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The Spectacle Blog
At least in the long run. Enough Arizona Republican primary voters bought into John McCain’s immigration conversion to propel him to a landslide victory over J.D. Hayworth. As I’ve argued elsewhere, conservatives will never get the immigration policies they favor if they allow amnesty supporters to sway them with cheap political theater.
Of course, immigration wasn’t the only issue in the McCain-Hayworth primary. McCain spent $21 million brutally attacking Hayworth — so much for campaign finance reform — and hitting him far harder than he ever swung at Barack Obama two years ago. McCain was also able to outflank the earmarking Hayworth on government spending, even though the incumbent was as responsible for the passage of TARP as just about any other single senator. An ideal primary challenger for McCain would have combined Hayworth’s immigration message with Jeff Flake’s consistent fiscal conservatism.
No such challenger emerged. John McCain realized early that he was potentially in trouble and, unlike most of the establishment candidates who’ve faltered this year, he took his opponent seriously enough to attack him early and often. Whether this experience has made McCain take conservatives any more seriously is another story.
View all comments (39) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/08/25/arizona-votes-for-amnesty
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glassfinger| 8.25.10 @ 12:45PM
I'm an Arizona resident and Vietnam vet; I've saluted John McCain's Vietnam service & incarceration in the Hanoi Hilton in the past & will continue to do so. But as a U.S. Senator he has been and will always be the "RINO" he has been all of his senatorial career. I was NOT one of the duped who voted for him. There is no doubt that John will return to his left-wing ways soon enough; anyone with common sense and a memory undertood that before yesterday's primary. Too bad there were more citizens here who bought the (expensive) hype he put out there. Disgusting...but you get what you pay for.
Charles Romer| 8.25.10 @ 5:21PM
If a majority of Arizona Republicans couldn't get this right what hope is there for the rest of us in November and especially beyond?
Answer: None.
c. j. acworth| 8.25.10 @ 6:37PM
"There is no doubt that John will return to his *left-wing* ways..."
The word you want is *maverick*, glassfinger, that's how he's known to all his buddies in the MSM.
ROBERT| 8.26.10 @ 2:50PM
'There is a sucker born every minute." P.T. Barnum.
That Arizonans own Senator McCain for another four years--or vica versa-- shows that segments of the American people deserve a large share of the blame. I wonder how many of these Americans voted for O'Bama in the last election. So long as Americans are are able to be manipulated by the likes of O'Bama and McCain, this country will continue to self destruct.
Ted Shepherd| 8.26.10 @ 6:44PM
That's six years, unless you the man will die in office.
Derek Leaberry| 8.25.10 @ 1:17PM
We can expect another round of amnesty legislation, perhaps as early as mid-November. Thanks for nothing, Arizona. You deserve your hero and a fresh avalanche of illegal aliens from the south.
24AheadDotCom | 8.25.10 @ 2:51PM
JD isn't exactly a prize, so he shares a good part of the blame.
The set of teaparty groups that decided not to endorse either of them also shares some of the blame.
The one other teaparty group that decided to hold a border event - instead of doing things in smarter ways - shares part of the blame.
And, for (IIRC) over four years I've been trying to get people to go to McCain's many public events and ask him things he'd have problems with and that could get hundreds of thousands of views on Youtube. Those sites that get more traffic than me and that have (except in one brief case) completely refused to encourage their readers to follow that plan bear a good share of the blame. There are plenty of vids of people asking McCain things, but they're all incredibly weak and just let him give a speech. What I encouraged people to ask would have put him on the spot. If someone had made a video like that, he might have lost.
So, there's lots of blame to go around.
Sheila| 8.26.10 @ 1:08PM
The Tea Party did endorse JD, but quite late in the game. I wonder how long it will be before McCain gets back on Telemundo and tells them he was just kidding about illegal immigration reform?
Purple Lips| 8.25.10 @ 1:35PM
The quickest way to motivate McCain is to flank him from the Right. He harbors a special animus towards Conservatives.
