supporter. If Mccain’s wants to persuade people he is a true conservative candidate he will have quit talking about it and prove it. Amnesty and Stem Cell research is not conservative beliefs ,and Mccain is for both. Although Mccain is walking a fine line between conservative and libral that will truly break he can tighten that line by the dission he makes for Vice President.
Fred Thompson would be the choice that could bring it way over the top.
To Jasmine:
You make two huge mistakes.
First, you assume that I am a “McCain supporter” and somehow my statements reflect upon his honesty. Until Feberuary 7th, I did not know who I would support in the general election. McCain was not my first choice among those who ran at one point in the primary. My first choice dropped out before Romney. So my comments reflect another person, who like you, has to face that their first choice didn’t get picked, yet the country still plans to hold a presidential election in November, without my guy, and without yours.
Your second mistake is claiming I am being deceptive. I can pull directly from Romney’s actions and words as Governor of Mass. to back up every one of those statements I made. I just DO NOT BELIEVE his sudden election eve conversions. When someone holds one set of views for 58+ years of their life, then suddenly changes them exactly when they decide to run for President, the timing is mighty suspicious.