McCain denies his record, Liberal columnists feign disappointment
Published Mon, Dec 4 2006 1:28 PM
Technorati Tags: News and Politics, Liberals, Conservatives, Republicans, Corruption
Joel Connelly has been taken in by John McCain's campaign strategy.
The 2000 John McCain-for-president campaign was the last big show of strength for our state's moderate Republicans, with ex-Gov. Dan Evans defecting from George W. Bush and a granddaughter of Theodore Roosevelt serving as honorary chairwoman.
...
Hence, John McCain is positioning himself as a conventional Republican as he explores another run for the White House.
That's all it really is, positioning.
Or, as McCain put it to the Washington Post, "My record is the same on all issues, which is that of a conservative Republican. Not a liberal Republican. Not a moderate Republican."
If that's not a crock of horse manure, I don't know what is. McCain may be hawkish in the War of Terror, and he may be anti-abortion, but he's no conservative. How else could liberals like Hillary Clinton have embraced the possibility of his being a Democrat vice presidential candidate in 2004?
In an astute analysis, Matt Welch of the Los Angeles Times recently wrote: "If his issues line up with yours, and you're not overly concerned by an activist federal government, McCain can be a great and sympathetic ally.
"But chances are he will eventually see a grave national threat in what you consider harmless, or he'll prescribe a remedy that you consider unconscionable. Nowhere is that more evident than in his ideas about the Iraq war."
It's laughable that a liberal like Matt Welch is worried about an "activist federal government". Isn't that what welfare, medicare, and the ESA, and the EPA are all symptoms of? These programs aren't mandated by our constitution.
McCain has been virtuous on issues that matter here.
He has tried to get the Senate to vote to cap and then reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. His chief co-sponsor is Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.
The science regarding a link greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is hardly settled. The fact of the matter is that even if we eliminated all CO2 generation in the United States the impact on global warming would be negligible. Rather than hysterical alarmism about CO2 emissions "dooming" our planet we should prepare for the inevitable, if it is really inevitable, and deal with the consequences of climate change. Using the power of the federal government to increase regulation of our energy sources to pursue this bit of the liberal agenda is another example of what Matt Welch is worried about.
TR raised hackles by designating a Grand Canyon National Monument in northern Arizona. McCain and a Democratic mentor, Rep. Morris Udall, passed a statewide wilderness bill for Arizona over the objections of two Republican congressmen. McCain opposes oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
McCain opposes any effort at energy independency by the United States. He's an environmental extremist cut in the same model as Al Gore. He's just not quite as looney as Mr. Gore. This is hardly what I'd call a "far-right" position as Joel Connelly suggests.
Ideologues demean even the good deeds of those they oppose. Look at how the Democratic left has demonized Lieberman.
So the point must be made: John McCain has, at times, defied the orthodoxy -- and the president -- of his party in service of the national interest.
John McCain has, at times, defied the orthodoxy -- and the president -- of his party in service of his own selfish gains. He's been pandering for votes at every opportunity and pandering for media attention. The man is not a conservative. He never was one, and despite his positioning now, he won't be one should he attain the Presidency.
As McCain swept the 2000 New Hampshire primary, big crowds turned out to cheer his denunciations of big money and its corruption of the American political system.
They turned out to cheer his "incumbency protection act." They turned out to cheer his assault on the freedom of speech of all but the "chosen few" of the mass media. McCain-Feingold wasn't about rooting out corruption in the American political system. It was about suppressing the political speech of all but the "blessed" in the 60 days leading up to an election. It has been used to suppress and chill the political speech of radio talk-show hosts speaking out against a government that would tax the people while denying them their opportunity to be heard, one of the primary issues that led to the American Revolution.
The heady spirit of a reformer on the road is gone.
It was never there Joel. McCain is an opportunistic liberal politician through and through. You're just worried because you know that conservatives will see though his posturing, and reject him.
Linked at Basil's Blog.
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