Last night's tremendous debate gave me such a sense of renewal for our country, and a feeling that we cannot lose this November, no matter who wins the election. McCain is great, and I hope Republicans nominate him: he's the best the party has. And as we saw at last night's debate, both Clinton and Obama are fantastic candidates.
Finally, an election year where the debate is about matters of substance: foreign policy, healthcare, and personal integrity were all at the front of the discussion this week. This might be the best contest our country has seen in a long time!
5 comments:
I realize that, as a conservative, I am in the minority among your friends. However, I feel like I should chime in here and say, of course you’re excited about McCain! That’s because he’s a liberal running as a Republican. As excited as you are about this election, I am depressed for many of the same reasons. McCain says he supports the Bush tax cuts…even though he voted against them. He says he is against illegal immigration…even though he co-authored a bill allowing amnesty for any people in this country illegally. At least Obama or Hillary are honest about their positions. If McCain gets elected, I will be even more concerned about the future of the Republican party.
I suspect what excites me about this election year, Andy, is the same for you: we've got some great candidates running for office. The rationale behind McCain's voting strategy may be as deeply considered as Clinton's, They are both blooded politicians and each has a vision for the country that sometimes transcends a single vote. I believe that after he has secured the Republican nomination, McCain will be called to task, and it will be interesting what explanations he offers. One thing I really respect about the man is his willingness to engage his detractors, and to defend his record firmly but not without an open ear to criticism and change.
I call many conservatives friends, not least among them you, Andy. In fact, the more time I spend in Seattle, a haven for liberal thinking of every stripe, the more attractive conservatism becomes!
I do have to say that McCain’s performance in the Republican debate left a sour taste in my mouth. It’s one thing to interpret Romney’s statement as a call to bring the troops home, but it’s quite another to hear Romney explain exactly what he meant by his statement, and then smile and repeat the same flawed interpretation. If he does secure the nomination, I do hope that conservatives challenge him on his positions directly. I just feel that at this point in time, he is primarily saying what people want to hear.
McCain may be engaging too much in "swift boating" Romney; that is, misrepresenting his opponent's position in order to make his own look the more principled, when in fact the opposite may be true.
Then again, this highlights what I enjoy about the current campaign season: we are seeing very deft use of the rostrum to build up public personas. Obama and Clinton have proven better at it than any other candidates, on either side of the aisle. McCain is doing as they do, misrepresenting his opponent's ideas in order to make his own the more palatable. How perceptive voters are to these shenanigans, time will tell.
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