With Republican John McCain throwing down the global warming gauntlet, conservatives and those others worried about the future of the Republic Party have reason for concern.
McCain’s most recent effort to define himself against Barack Obama came in what might easily be called his “pie-in-the-sky” speech, in which he peers into his crystal ball and foresees the political landscape after a four-year McCain presidency.
In contrast to Obama’s obscurantist approach — never sharply defining what he stands for — McCain coughed up a wish list of happy outcomes: a victory in Iraq culminating in a U.S.-friendly regional democracy; private, affordable health care insurance; a great educational system; a streamlined, alternative energy program with a revitalized nuclear energy initiative; and a reduction in personal and corporate taxes, with a major overhaul of the tax code.
Finally, McCain signaled a warm and friendly interaction with Congress, based on his understanding of bipartisanship, even to the extent that he implies that he would allow the Congress (read: Democrats) to look over his shoulder before he proposes or signs any new legislation.
Poor McCain. Trying so hard to appear energetic and optimistic to an electorate that seems enthralled by Obama’s easy style and glib prattle about “change” and “hope,” McCain predictably came across with his usual stiffness and nervous smile. The man actually seems uncomfortable in his own skin.
So voters will be facing a bleak choice: a fresh-faced, far-left liberal with no legislative or leadership experience compared with a more experienced, yet fusty pol with no sense of party loyalty or principles, unless they conform to his own often screwy ideas.
It has been shown time after time that, once Republicans cease championing conservative values, they generally lose elections, particularly when they face opponents that have a modicum of charisma and promise to open up the government’s bag of goodies.
For some, McCain as nominee represents the best of a bad lot, and this explains why Republicans across the country are, pardon the pun, doleful. All of the Republican primary candidates had major liabilities. They were either generally unknown to voters, or had locker rooms of personal baggage, like Rudy Giuliani, or did not have the energy level, cash or temperament needed to sustain a national campaign.
This is where John McCain begins to resemble Bob Dole. Primogeniturally speaking, he was the next guy standing in the Republican line. Although he carried with him the stigma of being a maverick, which some in the media oddly think is an enduring quality, he prevailed mainly on account of being around a long, long time, as well as for the deference he automatically receives for having been a prisoner of war.
The McCain campaign tries to make the point that he is the superior candidate on account of his “seasoned” experience, his hard-line military stance, and his personal integrity. Does this remind anyone of Bob Dole?
Unfortunately, I don’t think these attributes are going to help him much with an restless electorate that is war-weary and wishes a new direction in government, having been in Republican hands for eight years, and now suffering a lousy economy to boot.
Plus, the Republican administration proved not to have governed according to Republican principles of fiscal responsibility, allowing runaway spending in the early Dubya administration, nor on a host of other issues like immigration, etc.
McCain’s personal integrity has also come into question among conservative party members because the candidate has “thrown them under the bus” when it suited him — McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, the Gang of 14, and the amnesty bill for illegal immigrants come to mind.
Why can’t the Republican Party plumb the depths of its membership, identify and rally behind a younger, energetic and proven vote-getter who can inspire people and draw them to his side, as has Obama? For all the business acumen latent in the party, they are certainly the worst communicators in public life.
Like Dole, then, we are left with a tired, old, and suspect candidate who is facing his last hurrah. One can only hope he doesn’t fall off a platform somewhere. His only claim on the voters will be the fear of casting a vote for the unknown and unproven neophyte Obama, or for that cynical and devious Clinton.
Truly a terrible choice to have to make.
Barrett Kalellis is a Michigan-based columnist and writer whose articles appear regularly in various local and national print and online publications. He may be reached at kalellis@hotmail.com.
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