Last Friday, right-wing radical shockstress Ann Coulter shrieked that fellow Republican John McCain is ?not only bad for Republicans, he is? very, very bad for the country.? I?m ashamed to admit it, but I actually agree with Ann Coulter here ? well, actually, just the latter half of that statement. What boggled my mind, though, was why Coulter would decry her party?s probable nominee with such heated passion.
The election or even nomination of Sen. McCain could be a harbinger for the inevitable death of social conservatism. Granted, Mr. McCain is still not progressive by any means on many issues, but he does represent a distinct difference from the evolution-denying, fence-building, neocon nativists. Or what Sean Hannity calls ?true conservatives.? However, those same people who lambaste Mr. McCain and espouse Mitt Romney as an alternative willingly ignore the Massachusetts governor?s mandated universal health care plan and 1994 promises to be more pro-gay rights than Ted Kennedy. And yet Ms. Coulter calls Mr. McCain a liberal? The Republican Party is confused, and, frankly, so am I.
Of course, the Arizona senator does earn maverick points by teaming with some of Congress?s most liberal members, including Sens. Russ Feingold, Ted Kennedy and John Edwards. Nevertheless, he is most definitely conservative, even in today?s Bush-era definition of the term. NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a zero percent approval rating in 2006 on reproductive rights. In 2007, 100 percent of the time, Mr. McCain supported the interests of Club for Growth, a conservative organization that seeks to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, cut social programs and deregulate the market ? about as fiscally conservative as you can get. For 2005-06, the American Civil Liberties Union and the pro-LGBT Human Rights Campaign both rated him with a dismal 33 percent support. The environmentally-conscious League of Conservation Voters approved of McCain?s work only 29 percent of the time.
Okay, so he is anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-environment, anti-civil liberties and pro-tax cuts for the wealthy and pro-elimination of social programs. Let us get one thing straight: John McCain is definitely not a Democrat and by no means a liberal.
However, we cannot ignore that there is a rift in the Republican Party. Mr. Bush and his failed foreign (and domestic) policies have fractured the base and driven many to declare their independence. These frustrated moderates see in the Democrats hope for change in health care, the economy and Iraq. In a two-pronged attack, those on the farthest right are also leaving, disgruntled with ?compassionate conservatism? and ?big tent? Republicanism. Is the unified party with common principles a thing of the past?
If Mr. McCain is elected, it translates into four or even eight long years of introspection for the Republican Party. It would be perfectly normal for the GOP congressional delegation to throw a fit if, say, a President Obama or a President Hillary Clinton were to call for a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. But if a President McCain were to do the same, prudence and solidarity dictates silent acceptance, as he would then be the leader of the party. A McCain presidency would herald the marginalization of the so-called ?moral majority.? It would redefine the Republican Party. Permanently.
What if McCain does become president? Will it be the nail in the coffin for the Republican Party because they perceive him to be less than ideally conservative? If a Democrat wins in November, the GOP at least has a reason to reinvigorate itself. But if Republicans elect Mr. McCain, then what?
The 2008 election will ultimately boil down to who can swing the independents and first-time or occasional voters. I don?t know who is running the Republican playbook now that Karl Rove is gone, but painting Mr. McCain as a liberal is shrewd strategy. It makes him more palatable to the moderates and independents, setting the stage for a strenuous showdown as we approach November.
Regardless of any purposeful intent, Limbaugh, Hannity and Coulter continue their condemnation. The same Republicans who profess their love for Ronald Reagan distance themselves from John McCain for his positions on issues like amnesty ? which, lest we forget, Reagan supported.
If Mr. McCain is the Republican nominee, there is a significant possibility that the GOP base may not mobilize and rally around him simply because of the Coulter-created perception that he is a liberal. However, in the world of politics, perception is reality. Being seen as nothing short of truly conservative would be detrimental to Mr. McCain?s campaign not only in terms of the number of votes but also the dollars that effectively buy the votes. Will people like Ms. Coulter hold their noses and pull the lever for Sen. McCain because he is their Republican, or will they simply stay home come Election Day?
Suchita Shah ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in neurobiology.
