Hillary: Key to McCain Victory?

See the column beneath this one for comments on Hillary Clinton's massive win in WV. The comment that follows is from http://mccainnow.com.

This morning (Wednesday) I got a call from a producer of "The Curtis Sliwa Show" on WABC-radio in New York City. He was looking for a guest who was a strong Hillary Clinton supporter. I didn't qualify because I strongly support John McCain in the presidential election.

However, I did emphasize to the producer that I admired Hillary's grit, determination, and will to win. I also admire Curtis Sliwa, the founder of "The Guardian Angels," for his efforts to reduce crime in American cities. I hope to be on his show soon. If Sen. Clinton believes she would be the best President, and she obviously does, she should stay in the race.

A growing number of McCain supporters (such as Brad Marston and Sheridan Folger) have appeared on radio talk shows in support of the Senator. Of course, we're not "spokespeople for the Senator." Instead, we're "people in support of John McCain" -- and backers of his positions on the issues. McCain is very good at speaking for himself.

Talk radio is an important element of the "new radio." McCain supporters should make good use of it.

I've been suggesting -- and they're only that, suggestions -- that the Senator take bold steps, things that usually "aren't done." One of those was the idea that John McCain should speak out on how the Democrats' "Old Boys Network" was doing everything in its power to deny Mrs. Clinton the nomination. No Republican nominee that I know of has ever done anything like that.

Why should McCain do something that novel? Because whether he wins the presidency depends largely on how effective he is bringing Hillary supporters to his side. Clinton supporters believe, with plenty of justification, that Howard Dean and others are manipulating the primary process in ways that make it almost impossible for Sen. Clinton to win.

For example, Sen. Clinton is extremely popular with Democrats in Florida and Michigan. However, the number of delegates she will get from those states is currently zero.

Also, we hear that SuperDelegates should vote in line with the popular vote (where Obama has a small national lead). However, in Massachusetts, Clinton won by a large margin. Yet that didn't seem to impress Senators Kennedy and Kerry or Gov. Patrick, all of whom have come out for Barack Obama!

In West Virginia, Mrs. Clinton skunked Obama. She won by something like 67% to 26%. Yet Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Superdelegate, is supporting Obama. The state's Governor, Joe Mancin, remains "undeclared." Did they somehow miss the results in WV?

From the point of view of this conservative Republican and McCain supporter, I see some odd things going on. Mrs. Clinton seems to be in a position where she has big wins in important states -- but often still loses the support of the "Boy's Club" in those states.

The developments I'm citing are obvious, but they don't seem to attract the attention of the national media, which does everything but kiss Obama on the lips.

Mrs. Clinton has won New York, California, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Hampshire, West Virginia, and other states, but she's still portrayed as a loser. Something weird is occurring here, and it would not be unseemly at all for John McCain to call attention to the situation.

Hillary Supporters Flocking to McCain

This weekend's column will have the title "Maloney Denounces Hillary Basher Noonan." It will be a criticims of "Peggy" Noonan's WSJ column portraying Sen. Clinton as somehow the Darth Vader of the Democratic Party, which she certainly is not. Come visit!

Americans in all 50 states are urging John McCain to select as his running mate Gov. Sarah Heath Palin of Alaska. She certainly has some of the same conviction and commitment many people have found in Senator Clinton. If you want learn more about Sarah, the best thing to do is to visit Adam Brickley's site: http://palinforvp.blogspot.com/. Please don't hesitate to copy and use this "unofficial" button on your own blog. God bless Sarah and her remarkable family.

Hillary supporters are ALWAYS welcome here . . .

The Hillary Supporters for McCain Movement is going forward rapidly. I'd love to hear from people who support Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primary but who will vote for -- or are leaning toward -- John McCain against Barack Obama. There will be several columns up in the next week, and I truly would like to hear from you. You can leave your thoughts in the "comments" section or send me an e-mail at TalkTop65@aol.com.

On the important web site called mccainnow, I wrote a recent piece on why Hillary supporters should back John McCain. I hope everyone who intends to vote for John will click on mccainnow (preceding sentence) and register to participate in the discussion there. The following are comments about my piece on mccainnow.

The following is from Mark, a lifelong Democrat:

"Hello. I am one of those Hillary supporters who vowed to cross-over and vote for McCain should Obama become the nominee. I'm a bit shell-shocked and saddened over what has transpired. I'm a life-time Democrat of 36 years, from a long family line of Democrats. I don't need party conversion talk. Just a refuge and understanding."

The following is from Jean Avery:

"Hi Mark. My Dad is a prominent Democrat in my very conservative home town. Even HE admitted McCain was a really strong candidate (he is also a Navy buff) and would be tough to beat. His local career would be damaged by actively supporting him, but it wouldn't surprise me if the lever in the ballot box goes "R" for McCain.

"This campaign is different because we've all been challenged to move past stereotypes and choose with our heads. McCain clearly has the credentials and character to do the job, he is a candidate you can and should feel good about supporting. Welcome."


The following is from Massachusetts political activist Brad Marston:

"Hillary certainly is closer to being qualified to being President than Obama is just not as qualified as McCain is.

"No conversion rhetoric here...support local and state Democratic politicians...but stay true to your conviction of voting for what is best for America. If the choice is Obama vs McCain, I believe the choice is clear."

The following comment is from me (Steve Maloney)

"I've been touched by the number of Hillary supporters (and the number in the millions) who will vote for John McCain. The only thing I'd add is that there some Republican congressional that deserve a careful look by Democrats and Independents. One of them is Tom Manion from Bucks County (outside Philadelphia). Manion is a retired Marine Colonel whose son, Travis, was a Naval Academy graduate who unfortunately was killed in Iraq. I think all of us, whatever Party, should look at people like Manion (and his son) with awe. http://votemanion.com."

Let me add this: One of my daughters and my son-in-law voted for Hillary Clinton in the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary. My wife and another daughter wanted to vote for Hillary, but they found they couldn't because they are registered as Independents. As for me, well I voted for John McCain.

A reminder to all visitors, please send your own comments (to TalkTop65@aol.com) about being a Hillary supporter. I'm in Pennsylvania, but the Hillary Supporters for McCain is a national effort to elect a true American hero to the presidency.

In the recent North Carolina Primary, approximately 40% of the Hillary voters -- hundreds of thousands of people -- said they were certain or likely to vote for McCain against Obama.