The debatable question arose:
"Who is more likely to gain support from the independents? John McCain or Barak Obama?"
Some of the students argued that John McCain would be more likely to get the independents vote because he is a "moderate conservative," while Barak Obama is on the far left with liberal ideals. But what the students failed to understand is that McCain is a full-blown left wing conservative, and there's nothing "moderate" about him. Although some media outlets might make him out to be a moderate conservative, the proof is really in the pudding. Don't believe me?
The front page of Huffington Post featured an article today that perfectly summarizes just how conservative John McCain really is. When it comes to every partisan issue, John McCain takes the right-wing stance indefinitely. Not only does he support the war in Iraq, but he also has served as a key ally in George Bush's efforts to increase U.S soldiers occupying the country. Other topics like abortion, gun control, and gay rights also illustrate that "moderate," is really not a descriptive word pertaining to the Republican candidate.
When it comes to abortion, McCain is a self-proclaimed pro-life advocate. He has vowed to appoint Supreme Court Justices that will limit the impact of the Roe v. Wade ruling, which basically legalized abortion. His views on gay marriage are just as conservative since he completely opposes it. In fact, he worked to ban gay marriage in Arizona and fully supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He even opposed legislation that would protect homosexuals from hate crimes and job discrimination. To top things off, he is an avid supporter of the National Riffle Association and has voted AGAINST a ban for assault-style weapons. But people consider him a moderate conservative?
Where is the logic in that?
Polls have indicated that most people do in fact see McCain as a centrist while Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are perceived as far left candidates. Studies done by political scientists such as Philip Converse show that independents are typically less politically aware than strong Democrats or Republicans. This presidential election would perfectly illustrate that finding if the independents are naive enough to fall for McCain's "moderate conservative" tactics.
Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 5)
31. How is the hypocrisy of a politician shocking or surprising?
Before Senator McCain became just another cheap whore, who sold his soul, principals and believes out the window, and is now willing to do whatever it takes to become president. McCain was in my opinion one of the good politicians who may not have always been on the popular side of issues, however, tried his best to do right by the American people.
Once upon a time Senator McCain stood for the rights of Veterans, the right of women’s freedom to choose and the “small town Americans” who continues to loose out to big corporations. When Senator McCain stood for principals he opposed torture now he is for it (Wow, you would think that someone who had to live that horror for 5 long years would know better….) Now Senator McCain besides becoming the WHORE he has become he is also the BIGGIST FLIP FLOPPER we have seen on the Campaign trail.
I WANT TO DIRECT THE REST OF MY COMMENT TO ALL DEMOCRATS AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE HAD ENOUGH WITH THIS WAR AND WITH THE Bush way OF GOVERNING!
Before you fight among a fellow Democrat over the Candidate they are supporting, remember this. McCain right now is walking around without a care in the world. In the mean time, while you are wasting time fighting the people who agree with you on 99.9% of the issues you are loosing sight of the bigger picture.
The fight must not be between Obama supporters or Clinton supporters! Take it to where it belongs take the fight to the Republicans and to John McCain. People we are much smarter than what we have been demonstrating in the past few months. This is our opportunity to make things right once again.
Take a page from the GOP, look how dirty the play and how they stick together even when they hate each other! Not too long ago most of these bloggers were knocking McCain down and wanted nothing to do with him. He was nothing but a “liberal Maverick” all of the sudden he is the best thing since slide bread!
Furthermore, do not forget what the right wing media threaten to do if he was the Republican nominee, Ms Ann Coulter came out and said she would support Hillary as did fat boy Rush. Well, where is the support for Hillary today from these parasites?
Furthermore, all of the sudden McCain can do no wrong even when he is dead wrong on many issues.
The arguments between fellow Democrats are counterproductive and they must end immediately. Do not lose sight of the fact that we have the better candidates. If we do not end the infighting, John McCain will win the Presidency in November.
Therefore, unless you are satisfied with at least four more years of an unwanted war, a president whom by his own admissions knows very little about the economy, I suggest we unite as anti-McCain Americans and support the Democratic Candidate whichever one that person will be.
