2008 Woodie Awards
Where did John McCain go?
Joe Caporoso
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Op/Ed
I remember the day I sat down to write an article praising John McCain. It was during my freshman year, and, McCain was an independent mind and a Republican that every Democrat had to respect as a strong, promising candidate for President. McCain battled George Bush valiantly in a gruesome primary battle in 2004 for the Republican nomination, where he attacked the aspects of President Bush's candidacy that weren't based in true conservatism. Unfortunately, Bush escaped with a victory in the primary and of course a victory in the general election. Most people thought McCain was done for as a Presidential candidate. Yet here he is again, in February 2008, surprising United States citizens with the nomination all but locked up.
However, do not be confused because the platform McCain is running on doesn't qualify him as a "maverick," as many individuals refer to him as. Yes, it is a good sign that the radically right-wing pundits in this country (Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity) won't endorse him. It is nice to see the excessively conservative wing of the Republican Party seemingly being left without a candidate. Yet, instead of running as the moderate, independent Republican that he was, McCain has now taken part in a desperate attempt to become George W. Bush.
The change over the last eight years has been absolutely incredible. It is almost as though Bush, Cheney, and the rest of their administration has effectively brainwashed the Senator. In 2002, McCain's votes had him ranked as the sixth most liberal Republican in the Senate. However, McCain's voting record over the last session of Congress had him ranked as the second most conservative Senator.
In 1999, he stated that Roe v Wade shouldn't be overturned, and of course he is now campaigning that it should be overturned. In 2002, he correctly characterized Jerry Falwell as an "agent of intolerance." However, before Falwell passed away this past May, McCain was consulting with him for his campaign. He also abandoned his attacks on other Republicans that he criticized in the past and laid off his strong push towards campaign finance reform.
It is going to be the same old Republicans running again this November. It will be the same hawkish foreign policy, the same economics that won't help the middle class and the same lack of healthcare for millions of Americans. Yes, there will be some improvements: the environmental policy will be improved, the speeches won't be as painful to listen to, and McCain is a war hero, not somebody who hung out in Texas in an Air Force outfit. Yet, in the end, the likely McCain/Huckabee ticket is representing a vote for the past or a vote to keep the status quo, unless McCain becomes the politician he was eight years ago.
However, do not be confused because the platform McCain is running on doesn't qualify him as a "maverick," as many individuals refer to him as. Yes, it is a good sign that the radically right-wing pundits in this country (Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity) won't endorse him. It is nice to see the excessively conservative wing of the Republican Party seemingly being left without a candidate. Yet, instead of running as the moderate, independent Republican that he was, McCain has now taken part in a desperate attempt to become George W. Bush.
The change over the last eight years has been absolutely incredible. It is almost as though Bush, Cheney, and the rest of their administration has effectively brainwashed the Senator. In 2002, McCain's votes had him ranked as the sixth most liberal Republican in the Senate. However, McCain's voting record over the last session of Congress had him ranked as the second most conservative Senator.
In 1999, he stated that Roe v Wade shouldn't be overturned, and of course he is now campaigning that it should be overturned. In 2002, he correctly characterized Jerry Falwell as an "agent of intolerance." However, before Falwell passed away this past May, McCain was consulting with him for his campaign. He also abandoned his attacks on other Republicans that he criticized in the past and laid off his strong push towards campaign finance reform.
It is going to be the same old Republicans running again this November. It will be the same hawkish foreign policy, the same economics that won't help the middle class and the same lack of healthcare for millions of Americans. Yes, there will be some improvements: the environmental policy will be improved, the speeches won't be as painful to listen to, and McCain is a war hero, not somebody who hung out in Texas in an Air Force outfit. Yet, in the end, the likely McCain/Huckabee ticket is representing a vote for the past or a vote to keep the status quo, unless McCain becomes the politician he was eight years ago.