Torch Debate: Will Conservatives Rally Around McCain?

The Troops Are in Line
John McCain lost the Republican nomination in 2000 because he was too far left of the conservative base, and although he has seemed to move even farther left in the past few years, he is now the most likely candidate to represent the Republican Party in the 2008 general election. While the Democratic nomination is still up in the air, their two frontrunners have gained a lot of popularity, but unfortunately for the Democrats, neither candidate has a sure bet against Senator McCain.

Many conservatives did not believe that McCain would do well in the Republican primaries due to his actions in the past few years that have strayed from the conservative agenda. He originally voted against the Bush tax-cuts, cosponsored legislation to regulate HMOs with Ted Kennedy and John Edwards, and worked with Joe Lieberman in order to cap greenhouse-gas emissions. His work on campaign finance reform and other various social issues have caused conservatives to worry about McCain’s commitment to Republican values.

He almost had to stop his campaign altogether due to two different crises. One was his position on immigration and his support for “comprehensive immigration reform,” which many conservatives believed was an indirect way of supporting amnesty. The other crisis was financial and almost left him and his campaign broke. He and his advisors were able to fix the financial situation, and he communicated to voters that he got their message and that he fully supported the theory that border enforcement is of the utmost importance. Although he patched up both problems, many thought that McCain’s campaign was over.   

But Senator McCain bounced back and it is pretty much a sure thing that he will be representing the GOP in the general election. Many believe that he is at a major disadvantage because he is known to freely stray from the Republican platform, but who else are conservatives going to vote for? McCain may have shifted left of the conservative base, but conservatives will still show up at the polls because they would much rather him run the country than either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

In comparison to Hillary, Senator McCain has been consistent in his beliefs and has a career based on service to his country rather than on ambition. According to a CNN poll, 44 percent of voters do not like Hillary Clinton, while 36 percent do not like McCain, so in terms of popularity, McCain has the upper hand. Obama is a bit more popular than McCain, but his ideology seems to be based more on thought and idealistic reform. He always speaks of change without really describing how he as president would bring it about. He is even being called the next Jimmy Carter (apparently as a compliment). Obama’s youthful idealism is trumped by McCain’s pragmatism and experience.  Senator McCain is 71 years old, was a naval officer and has spent twenty years as a leader in the Senate.

Conservatives would much rather have an experienced Republican in office, even if he has strayed from the path in a few ways. True conservatism will not lose hope though. McCain still holds conservative views on many of the important issues like gay-marriage and the right to life. Also, the next president will most likely get the opportunity to nominate a justice, and conservative voters would much rather have McCain in office to switch the 5-4 advantage judicial activists have to a 5-4 advantage for strict constructionists. Senator McCain has just received support from President Bush, and receives continued support from war veterans like him.

The war in Iraq is still the most important issue that out country faces today, and there is no candidate more qualified to take the reigns on foreign policy and defense than John McCain. He is an American hero for his service in Vietnam as a Navy aviator and a prisoner of war, so he knows what it is like to put a soldier’s life on the line. With the War in Iraq, he saw that the Bush-Rumsfeld strategy was not working and had originally called for the surge that is working now. He has been able to keep the war in perspective, even knowing that his son is over there fighting. There is no better man for conservatives when it comes to defense with the war now and the conflicts that may rise up in the future.

John McCain has the advantage in this election.  Not only will he be able to hold the conservative vote in the general election, but also his success at crossing party lines will actually appeal to the independent vote that the GOP lost in 2006.  McCain is a good, old-fashioned candidate that acts with integrity, and that is what the nation needs in a time of political instability.