Why John McCain Should Never be President
| By iconoclastic - Mar 28th, 2006 at 6:18 pm EST |
It is finally official: Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has sold his soul to the corrupted Republican base. It is not like the signs of this happening haven't been staring us straight in the face for quite some time now, for surely McCain's stumping for Bush in the '04 elections was a precursor of a political soul rotting to come- so we shouldn't be surprised. It's just that, independents and progressive democrats alike, two groups who are large supporters of McCain, once saw him as a shining light in the Republican Party and now must realize what he has become
For it's time progressives and independents alike shun McCain for his blatant disregard for our values, and to shove him like political chaff aside and realize his ambition for the presidency, for shoring up the Republican Base has gave the death knell to his independent streak.
McCain has become a political liability to any of us who support a move away from the denigration of our democracy and the move to a theocracy that we have seen occurring under the Bush Administration.
Still, McCain, speaking recently to the Arizona Daily Star claimed that he has the background and experience to take on the challenging issues of contemporary American society.
Really? He does, does he? Sure could have fooled me with the way his decisions and political support has been falling lately.
McCain has supported everything from extending Bush's tax cuts (even though he voted against them-and yet claims he knows how to take a fiscally responsible approach to government) to an Arizona Anti-Gay Marriage constitutional amendment (after getting reamed by the party faithful for voting against the US Constitutional amendment of the same ilk) to advocating for the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools. McCain was also one of the few lone Senators pushing for the UAE Port Deal claiming that, 'Hey, at least it's freer than China!'
McCain can even be spotted soon here speaking at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University's Graduation even though McCain once said
"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right"
Yet now, Falwell is out there claiming that McCain is just 'mending fences with the Evangelicals'. This is ironic of course considering even the Republican Party is getting wary over the Religious Right's Control on the party.
However, the last straw for me, was McCain's pathetic, political play at the recent Souther Republican Leadership Conference where he wouldn't let delegates vote in support of him in the straw poll and asked them to vote for Bush instead because it was a much needed shoring up of support for a president at war.
And so, in my opinion, if there is any doubt that McCain is still one of the few clearheaded thinkers out there in American politics-I think it should be long gone by now. It's a tragedy to see the passing of a sane political voice, as far back as a few years ago, a great contender for the presidency, pass his legacy up for a risky dip into Bush Land. But if you support the American democracy, all of you independents, democrats, and the republicans not blinded by the Religious Right, should cut off any support for a McCain presidential run.
For it's time progressives and independents alike shun McCain for his blatant disregard for our values, and to shove him like political chaff aside and realize his ambition for the presidency, for shoring up the Republican Base has gave the death knell to his independent streak.
McCain has become a political liability to any of us who support a move away from the denigration of our democracy and the move to a theocracy that we have seen occurring under the Bush Administration.
Still, McCain, speaking recently to the Arizona Daily Star claimed that he has the background and experience to take on the challenging issues of contemporary American society.
Really? He does, does he? Sure could have fooled me with the way his decisions and political support has been falling lately.
McCain has supported everything from extending Bush's tax cuts (even though he voted against them-and yet claims he knows how to take a fiscally responsible approach to government) to an Arizona Anti-Gay Marriage constitutional amendment (after getting reamed by the party faithful for voting against the US Constitutional amendment of the same ilk) to advocating for the teaching of Intelligent Design in schools. McCain was also one of the few lone Senators pushing for the UAE Port Deal claiming that, 'Hey, at least it's freer than China!'
McCain can even be spotted soon here speaking at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University's Graduation even though McCain once said
"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right"
Yet now, Falwell is out there claiming that McCain is just 'mending fences with the Evangelicals'. This is ironic of course considering even the Republican Party is getting wary over the Religious Right's Control on the party.
However, the last straw for me, was McCain's pathetic, political play at the recent Souther Republican Leadership Conference where he wouldn't let delegates vote in support of him in the straw poll and asked them to vote for Bush instead because it was a much needed shoring up of support for a president at war.
And so, in my opinion, if there is any doubt that McCain is still one of the few clearheaded thinkers out there in American politics-I think it should be long gone by now. It's a tragedy to see the passing of a sane political voice, as far back as a few years ago, a great contender for the presidency, pass his legacy up for a risky dip into Bush Land. But if you support the American democracy, all of you independents, democrats, and the republicans not blinded by the Religious Right, should cut off any support for a McCain presidential run.