Patty at 2:31PM on Apr 15th 2008
32. You only touched on some issues McCain is Conservative on. He is the only conversative Republican to continually vote for Stem Cell Research. Here are other Moderate stances different than Bush: Global Warming, America's depenency on Foreign Fuel (not wanting to drill in Anwar), the fact that he has always angered Corperations and Lobbyists through Campaign Finance Reform, Lobbying Reform, and Pork Spending; that he does not take hardly any Corperation and Lobbyist donations unlike Obama and Hillary who are dirty as hell with their record fundraising. Every Liberal mistates his 100 year war position. What he has said is that we may have to have a small troop presence in Iraq like we still do in Korea and Japan (you liberal spinner). And it is Bush who followed McCain's stragey in the Iraq war after 3 1/2 years of criticism. He still is well more qualified than Bush, Obama, or Hillary to get us out when the country and region is stable enough, because he will rely on guys like Petraus to form policy, who actually knows whats going on in Iraq. He has also been outspoken about mortgage reform, which Bush has done nothing about. He will reach out to more foreign countries, and has vowed to form coalitions so that another Iraq won't happen. He is the only true candidate who realizes that Corperate Greed and Lobbyists are stealing our country.
He is much different than Bush, and those don't realize it are left wing liberals trying to make him look like a Bush Clone. He is by far the most experienced in Foreign policy, and ulike his Democratic rivals, has a reputation of working across the aisle which will make him a great President. Today he is calling for Gas Tax Cuts. Has Bush done that? In addition, he intiated the Immigration Bill with Long Time Liberal Ted Kennedy, show if you don't understand his stance on Amnesty, you are an Idiot. That is why he is so popular with the Hispanic vote, which is really where he will defeat Obama.
Brian Singer at 3:01PM on Apr 15th 2008
33. Apparently you're intelligent enough to realize that dramatic increases in the national debt, a dollar that's fallen 40% since 2000 (and oil that tripled in cost) and a tanking economy (all with tax cuts for the rich...and here I thought tax cuts solved all problems?) are BAD things and that voting for another 4 years of that BS is something only the worst kind of stubborn/uninformed/misinformed idiot would do.
>>>
Yeah, let's elect Obama or Hillary. They will fix our economic woes by giving us all Health care, bailing out those that bought a home when they couldn't afford one, and throwing money at any program you can name. If you're digging yourself into a hole the best thing to do is stop digging. That is, unless you;re a limp Leftist that wants to replace Obamas shovel with a backhoe!
Economic problems .... no problem, elect a tax and spend liberal. Clearly, liberalism is mental disease
Thomas J Gassett at 2:58PM on Apr 15th 2008
34. Oh my god Patty, you are spinning the truth just like this blogger. McCain is still anti torture, and believes Guantanamo Bay should be shut down. He said so on Letterman recently. He is a torture victim and he doesn't believe in it, because he knows it never works. And he is a Whore!
Obama and Hillary have taken in so much in Fundraising from Coperations and Lobbyists it is Obscene! They are the Whores, who will never attack the Cooperate and Lobbyist Structure that is killing America. They can't because they have taken so much money from them.
Patty get your stories straight. Even Bill Clinton said that he is a man of honor, and is by far the most centrist Republican to run for President in a long time. That is why liberals like you have to lie. John McCain has and always will be a honarable man, who fights for what he believes in, no matter who he pisses off.
Brian Singer at 3:14PM on Apr 15th 2008
35. Brian 3:14 pm
I am a Dem. I am unsure who I will vote for ( 22 Apr in Pa,) My choice is very limited.
As to that , with Sen. McCain, there are things I disagree with him on, and some things that I just don't like about him.
But when it comes to respect... no doubt about that . I do respect Sen. McCain.
Boy that does piss off a lot of my Dem friends.
Vote for McCain, come Nov. in the general election it will probably come down to who is the Dem. candidate.
