GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
The conventional wisdom among the pundits is that John McCain now stands little chance of winning the Republican nomination. He has little cash on hand. Giuliani leads national polls. Romney leads Iowa and New Hampshire. McCain has reduced staff drastically. You just never know in politics though. Pundits were writing off John Kerry at one point in 2003. I’ll leave the predictions about his fate to others. I want to use this post to discuss how I personally feel about the Arizona senator. I have mixed feelings about John McCain. Like most people, he has some qualities that are less so.
On the plus side, McCain is one of the more genuine people in politics. He makes decisions based on principle and not political expediency. He has been more consistent on issues throughout his career than has Romney. He is willing to offend conservatives on campaign finance reform and immigration. He is willing to offend liberals, moderates, and some of the conservatives (Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, etc.) on the Iraq war. He was the only top-tier Republican candidate to oppose torture. He did not feel like he had to act like a tough guy in the South Carolina debate the way Giuliani did. He even is willing to admit when he is wrong. Over the weekend I saw him on TV saying that he did not tell South Carolina not to fly the Confederate flag in 2000 because he was afraid that would cause him to lose the primary there. He lost that primary anyway and says he wishes he had done what he thought was right.
I have not read any of McCain’s books, but I understand that in one of them he discusses his time as a prisoner of war. His father was a general and could have gotten McCain released early, but McCain thought the people who had been there longer should be released before him. That shows a level of courage that most other people, including myself, would likely be incapable of.
McCain has a more conservative voting record in the US Senate than most people give him credit for. He is probably more conservative than most Republicans when it comes to government spending, especially of the pork-barrel variety. He has a lifetime rating of zero from NARAL. He is also electable. He and Giuliani perform better in general election polls than Romney does.
If cracking down on illegal immigration is a top issue for you, McCain is not going to be your man. He’s not going to be your man if you consider campaign finance reform to be an assault on free speech and place opposition to campaign finance reform as a top political priority. However, if you differ from the conservative doctrine on those issues or simply place them as a low priority but want a fiscal conservative who is pro-life and can win a general election, McCain could be a good choice.
Another factor to consider is the war. While all Republican candidates with the exception of Ron Paul are pretty hawkish on foreign policy, few are as hawkish as John McCain. That is either a plus or a minus depending on whether you consider yourself a neo-con or a paleo-con or a moderate or whatever else. However, some people believe that with his military experience, he could get the situation resolved faster than some of the other candidates.
There are also many arguments that could be made against McCain’s candidacy. Is he really a sincere reformer or maverick or is he just someone who grabs the spotlight whenever he can? He often takes positions that please the media a lot more than they please the conservative base. McCain even referred to the media once as “his base”.
John McCain would not win any popularity contests among his Senate colleagues. Is that because he stands up to them when they are spending taxpayers’ money foolishly or caving into special interests? Or is it because he doesn’t have the temperment to work with people with whom he disagrees? It is really hard to say.
Another question is whether McCain can be trusted on judges. He was part of the Gang of 14. In his years in the Senate he was often aligned with people who are no friends of the conservative cause, such as Arlen Specter and Warren Rudman. Rudman is still a strong supporter of his in New Hampshire. He also has the endorsements of the two liberal Republican Senators from Maine.
Finally, there are questions about McCain’s character. Whether or not that is relevant to electing a President is a hotly debated topic, but if you are a person who does consider it important, McCain’s background raises questions. His first wife was very attractive when he married her but was involved in a car crash while McCain was in Vietnam. The crash was near-fatal. She survived, but the crash left her four inches shorter, overweight, and on crutches. McCain divorced her shortly thereafter. He then married his current wife, who he had been pursuing while still married to the first one, in 1980. He was 43 at the time, and she was 25. It was probably difficult for Mitt Romney when his wife was diagnosed with MS, but he has shown a certain marital loyalty that the other top tier Republican candidates have not.
While McCain is neither the ideologue Fred Thompson is nor the family man Mitt Romney is, his performance in Vietnam was heroic. He does try to do what he thinks is right on the issues regardless of what is popular. He would certainly rein in spending in Washington and would make a decent President. Whether he can still get there remains to be seen.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Top Tier Candidate?
Come on - you guys gotta be kidding.
August 8th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
McCain’s endorsements trump ANY other candidate’s. Plus after the surge and immigration, I think McCain is best seated to receive Bush’s endorsement.
August 8th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
“Plus after the surge and immigration, I think McCain is best seated to receive Bush’s endorsement.”
This is a PLUS sampo? Oh Brother.
