McCain Scores the Leader (Union That Is)
John McCain picked up what may be the most important endorsement of his presidential bid today: a front-page shout-out from the Manchester Union Leader, the state's biggest daily newspaper and an influential voice in the state's politics. The paper's publisher said Sunday that "John McCain is the man to lead America" and urged New Hampshire voters to cast a ballot for him in the state's Jan. 8 primary. In backing McCain, Joseph W. McQuaid wrote that "his record, his character, and his courage show him to be the most trustworthy, competent, and conservative of all those seeking the nomination."
For McCain, the endorsement is critical. His comeback campaign hinges entirely on New Hampshire, where he hopes to repeat his stunning upset of 2000, when he bested George W. Bush (despite not getting the Union Leader's nod, which went to flat-tax advocate Steve Forbes). Eight years later, he needs to strike a similar blow to his well-funded rivals or his campaign is probably over.
The Union Leader should be a big help. The paper no longer has the power it once did to set opinion in the state. For one thing, its opinion pages are still very conservative in a state that is changing. Like the rest of New England, a Democratic wave swept over New Hampshire in 2006, turning out many Republicans from the state legislature. But for voters who are likely to cast ballots in the Republican primary, it's still an admired voice.
In the editorial, McQuaid acknowledged not always agreeing with McCain, but said those differences were outweighed by the candidate's character and his positions on other issues. "McCain is pro-life. Always has been. He fights against special-interest and pork-barrel spending, and high spending in general, which ticks off liberals and many in the GOP who have wallowed at the public trough," the editorial says. "Yet he also has the proven ability, unique among the contenders, to work across the political divide that has led our government into petty bickering when important problems need to be solved."
"Simply put, McCain can be trusted to make informed decisions based on the best interests of his country, come hell or high water," the publisher wrote.
Even with the paper's endorsement, though, McCain's has quite a challenge in the next 36 days. He is trailing badly in Iowa's Jan. 3 caucus, meaning that one of his rivals is likely to emerge from that earlier contest with a surge of momentum coming into New Hampshire. Also, McCain is not in a two-man race in New Hampshire like he was in 2000, when a large number of voters wanted to cast an anti-Bush vote and used McCain as that vehicle.
This year, McCain is competing in New Hampshire with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Rep. Ron Paul. All of them will have money and each will make McCain's task in the state more difficult.
In addition, while McCain beat Bush amont Republican voters in 2000, his real feat was in scooping up so many independent votes. That may be more difficult this year, since independents may decide to vote in the Democratic primary that day instead of the Republican one.
The Union Leader editorial praised McCain's experience with foreign affairs as a key reason to vote for him during a time of war. "When McCain was shot down and taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese, he was repeatedly beaten," the editorial concluded. "When his captors discovered that his father was a top U.S. admiral, they ordered him released for propaganda purposes. But McCain refused, insisting that longer-held prisoners be released before him. So they beat him some more. He never gave in then, and he won't give in to our enemies now." -- Michael D. Shear
Posted at 9:37 AM ET on Dec 2, 2007
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Posted by: PainfullyAware | December 3, 2007 8:32 PM
Tired of the same old song-and-dance from your presidents? See this music video from the award-winning feature-length, zombie-musical-political satire, "Song of the Dead." It's got a surprise Ron Paul message at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQmkkoxSKYw
Posted by: mketcher | December 3, 2007 12:49 AM
McCain would make a Good VP under Ron Paul Take care of Our Troops McCain Could do that very well! Protect our Borders and our Country but Ron Paul would Run the Rest! Starting with cleaning house at Congress and the Senate with the peoples support!
Ron Paul 2008'
Shake It Up America Song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QovNjO5JoNk&eurl=http://www.paulunteer.com/2007/12/02/lets-shake-it-up-original-song-ron-paul-revolution-video/
Posted by: stan_h_zx | December 2, 2007 10:33 PM
uh...the union who? are they part of that afl-cio group? which state did you say they're located in? when did unions start supporting republicans? what is this world coming to...
Posted by: glenknowles | December 2, 2007 9:19 PM
Well, the Union Leader's endorsement is pretty much an iron-clad guarantee that Cain is down and out, and will never win the party nod. Ron Paul will shock the pundits in NH. Anyone tried googling recipes for crow?
