Posted on 04/11/2007 11:51:50 AM PDT by madprof98
In 1960 Barry Goldwater, the patron saint of modern conservatism, gave some famous advice to conservative Republicans who were angry with their shabby treatment at the hands of the Nixonites. Get over it, Goldwater told them.
“Let’s grow up, conservatives,” Goldwater proclaimed. The embryonic conservative insurgency within the GOP couldn’t let hard feelings get in the way of the hard work that needed to be done, AUH20 counseled.
Today’s conservatives might be well-advised to take similar advice with regard to the successor to Goldwater’s seat, Arizona senator John McCain.
In the eyes of his conservative detractors — among whom I’ve long counted myself — McCain has a maddening habit of proving his political independence by winning accolades from the New York Times editorial board. On campaign-finance reform, global warming, opposition to tax cuts, and other issues, the “maverick” has too often racked up points by scoring against his own team. Sometimes he stands to the right of the GOP, sometimes to the left, but always he seems to relish breaking ranks for its own sake.
It’s an annoying habit, but conservatives should consider their other options. For example, by any measure, Rudy Giuliani is the more liberal candidate — indeed, the most liberal serious candidate Republicans have fielded in decades. But because Giuliani made the right enemies — chief among them those vexatious New York Times editors — conservatives respect him, even though they disagree with him on almost everything. Meanwhile, they give the cold shoulder to McCain, who agrees with them on most of the important things.
For instance, McCain’s been a consistent pro-lifer (which distinguishes him from pretty much everyone else in the race so far). Until recently, Giuliani argued passionately for partial-birth abortion as a constitutional right. McCain has voted to confirm every conservative Supreme Court nominee, including Robert Bork. He voted “guilty” in Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. He campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, even after a bitter defeat at Bush’s hands. Giuliani says he was ideologically simpatico with Clinton, and he endorsed Democrat Mario Cuomo for governor of New York.
My point isn’t merely to make invidious comparisons between McCain and Giuliani (heck, to liberals they’re not invidious at all). I’m actually a fan of Giuliani, and I think the GOP and the country could do worse in a president and Republican standard-bearer. But the double standard on the right seems more than a little self-indulgent.
Giuliani’s chief selling point seems to be that he’ll have “what it takes” to be tough in the war on terror. That may well be the case. But Giuliani’s foreign policy experience is, at best, limited. Meanwhile, McCain’s experience is deeper than the rest of the field’s combined. There’s no evidence that Giuliani is more of a hawk than McCain, who has spent the last four years arguing that Bush needs to be more aggressive in Iraq and who argued for a troop “surge” years before anyone used the word.
After 9/11, Giuliani earned his reputation for showing his sensitive side. After 9/11, McCain said to our enemies, “May God have mercy on you, because we won’t.” How can conservatives argue that Giuliani is The One because he’s willing to be a tough SOB on the war on terror, while deriding McCain because he’s been such an effective SOB to a president and party who, McCain believes, haven’t been tough enough?
In response, McCain has decided to slap conservatives out of their haze. In what his campaign is billing as major speeches, the first on Wednesday at the Virginia Military Institute, McCain plans to make his candidacy a referendum on victory in Iraq. It is a truly bold and courageous gambit. At a time when the polls advise running away from the war, McCain will embrace it.
By positioning himself to the hawkish right of the Bush administration, McCain might be able to make the election a referendum on the future of Iraq, rather than a referendum on the last four years. As a war hero with two sons in the military, McCain can argue with obvious moral authority that while we may have blundered our way into Iraq, it would be an even greater blunder to get out before winning.
There are many reasons to have reservations about McCain: his love of regulation, his animosity toward free-marketers, or simply his age and temper. But conservatives who claim that the war trumps everything but won’t even consider pulling the lever for McCain have some growing up to do.
— Jonah Goldberg is Editor-at-Large of National Review Online.
'Nuff said.....
FReepers, what’s McCain’s position, by votes, etc, on abortion and 2d Amendment? Even by the loose standards used to judge politicians,I don’t trust Romney or Guiliani at all.
I have long had the feeling that McCain has some very iffy advisors who have been giving him horrible advice. He started out with an excellent hand but played it badly. And no one of is highly paid aides has ever reminded him to “...dance with the one who brung ‘im.”
>>>John McCain: Campaign Finance Reform.
‘Nuff said.....
President Bush signed the bill. Did that keep you from voting for him in 2004?
Of course he deserves the could shoulder. He is a fascist who has attempted to silence political voices not affiliated with the major political parties.
Good one.
http://www.ontheissues.org/John_McCain.htm
Can’t vouch for the total accuracy, but here’s a take on your question.
McCain has a ZERO rating from NARAL, which is as good as it gets on abortion.
Thanks. I wish it were mine. It was a question posited by Jonah Goldberg in response to some of the email he had received in repoonse to his original article.
Forgot this:
SaxxonWoods is not a McCain supporter, and does not plan to vote for John McCain in the primary.
Giuli- 4-5
Newt - 8 (was a 9 until that idiotic debate with Kerry)
Romney - 7
Hunter - 7
Thompson (the good one) - too early to tell.
Any elected official who gives the Constitution a cold shoulder deserves at least that much in return.
What Goldberg doesn’t get is much of the animosity toward McCain is over his tendency to close ranks with the dems on issues of importance to conservatives. One might respect him for his ability to “go his own way”, which might be admirable in a congressman, but it makes me a little jumpy when we talk about the presidency.
People look for predictability and dependability in that office.
McCain/Kerry F the POWS/MIAS
McCain/Feingold F free speech
McCain/Kennedy F American Sovereignty
McCain/Gang of 14
McCain/Keating 5
McCain/Terrorist Bill of Rights
McCain/Gun Grabber
McCain/Does not like tax cuts
More?
I’m increasingly coming to the conclusion that Jonah Goldberg is a putz.
No, Jonah. It's because of McCain/Feingold and other off-the-reservation kinds of antics that I will never, ever vote for McCain.
And it's YOU that have the growing up to do, you snot-nosed little yuppie commentator!
I have to disagree with Jonah on a number of points.
First, inherently as a senator, it’s difficult to credit McCain with having been a “leader” in the war on terror. He sits on Defense Appropriations committees and he’s been a strong advocate for the war on terror. I applaud all of that. I love what he’s done for supporting the surge but he also did that as a part of strong “no confidence” in Rumsfeld, whom he was attacking for years. Maybe all that’s valid, but I don’t consider it having it been helpful for the overall mission.
Second: McCain has fought the most important economic measures during Bush’s term (tax cuts) and been the “leader” for one of the worst pieces of legislation from a conservative standpoint (McCain-Feingold).
Finally, the comparison between McCain and Giuliani on the leadership score is difficult to make. McCain has never been an “executive” — responsible for running anything. Rudy was the most effective mayor NYC has had since LaGuardia, and NYC was a much bigger challenge in the early 1990’s than back in LaGuardia’s day. Based on their respective records, I think Rudy is clearly the better and more experienced leader in getting things done, reducing taxes, reforming a broken welfare system, shrinking an out of control bureaucracy, etc. And I hope that leadership experience translates into being an effective Commander in Chief. I don’t think John McCain has demonstrated those abilities and he just doesn’t have that kind of experience.
All IMHO.
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