August 8th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
My beef with Mccain. Don’t trust him at all to appoint a conservative justice. I think he would appoint a sandra day oconnor type.
also, he is to power hungry. he has wanted to be president way too long and is willing to do anything for it. I don’t think his motivations are as ‘pure’ as I would like them to be.
he is a senator. senators are egotistical and arrogant. My opinion is that his colleagues don’t like him because he is arrogant and cuthroat. he is not cordial or whitty. He is abrasive and hostile.
bad temperment and way too old. Just look at him. He doesn’t look good.
i admire him very much for being a war hero, definetely. No one can question that he has courage. I think his time to be president has passed.
August 8th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
furthermore, bush isn’t going to endorse anybody until after the primaries and I agree, why would he want a bush endorsement in this political climate?
August 8th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Hello, all-
Remember, I’m the one who “finds much to admire about Senator McCain’s candidacy” -
FYI - post on my site - this was the mass e-mail sent out earlier this afternoon - comments/reviews/analysis welcome:
“Here is the text, without annotation or commentary, of the fundraising e-mail which was sent out en masse, by the official campaign, under Senator McCain’s signature, received by The Tower at 2:42 PM on Wednesday, August 8:
Dear (recipient’s first name),
Have you seen the headlines about how much money the Democrats are raising? In just six months, the Democrats running for president against me have raised more than a jaw-dropping $100 million combined! These well-funded Democrats are so far out of the mainstream that electing any one of them as President would lead to a less secure homeland, surrender in Iraq, socialized health care, new taxes, and even more wasteful spending. For every issue facing our nation, their solution is more government.I’m still the Republican presidential candidate who is in the best position to stop the Democrats from taking the White House in 2008. And with the stakes so high, we cannot afford to give up…or even back down one inch. I’m the only candidate in this race prepared to be Commander-in-Chief from day one and dedicated to continuing the fight against Islamic fundamentalists. I will veto every bill that wastes taxpayers’ dollars, and I will stand up to the special interests and Washington lobbyists to find real reform to fix our nation’s most pressing problems, like health care. With so much on the line, we cannot afford to elect a Democrat to the White House in 2008.
With the Democrats so well-funded, I need your help. I need you, today, to make a special donation to ensure our campaign can keep pace with our opponents to spread our message of common sense conservatism. I need your most generous donation of $50, $100, $250, $500 or even $1,000 today to respond to their attacks and get my own message out.
I have advantages in this race that will ultimately prove decisive. First, my unwavering conservative principles will continue to attract voters who want a President who will stand tall and take on the tough challenges. Second, my life experience has prepared me to face the challenge of Islamic extremism and be Commander-in-Chief from day one. Third, I have been through the grueling demands of a presidential campaign before. This campaign will be a long, hard fought contest…and I am ready to battle every inch of the way. Finally, I have the best, most committed supporters like you. This is the key to going the distance and winning in the long haul.
My friend, it’s still no secret that I don’t like asking for money. But the fact is I cannot win without your continued financial support. I have no choice but to ask you to immediately follow this link to give $50, $100, $250, $500 or more.
The McCain team is a true grassroots effort. But no grassroots effort can be successful without passionate supporters like you ready to step up to the plate as the stakes get higher and higher.
There’s still time to spread my message to Republicans in early-voting states, but I can’t do that without you.
Sincerely yours,
[McCain's signature]
P.S. I am confident that as even more Republican primary voters form judgments on my experience, record, and vision, I will surge into the lead and hold it all the way through the general election. But these coming weeks and months are the key. I’m relying on you to help me get my message out by immediately following this link to give $50, $100, $250, $500 or more today. Thank you for you generosity and support.”
You can contact The Tower at tower@campaignia.org.
August 8th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
jon,
Few people have been more elated to have supported Roberts and Alito than McCain. I think He also voted for Robert Bork.
Even yesterday, he also criticized the Supreme Court for FAR extending the federal governments power in eminent domain.
not sure how else to put your mind at ease.
read faith of my fathers. McCain lays bare much of his soul –certainly more than you’d expect from the average politician.
I think it’s time to elect a Senator —someone who’s been on record for years in issues our nation faces. Say what you want about hillary, but at least i know where she’s coming from after serving as Senator from NY. Giuliani has been a ghost since he left office so he’s largely avoided any controversy since leaving office.
and as far as endorsements go, Powell has donated the maximum amount allowed. Also he has not given to any other candidate. If he does endorse McCain, he’d be the biggest player to throw in to 2008 (except for bill clinton). according to rasmussen, powell’s favorables are off the chart.
August 8th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Every Republican ought to have voted for Robert Bork. He’s not my idea of a perfect justice (I think he’s far too emotionally invested in certain political issues for my taste), but he certainly met the minimum standards for becoming a Supreme Court justice. And his record was actually reasonably less conservative then Scalia’s. I’m glad McCain voted for him, but that doesn’t convince me he’s actually a textual conservative.