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Naysayers beware: McCain GOP’s best choice for presidency
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Also by Joe Trovato:
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- Naysayers beware: McCain GOP's best choice for presidency (February 11, 2008)
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- America, treat Russia with some respect (December 5, 2007)
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If conservatives have any hope of keeping the liberals out of office next November, they need to get behind John McCain.
Suffice it to say, conservative voters have not exactly had a dream ticket of candidates to choose from in the 2008 presidential campaign. True conservatives like Fred Thompson ran lackluster campaigns that failed to generate any real momentum.
Big-name candidate Rudy Giuliani, although not exactly the idyllic conservative candidate, had his chance but squandered the opportunity with his curious campaign strategy.
Mitt Romney, also a true conservative, just did not have what it took to get the job done. With the war chest of campaign money he had at his disposal, if he could not convince enough conservatives to vote for him in the primary, there is no way he would stand a chance in the general election.
While Mike Huckabee has run a spirited campaign, even with his conservative record, he just does not have the power to win in the general election. He must realize that there is still a northern part of the country and that all Americans are not evangelical Christians.
That leaves John McCain, who has come on strong after a weak start to his campaign. McCain, while enjoying recent success in the primaries, has seen his conservative credentials come under attack. Conservative critics such as Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter have blasted Mr. McCain on his more moderate voting record as an Arizona senator. Granted, Mr. McCain is no Ronald Reagan, but he is the only Republican candidate that stands a legitimate chance of winning in the general election.
In an election where Hillary Clinton is the frontrunner, it is time that conservatives stand up and ask, “What is best for this country?” If the conservative base decides not to support Mr. McCain, the nation will surely be left with the worst possible scenario for a conservative: Hillary Clinton.
Given her plan to withdraw from Iraq, her pro-gay marriage views and her plan to essentially socialize health care, which would lead to an unprecedented tax increase, it is easy to see that she butts heads with even moderate conservatives on many issues.
With his more moderate stance on many issues, Mr. McCain will be able to appeal to moderate voters who are yet to decide who they will vote for. Generally speaking, the moderates are the ones who determine the victors in presidential elections. A candidate like Ms. Clinton, on the other hand, is so liberal and polarizing that she will alienate this middle ground.
Additionally, while some conservative critics’ attacks on Mr. McCain’s more moderate record are warranted, he is conservative where it matters as president. Critics claim that some of Mr. McCain’s domestic policies and votes in the Senate have been more moderate.
But there is no doubt that when it comes to foreign policy, Mr. McCain has advanced conservative principles. The president does not dictate domestic policy anyway, Congress does. Yes, the president usually either takes the blame or the credit for domestic policies, but in reality these issues are usually brought to the forefront by legislators representing their individual constituencies and then signed-off on by the president. The president can push for certain domestic actions, but they go nowhere without congressional support.
The president’s real power comes in the realm of foreign policy because, despite argument at home about what is to be done abroad, the president can generally act a little more independently from Congress in this arena. He represents the unified front of American foreign policy to the world.
Mr. McCain is committed to winning the war in Iraq and combating terror around the world. And given his meritorious record of military service, Mr. McCain knows what it will take to win, and he is the kind of candidate that this country needs in charge in a time of war. It is safe to say that he has sterling conservative credentials in this department.
Furthermore, Mr. McCain has always advocated fiscal and personal responsibility, lower taxes and gun rights — issues that true conservatives hold dear. More importantly, Mr. McCain is not just a puppet of his party like many politicians are.
In his tenure as a senator, he has always stood up for what he thought was right for this country, not just for what he thought was right for his party or the lobbyists that support it. His bipartisan leadership has transcended party lines, and he has stuck to his own principles. This is the kind of man the country needs right now.
John McCain, unlike democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton or many of his conservative colleagues, has the ability to unify, not just Republicans or Democrats, but all Americans.
It is time that conservative voters begin to look beyond the primary to see what awaits them in the national election. If they choose not to vote for Mr. McCain because he is “not conservative enough,” then they will essentially be casting their vote for Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama. Right-wing voters must ask themselves if they would rather have a moderate conservative or an extreme liberal in the Oval Office. The risk of not voting for Mr. McCain is far too great.
Realistically, Mr. McCain is the Republican Party’s best hope for victory in November, and he is the best choice for this country. America needs a leader that will unify, not polarize. Thus, all conservatives must rally their support behind Mr. McCain.
If they do not, they will find another Clinton in the White House.
Joe Trovato (jtrovato@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in journalism.
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Hear, hear.
“Given her plan to withdraw from Iraq, her pro-gay marriage views and her plan to essentially socialize health care, which would lead to an unprecedented tax increase, it is easy to see that she butts heads with even moderate conservatives on many issues.”
Do some research, Joe. Hillary really isn’t planning to withdraw from Iraq, she’s DEFINITELY not in favor of gay marriage, and she’s the candidate least likely to do anything positive about the healthcare situation.
Extreme generalizations like this happen when you lump a group like ‘the liberals’ together. Please, for the sake of your Journalism major, learn how to research properly.