Who Are You And What In The Hell Have You Done With John McCain?

"I never considered myself a maverick." --John McCain, April 5, 2010

Say what? John McCain is no maverick? Interesting. Especially considering the fact that his campaign jet was called "The Maverick," that he and Sarah Palin threw the word around like nobody's business during his failed presidential bid. He even co-wrote a book titled: Worth The Fighting For: The Education Of An American Maverick in 2002.

So what happened? Well, the Tea Party happened. Now, due to that grass roots movement, McCain is facing a serious challenge in the Republican primary for his Senate seat from former House Representative and current conservative talk radio host, J.D. Hayworth. Being a "Maverick" in the Republican Party is no longer an asset in 2010. By the way, have you seen this Hayworth guy? With his sneering mug, pointy eyebrows, and permanent smirk, this is a guy that McCain should wipe the floor with. Throw in Hayworth's connections to disgraced and imprisoned lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, and in any other year this would be a no-contest. However, in 2010 you have to be far, far right to make it out of your primary if you're a member of the GOP (see Charlie Crist). Current polling data has Hayworth within 5 points of McCain, and even worse McCain's support is under 50%.

McCain's response to this insurgent candidate has been to leave behind everything that made him John McCain.

There was a time--not so long ago--when John McCain was the hottest thing going in politics. In 2000, McCain challenged George Bush for the Republican nomination to become President of the United States. Bush was considered the favorite early on, but after McCain won the New Hampshire primary, there was a brief window where it looked like McCain just might pull the upset. Then, Karl Rove stepped up the attacks on McCain. Even going so far as to float a rumor that McCain's adopted Bangladeshi daughter, Bridget, was sired out of wedlock with a black woman (oh, the horror). Which besides from being completely untrue, wasn't even racially accurate. I guess from Rove's perspective all brown people look alike.

That nasty bit of business damaged McCain as they headed into the South Carolina primary. This is when McCain showed his first moments of moral flexibility when it came to campaigning. The thing that many--including myself--liked about the 2000 McCain was his willingness to cross the aisle and work with the other side. He seemed to have real convictions, and wasn't afraid to ruffle his party if it was a matter of principle. However, just prior to the Palmetto State primary, the issue of the Confederate flag raised its ugly head. In 2000, the "Southern Cross" was still flying above the capital building in Columbia, SC. McCain had been on record saying that he believed the flag symbolized tyranny and should be taken down. Unfortunately, when faced with a pivotal primary, McCain did an "about face" and said the issue was one of state's rights. Whether you agree with that point or not is immaterial. McCain had turned his back on what he professed to believe, and it wouldn't be the last time. Of course, McCain was thrashed by Bush in South Carolina. When faced with the option of a guy who sounded like he was from the south and a guy trying to sound like he was from dixie, the voters of South Carolina went with the accent.

Still, McCain seemed to learn from the incident and has often referred to it as a mistake. Fair enough. And when you throw in the honorable and extraordinary service that McCain has given this country, most of us were willing to cut him some slack. Not many people can say that they literally bled for their country, but as a Vietnam P.O.W., McCain can.

So, when McCain was making his second run for President in 2008, he was both the candidate that scared Democrats the most, but also the one who they most respected. As the campaign wore on and McCain staged a relatively dramatic comeback to win his party's nomination, he looked genuinely formidable running against Barack Obama, thanks to his sway with independents. Sure, he had compromised his position on the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy--he had at one time said they "offended" him--but these things happen in a campaign. Nixon once said something to the effect of, during the primary you cater to your base and during the general election you run to the center. However, when it came time to turn to the Presidential election, McCain was struggling with a disenchanted base that was demoralized by the incompetence of the Bush years. In addition, cultural conservatives have always had mixed feelings about McCain due in part to his "Maverick" nature and his support of campaign finance reform. This lead the McCain campaign to a decision that can only be described as the hailiest of hail mary's, Sarah Palin.

When the McCain team was readying a choice for a Vice Presidential nominee, the Independent Senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman was McCain's first choice. The former Democrat had campaigned hard for McCain, and the Senator from Arizona liked the idea of a bi-partisan ticket. McCain's advisers saw things differently. They were concerned with Lieberman's pro-choice position on abortion, and simply didn't see how the reedy voiced, Mr. Rogers-esque Senator would add any juice to their campaign (let's face it, he didn't do much for Al Gore in 2000). So, they talked McCain into choosing Sarah Palin. A half-term Governor of Alaska who he had only met briefly on one occasion at a conference. McCain followed up with what has been referred to as a 15 minute phone call with the Governor before making his decision.