!
Comments are closed for this post.
Instead, he sold out. Reversed himself on some of the most important stands he's taken over the years.
He's done.
must be the DC sickness
thanks for the comment
He has completely sold himself to the very base that slimed him in 2000 with slanderous remarks such as fathering an interacial child, being cenial, and his wife was a drug addict. Any man of principle would tell individuals like this where to stick it. It's kind of disgusting to see how he has cozied up to the evangelical base, but the only thing I can figure out is he has made a pact with the devil, much like Bush did in 1999 moving into his race for the nomination. He seems to think he is the man who can fix the problems we have but he helped cause many of those problems.
TMH
McCain was never really "in" with the Beltway crew during the 2000 election, and during the past six years a cadre of Republican activists have moved in that probably didn't support him in that election but recognize the broad appeal he had (an appeal which, we seem to agree, he's mortgaged for access). These activists in office want to keep the White House red, and McCain has spent the last six years reassuring them that he's not a threat to their ideology. The guys that torpedoed him in 2000 can feel comfortable flocking to him in 2008. He's not a neocon, but he'll play ball with the party well enough that the elite will be comfortable helping him get the keys to the kingdom.
He hitched his wagon to this post a while ago. He thinks it's a safe bet that he gets the nomination on his support for W, and gets the election on his "maverick streak" and "straight talk" (heh).
It's a fine line to walk, and I gotta admit I'm curious to see how he walks it.
The problem that McCain will have, is that the general public is far more questioning of things as of late, and if he tries to pass himself off as the 'Maverick' guy, all it will take is a few people to find a few reasons why he's not (like I did or maybe something even more indepth) and he's shot to hell. bush set perhaps a bad (or was it good) precedent in the 04 election when he seared Kerry for ebing a flip flopper even though Bush himself was quite one. To this day even, you can see signs of the damage the whole flip flopper message had, as the American people are demanding more and more that the decisions a poilitican makes must be consistent throughout their career and not be swayed for political gain-lest they suffer.
It's a cruel world out there for a running politician....course the only way I can see the White House staying red is if the Dems put up a Dukakis like candidate this year.
But overall I think McCain is still McCain. He is still the biggest advocate against pork spending, the use of torture, sensible immigration reform, etc. He may be just calculating that some moves to the right are necessary in the short-term in order to achieve greater, long-term ends. That is my assessment anyway. Some may find that kind of thinking naive or deluded, but McCain has got such a good record that I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for now.
He's supporting amendments in the states to ban gay marriage.
Jesus Christ, even John fucking Kerry of all people had more integrity than that. Clinton advised him to do that to shore himself up in the swing states, and Kerry said "I'm sorry, but there's just no way I'm going to do that".
McCain's adherence to principle was one of the main things that made a guy who's on the whole terribly conservative palatable to someone like me - by the time he's more poll driven than John Kerry, what does he have left?
You don't get it. What gave McCain such allure to swing voters and moderates wasn't a specific policy here or there - it was the principles that they believed underlied those policies. Those principles are now shot to hell.
If he's willing to give up his principles now to get elected, why in the world should we believe he wouldn't set them aside for four years in office in order to get re-elected?
Lastly and tangentially, let's not forget that McCain became against Washington largesse after getting burned himself on the issue.
Suddenly favoring some of Bush's tax cuts - that's really the only area where we've seen a substantive policy change. It's distressing to be sure and I like to hear more why he did it. But making nice with evangelicals? Please. They are Americans too. He has given them nothing, other than meekly saying the "Intelligent Design" should be taught alongside evolution in schools - not the right choice, but hardly an earth-shattering position for a conservative. Supporting the Dubai ports deal? He was just going against the illogical xenophobic protectionism that suddently swept over Washington on that issue. His was eminently a classic, pro-market, Republican position, typical of McCain.
