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Attacks on McCain must stop
Conservatives need to reassess McCain
By Johanan Raatz
This is no time to be throwing temper tantrums over what are relatively petty issues.
After Fred Thompson left the race I was left for about two days not knowing who to support. After reviewing the candidates again, I decided McCain was the next best option.
However, many of the talk radio show hosts and several pundits disagreed.
After McCain started to succeed, this disagreement grew in intensity, culminating in Ann Coulter’s now famous endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Right before Super Tuesday the dislike of McCain on talk radio grew to the point of apoplectic temper tantrums.
I believe this dislike of McCain is unreasonable and needs to stop.
Now, in all fairness, McCain is not the perfect candidate. However, his positions on the most significant issues, though moderated somewhat, are not all bad either.
After Sen. Sam Brownback left the presidential race, he said that conservatives should really take a second look at McCain’s voting record. Let’s take Brownback’s advice for a second:
Regarding fetal rights McCain is only slightly less pro-life than President Bush. He also wants to give control of issues regarding fetal rights back to the states. As for his support of fetal stem cell research, that is now a moot point due to advances in stem cell technology.
While opposing Guantanamo Bay and waterboarding, his foreign policy is sound. He supported the war and the surge which has proven successful. Though more moderate than Bush, he hasn’t wavered on the key aspects of sound foreign policy.
With a few minor exceptions McCain supports gun rights. He even voted against the ban on semiautomatics which demonstrates that he is sufficiently pro-gun rights.
McCain supports school choice.
Despite holding views on immigration which are unpopular with some of his base, he has supported the building of a wall which is the most significant piece of conservative illegal immigration policy.
In regards to trade, he is rated 80-100 percent by the CATO institute. As such he shouldn’t scare off economic conservatives.
He voted to confirm Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court, and would appoint more judges similar to them, thereby pushing radicalism and extremism off the court.
Now of course many conservatives will bring up issues such as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, his softer stance on illegal immigration, his opposition to Guantanamo Bay and waterboarding, his support of Kyoto, and his opposition to Bush’s tax cuts. Yet I simply do not see why these issues are significant enough for us to oppose him as a candidate.
His stance on illegals is shared by Bush, who talk radio supported in 2004. Kyoto, though a bad protocol, is now surpassed by the Bali protocol which promotes regulation equality, and thus won’t let China and India get a free pass while we pull up the slack.
The McCain-Feingold issue, though bad, shouldn’t be enough to discount a candidate.
As for Guantanamo Bay and waterboarding, the conservative movement did without those before and can do so again. Those policies come from a vaguely Hobbesian approach to government. Though an appropriate response to the influence of leftist radicalism in politics, this approach is a luxury, not a necessity, for the conservative movement.
As for tax cuts, I would find it deeply disappointing if people abandoned him over mere monetary concerns when there are far more important issues.
I know many conservatives want another hard-liner. However, that is not a good strategy at the moment. Though my thoughts on him are somewhat complex, President Bush has been good at swaying the country in a more conservative direction. Still, the country can only stand so much chemotherapy at once.
As a somewhat moderate candidate, McCain has bipartisan support. From the other side of the aisle, Sen. Joe Liebermann has even endorsed him. At the moment moderation would actually help the conservative movement in the long run.
This is no time to be throwing temper tantrums over what are relatively petty issues. Right now we must unite as a party. This year we face tough opposition from the Obamagogue and a political landscape less than favorable toward us. Unless we want the Pied Piper of Illinois winning the election, we need to take control of ourselves and unite behind McCain for the good of the party and the country.
> Comments
Geoff Loper on Feb 18, 2008 at 07:47 PM:
John-
Great article! I think that it is great that someone is finally saying that McCain is not the "great satan" that the Left want people to think he is...
While he may not be a prefect candidate, I ask, who is perfect? Obama has no international experience. Hillary is... need I say more? Ron Paul is old enough to remember the Civil War. Who is the flawless candidate? There will NEVER be one, we are in the position to elect the "better of the evils"
But now I am on my own rant...
Great read!!!!
~Geoff
Vic Venomous on Feb 19, 2008 at 07:16 AM:
Uh, Geoff, you are aware Ron Paul's only one year older than McCain, right?
Johanan Raatz on Feb 19, 2008 at 02:48 PM:
"Great article!"
Thanks.
"I think that it is great that someone is finally saying that McCain is not the "great satan" that the Left want people to think he is..."
Well yes them but also some on the right on talk radio. It almost seemed for a while there that he was getting it on all sides.
"Who is the flawless candidate?"
True, one of my motivations for writing this article was that I many who opposed McCain were supporting Romney as the alternative. I found this ironic as Romney can't be said to be better than McCain.
Attacks on McCain must continue on Feb 20, 2008 at 12:23 PM:
John McCain is a lunatic and a liar, and he is dangerously old.
Johanan Raatz on Feb 20, 2008 at 01:18 PM:
"John McCain is a lunatic and a
? Center-right candidates don't gain their reputation by being lunatics. If he is a lunatic then so are many conservatives and moderates which is a large percentage of the people in the country.
"liar,"
Proof?
"and he is dangerously old."
Reagan was older when he became president. 71 is definitely on the old side but it is not that bad.
Nancy Reagan on Feb 21, 2008 at 01:07 PM:
Ronald was not older when he BECAME president. he was older WHILE president.
Johanan Raatz on Feb 21, 2008 at 04:08 PM:
I looked it up and your right. Reagan was 69 -only two years younger. However Reagan was a good president and McCain though old seems energetic enough.