Al Adab| 8.25.10 @ 3:21PM
McCain ran the single most despicable campaign ever. Nothing positive just slanders and mud against his opponant. He also spent almost 21 Million dollars to win a primary and then 42% voted against him. How long do we have to keep following these types to defeat? Arizona deserves better and a solid candidate could have won out there.
Warrior | 8.25.10 @ 5:04PM
The same guy who chastised anyone who uttered the name Hussein. Read the following and see if you still believe McCain is hero to POW's:
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2010/jul/01/00010/.
Geoff| 8.25.10 @ 3:26PM
Er...at this point, why not vote for the Democrat. He'll be for amnesty, but he's less likely to be capable of making it happen like Juanito will be. Juanito will give Obama the "bipartisan" cover he so desperately wants. Better the Democrats totally own Amnesty when 2012 rolls around.
Sheila| 8.25.10 @ 4:06PM
Excellent point, Geoff - I was just telling my husband that I would rather Arizonans vote for the Democrat than McCain. They'll vote very similarly and McCain would be denied yet another platform for his "maverick" egotistical strutting. After Brewer's numbers looked so good with her support of the anti-illegal immigrant measures, I hoped, in my cynical way, that perhaps there were enough Arizonans with a modicum of common sense to put McCain out to pasture where he belongs. I should have known better. Tribalism + democracy + stupidity = racist idiocracy. Decline and fall.
Andrew| 8.27.10 @ 9:38AM
and voting democrat will make the fall faster. Until people learn to start voting outside of the 2 parties, nothing will change.
James| 8.25.10 @ 4:52PM
Look - McCain was clearly the superior choice in this race. In 2008 I voted for McCain for president because he was clearly the better choice than the man that ultimately won. Politics is about making choices and not every candidate will be Ronald Wilson Reagan. In the AZ primary, McCain was clearly the better choice than JD who is, after all, a cartoon character.
To say that AZ voted for immigration reform is as simplistic as it is a silly rhetorical stance. I could also say that it was a vote against smarmy TV hucksters.
Warrior | 8.25.10 @ 5:25PM
McCain was a horrible choice running against an abomination. Please remember his stance on amnesty in 2007 - http://archive.newsmax.com/arc.....1758.shtml
The problem with politics today is that there is no real choice. Picking between the candidates iss like answering the question would you rather be eaten by a shark or a bear.
Quartermaster| 8.25.10 @ 8:02PM
No, a vote for McCain is a vote for amnesty, not immigration reform. get the money quote right instead of defending your indefensible vote.
You don't like JD, fine. Nothing wrong with that, but getting rid of a RINO that hates the party base was worth the vote for JD. BY. A. LOT.
Discipline is enforced by your vote. You chose not to do so.
Mark in LA| 8.26.10 @ 1:31PM
McCain is the closest thing to Reagan. Fiscally irresponsible, illegal immigrant encouraging, amnestying, supporting unlimited "guest workers" and expanding affirmative action.
They both did everything they could to destory the lives of white working class people.
Al Adab| 8.26.10 @ 3:15PM
I would disagree that McCain was the better choice. We know him for the loser and Janus that he is. Why not retire him in favor of ...? How could another be any worse? After all. if the purpose is to rid ourselves of those who have brought us to this pass, then Arizonans should have voted him out.
serfer62| 8.25.10 @ 6:29PM
It wasn't that JD was a prize, its that McNasty represents all that the TP is against.
This vote also cancels out the AZ immagration laws that supposidly 60%+ supported...guess they like whats happening on the border.
When Gov Palin is POTUS hopefully she'll apoint this turd as agriculture inspecter in Mexico.
Quartermaster| 8.25.10 @ 8:04PM
Park Ranger for Johnston Island would be a much better assignment. He could be recalled to active duty and forced to go. He wouldn't be able to do so much damage there.
JBrough| 8.25.10 @ 8:32PM
I voted for neither of them and voted for Deakin instead. I will say voter apathy played a part in this election. A coworker, whose name appears directly above mine on the voter role, stated "It's only a primary" when I asked if he voted. The precinct that I vote in had only 101 people show up by 2pm in the afternoon-how pathetic.
