Is John McCain a Conservative?

30 Mar

Posted by Joshua Huffman as Conservative News/Headliners

Yesterday morning while reading the paper, I came across a letter to the editor from a Mr. Corbo. Presuming that this is the same Mr. Corbo that I know (and please pardon me if it is not), he wrote how he, as a conservative, would not be supporting or voting for John McCain in the general election. Now the Mr. Corbo that I know is a good man and put in many volunteer hours on behalf of Senator Allen’s reelection attempt in 2006, so that is why the name popped out at me when I saw it.

Let me start out by saying that I am fairly certain that as conservatives, Senator McCain was likely not our first, second, or even third, choice for the Republican nomination early in the process. Perhaps it was Mike Huckabee, or Fred Thompson, or Mitt Romney, or Duncan Hunter, or for a select few of us, Ron Paul, but not John McCain. But, leaving history in the past, here we are with John McCain as the Republican nominee and either Hillary or Barack on the Democratic side. As a result, some conservatives have embraced McCain, while others (like Mr. Corbo) have rejected him.

When it comes to voting, you should bear in mind that there are several different types of conservatives. First, we have the single-issue conservative. This conservative values one or two issues as key and will not vote for a candidate who does not agree on that particular policy. Second is the grocery list conservative who considers a handful of issues to be important and if a candidate agrees with most of these positions, he or she will get that voter’s support. Third, we have the strict Republican conservative who will always (or almost always) vote for the Republican candidate regardless of any specific issue positions.

Unfortunately in Mr. Corbo’s letter he does not address the specific issue or issues that make him unable to support Senator McCain. Should he happen to read this post, I would greatly encourage him to write back and express his particular grievances, not because I wish to debate him, but rather to seek understanding. There are several legitimate reservations I think some conservatives could make about John McCain, such as illegal immigration and campaign finance reform, and therefore it would be very helpful to know his particular reasoning.

Lastly, if you are a conservative who supports Senator McCain, feel free to comment as to why you support him, or if you are a conservative who opposes him, reply with reasoning likewise. If conservatives who think like Mr. Corbo make up a small percentage of the vote, then the Senator and his campaign would take little note, and I would project the election will go relatively well for him. However, if many are planning to dump the Senator, then it will be very tough for him to win, especially here in the Commonwealth. So if you are a fan for Senator McCain, or you despise him, respond here on VCAP’s blog and let your voice be heard.

3 Responses

D'Lynne Hutchinson

March 31st, 2008 at 6:18 am
1

My objections to McCain as a Senator, President, and representative of the Republican Party include, but are not limited to:

his positions in favor of gun control (anti-Second Amendment);

not drilling in Anwar and related energy independence solutions;

pro illegal immigration and amnesty for those ‘illegals’ (McCain-Kennedy);

campaign finance reform (McCain-Feingold - anti First Amendment);
his ties to George Soros, etc.;

closing of Guantanamo Bay
McCain-ACLU — the unprecedented granting of due-process rights to unlawful enemy combatants (terrorists);

led the Gang of 14 - prevented the Republican leadership in the Senate from mounting a rule change that would have ended the systematic use (actual and threatened) of the filibuster to prevent majority approval of judicial nominees;

McCain-Reimportation of Drugs, a significant blow to pharmaceutical research & development, and consumer safety;
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, McCain was consistently hostile to American enterprise, from media and pharmaceutical companies to technology and energy companies.;

McCain-Kennedy-Edwards - biggest boon to the trial bar since the tobacco settlement, under the rubric of a patients’ bill of rights;

McCain-Lieberman - attack on American industry — through reporting, regulating, and taxing authority of greenhouse gases;

etc., etc., etc.
Carlton Huffman

March 31st, 2008 at 9:12 am
2

Let us also not forget his embrace of the Free Trade of the America’s act and hemispheric alliance that would undermine American sovereignty. Such actions are the complete opposite of what American conservatism is about, which is the defense of our sovereignty which McCain seems all too willing to cast aside as president. Don’t care what the selection is I didn’t vote for McCain yesterday, didn’t vote for him today, and won’t vote for him ever to lead this country into disaster which is exactly what his presidency would be.
Katy

March 31st, 2008 at 12:45 pm
3

Hmmm, so the choices are either Obama or Clinton; or voting for McCain. While I disagree with McCain on a number of issues he is miles better than the alternatives. I did not vote for McCain in the primaries and I’m not real happy that he is our candidate. I think the party had a couple of much better choices. It is now a choice between “not so great” or “just plain awful and dangerous to our entire way of life”. I will be voting for “not so great” McCain I guess.