Poll: Is John McCain a Conservative?
Now's Your Chance to Voice Your Opinion: Vote Today!
Arizona Sen. John McCain sat down recently for a comprehensive interview with the New York Times and reiterated his long-standing claim that he is indeed a conservative -- "in the Theodore Roosevelt mold."
For years, McCain has been called a "maverick" by political pundits and the media due largely to his willingness to cross the aisle and work with Democrats to accomplish legislative goals. His renegade style has rankled the ire of many conservatives on numerous occasions for what they see as a willingness to compromise his convictions on social issues for politically undesirably ends.
McCain's conservative credentials are the topic of considerable debate within conservative political circles and, even on this site, the opinions are varied. I, for example, believe McCain is a conservative; Friday's Guest columnist Jack Kerwick disagrees.
On social issues, McCain is unabashedly pro-life and even went so far as to defend his position of opposition to gay marriage on the Ellen Degeneres Show, yet he still has trouble attracting social conservatives to his campaign. In some cases, the opposition to McCain is agressive. In February 2000, for example, Douglas Johnson, Legislative Director of the National Right To Life Committee wrote a scathing public commentary called "How John McCain Threatens the Pro-Life Cause." Although this was meant to be an endorsement of George W. Bush -- the man who would eventually take up residence in the White House -- the op-ed effectively removed McCain from contention for any future support from the committee, including the 2008 campaign.
Regardless of what the pundits may say, the choice will ultimately be up to voters like you.
Vote now and tell us if you think McCain is a conservative. Then, use the comment link below to tell us why you believe he is or why you believe he is not.
Comments
Partially.
John McCain’s positions on border security and the environment make him less of a conservative than most Republicans, in my opinion.
These items aren’t necessarily a bad thing (especially any program dedicated to environmental protections and breaking our dependence on foreign oil).
I think he has done a great job in positioning himself to meet the needs of the conservative base; given what we have as choices, I’d take John McCain’s brand of conservatism over any claim to conservatism liberal, elitist Obama could tout.
Perhaps your next poll should be, “Does Obama have a conservative bone in his body?” (A: No.)
How, exactly, is Obama elitist and McCain not… other than Republicans just saying so (like they so often do)? Loved that $300,000 outfit Cindy was wearing the other night, by the way.