John McCain - Simply the Least Rotten Apple in the Bunch?
Well, during my five years at Michigan State, I had the opportunity to hear President Bush (43), President Clinton, and John McCain speak. As a freshman and sophomore (the 2000 election took place during my sophomore year), I was a big John McCain supporter and was disappointed when Bush got the nomination. Remember, this is before John McCain supported some of his more maverick pieces of legislation.
Today, as it becomes more and more certain that John McCain will be the Republican nominee for the 2008 election, I'm left conflicted. Am I disappointed that John McCain doesn't represent more of what I believe in as a conservative? Yes. Do I think that he'll be good for our country right now? Yes. What concerns me most is the reaction that extreme conservatives are having towards McCain. They would rather vote for the Democratic nominee (as long as it isn't Hillary Clinton, of course) than support McCain.
Recently, I've spent a lot of time reading the comments of conservatives regarding McCain's candidacy on Michelle Malkin's blog. Quite frankly, they are narrow-minded, self-serving, and inflexible. A lot of people are whining due to the fact that John McCain is so flexible in his beliefs. And this is where I think he'll be good for the country. We've already seen what inflexibility can get us, it is time to come together. However, it takes two to tango. The whole thing will depend on the Democrats making the same jester. We'll see what happens, but we have to try.
Personally, I've lost a lot of respect for the ultra-conservative sector of the Republican Party (if you think that I'm going to support a Democrat, you're out of luck!). However, I have a feeling that if we elect a Democrat to the White House (whether Obama or Hillary), it will be a disaster for national security (I'll be the first to admit that it hasn't exactly been stellar under Bush 43). In that one area, John McCain has a decided advantage.
While there may have been better candidates out there (Fred Thompson comes to mind), I'll be proudly supporting John McCain. The Republican Party could have done a lot worse. My biggest fear is that the Democrats won't move to the center. If that's the case, we'll have more of the same.
So, Aunt Tara, now you know where I stand (my aunt recently ended a letter asking me how I felt about John McCain). I just feel fortunate to live in a country where I can freely discuss politics here online, with my family, with my boyfriend's family (and we do discuss a lot of politics!), and in public. That is one piece of the American experiment that is very much alive and well.
Published by Lindsey Russell
I graduated from Michigan State University May 2004 with degrees in Supply Chain Management and Spanish. Lately I've been creating websites and blogging. I spend too much time online. I've been busy gettin... View profile
- John McCain is Starting to Lose IndependentsA breakdown of several issues that John McCain has switched to be perceived as more conservative and how that has hurt his chances with independents.
- Republican Candidate John McCain Receives Key Endorsements from Both Arnold Schwar...Former Republican Candidate Rudy Giuliani announced his endorsement to John McCain's hopeful nomination as the Party Ticket Nominee hopeful. Within a few days, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger also joined in...
- National Politics in Office Politics?The democrats taking back the hill has sent you to the moon with elation but you can't stand that republican in your office who won't shut up. What do you do when personal politics threatens to bleed over into office...
Politics in Late Nineteenth Century AmericaDuring the first portion of Reconstruction, Americans were uninterested in politics. As interest peaked in the late Nineteenth Century, topics like women's rights, racism and r...- Triumph for John McCain; Mike Huckabee Concedes; Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton...Finally, John McCain has clinched the Republican nomination. The Senator from Arizona managed to get enough delegates to declare victory on Tuesday evening.
- John McCain's Bias Against Waterboarding and Ignorance to the Geneva Convention?
- Senator John McCain Heroically Grants a Dying Mother Her Final Wish
- John McCain: He Declared Iraq a Just and Necessary Success While Also Criticizing It
- John McCain Flip-Flops Again: Now He Says Donald Rumsfeld was the Worst Defense Se...
- New Hampshire Exit Poll Data Explains Victories by Hillary Clinton and John McCain
- Despite Being Born in Panama, is John McCain Eligible to Be President?
- John McCain and Vicki Iseman: I'm Sure It's Nothing
9 Comments
Post a Commentgreat job! Hugz CJ
I don't know the new John McCain who is attacking Obama without substantial evidence behind his accusations. Another words, John McCain and Sarah Palin are simply putting up smoke screens, hoping the people buy all the falsehoods being presented about Obama. The latest one was a total falsehood of Obama's income tax proposal, lowering it from the $250000 Obama stated to falsehood that Obama would raise taxes on everyone earning over $41000. If McCain hopes to win this election, he has to do much more than smear Obama's character. Sarah saids it's a question of Obama's judgement. Well, picking Sarah Palin for VP is also a question of McCain's judgement. Sarah Palin is a very bright woman who has had less than three months to learn what most candidates take years to learn prior to and during the primaries. I think the vetting process was a farce. She was chosen for popularity. Nothing else was considered.
Great topic!
With McCain, Clinton, or Obama, we will just get more gov't, bigger gov't, more laws, more taxes, and less freedom. Truly, McCain is but the cleanest cockroach under the sink!
I'm an independent so don't automatically support either party. In this election I'm almost certain to support McCain. Two reasons for this. First, I'm a firm believer in checks and balances. If only G. W. Bush had needed to get all legislation through a democratic congress, I believe many of the excesses we've seen would have been stopped. Conversely, since we're almost definitely going to have a larger democratic majority in both houses after the upcoming election, I'd like to see a republican president. If congress was controlled by the GOP again, I probably would vote for the democratic candidate. The second reason I support McCain is that I believe he has the combination of good judgment and long experience needed in a president.
You do make a strong case for conservatives sticking together, but I'm going to wait and see. I'm a Romney supporter who is underwhelmed by the prospect of voting for McCain (who I feel is too economically liberal). I consider myself a swing voter this election. If it's McCain/Clinton, it'll depend on who they pick as running mates (McCain needs to pick a solid fiscal conservative like Romney, Clinton needs to pick a moderate). I will never vote for Obama under any circumstances--I might as well vote for Che Guevara. I've contemplated Ron Paul--he's a solid fiscal conservative, but I'm not willing to toss all national security.
It IS interesting. We'll have change, unless, of course, Hillary wins.
Lindsey
I agree with you. This is an interesting race to say the least!
Don't agree at all, but you've expressed your opinion well.