What Does John McCain as GOP Front-Runner Say About Republican Party?

CNN polls indicate that John McCain has a decisive lead going into Super Tuesday. With such a large playing field, it seems incredible that this maverick politician dubbed the Comeback Kid can effectively claim the GOP candidacy this early in the primary season. What gives McCain this substantial lead, when the Democratic race is still too close to call despite the field being narrowed down to two? Independents, and a Republican party whose future is rocky at best.

McCain has been named the liberal Republican. Conservative media and talk show hosts have blasted him for his historic liberal legislation, and recent endorsements by liberal Republican leaders like the Govenator, and former Democrat Joe Lieberman. He has the most liberal stance on immigration, and any claims he makes about securing our borders are simple rhetoric, as evidenced by the lack of success at reigning in illegal immigrants in his home state of Arizona.

Fiscal responsibility has historically been a stance of the Republican party, yet McCain warns that the war in Iraq may continue up to another 100 years. With war expenses now matching those of World War II, is it fiscally responsible to continue this alleged war on terror?

Tax cuts and incentives for the wealthy are common themes of Republican candidates. After all, legislation such as this benefits Republican looking for donations from their supporters. However, McCain is the only Republican candidate who did not support the Bush tax cuts, and actually sounded a bit like a Democrat in his reasoning for voting against the legislation.

Concern for the environment is a decidedly Democratic political issue, yet once again McCain is a strong advocate. His environmental stance is as lenient as any tree-hugger, voting against drilling in arctic regions, while Americans continue to feel the pinch at the gas pumps.

So, since primaries are voted upon by members of that political party, and in some states by Independents, why is it that so many Republicans are in support of a liberal GOP?

George W. Bush has become hated by Democrats and Republicans alike. The war in Iraq has become the necessary evil that Americans are now trying to figure out how to get out of. With recession causing job loss, stock crashes, and home foreclosures, many voters who fell in the upper to upper middle-class income levels have fallen a rung or two on the financial ladder. Republicans know that the era their current President has produced will cause many new voters to turn en mass toward a Democratic candidate. Therefore perhaps the most important role the Republican party can play in this election is to try to elect a candidate who stands a chance against the Democrats. Because of his unpredictability, John McCain may just be that candidate.