Posted on 05/06/2008 5:12:44 AM PDT by Brilliant
John McCain steps out of his comfort zone Tuesday to address his judicial philosophy, a hot-button matter for social conservatives that encompasses abortion, guns and gay rights -- all topics on which Sen. McCain has rankled the right.
On nearly every score, Sen. McCain agrees with conservatives, but he has made a series of exceptions to their orthodoxy. As a result, while liberals think he is a conservative, conservatives fear he is a liberal.
These never have been matters that animated Sen. McCain's quarter-century in politics the way military or spending issues have. And while he considers himself religious, the likely Republican presidential nominee rarely speaks in public about religion or his personal faith.
Combined with his record of breaking with the party line on issues such as immigration, torture and campaign finance, this has led to a sense that Sen. McCain is something of a moderate on social policy... That impression hurts him with the social conservatives who form a critical part of his party's base, but it could help him with independent voters...
It is hard to satisfy both, and when asked, Sen. McCain always emphasizes his conservative credentials. "I think I've been very strong on, quote, 'conservative social issues,' " he said...
At Tuesday's speech at Wake Forest University...he will articulate a conservative judicial philosophy and the principles he would use to appoint justices to the Supreme Court. That includes "strict interpretation of the Constitution" and antipathy for "judicial activism..."
In the past, he has praised Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia, John Roberts and Samuel Alito.
Judges are a key issue for conservatives, who have concluded that they can't advance their agenda unless they have backing from the courts. The Tuesday speech is likely to tell them what they want to hear...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I have written my senator and the Republican party to inform them that if McCain is the nominee, I’m not casting a ballot for president. These loons had better pull a Democrat trick and nominate someone else... pronto... else we once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The only difference between McCain and the Demo candidates is that I despise him a little bit less than I do the Hillabeast or Obamaloon.
He considers conservative Christians intolerant.
In a previous post it is rumored he said that he didn’t vote for Bush in 2000.
Why would he even ask for my vote in 2008. I respect his right to have his opinions but he should respect my right to have mine.
Shamnesty?
Keating 5.
screwing Bush and the Republicans for the last 8 years as he has been unable to get over Bush beating him in 2000.
Your sham election reform.
Etc. Etc.
Come on McLame, throw us a bone.
Try to show conservatives ANY reason to support ya there fella?
I find you my last choice including Ron Paul or even Pat Paulson there fella.
And you sure are doing nothing to change my mind about ya.
Good post Da Coyote.
We really have no assurance that McCain won’t foist another Souter onto us if he gets the chance. Why would I or any other conservative have any reason to trust him?
Andrew McCarthy said it best in National Review:
“In fact, as between the two of us, it’s McCain’s supporters who are deluding themselves. I take them at their word, for example, that a hallmark of the senator’s politics is his tenacity on matters of principle. Consequently, I am skeptical of his assurances that he would appoint conservative judges who will apply rather than create law. Why? Because he has a recent, determined history of beseeching federal courts to disregard the First Amendment in furtherance of a dubious campaign-finance scheme in which he believes passionately. Conservative judges would (and have) rejected this scheme, just as they would (and have) rejected another signature McCain position: the extension of Geneva Convention protections for jihadists.
Now, the appointment of conservative judges is a crucial issue — one McCain posits as central to why we should prefer him to Obama and Clinton. Thus supporters breezily wave off such concerns, maintaining that McCain both promises there will be no issue-based litmus tests for judicial nominees and has conservatives of impeccable legal credentials advising him.
But for me to conclude McCain would surely appoint conservative judges, I also have to believe campaign-finance and the Geneva Convention weren’t all that big a deal to him after all — a possibility that runs counter to everything McCain’s fans tell us about his fidelity to principle. He’s fought tirelessly for years, in the teeth of blistering criticism, to establish campaign-finance regulations, and I’m now supposed to believe he’ll just shrug his shoulders and meekly name judges who’ll torpedo the whole enterprise — all in the name of upholding a judicial philosophy I’m not even sure he grasps? How exactly is it deranged to have my doubts?”
We meaning you. The die is cast. McCain's the nominee. It's time to accept that fact and decide rationally how to deal with it. You can:
A) vote for McCain, and reasonably hope to get slighly better governance than under a DEM, and you can dare hope for a good judge or two.
B) vote for a worthless scrub with no chance of winning--if it makes you feel better, you can always exercise your right to futility.
C) quit--you can always sit at home and just let yerself get rolled.
That's it. Those are the options. Me? I'm going with A, and living to fight another day.
We needn't trust him. He's the nominee. All we have to do is measure the odds. What are the odds of getting a Souter with McCain vs. the odds of getting a Souter with Obama or Hillary. For me, that's pretty simple math. Doesn't guarantee anything, but picking the better option is really not that tough. Trust has nothing to do with it.
Sadly, I think they are all about equally repugnant.
Unless I have a stroke I won't be pulling the POTUS lever either.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE
McCain is what he is. An obnoxious jerk.
Would you trust Hillary or Obama to give you a conservative?
“The die is cast. McCain’s the nominee. It’s time to accept that fact and decide rationally how to deal with it.”
No the die is NOT CAST.
There can be NO acceptance of a traitor such as McCain.
It is time we Conservatives assert our rightful place as the core of the GOP and do ANYTHING to get McTaritor out NOW.
Break some party rules - be a maverick - what a concept.
The 2nd phase of Operation CHAOS needs to begin SOONEST.
You TRUST McCain?
Naivety drips off your keyboard.
He has spent his entire political career stabbing conservatives in the back, spitting in our faces, and undermining our efforts. He is a self-described 'Maverick', and they have no loyalty to anyone other than for themselves.
This statement from the author is preposterous.
It's not that we have concluded we need the the "backing of the courts", lady, we concluded we need the courts to be courts and to NOT think they are tools of social policy.
It is the DEMOCRATS who have determined they need the backing of the courts to advance their agenda precisely because they can't pass it before the voters.
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