McCain Irked By Ron Paul the Spoiler

Des Moines, Iowa - GOP presidential candidate John McCain is deeply worried that his resurgent national campaign may be stalled by a relatively strong showing in tonight's Iowa caucuses by the iconoclastic Ron Paul.

The Arizona senator's campaign told the HuffPost that their candidate is concerned that Paul will finish third behind front-runners Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

McCain, whose campaign floundered earlier in the year, has been showing renewed strength in the battle to win the key New Hampshire primary next week. His national numbers have also been rising and one respected poll now has him in first place..

The McCain campaign also gives former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, currently leading the Iowa Republican polls, little chance of surviving New Hampshire even if he scores a clear victory in tonight's caucuses. The fight for the GOP nomination, McCain strategists believe, should be a head-to-head showdown between McCain and Mitt Romney.

A strong showing by Paul tonight could severely damage McCain's overall strategy. McCain is said to be especially irked because the outsider campaign of the Texas Congressman is given little viability on a national scale. But Paul raised $20 million from his fervent supporters in the last quarter of 2007, enough money to act as a spoiler for more mainstream candidates like McCain.

"Ron Paul's like the Joker in a poker game," said one McCain staffer. Paul reportedly dropped three mailers overnight and kicked his phone banks into turbo-mode in an all-out push to make into the final tier of tonight's winners.

Both McCain and Paul are currently tied at about 10% in most polls of likely Iowa caucus-goers. McCain has not actively campaigned in Iowa and skipped last summer's Republican Straw Poll. His visit to the state today just hours before the caucuses was one of his rare campaign trips here.

As Paul greeted his volunteers this morning at his downtown headquarters, the HuffPost asked for the candidate's reaction to McCain's anger: "I'm so excited. I'm excited he's so upset about me."

Comments

[xrazorbax]

I would not even keep up with these bs actors.they dont care about this country,you or me..Only reason im going to vote is because this man believes in america..he truly has his country at heart and so do his scarey supporters..they dont let him debate because they are scared of him and WE BACK him..what are the other puppets even running for they are a joke,same ol bs..and if they say they are going to change they are lying..peace.love to all ..GO RON PAUL...

[BaltoAman]

"McCain, whose campaign floundered earlier in the year..."

Yes it did, I thought he was done. We all thought he was done. What happended? I thought he ran out of cash, and the guys running his campaign bolted.

Now, a few short months later, he's polling FIRST in some polls??

Okay...

[ChartreuseMuse]

As a scientist I'm troubled by reports I hear that Ron Paul refutes evolution. His environmental platform is fuzzy as well. As a woman I worry that he also has a very unclear stand on reproductive rights (including contraceptive issues).
From what I see, Mr. Paul's appeal is that of a maverick who speaks bluntly and reveals a devil may care attitude. Sexy to men, but a real boon to our democracy? I'm skeptical.

Our Constitution has been with us for over 220 years now, and being pummeled in the last decade or so, so tell me why is it now that everyone is suddenly getting excited about it? If it takes a figurehead to remind us our of national heritage, we're a sad case indeed.

If the electorate obtains and reads it however, perhaps Mr. Paul will have served some gainful purpose.

[bryantim]

I watched you push for the most recent amnesty bill against the wishes of the majority of Americans. We need a whole lot less of politicians like you in Washington. I don't completely agree with every position he has, but I know Ron Paul has a principled and consistent record and he will not lie to me, EVER. He's got the votes of 25 adults in our extended family and I will get at least another 25 from my neighborhood.

[RuthlessDictator]

Just by myself I turned on three people to be committed Ron Paul voters and I'm working on a forth...

[degjack]

Where does this ol' coot, McCain, get off assuming he's ENTITLED to a win in Iowa -- as if Ron Paul is not entitled to the same thing?
He's "irked" because Paul has the people's support? WTF?! He needs to go home and take a nap and do us all a favor!

[HaveFun]

Go Ron Paul!

[nick1936]

IF ANYONE DESERVES TO BE SPOILED IT'S JOHN AFTER ALL HE KISSED THE ASS OF BUSH A REAL MAN WOULD HAVE KICKED BUSH'S ASS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO DEGREADED HIS WIFE AND FAMILY LIKE BUSH DID TO HIM. HOWEVER HE ACTED LIKE THE WIMP HE IS. GO RON GO GET ALL OF THESE WIMPS WHO ARE AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR THIS COUNTRY.

[Qbear]

biggest LOSERS

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210139/LOSERS21stCentury.jpg

[Qbear]

McBush's New Year's Resolution

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-8/1210139/RonPaulResolutionJPG.jpg

[sharkcity]

McCain sold out..He only has himself to blame

[Velocitor]

"Spoiler"??? It's called voter choice, and despite the best efforts of Diebold et al, some remnant of it apparently still exists in America. McCain seems to think he "deserves" to be the next GOP presidential candidate because he's "paid his dues" and waited patiently in line like a good little lockstep Republican zombie... nevermind what the voters want. Nevermind we want out of this insane, pointless war; we've had ENOUGH authoritarianism, ENOUGH rule by fear, ENOUGH warrantless wiretapping and other forms of domestic spying, ENOUGH of the "Patriot Act", ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH. Ron Paul's message is the one we want. The only spoiling going on is seven years of neoconservatives spoiling this country. Quit crying, Sen. McCain, and don't let the door hit you on the way out...

[creatr]

If you still think of Ron Paul as a "spoiler," you might want to read:
"A Race Worth 'Spoiling?'" at http://www.nolanchart.com/article863.html

[J707]

"He COULD act as a spoiler?"

Wonder why it is that this "spoiler" has outraised EVERY SINGLE ONE of the other Republican candidates ($10 mil of that in 48 hours)...despite their "surging in the polls" weekly nonsensical fantasizing.

Lets put all this nonsense into persepctive for just a moment...

These same polls are contacting from, as a sampling pool, ONLY THOSE REGISTERED REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED FOR BUSH IN 2004- which USA Today called a "record low turnout of 6.6%" at the time.

Its (long past) time for the media to be confronted with a very basic and valid question:
- Do you really believe that those who actually voted George W. Bush into a SECOND TERM are truly representative of everyone who is going to vote this time around?
- More to the point...do you seriously believe somehow that Ron Paul's entire breadth of likely support is reflected in THAT group?

The media is progressing from a transparently-silly position here. The dirty little secret that is never mentioned here is that in an attempt to manipulate public opinion and sway sheepish voters in one direction or another, the media are persistently quoting numbers from **LANDLINE-based polls which only contact Republicans who voted for Bush in 2004**.

I feel these are pretty valid questions, because the media is obviously advancing from the notion that the answer to both above questions is somehow "YES." Consistently reading these poll numbers as representing "all likely voters" (rather than "2004 voters") relies on this blatantly false assumption.

BY ALL OTHER METRICS, Ron Paul is not only a legitimate candidate and far above "spoiler" status (lol), he is a frontrunner.

Its time all these so-called "political analysts" analyzed all facts and relevant data on the table in this race, rather than hiding behind ONE (very obsolete, historical­ly-inaccur­ate, and statistica­lly-flawed­) measure to stubbornly and arbitrarily discredit a candidate who is constantly breaking records, and blazing a trail of campaigning firsts, and inspiring true excitement and interest among the people across all party lines.

[nicole5]

Go Ron Go!!! Ron Paul has earned every single vote he will receive. McCain is arrogant and way off base.