"An agent of intolerance"
Paul Krugman explains why John McCain lost my vote--and probably the votes of a lot of other independently minded voters who might have supported him in spite of disagreeing with him on many issues:
...if you choose to make common cause with religious extremists, you are accepting some responsibility for their extremism. By welcoming Mr. Falwell and people like him as members of their party, Republicans are saying that it's O.K. - not necessarily correct, but O.K. - to declare that 9/11 was America's punishment for its tolerance of abortion and homosexuality, that Islam is a terrorist religion, and that Jews can't go to heaven. And voters should judge the Republican Party accordingly.
posted by Jonathan Potts at
7:58 PM
5 Comments:
Honestly, the McCain worship by "independently minded" voters always has baffled me. Especially when their political leanings slant toward a liberal view.
Every once in a while, he might disagree with Bush, but at heart the guy's a traditional Republican. I've always thought that was transparently obvious.
He's one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate. He holds anti-abortion views. He was a strong supporter of going to war in Iraq. He thinks intelligent design is a viable theory. He's prone to making racial slurs against Hispanics and Asians. And now he's onboard with our own wacky fundamentalists of the Christian right.
Man, this is the worst-ever case of a wolf in sheep's clothing.
By the way, that campaign reform stuff seems kind of lame these days. Seems all it did was create new (and more) ways to funnel big money to the big guys.
11:11 AM
Plus it helps to be big on campaign finance reform after being a member of the Keating Five.
6:04 PM
McCain never tried to hide the fact that he was a conservative, even during his 2000 campaign. But one can be a principled conservative, even opposed to abortion rights, without being a stooge of the religious right.
I would vote for a principled conservative who I believed was open to compromise when it served the good of the nation, and who would put the national interest above the interest of his or her party when the two came into conflict. I will not support someone who carries the banner of people like Jerry Falwell, who pursue an agenda that is antithetical to a free and pluralistic society.
And while I respect that politics often requires us to make common cause with those with whom we fervently disagree, I cannot respect someone who so willingly jettisons their values in the service of their ambition. McCain is no maverick, no independent--just another shameless opportunist.
1:12 PM
Well, if we bring it down to the shameless opportunists level, that really doesn't leave many choices for us. Seriously, most people running for office are shameless opportunists to a degree. Remember, John Kerry's "Can I get me a huntin' license" comment from the 2004 campaign.
I loved Bobby Kennedy. But there was a guy who changed his views faster than Enimen gets divorces. Still, at the time, he seemed like a real choice, not just a maverick. I'm glad I never had to watch him pander to the Youth of America by appearing on the Daily Show or Colbert Report. I'll gladly tip my hat to Bush and Cheney for never showing up in person on Comedy Central. And I wag my finger at aging pols who display their hipness by going on the comedy shows (and yeah, i think Stewart and Colbert and the second best things on TV after the Sopranos).
'Tis a pity that someone in the political arena needs to be a bit of a rebel to seem attractive these days.
4:50 PM
Frankly, the way he would bear hug Bush after what that campaign said about his wife and adopted child made me think he never had a principle to stand on. Anyone else see the TV Funhouse cartoon on Saturday Night Live of McCain preparing to go on stage with Bush at a rally?
6:33 PM
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