It Would Be Wrong For McCain To Go Right
The same talking heads who unanimously declared Senator John McCain to be on a campaign bus to nowhere a few months ago, now unanimously bob that, as the frontrunner, he “MUST” reach out to the Republican right. They’re wrong again. Fortunately stubborn McCain doesn’t tailor his positions to the latest poll or the talking heads nearly as much as most other politicians. Could well be one of the secrets of his success.
“McCain is winning without the support of the Republican right,” the pollsters say in gloomy warning. Hey, that’s the good news. If he doesn’t owe his win to the religious right (which is what the commentators are really talking about), then he doesn’t owe the religious right anything – except respect as fellow Americans. That’s great news for those – Democrats and Republicans (including me) – who are alarmed by the growing influence of that bloc on the GOP.
Tactically, if he can win Republican primaries in states like Florida where independents aren’t allowed to vote, then he doesn’t have to swerve right to get the nomination. The great dance of American elections is a swerve to the left or right to get the party nomination, then a quick rush back to the center where most Americans are for the general election. Candidates who have to go too far to the extremes to win their primaries lose the general election. McCain has an enormous advantage if he can stay in the center.
His wins in states like New Hampshire where independents do vote in primaries and people are free to cross party lines are also impressive. There McCain managed to get these non Republican votes even given a spirited primary on the other side. He may have appealed to enough liberals to cost Obama the Granite State. That’s a good augury for McCain in the general election. It would be a terrible mistake – which I don’t think he’ll make – to throw away that independent vote in order to “reach out to the Republican right.”
It certainly didn’t look like McCain was making a very good political decision when he opposed a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq and, instead, supported the surge of additional troops. He said at the time that America’s safety was more important than his candidacy and pretty well proved that by taking the position he did. Certainly it has helped him that the surge seems to be effective – but, even more, it’s helped that people believe that he’s driven by more than political calculus. (It also seems that opposition to war in Iraq may have been over-estimated; there was huge opposition to the hapless prosecution of the war and, apparently, much less deep-rooted opposition to the war itself as American casualties go down and al Qaeda seems to be suffering from having overplayed its own hand in Iraq).
I don’t agree with McCain on lots of issues; but I think I know where he stands (and I know he has bent politically some on immigration and some other issues). I don’t think he knows a lot about the economy (which may be a good thing given the conventional wisdom of economists). Six months ago I didn’t think there was snowball’s chance in hell that the next president would be a Republican – wasn’t all that sure I’d be voting Republican either. It’s hardly over until it’s over and it ain’t. But the current ascendancy of John McCain is a good thing. Doing it without help from the right, priceless.
Wow. Richard's comment just put me to sleep. McCain seems like a surprisingly rational politician. Quailities not easily found in popularity contest we are calling an election.
Posted by: Bill | February 04, 2008 at 01:15 PM
ROMNEY is this COUNTRYS BEST HOPE.
Read this and become educated!
ROMNEY has been successful in EVERY business venture Do you spend more money that you have at home? Then why should our government do so? Shouldn’t we run the country like a business? He is a leader, and he weeded out corrupt politicians in the Olympics and turned it around under budget!
The Security model he had to implement in the 2002 Olympics because of 9/11 is being used in the Super bowl today, did you know that?
He spends his own money therefore he will owe NO ONE in political power or special interest groups. I can go on and on but below is some info on Juan McCain.
McCain is an absolute abysmal imbosol!! He’s a RHINO republican and tried to shove amnesty down our throat 2 times with "HIS OWN BILL". HE IS FOR TAXING USA companies only to solve a so called GLOBAL warming problem. Well what about the rest of the WORLD? You people drink the kol-aid of the press and are completely UNINFORMED.
You want to know something else, STUPIDY BREADS ITSELF. You will believe anything someone tells you if you are uninformed and that is what the liberal media is counting on.
DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK!
John McCain should be renamed as JUAN McCain. Have you noticed who his heading up his HISPANIC outreach group for this race. If not, Google "McCain and Dr. Juan Hernandez.
I WILL NOT, SHALL NOT AND CAN NOT VOTE FOR JUAN McCain, I would rather the Republican Party dissolve, period!
TOP TEN REASONS JOHN MCCAIN IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE:
1. John McCain teamed with Ted Kennedy and attempted to give amnesty to every illegal alien in America, and even wished to grant them access retroactively to Social Security benefits accrued under illegally used numbers while here against the current law.
2. John McCain (along with the regular cohort of lefties) removed your right to speak out against political candidates (including him) through advocacy ads in the 30-60 days before a primary or general election. The infamous McCain-Feingold legislation proves he couldn't find an originalist judge if the man was sharing a pair of pants with him.
3. John McCain considered leaving the GOP to become an independent caucusing with the Dems, and only balked when Jeffords beat him to it. Daschle and others swear its true.
4. John McCain proved himself to be a populist anti-capitalist when he called the pharmaceutical companies "the enemy" during the most recent South Carolina debate. George Will is even wondering why John is a Republican and hasn't switched yet.
5. John McCain has swallowed the "Man Made Global Warming" pill whole. He has teamed with Lieberman to offer legislation to create a carbon cap and trade system that the Congressional Budget Office believes will add energy costs to each family of between $560-1800 per year, with the money raked in dispersed out in R&D grants, or government pork barrel goody contracts as I interpret it.
6. John McCain voted against the "Bush" tax cuts more than once, voted for amendments to keep the death tax alive, and along with our faithful Governor Pawlenty calls huge tobacco tax increases "fees".
7. John McCain believes waterboarding for US Servicemen is normal during training for capture situations, but calls it unconscienable torture when applied to important organizational terrorist figures caught plotting to kill Americans. This American serviceman disagrees.
8. John McCain supported gun control measures with rules that would have effectively shut down gun shows and gun sales between private parties. He teamed with Andrew McKelvey's Handgun Control spinoff called Americans For Gun Safety. A real champion of the little guy our McCain. Gun Owner's Of America rating - F
9. John McCain has stated he would vote for the international anti-sovereignty Treaty of The Seas if it was "tweaked" a little. This compact would give an international body the jurisdiction to dictate naval forces movement, oceanic weapons and technology testing, and set and collect fees and divy up rights and royalties to all energy resources found and recovered at sea in current international waters. One country, one vote. How do you think Iran would vote for our rights to traverse the Straits of Hormuz?
10. Midwest Jay really can't stand the guy, and he reminds me too much of a pissed off Huck-a-jerk without the Chuck Norris sidekick. Leading a fighter squadron gives you leadership experience to lead a fighter squadron of 24 guys. Reagan made war bond films. Who cares. American hero or socialist? Probably both.
Now you are educated on the facts, vote ROMNEY!
Posted by: Richard | February 03, 2008 at 07:52 PM
AP actually points out that the straight talker has a forked tongue:
WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain says he opposed President Bush’s tax cuts because they didn’t come with spending cuts. That is not what he said at the time.
…
In 2001, McCain said the tax cuts favored the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. In 2003, he said there should be no tax cuts until the Iraq war costs were known.
You’ll want to preserve this. Why? Because it’s obviously a slip-up: journalists aren’t supposed to report anything negative about St. John.
courtesy of Paul Krugman's excellent Blog:http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/
Posted by: hereinvermont | February 03, 2008 at 01:15 PM