Kyle| 8.25.10 @ 9:08PM
Still waiting to hear what exactly is so horrible about JD Hayworth. He did an infomercial telling people how to get earmarks? OK, so I guess this was so bad we should support open borders McCain. JD is a cartoon character? Try to explain that statement. I cannot believe how Hayworth's character was destroyed by such small flaws. Not long ago, he was one of Sean Hannity's favorite interviews, and suddenly no one would touch him with a 10 foot poll during this campaign. I don't get it. BTW, I do hope the Democrat beats McCain. At least that way McCain won't be chairing one committee after another.
SheilaJ| 8.26.10 @ 1:18PM
Kyle....the reason Hannity stopped interviewing JD is because Rupert Murdoch is Mr. Amnesty. Fox News was following orders from above.
bluecollarbytes| 8.25.10 @ 10:10PM
Does this mean 'they'll build the danged fence'? Isn't McCain one of 'them'? I look forward to him pushing the completion of this 'fence'.
Senoran Lady| 8.26.10 @ 2:34AM
I was very disappointed that McCain won. No! Politicans like him don't change over night, not so
dramatically. I couldn't believe people actually believed all his diatribe and went ahead and ignored his meandering ways he talks out of both sides of his mouth, and seats on the fence and sees where the wind is blowing, He is a very double minded, luke warm man. He and Linsey Graham and their friend Sen Finegold are all cut out the same cloth. McCain is going to do what he has always has done, betrayed the citizens of AZ. I'm so mad I think I'll vote for the democratic guy instead, who ever he is. His an unknown compared to the same old as McCain. Being a long time Republican I think I'm going to move over to the independent side this coming election in Nov. My vote won't matter anyway.
Yosemeti Sam| 8.26.10 @ 2:55AM
Mystifying Arizona GOP nominations.
What's with Arizonians - are they as politically BIPOLAR as McGoo?
Old Bull| 8.26.10 @ 3:45AM
I wonder about the value equation that says that a seat in the Senate is worth $21 million spent on a primary campaign. If the general election costs him the same amount, then he'll have spent $42 million just so he can spend another 6 years in Washington? What kind of return could possible justify that? Oh, and this is the guy who wants to "get money out of politics?" Ah well, "vox populi, vox dei," as Jefferson said. In a democracy the people always get the government they deserve. Sad. Thanks, Arizona.
Siegfried X| 8.26.10 @ 7:54AM
The Republican Party has become a clone of the Democrats, agreeing with them on every issue besides war. "War Democrats" would be a more accurate party name.
Using amnesty as an example, it becomes obvious that the Republican Party will never actually do anything conservative, like oppose amnesty. Anti-amnesty Republicans end up running a gauntlet which ensures that they will always lose.
First, anti-amnesty Republican candidates are opposed by the "Republican" (RINO) leadership, who use every trick in the book to try and defeat the conservative. There are front page headlines this morning to that effect in both Florida and Alaska.
Second, even if a conservative candidate overcomes the party leadership and gets on the ballot, the Republican rank & file are liable to choose the RINO anyway, like they did with McCain.
Third, even if a conservative manages to get elected, he will be ignored and shunned by his party once in Congress. RINO Republicans will combine with Democrats to form a majority.
Fourth, once in office the conservative Senator will come under pressure from the liberal media and RINO Republican leadership to "grow in office" by moving to the left.
Also, he will find that there are no constitutional, conservative think-tanks because the RINO establishment has been starving them for years, putting money into "moderate" Republican groups instead.
Ultimately politics is a team sport, and no matter how determined a Tea Party candidate is, they can't win (pass legislation) if the rest of their team is helping the enemy.
Steve| 8.26.10 @ 3:19PM
John McCain,has informed supporters,this will be his last election.So he will not be worried about turning his back,on his conservative supporters.He will return to his RINO ways.So if his voters don't like it,too bad!
