Catch McCain fever

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by Letters to the Editor

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 00:00

I caught McCain fever in the fall of 2007. A conservative-turned-moderate by liberal Madison, I witnessed a conversation one evening between two Democrat friends, who concluded that John McCain was the only Republican president they could ever stomach. Now, the fact that a liberal liked him would be far from reason enough to like him, but it was and is too late. McCain is my man in this election.

I was excited about Mac before February of this year, but it wasn’t until just a week or two ago that I got excited about his campaign. I know John McCain to be a maverick:, a politician who stands up to his party for what he thinks is the best solution to a problem. I know John McCain to be a man who can recognize when something is broken and needs desperately to be fixed. Most importantly, McCain is a man who looks for the most innovative and efficient way to fix our problems.

But this past spring and summer, McCain was anything but a maverick. We saw more obsession[AD1]  with his status as a POW and anti-Obama ranting. Having read about McCain’s innovative ideas for reform on his website and heard of similar ideas from other sources, it was beyond frustrating to see this reforming maverick behaving like an old Washingtonian[AD2] . Paris Hilton? Come on.

But now we are finally starting to see the genuine McCain — and Obama better watch out! Obama keeps asking McCain to talk about the issues — but does Obama know that McCain already is? And is he ready to author a response? I think not.

John McCain will reform healthcare by completely revamping the whole system. Of course, we have all heard about tax credits, but do you know how they work? McCain’s system takes power away from the employer and puts it in the hands of the employee.  This is done by having the employer pay the employee the amount spent on their healthcare plan as part of their salary. The employee is then taxed on the extra money just like the rest of their salary, but the tax credits will completely cover, sometimes in excess, the extra taxes the employee must pay. The employees are then free to buy the same plan for the same price and come out even, or are able to choose a plan best suited to them that may cost much less. Giving the consumer the power will result in lower prices as insurance companies compete for your business. And this is just the beginning. Interstate competition will drive prices even lower, and McCain will ensure that the “uninsurable” are covered as well. What does Obama propose? The same old thing — more government control, more government spending and higher taxes. 

McCain believes we need to drastically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but that this must be done with the environment in mind. Offshore drilling will reduce the current prices of gas, because the prices we pay at the pump are based on speculation of future supply. Natural gas is extremely clean, and we have an abundance of it here, in our own backyard. Wind and solar power are both components of John McCain’s answer to the energy crisis. To advance clean energy, McCain offers a $300 million reward to the first individual or company to come up with an efficient and affordable renewable source.  This prize will act as an incentive for America’s greatest, most efficient and inventive asset: our private sector. Obama wants to spend billions to research such options. You can choose: spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars once we have accomplished the goal, or spend billions to maybe solve the problem? 

McCain will privatize social security, which will benefit all. How is this so? Those whose assets do not achieve the amount they would receive under normal social security will be reimbursed by the government. Employees will have the ability to choose how much of their paycheck goes into their private accounts, and if they choose to simply stick with the current system, they can; however, benefits of going private will, in the vast majority of cases, outweigh the benefits of the current social security system.

McCain will also keep our country safe. Other countries will know not to mess with us, but we can also be sure that McCain will employ the wisdom he accumulated as a veteran and POW to keep us out of unnecessary conflict. 

McCain will be tough on corrupt government spending, as he always has been. He will keep taxes low, and he will go after special interests. A little help from Palin on this probably won’t hurt — she’s gone after corruption on both sides of the aisle, and her state currently has not only a balanced budget, but also has a surplus.

As voters turn to the issues and as McCain begins to shine, the Obama campaign is doing everything they can to link McCain to George W. Bush. Have you noticed? Every time you hear a response from the Obama campaign, the term “Bush-McCain” will be uttered. In all honesty, I don’t think the two men really even like each other that much — and their political styles couldn’t be more different. One example: Bush’s spending policies have been anything but conservative and anything but good for our country. McCain’s strongest conviction is to stop excessive spending.

McCain’s campaign is finally going in the right direction, and the polls and the tone, even in Madison, reflect that. Yesterday, I was at the student organization fair, handing out McCain paraphernalia with Students for McCain. We ran out of signs three times, and had to have someone from the campaign drive to the Kohl Center with more materials. It’s not scary to be a conservative in Madison anymore — it’s exciting. After listening to Obama whine and complain about conservatives and avoid the issues one time too many, it seems Madison may be on the verge of realizing who the progressive reformer really is in this campaign.

Katie Nix (nix@wisc.edu) is the statewide chair of Students for McCain.