Posted on 01/30/2008 9:19:26 PM PST by grey_whiskers
With John McCain’s victory in the Republican Primary in Florida, a lot of attention has come his way. The reaction of the pundits and the blogosphere has been all over the map. Some, such as Michael Medved, are enthusiastic about the candidate and his chances in the general election; others, such as Rush Limbaugh, are concerned that a McCain candidacy will spell the end of the Republican party as we know it. And with the cheering for and against him, so to have his past actions and policies come under scrutiny. Everything, from the Keating Five, to the Gang of 14; from his sufferings as a POW to his support for the surge in Iraq; his legislative history from McCain-Feingold to McCain-Kennedy come to mind; all are fair game. Even his potential choices for judges (Alito, "wearing his conservatism on his sleeve"), for running mate (Guiliani, or Huckabee?)
But there is another thing we can look at, besides his past behaviour. Yes, even more than his campaign rhetoric that he is the “I am the conservative leader who can unite the Party”; even more than his victory speech in Florida (where graciousness towards his chief competitor, Mitt Romney, was notably lacking).
We can look at his current behaviour and voting records. For example, what does he think of the home foreclosure situation? His answers will be indicative of the type of leadership, and of the policies, he will lean towards if he is elected President.
Look at the war on terror. McCain here is fond of speaking of his support for the military: but he has been very vocal about shutting down Guantanamo, and bringing the prisoners to the continental United States and affording them full constitutional protections. This fits neither the conservative position nor the liberal one – and it does not even waffle. Instead, it attempts to fulfill the extreme elements of both positions at the same time. Maybe he’s trying to make peace with his POW past?
During the debate tonight, McCain was asked about the housing foreclosures. His response was, “There are greedy people on Wall Street who need to be punished.” So how is it that extending the underwriting ability of Fannie Mae, and bailing out the lenders, is going to punish Wall Street? (*) That’s like trying to punish ants at a picnic by pouring more sugar on the ground. Oh, wait a minute. Wasn’t McCain himself one of the Keating Five, the last time we had financial institutions involved in shady dealings? Why is he so concerned with punishing greed now?.
We can also look at the “stimulus package” currently wending its way through Congress. It passed the House with considerable speed, and seems destined now for a layover in the Senate, where it will be laden with pork before being sent to the President. But the pork is not the only problem. Recall that this bill is sending rebate checks out to citizens – only this is not exactly a tax rebate, since those who are taxed the most will be rebated the least. It will in fact, put cash in the hands of those who pay the least taxes – on the grounds that they will be most likely to spend it, increase the velocity of money, and provide a boost to the slowing economy.
Did I say, “Citizens?” Scratch that! Michelle Malkin and Yahoo News are both pointing out that illegal aliens would be eligible for these rebate checks…the fig leaf that the Congress is hiding behind is that “illegals would have to use a false Social Security number and that would make them ineligible” …if they were ever caught..
One other point, which has not come up yet, is the issue of remittances. Many of the illegals (mostly from Mexico) send much of their earnings right back to Mexico—what is preventing them from doing the same with these “rebates?” The money, taken from US upper-income taxpayers, will run out of our economy like water through a sieve, right into Mexico. What *is* McCain’s position on this?
I think a strong hint is given by McCain’s love of illegal immigrants—witness his association with Juan Hernandez as his outreach director, and his interview a couple of days ago in which he admits he’d sign the amnesty bill he co-sponsored. Add to this his rhetoric of tonight’s (Jan. 30) Republican debate, in which he seemed to be channeling the class-warfare arguments of Senator Edwards-- who by the way just dropped out of the Democrat race.
It is looking more and more like McCain is seeking to become the President, but he cannot decide whether to imitate the Republicans or the Democrats. He is talking out of both sides of his mouth, so that his "Straight Talk" express has become the "SwiftTalk Express". What can you call someone like that? A RINO? A liberal? No, more like a horse’s ass.
(*) And “more regulation” is not necessarily a good answer; the present abuses have all taken place during the Sarbanes-Oxley era; not to mention the Societe Generale scandal in France…
Michael Medved is to the conservative blogosphere what one piss ant is to a Wal-Mart corporate picnic.
My Dad loves him though, I don’t know why. I guess because he’s so Anti-Clinton, that he’ll buy into the bs Medved spews about McCain.
As it is, he's a Kool-Aid addict.
Cheers!
What he forgets to mention is that for every answer, McCain has the Julie-Annie syndrome. Every other reference by Guiliani was about 9/11. Every other answer McCain gives refers to being a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution or that he is a veteran. The best example of this was the final rant by McCain about the war in Iraq when he was specifically asked about the economy. Medved forgets to mention that McCain is quite possibly the WORST candidate we have fielded in a long, long time.
"we" ...?
Don't you mean "the RINO wing of the party" ?
Cheers!
Folks, I tell you, this man is dangerous and his agenda must be stopped. Let him run as a liberal independent if he wants, not as the GOP standard bearer.
Cheers!
smartest guy in the room vs. smartest woman in the world.
what great options we get.
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