Patrick, proud to be an American
PATRICK at 3:47PM on Apr 15th 2008
36. Captain Nagative
I voted for Obama because the other choice was the Ambulance Chaser Edwards who I did and still do think is a zero. Now, with an open mind, I will look at the different candidates up till election day and then make my choice who I will vote for. I am not going to make up my mind 6 months before election day
robert okane at 4:03PM on Apr 15th 2008
37. You wingnuts are idiots. John McCain would make a horrible President. By his own admission he knows nothing about economics and he apparently doesn't know anything about foreign policy without the assistance of the distardly Joe Lieberman. McCain is a tired, dottering old man whose time came and went with the 2000 election.
Sure, if you like things the way that they are; a continued quagmire in Iraq, the rich getting richer, the middle class being squeezed, the poor being forgotten, and the Bear Stearns being bailed out, vote for John McSame.
randy at 4:07PM on Apr 15th 2008
38. Correction: I meant "dastardly" Joe Lieberman. The man totally sucks.
randy at 4:21PM on Apr 15th 2008
39. I hope your mommy and daddy can get a refund on your tuition. After 16 years of school and to not know the word independent is appalling.
vbthomasee at 4:46PM on Apr 15th 2008
40. I'm glad McCain is against homosexual freaks getting married to each other. But he's a left wing extremist in some matters too. He never saw a tax he didn't like and he's a downright traitor concerning illegal mexicans. They don't call him Juan McAmnesty for nothing. I'm one conservative (not neocon) Independent who may have to vote for McCain if that's all there is, but I'll be holding my nose in the voting booth, same as I did when Bush Jr. got my votes in 2000 and 2004.
Robert Wayne at 4:57PM on Apr 15th 2008
41. McCain- Conservative or moderate.
It has been observed that McCain sold his soul to the conservatives to get elected in 2008. There is a good argument that he actually sold his soul in 2000 to appear to be a moderate.
His voting record prior to 2000 was extremely conservative. He worked with Fiengold on election reform to try to clean up his image after the Keating scandal. It can be argued that the moderate issues that he worked on were in fact throw away issues to make him appear to be a moderate.
There was good reason to appear to be a moderate in 2000. At that time 77% of the voters agreed with Roe v. Wade. 78% of the voters agreed with Al Gore on the issues. (if you want to argue about these figures, don't argue with me, argue with Gallup)According to Republican Greenspan, the economy was very stable. Divorce rates were down, bankruptcies were down, crime was down. The country was in a hopeful mood. It seemed to be a perfect time for a moderate republican. It was and would have been if Bush and Rove had not have torpedoed him with lies in South Carolina. You remember, "black child", "wife had syphillis", "wife was a prostitute" "McCain was against the veterans". McCain never recovered.
Now is McCain a conservative in moderate sheep's clothing or a moderate in conservative sheep's clothing? Look at his voting record. It looks very conservative now and prior to 2000.
Oh and Ana. Please don't take the criticism that you have received in many of these comments personally. You wrote a good article.
Steve Seivers at 5:55PM on Apr 15th 2008
42. C'mon, Robert! First you said that it wasn't in a primary or caucus that you voted for Obama. Now you are saying that your only choices were between Obama and Edwards.
Even if that were true, you are saying that you voted for a, "Black Muslim" (your words) over a personal injury lawyer.
You should have kept ignoring the question
Captain Negative at 7:44PM on Apr 15th 2008
43. Ana : MCCain is "a left wing conservative." Very interesting slip of the keyboard!
longwalker at 6:37PM on Apr 15th 2008
44. Randy - If you are actually serious, calling Joe Lieberman "dastardly" reveals just how extreme you are.
Dave at 6:41PM on Apr 15th 2008
45. Ina,
Your argument is dishonest at its core. You try to argue that McCain is a conservative by focusing on those issues he is conservative on and ignoring the rest of his record. I could make the argument that he is a liberal by using the same method. I could show that McCain has taken the liberal side on taxes, immigration, campaign finance and environmental issues.
The truth is that McCain is not a conservative. At his core he does not accept the fundamental principals that make one a conservative, otherwise his voting record would be more consistently conservative. Whether or not he is a moderate I cannot tell because I’m not quite sure what a moderate is. If a moderate is a person who is liberal on some issues on conservative on other issues McCain would best be described a moderate. If a moderate is a person who does not take strong stands on issues than McCain is probably not a moderate.
Greg at 6:44PM on Apr 15th 2008