Opinion
McCain deserves respect for improving political discourse
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A couple weeks ago I wrote a column on the role racism plays in the election strategy of John McCain. I argued that McCain, like any Republican candidate, has a political coalition largely based on subtle but very present racial and cultural prejudices that have long prevented Americans from supporting the type of progressive policy that should be inherent in an industrialized society.
McCain’s supporters, lead in large part by his pathetically backward running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, have repeatedly tried to paint Obama and his supporters as anti-American and even foreign, harping on Obama’s vague associations with radical figures like Bill Ayers and suggesting that Obama’s plan for
Yes, this was printed in a college newspaper.
Nevertheless, despite the negativity and demagoguery that has come to rule the McCain campaign, historians may very well look kindly upon this candidate’s repudiation of much of the cultural war nonsense that defined the Bush victories in 2000 and 2004.
The almost complete neglect of social issues by the McCain campaign signals an acknowledgment that the religious right does not deserve a place of prominence in the national political dialogue. While religious conservatives still constitute an important segment of the Republican Party base, McCain has appealed to them most visibly by picking one of their loyal foot soldiers as his vice-presidential candidate but not by speaking to the issues they care about most: abortion, same-sex marriage, stem cell research and the separation of church and state.
Perhaps the most obvious reason McCain has had to forsake the Bible Belt base is that he’s simply not right on with most of their issues. Although the senator has consistently opposed abortion rights during his three-decade career on Capitol Hill, he’s been considerably more reasonable on the issue than most Republicans, supporting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and rarely discussing the issue on the campaign trail.
On the issue of gay marriage McCain actually showed extraordinary political courage: McCain was one of five Republicans in the Senate to stand up against Bush’s transparent attempt to motivate social conservatives by demonizing homosexuals through a constitutional amendment to restrict their rights. Although McCain unfortunately still opposes same-sex marriage, his position is essentially no more reactionary than Barack Obama’s and therefore has not presented an opportunity for the type of overt homophobia Republican politicians have used to their advantage in past elections.
McCain has furthermore strayed from emphasizing his religion in the manner Bush — as well as many Republican political candidates — did in the past two elections. In Palin the campaign has found an enthusiastic “faith” spokesperson, but McCain himself rarely references his religious beliefs in his discussion of policy, in stark contrast to many of his opponents, such as Mike Huckabee, whose use of religious rhetoric had Thomas Jefferson doing summersaults in his grave. McCain even went as far as to express belief in — gasp! — evolution. Such an acknowledgement of scientific fact is tantamount to waving the white flag of surrender to the secular progressives, who, as “Papa Bear” O’Reilly will tell you, will stop at nothing to force your children into pre-marital sexual relationships and will knock on your door Christmas Eve to make sure you call that evergreen in your living room a “holiday tree.”
All these concessions to reason may simply display McCain’s inability to run away from a relatively moderate social record, but what it hopefully demonstrates is that
Talking to Bill Maher last week, Matthew Dowd, Bush’s chief campaign strategist in 2004, declared that the American people believe the issue of abortion is settled and don’t want to hear about it any more in the political arena.
Yes, the pocketbook concerns have obviously pushed social issues to the side in the wake of the financial crisis, but voters may also be in the process of understanding that culture warriors don’t accomplish much in the way of policy in office. A president who shares your views on prayer in school will hardly be able to change the way the school nearest you is actually run.
The expected Obama victory next Tuesday will in some ways be a triumph of liberal ideals of patriotism and unity over reactionary appeals to tribalism and even sectionalism. (Will
Jack Craver (jcraver@badgerherald.com) is a junior majoring in history.
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I would agree with everything you have written above had McCain not chosen Palin, which was a blatant attempt at pandering to the religious evangelical base.
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… signals an acknowledgment that the religious right does not deserve a place of prominence…
EXCEPT, he chose Sarah Palin to get in good with the religious extreme. Mitt Romney would have been an excellent VP, except Mormonism is seen as a cult by the mega-church crowd.
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Jack, could you have at least said something about the race-baiting tactics used by Obama and his minions? It ain’t all hillbillies slingin’ the mud.
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Yes, calling his opponent “That One” was VERY dignified!
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This is a really great column. I couldn’t agree more.
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hi there, it’s pretty funny that you felt the urge to falsely quote what i wrote in my column last week. first of all, i did not question obama’s identity as a christian. I simply stated that when he first entered the church it was not as a man of faith but rather as a person with an agenda looking to exploit the church’s infrastructure. the fact that he then became a christian can be read in two ways: either he was converted by spending so much time in the church leading to becoming a christian, or he realized it was kind of suspicious to use the church’s resources when you weren’t a member of that church. i did not draw either conclusion, and still won’t: all i said was that he initially used the church as a community organizing technique even though he was agnostic. this is straight out of his book, so you don’t have to take my word for it. actually, it’s kind of comical that you use these quotes to try to make into some kind of racist or bigot, because actually, all of that information can be verified by reading obama’s book. but i can see how using information provided by obama himself in order to point out his shortcomings would drive liberals into such an irrational frenzy. keep up the good work. katie nix
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Better to be ridiculous then bigoted and ridiculous: political discourse in 2008, holla.
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this is bull. look at his ads. and his reference to obama as “that one” during a debate..
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Katie, even in posting comments, everything you say is irrelevant dribble.
You were served. Now kindly leave.
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Katie,
Fair enough.
Looking over what you wrote I believe a more accurate way to phrase your words would be, “questioned his intentions for becoming a Christian, or being a member of a church.”
Although that doesn’t change my opinion on what the purpose of your claims were, I apologize if I misquoted you. I would be happy to print a correction if you feel it is necessary.
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oh, how tolerant liberals are these days: ordering someone out of their university for providing a different perspective.
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Empty promises from Leftist Liberals and empty rantings from their mini-me acolytes! Jack states that ‘McCain Deserves Respect’ but offers nothing but snarky commentary and bigoted, unsubtle racist invective.
If your as tired of these rude dudes and their untested, no experience, all talk Liberal Lawyer leader as I am, come join middle America in voting for John McCain. McCain has the Experience We Need. At the same time you can achieve what the Democrats refused to do again: Put A Woman In The White House This Year!
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6:22 - Yeah, but not THAT woman. It makes a difference, you know. We’re not all the same.