A couple of weeks ago I wrote about John McCain’s post-primary popularity on the campaign trail. Well, it turns out that Maverick can’t help out in an all-important potential pick-up race because he was too close to the Democrat’s dad.
U.S. Sen. John McCain plans to barnstorm the country on behalf of Republican Senate candidates in states such as Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Oregon.
However, McCain, R-Ariz., told The Arizona Republic that he intends to sit out the heated Senate battle in Colorado, where incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo, is in peril. McCain is a longtime friend of the Udall family and considers Udall’s father, the late longtime U.S. Rep. Morris Udall, D-Ariz., a congressional mentor.
Asked if he was avoiding Colorado because of his long association with Mark Udall, McCain answered, “and his father, yes.”…
As Allahpundit points out in the post, this is a race that is within a point and would be a HUGE pickup for Republicans given the purple-leans-blue nature of Colorado in recent elections.
Mo Udall was a political legend in Arizona when I was a kid. He was no Barry Goldwater, but he was very well respected. It was back in the days when Republicans and Democrats could slug it out politically and not hate each other personally. It’s understandable the McCain grew close with him.
However, at this point in history, with so much at stake, there isn’t a sound reason for him to not do all he can to help the GOP candidate in a race this important, regardless of his connection to the opposition candidate’s family. The GOP establishment types are forever wagging their fingers at Tea Party conservatives and lecturing us on the need to put aside personal feelings in the general election for the greater good of the party.
I will eagerly await the stern lecture from the upper echelon of the party McCain so rightly deserves.
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