Posted by: david | December 2, 2007 2:59 PM
The Manchester Union Leader has not endorsed a primary winner in decades. The editorial page reflects the most reactionary and backward portion of the Republican party. Their endorsement of McCain shows his posturing about being a moderate is simply that-posturing. He's far from being a centrist. And his captivity by North Viet Nam is not foreign policy experience.
And Ron Paul will never be elected--all his supporters are too busy blogging to vote.
Posted by: lowercaselarry | December 2, 2007 2:10 PM
The Manchester Union Leader's latest endorsement (McCain) will prove to be as ill-considered as its previous endorsement (Forbes).
Both McCain and Forbes will only ever be in the Oval Office by invitation, as guests.
Posted by: pali2500 | December 2, 2007 2:05 PM
Senator McCain may be trustworthy and competent, but he's hardly conservative. The Gun Owners of America give him an F-. He sponsored a pro-amnesty immigration bill with Senator Kennedy, at a time when grassroots conservatives were looking to crackdown on illegal immigration, not encourage it.
Posted by: drd6000 | December 2, 2007 1:40 PM
Must have Military Contractors who are unionized! FACT, McCain would be a GREAT person behind a President, BUT a LOUSY President! He is entirely Niaeve about many issues, and WRONG-HEADED about most of the others!
Posted by: rat-the | December 2, 2007 12:28 PM
I genuinely like McCain when he's not war mongering and accusing those who want peace of being "the reason Hitler came to power".
I think he'd make a great Veep for Ron Paul but for this philosophical difference.
On most other issues I think he and Paul are much more closely aligned than any other GOP candidates.
Giuliani will never get the 'family values' voters and I think he's just too 'urban' for a large majority of Americans. Mitt I'll-say-or-do-anything-to-be-prez Romney's own record will be his undoing in a heated race. His own words and ever-shifting stands are too great a liability to overcome in a close race with Hillary or Obama.
Huckabee is interested in both his coming across as honest and general appeal - he's a good public speaker - but I believe it's only his baptist preacher background and pro-farm subsidy stance that is wooing Iowans. He's a little like Clinton in partisan crossover and I think his tax-and-spend record would sink him with GOP voters who are screaming for less spending and less government.
Posted by: zen269 | December 2, 2007 11:36 AM
I don't see why there isn't more press about why liberals would rather face ANYONE but Dr. Ron Paul. Much as we'd like politics to be positive, it is in fact ruled almost entirely by negatives. For instance, what's the biggest negative the Republican Party is facing in 2008? Iraq - a staggering 70% of people favor IMMEDIATE withdrawl from Iraq. Who is the only candidate that doesn't have that negative? Dr. Paul, who advocates using those trillions of dollars to secure our border (perhaps against Saudis who were 20 of the 24 terrorists in 9/11) and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure which is far more worrying than the loss of Social Security. Hm, full employment, withdrawl from Iraq and a huge boost to our economy from rebuilding our infrastructure - what Democrat wants to run against that. Hence the behavior of known liberal biased network CNN, who wants us to nominate either Guiliani or Romney - both of whose negatives are so high the copy practically writes itself!
Posted by: lnardozi | December 2, 2007 10:58 AM
Mike Huckabee's surge is the voice of America saying Washington is not for sale...any more!
Posted by: d_shoup | December 2, 2007 10:38 AM
This endorsement seems to be largely based on McCain's position on War. However Ron Paul he has raised more in donations from the military than any other GOP candidate, and almost twice that of Sen McCain. See http://www.ronpaul2008.com/states/iowa/ Dr Paul also served in the Vietnam War a point ussually overlooked in the debates. And his record has been very consistent on foreign policy and on monetary policy throughout his 10 terms as a member of Congress. McCain has no clue that overspending on the military is why confidence in the dollar is vanishing. Recently on CNBC 3 out of 4 experts agreed with Dr Paul that the US monetary system is not working and is destroying confidence and value of the US dollar.See: http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2007/11/09/ron-paul-on-kudlow-company/ These issues are serious and a major reason why Dr Paul has won 25 Straw Polls and placed in the top 3 in 38 of 47 straw polls listed at his website: http://www.ronpaul2008.com/straw-poll-result.
Posted by: DrBrianHorsfield | December 2, 2007 10:30 AM
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I want to not have to give my money to people who spend it foolishly.
Government does nothing well.
I vote for virtue; I Vote For Ron Paul !!!