VN Vet| 8.26.10 @ 5:51PM
I'm always reminded of McLame, that back in the days when the democraps controlled congress, in what seemed to be perpetuity, McLame was the only republican that was implicated in all the democrap corruption. I mean this was the times of the House Banking scandal, the Franking scandal, the Abscam scandal, Ted Rostenkowski, and on and on....all democraps, but then there was the Keating 5, four democraps and one "republican", John McLame. Too late for Arizona to wake up, but McLame is a democrap. Just as certain as Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe in Maine are democraps.
Al| 8.26.10 @ 7:08PM
Dear Arizona,
It is rather tough to support you now that you have gone all willy-nilly and stood for the status quo.
Thanks for nothing.
Signed,
Texans who have Governor Goodhair (Rick Perry) posing at the border then doing nothing to defend said border, yet nominating him GOP candidate...again
/irony
Paul St. John| 8.26.10 @ 7:12PM
McCain won?! What about all the dump the incumbents and McCain has igored Arizona's
plight. That vote was UNBELIEVABLE. I swore all were sprayed with stupidgas. But that man better stand up for AZ and I hope they have tapes of his voice DROPPING ANY AMNESTY .
Apache, AZ and the neighboring New Mexico is running on ILLEGALS. They have all but erected the mexican flag. And McCain has been in for years and allowed his State to be violated and raped. How he deserved re-election, I will NEVER KNOW. But ARIZONA, HOLD HIM TO THAT PROMISE, and we'll see if he is worth a nickel. He didn't make much effort to hold his own in the presidential campaign. That was the final word for me. This president has supported ILLEGALS OVER AMERICANS, MUSLIMS OVER AMERICANS AND HIS SO CALLED "AMBASSADOR" to the Middle East is slandering and vilifying America, and is it so that he EXPECTS AMERICA TO BEaOME SHARIA COMPLIANT? Iman, your head will roll first. .
That is a blatant threat to overthrow the American Government, and that dear iman, is NOT going to happen. Tho there was a SHOOTOUT BETWEEN THE MUSLIMS AND THE FBI IN OCT 2009, any future mention of this or future muslim terrorist must be met with mass deportation. All the victims of muslim terrorist were INNOCENT -3,000 on 9-11 and that wasn't and wont' be the end, but America must assert itself, stand strong, and maintain the leadership that seems to be sagging .
We better do more than smell the roses, we'd better acknowledge the stench of SKUNK. A mexican flag erected in a school in CA and the AMERICAN WHO TOOK IT DOWN WAS EXPELLED? That would have NEVER happened with JFK, who directed his teachers to stress PATRIOTISM from kindergarten on because he knew its importance. Nonpatriots don't love the country, and sometimes turn out to be traitors. It is absolutely mandatory that people who wish to reside in USA also consider it a privilege to become an American citizen. To allow other than that to populate the country is suicide for AMERICA. Yes. America is a loving country, but we are not suckers, sitting ducks waiting for a more aggressive sect to overtake us. NEVER.
Mark Anderson| 8.26.10 @ 9:14PM
Why should he take conservatives seriously, he just kicked conservative butt.
LT| 8.26.10 @ 11:05PM
It's easy to point fingers and blame everyone else when the MAJORITY of voters don't have the internet to get real news from. What needs to happen in every state is a group of people need to take to the street and hand out pamphlets of real information to help inform those that really vote. Not everyone knows whats going on so quit pointing and start getting the info out there.
Peace
Temper| 8.27.10 @ 7:58AM
Just think: if McCain had lost his primary, no doubt he would have pulled a Charlie Crist and ran as an independent in the general election. Then, like Crist, he could have been free to express his true "do anything, say anything, believe anything" as long as I get to go to Washington philosophy. Where does McCain's money and political backing come from? It was powerful enough to get Rudy Guiliani out of the 2008 presidential race and give Obama the perfect RINO patsy.
Kenneth| 8.27.10 @ 12:48PM
Do they really think this jerk is gopnna win? He LOST REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!
Jack Kennedy| 9.1.10 @ 4:00PM
mccain pulled out all of the democrat campaign progrom tricks to win his primary..........lie, lie, lie and sleazy and antiAmerican
In november, my vote for the democrat against mccain will be the first democrat vote for me...........ever