John's Christmas Story

It seems that the current "In" thing to do in Campaign 2008 right now is to release Christmas ads. Rather than release some generic seasons greetings ad, John has decided to share with us a short Christmas Story of his.

Mr. Taxman

John McCain's official taxplan is now out. You can read a more complete account here, but here is the basic layout:

1. Cut Taxes to the Middle Class
2. Keep Tax Rates Low
3. Eliminate Wasteful Government Spending

A briefing on the plant can be found here

State of the Race

Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are effectively tied in Iowa right now. Much buzz has been spent on Huckabee's rise in the polls. However, beneath the radar has been John McCain's steady rise in New Hampshire, where he is now just a few points behind Mitt Romney, according to Rasmussen.

The McCain Comeback never lost momentum, though it did lose some attention on the national stage. The team in New Hampshire is top notch, and John is campaigning as only he can. Between Huckabee's rise and this latest poll, the Romney team must be having a very bleak holiday season indeed.

P.S. Here are some important aspects of that poll, other than just the straight support numbers:

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Romney’s supporters say they are “certain” to vote for him on January 8. That’s little changed from the previous poll. However, 61% of McCain’s supporters say they are certain, an increase from 46%. That increase is especially impressive given the dramatic growth in support for McCain.

Romney's solid support is stagnant, while John's is growing. That, plus the following information is good news indeed.

Among New Hampshire’s Likely Republican Primary Voters, National Security Issues are deemed Very Important by 78%. Government ethics and corruption is seen as Very Important by 68%, immigration and Iraq by 66% each. Fifty-nine percent (59%) say the economy is Very Important in determining how they will vote.

There is no doubt that when it comes to National Security Issues, John McCain is the clear leader of the field in the Presidential field. No other candidate comes close. Given John's record on fighting on behalf of Earmark reform and against Pork Barrel Spending in Congress, along with the recent success of strategy he has long supported in Iraq thanks to General Petraeus, John McCain is the clear leader of the field on the issues that matter to the people of New Hampshire.

Endorsement Round-Up

John McCain has received a lot of important endorsements lately. Among them are many newspapers, including the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Portsmouth Herald, the Boston Globe and the Des Moines Register.

Also important, however, are the recent endorsements of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Senator Joe Lieberman. The latter is especially important for this election cycle. This is not going to be an easy win for the Republican party this year; unless the GOP can attract the independent vote and the crossover vote of people like Joe Lieberman, victory in Nov 2008 will be impossible. John McCain is consistently the conservative best able to draw independent voters to the GOP. Among all the Republican candidates, he fares the best poll after poll against the 3 likely Democratic candidates. If the GOP wants to avoid another blowout like 1964, John McCain is the party's best bet.

Sorry for the lack of Posting

I have been ill the last few days. Posting should resume soon.