McCain still:
- is a champion of campaign finance reform
- calls for the resignation of Rumsfeld
- ardently supports stem cell research
- works for balanced immigration reform with Sen. Kennedy
- defies the president and his party on global warming issues; has sponsored the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act to limit greenhouse emissions
- opposes ANWR drilling
- supports expanded legislation on healthcare and education
- opposes the elimination of the estate tax
- remains the biggest advocate against pork barrel spending; vigorously opposed the corporate subsidies of the recent energy and transportation bills
- defied his party to form the 'Gang of 14' to preven the Republican 'nuclear option' in re to judicial confirmation
- championed and passed the McCain Detainee Amendment, which prohibited the inhumane treatment of all prisoners held by US personnel, forcing Bush to reluctantly sign it
McCain's independent streak is alive and well. The left is always going to be unhappy with him - because is and will remain a Republican at heart. And they will grow more vociferous in their unhappiness as 2008 approaches - because they know he is the CW favorite. But please drop all this nonsense about his principles being 'shot to hell'. Simply not true.
He's posturing--let's not give him more credit than he deserves. What's he willing to do to get Rumsfeld out? To support stem cell research? To stop ANWR drilling? To protect the ability of detainees to seek legal redress?
He'll do whatever he can without appearing as an opponent of the way the Administration does business. Nothing more. When you're rhetorically opposed to the Administration's policies, and rhetorically fellating the Administration at every opportunity, you're a hypocrite, period.
Secondly, what do you expect a U.S. Senator to do when he disagrees with the Administration? McCain sponsors bills on the issues that matter to him, lines up votes, votes himself according to his conscience. In addition, he is not shy about speaking out on those issues where he sees things differently. What more do you expect of a man in that situation? Organize a militia and storm the barricades?
I am not expecting any of you to jump on McCain's bandwagon. You are liberal and he is not; he is never going to encapsulate your views. Just please remember that he is and will remain a Republican - so it doesn't make any sense for him to wage all-out war with the president of his own party. He rightly calculates that he can get a lot more done within his party than without.
That's why in 2000 so many Republicans in DC were adamently opposed to McCain getting the nomination, and why they won't be so in 2008.
He went from being in a position to win as many states as Reagan '84 to scrounging for 50%+1. Beltway Republicans would have flocked to McCain in '08 in droves were he to still exhibit the crossover appeal, because they're partisans and are scared to death that a Democrat might win the White House. Now he's got to embrace people like Jerry Falwell in order to have any chance of getting elected. How on earth do you consider that an improved position for him?
You say that "beltway republicans would have flocked to McCain in 08 in droves were he to still exhibit the crossover appeal, because they're partisans and are scared to death that a Democrat might win the White House" - I am not so convinced. The republican base certainly did not flock to him in 2000 (remember the SC primary?), and I don't think their desire to retain the White House in 2008 will be any greater than was their desire to gain it in 2000. To win the support of this constituency (and thus the nomination), he will have to throw them some bones, which is what I think we are seeing now.
Well, see, Raoul, here is something I think you don't understand. The repdulican party idea ship is sinking, well, it has been sinking for a long time, and nearly 70% of the american population thinks the nation is headed down a wrong path. So, what we expect from our senate leaders, like McCain, is to realize that they can take the entire party in a completely different direction grdually through the staking of new positions and bringing in elected officials with a whole new slate of ideas into the government. He doesn't have to alienate everyone and his allies when the american public is already behind the idea for change. all he has to do is throw up the gauntlet, come out with a different vision, convince and sway teh republican voters to nominate him, or even go Independent, and voila, lightning strikes.
Hmmm...well, I think we expect that our leaders don't by into the bs the Administration shovels, that they want to foster good debate, and they don't cave on bills for political purposes. Also, did you even read my post and the links I gave? What we are lambasting McCain for is jumping on the bandwagon of a sinking ship, and a radical political ideology. You ahve incredibly low standars for your Representatives Raoul, you should expect more from your leaders.
McCain's been doing this for some time. And I'd expect to hear a lot more of it once the 06 elections are over. Link
These days, we don't know where McCain will fall because of his pandering to the Ultra Conservative part of the base-and what's most troubling is that his pandering is said to be purely for tactical gain (but we know that he would have to promise them SOMETHING for them to endorse him-remember they don't think Bush is conservative enough for them). That makes him a troubling candidate and ruins the support those of us who cherished his independent streak (which still may be whimpering inside of him) because nowadays, people like me, and I'm absolutely sure there are others, cannot trust that McCain will follow through on what we know him best for.
And in this day and age, I think we've all been burned by a few too many candidates that way. No use supporting one who already is showing the signs of weakness like he is.