For about three weeks, it looked like a stroke of genius. Palin delivered a divisive barn burner of a speech at the Republican convention, and fired up the conservative base like nobody's business. The polls began to swing back McCain's way, and for almost a month, he was the front runner. Then, Sarah Palin was interviewed by Katie Couric, and the worst fears of the McCain team came to fruition. The former beauty queen from Wasilla could scarcely answer a question without tying herself into verbal knots. Questions from "What past Supreme Court judgements do you disagree with?" to simply "What do you read?" were beyond her grasp. Now, stuck with a running mate whose deepest thoughts on foreign policy were "I can see Russia from my house," (or was that Tina Fey--does it even matter?) McCain was forced to double down on his base as the middle started to creep back towards Barack Obama. He turned Palin loose at rallies where she encouraged the belief that Obama was "palling around with terrorists," and was a "socialist." It wasn't until a town hall meeting where an elderly lady referred to Obama as a "Muslim" (as if that in itself would be a bad thing), that the old McCain re-emerged. McCain gently took the microphone away from the woman and corrected her politely. Too damn late. The crowd in attendance actually booed their own candidate down as he referred to Obama as "...a good family man."

The catastrophic addition of Palin to the ticket along with his erratic behavior during the financial melt down and his surly demeanor in the three presidential debates cast the die on his presidential aspirations. On election day, he was walloped in an electoral landslide by the Senator from Illinois.

Many had hopes that the old McCain would be back in full force after the campaign. His concession speech was indeed one of the most gracious moments of the whole campaign...on either side.

Then came the Tea Party movement and the challenge by J.D. Hayworth. And McCain has leapt the rails. Here are just three examples:

--For the first time ever, he voted against a Supreme Court nominee (Sonia Sotomayor) after publicly implying that he would vote for a mainstream candidate. By most reasonable people's estimation, Sotomayor is certainly that. Even Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and seven other Republicans joined the Democrats in confirming her.

--He had at one time said that he would consider supporting the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" as long as the military brass would do so as well. By and large, they now do, but that's no longer good enough for McCain.

--He now supports a new law in Arizona that would require local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally. Forget the fact that it's racial profiling. That would be bad enough. But there is no way it's even constitutional! Who is the law made for? I'm guessing, just maybe, the Hispanic population. Does anyone expect police officers to stop whitey and ask them for their credentials? It's a plainly racist bill that singles out a minority group for harassment. What's next, the return of Jim Crow? Not to mention, this is a complete and utter betrayal of McCain's former position on immigration.

Once upon a time, he partnered with Teddy Kennedy to produce a humane, forward thinking immigration bill that dealt with illegals in a sensible way. He and Kennedy wanted to create a path to citizenship for those already here while shoring up the borders at the same time. After taking a beating from the right, McCain walked away from his own proposal, going as far to say that he wouldn't even vote for it if it came to the Senate floor. Which is pretty astounding when you think about it. But now, he wants police to have the right to walk up to any suspicious (read: brown) citizen and lock 'em up if they don't have their driver's license on them. Horrible. Of course, this new bill doesn't even deal with the real source of illegal immigration: Those that knowingly hire them for shit wages. There isn't a single sentence in this new bill that deals with those who create a market for illegal immigration. Why? Because those people vote and this is a chicken shit bill created to win elections, not to solve problems.

Which used to be the thing that John McCain stood against. I probably wouldn't have voted for McCain over Gore in 2000--- were that the choice---but I would have thought about it. And I certainly wouldn't have taken a long walk off a short pier had McCain gotten past Bush and Gore and became President.

However, this new John McCain is a whole other story. His positions have changed so much, that he rivals BullMitt Romney when it comes to consistency of political position. He's even more or less declared himself to be on strike. After the passage of the final health care bill, McCain declared there would be "no more cooperation for the rest of the year!" To which, I have two questions. First, does that mean you aren't going to do any more work? Because if that's so, why not just retire and live off your wife's money? And secondly, what cooperation are you talking about? Right now he carries the flag for obstructionism and has done so ever since the Obama inauguration. Talk about an empty threat. Can you take away something you never gave?

Now, McCain has been reduced to groveling for votes by taking positions that are hard to believe he would ever stand for under any other circumstance. It was painful to watch him call upon Sarah Palin to campaign for him against Hayworth. This prematurely retired Governor who he plucked from obscurity and gave a national platform to. Watching his wife, Cindy grimace through her introduction of "Miss Alaska" was brutal. And then to see McCain stand behind her with a plastered, fake-ass grin on his face as she made jokes about his age? Truly awful. As much as I disagree with him on various points, I believe he deserves a better ending.

Or, at least I used to. The sad fact is, I actually half-agree with McCain when he says he is no "Maverick." Hell, he's not even John McCain anymore. That guy died almost two years ago. May he, along with his former dignity, rest in peace.

Sumo-Pop
April 23, 2010