Refrain from McCain
By: Nick Hess
With the primaries now in full swing, a Republican frontrunner has finally emerged. This is at least true according to the mainstream media. His name is Senator John McCain. The media is fascinated with this man. They give him more positive press coverage than I have ever seen a Republican get in my lifetime. This should be good news, right? Maybe not. In my opinion, this coverage is a direct result of the media wanting to destroy the platform of the Republican Party. John McCain is an American hero; no one can deny that. He served his country honorably in Vietnam, being held as a POW for five years. However, I do not want him anywhere near the White House. There are many reasons why.
The first reason is his incredible ambition for the Office of the President of the United States. While ambition is not something I consider a bad thing, it can be when you would do anything to win the office. Senator McCain once said: “Presidential ambition is a disease that is only cured by embalming fluid.” Somehow, John McCain has the reputation as the candidate in this race who sticks to his principles no matter what. He claims to be the “straight talk express” and the media has never challenged this assertion. Senator McCain’s ambition for the White House has caused him to change his stance on many issues. In 2000, he was the maverick and outsider. He did what he thought was right and did not waiver. I will be the first to give him credit for that. However, when he lost the nomination that year to then Governor George W. Bush, he began to adjust his positions and associations. He sought to become the next Republican establishment candidate. He campaigned very hard for President Bush in the 2004 election. He currently seeks the support of hard line conservatives and subtly changes his positions with the polls. In fact, the only position he has not waivered on is the War in Iraq. He has always been a strong advocate for winning the war and came up with a good strategy to do so. But if you think John McCain would be the best choice for President, that feeling cannot be based on his record. Let’s take a look at Senator McCain’s three biggest legislative initiatives in the past six years.
Number one is the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill. This seems like a good issue to tackle. Most people agree that money has become too influential in politics and the system needs to be tweaked a little bit. This bill was not the fix that was needed. The bill worked to severely curtail the First Amendment. The bill does two things. First, it limits the amount of money that can be given to a Presidential candidate. The limits are actually quite low. This does not allow candidates to reach their full potential in any election. The biggest problem with the bill, though, is the “issue advertising” provision. This provision outlaws any ads by issue-oriented organizations within 60 days of a general election. That is a clear violation of free speech. Most conservatives agree that organizations should be able to run ads in support of any candidate based on an issue that is important to them.
Second is the McCain-Lieberman Stewardship Act. This act will put steep federal restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. If you have read any of my previous writings, you know how I feel about global warming, so I will not get into that. The problem with this bill, as with all global warming legislation both in the USA and around the world, is that it caps America’s emissions while leaving the rest of the world alone. The issue is, in fact, global warming, not America warming. All this legislation will do is force more American jobs overseas, where the restrictions do not apply. Also, it is estimated that gas would rise an additional 50 cents per gallon as a result of this legislation. That will make Americans happy every week when they fill up. Even those conservatives that agree with global warming alarmists also agree that any restrictions should not be unfair to America on a global scale.
The last, and worst, legislation McCain has supported in recent years is the McCain-Kennedy Immigration Bill. This bill would allow all illegal immigrants (excluding criminals) to pay a mere $3,000 fine to remain in this country forever. Oh yeah, they would have to pay their taxes for as long as they have been here as well. Crossing the border into this country illegally is a felony. This bill lets the perpetrators off the hook with a slap on the wrist, while prospective immigrants who respect our laws wait in their home countries unable to get visas. This bill, which McCain interestingly no longer supports, is pure amnesty, no bones about it. He also voted to allow illegal immigrants to participate in social security. Senator McCain would fail to secure the border, again something conservatives demand.
John McCain also voted twice against the Bush tax cuts. He actually justified his opposition by labeling them tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Sound familiar? I believe it was Teddy Kennedy who invented that phrase. In retrospect, the Bush tax cuts created five years of economic growth. McCain must realize this as well; he has since voted twice to make the tax cuts permanent. He also opposes water boarding. While this is good as a matter of policy, he has said he would never even consider it. If it were my family or millions of other American families in danger, I would want to know that my President would do everything in his power to protect them. That is the main responsibility of the President, after all. Subjecting a terrorist to less than a minute of discomfort is a small price to pay for saving American lives.
The bottom line is that nominating John McCain for President would be a profound mistake for the Republican Party. Think about this for a moment. If McCain wins the Presidency, he will shape policy for the party for the next eight years. That would effectively kill the conservative agenda for the party. He is wrong on the economy, immigration, global warming, national security, and free speech. The only thing McCain has right is the War in Iraq. It would be incredibly hard for the party to ever move back to the right and to the principles conservatives hold dear. The alternative is that McCain could lose the election. In that case, the party platform would only be destroyed for four years. However, during those four years, either Hillary Clinton (and Bill of course) or Barack Obama would be President. That is possibly the scariest thing I can imagine. With Mike Huckabee basically out of the running and Ron Paul never having had a legitimate shot, the only option for conservatives has become Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney advocates all the positions of true conservatives. He would advance the party platform in the mold of Ronald Reagan and keep us on the right track as a nation. It is essential that he be elected President later this year.
