John McCain's rightward drift
He has that seemingly impenetrable reputation as a maverick, an independent. He has serious credibility on national security and the military. He has that compelling personal history. He was character-assassinated by Bush in 2000. He gets along with Jon Stewart.
All that is true, but what else lies beneath the popular facade? Senator John McCain, whatever else we may say of him, is an ideological conservative and unwaveringly loyal Republican. And it's about time that truth was more widely acknowledged.
For as ABC News reports, "the potential Republican presidential hopeful is taking steps to win over the conservatives who denied him the GOP's presidential nomination in 2000". Even Jerry Falwell seems to like him.
He's a conservative, and he always has been. But, looking ahead to '08 as the presumed early front-runner, he's now cuddling up to the far right. He knows he needs to win over the Republican base in order to get through the primaries. He knows that a maverick will never win the GOP nomination. He knows he has to play politics. That's predictable, but unfortunate.
Who is the real McCain? Perhaps the one who now seems so "conventional," to use E.J. Dionne's word, and "pathetic," to use Steve Benen's. I'm not sure I ever expected more from McCain -- I always knew he was far too conservative for my liking -- but I suppose I hoped that he wasn't just another typical Republican.
Now I know better.
All that is true, but what else lies beneath the popular facade? Senator John McCain, whatever else we may say of him, is an ideological conservative and unwaveringly loyal Republican. And it's about time that truth was more widely acknowledged.
For as ABC News reports, "the potential Republican presidential hopeful is taking steps to win over the conservatives who denied him the GOP's presidential nomination in 2000". Even Jerry Falwell seems to like him.
He's a conservative, and he always has been. But, looking ahead to '08 as the presumed early front-runner, he's now cuddling up to the far right. He knows he needs to win over the Republican base in order to get through the primaries. He knows that a maverick will never win the GOP nomination. He knows he has to play politics. That's predictable, but unfortunate.
Who is the real McCain? Perhaps the one who now seems so "conventional," to use E.J. Dionne's word, and "pathetic," to use Steve Benen's. I'm not sure I ever expected more from McCain -- I always knew he was far too conservative for my liking -- but I suppose I hoped that he wasn't just another typical Republican.
Now I know better.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
7:41 AM
4 Comments:
McCain's walking an impossible tightrope. He can't pander enough to the GOP's base. They despise him. And in the pandering process, he loses credibility with his natural base: independents. The nomination will go to someone like Allen (R. Va.) The only way McCain gets nominated is if his Party turns pragmatic vis-a-vis Hillary's bid. But that's unlikely- ideologues don't usually morph into pragmatists.
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cakreiz, at 2:50 PM
Indeed. I supported McCain, with some enthusiasm, in 2000. But that was because he ran as though he was not a Republican. He ran above-party campaign, talked about how the rich did not need tax cuts, how we should aspire to something greater than our own self interest, and railed against the systems of campaign-finance, earmarks, and other aspects of politics-as-usual.
But, surprise! He really wants to be president. And the two-party straitjacket has no room for the kind of McCain we saw in 2000.
Either he won't get the nomination (most likely) or the word will get out pretty quick that the McCain of 2000 was just a blip.
I wrote about the implausibility of President McCain back on New Years Day. I don't think anything I said then has chanegd fundamentally (about McCain, as opposed to some things I said about the 2006 races), nor is much likely to change about McCain between now and 2008.
By
Anonymous, at 7:50 PM
Excellent points, Cakreiz and Matthew (and thanks for the link).
It's not yet clear to me that McCain will navigate that tightrope successfully. There's still a long way to go.
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Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:21 AM
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cicicocuk, at 5:27 PM
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