Republicans shouldn’t vote McCain
With Mitt Romney withdrawing from the GOP field, it seems inevitable that John McCain will win the Republican nomination for President. McCain has name recognition and popularity, which is something the Republican party could certainly use in a difficult Presidential election where they will face a heavyweight Democrat like Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Republican faithfuls should be jumping for joy that their party is just a formality shy of nominating a man that could easily win the White House in November.
However, this Republican faithful is not jumping for joy. The only place I’m jumping is far away from this McCain band wagon. For as long as I can remember I have been a conservative Republican. Looking at past elections, the last election I would have voted for the Democratic candidate over the Republican one would have been the election of 1904. In that election I would have supported Democrat Alton B. Parker over Teddy Roosevelt. So the point has been made. I unashamedly love the Republican Party.
Unfortunately, I also unashamedly don’t like their new nominee, John McCain. In all fairness, I don’t consider him a Republican. Republicans don’t vote against tax cuts. Republicans don’t propose legislation that would make American citizens of every illegal immigrant. Republicans don’t propose campaign finance reform which limits freedom of expression as guaranteed by the first amendment. Republicans don’t support gun control which infringes on the second amendment. Republicans don’t rally with liberals in support of extending unconstitutional filibusters on Presidential judicial appointments.
And that’s just my abbreviated list highlighting the key issues. Surely, John McCain must be wonderful on all the social issues that matter to Republicans, right? It depends on which John McCain you believe. In 1999 John McCain said he would not support overturning Roe v. Wade. In 2007 he said that he would support overturning the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. He votes against the Brady Bill, a major gun control bill, then later states support for gun control. He calls himself a social conservative but votes against the Defense of Marriage Amendment. He attends a Southern Baptist church in Arizona and then calls christian conservatives “Agents of intolerance.”
There’s no question that his record is one of being a conservative … about half the time. At CPAC, Conservative Political Action Conference, this past weekend McCain gave a speech where he talked about cutting taxes, securing the Mexican border, appointing strict constructionist judges, reducing the size of government, providing free-market solutions to health care and not expanding entitlement programs. It sounds too good to be true, and I’m afraid it is. Half of what he promised would require a complete reversal of his previous positions, which isn’t a surprise for the Senator who has created legislation with fellow flip-flopper John Kerry.
Let’s forget for one moment how liberal John McCain is. His number one issue right now is the War in Iraq, which he has been surprisingly consistent on. While he falls perfectly in line with Republican mainstream in his support for the war, is it really the best strategy to run on? Currently 70 percent of Americans support withdrawing troops from Iraq, including the Republican author of this article, is it wise to run a candidate that says that troops in Iraq for a hundred years would be “fine with me.” It seems like his “straight talk express” might end up being the kind of talk that Americans don’t want to hear.
No matter how unpragmatic his positions are for a Republican, he still polls better against Democrats than any Republican that ran for the GOP nomination. McCain has an amazing appeal with moderates, and won a majority of moderate Republican voters in almost every caucus and primary.
There is little doubt that McCain probably has the best chance to win and keep Clinton and Obama out of the White House. But a McCain presidency wouldn’t be much different than a Clinton or Obama presidency. In the end most conservatives will probably coalesce around McCain calling him the lesser of two evils.
However, this Republican won’t be casting a vote for him, nor a Democrat of course. Depending on who the minor parties nominate, I could end up voting Libertarian, Constitutional or Reform (are they even still around). If worst comes to worst I’ll end up writing in Ron Paul. I know that it might end up that die-hard Republicans like me cost a Republican the White House in 2008. So be it. There are worse things than losing an election: like losing your principles.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 15 2008. Filed under Opinion.
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