Ironwolf

Below is a release from MoveOn.org, along with my personal thoughts on the issues it raises. Although at this point I hope to vote for Barack Obama in November, I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I am a Libertarian— that is, I believe in self-governance in both personal and economic issues. I think the only way our country can move in the right direction is via a constructive, rational discourse among all Americans. A key prerequisite to that dialog is a consistently high level of education— something I find dangerously lacking among our people.

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don’t):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws. [1] [2]

My take: I oppose “affirmative action” based on race or gender, although I do see a role for the government in helping economically disadvantaged people receive a good education.

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.” [1] [2]

My take: We need to rein in the hawks and focus more on the use of diplomacy. McCain’s war-based stances will not help America regain its reputation or ability to project “soft power,” and will not help us recover our fiscal equilibrium.

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban. [1]

My take: Torture (including euphemistic terms like “stress interrogation techniques”) is counterproductive, among other things creating new enemies and providing false information. If Americans want to see ourselves as the “good guys” then we must hold ourselves to a higher moral standard than our enemies.

4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.” [1]

My take: Abortion should be minimized (via education about ways to avoid unwanted pregnancy and voluntary adoption programs) but it should not be criminalized. Research on early stage human embryonic cells should not be hindered.

5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill. [1] [2]

My take: I don’t see any good way to justify decreasing spending on children’s issues in the name of “fiscal responsibility” when the level of waste, fraud, and abuse in the military-industrial sector are at an all time high. It just reeks of hypocrisy.

6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations. [1] [2]

My take: The blame for the housing crisis must rest both on the greed and irresponsibility of both lenders and borrowers. The only long-term “solution” to the housing crisis is better education, and stronger oversight, of both.

7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.” [1] [2]

My take: Passion can be a good thing, but temper tantrums are not. The decision to go to war in Iraq was based on irrational thinking and impulsive emotions on the part of our leaders. It’s time to go the other direction.

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates. [1] [2]

My take: The closer a politician gets to real power, the more the taint of special interest money seems impossible to avoid. Ultimately, the only check on this is transparency in government— something that does not seem to be a priority for McCain.

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.” [1] [2] [3]

My take: The extremes of any religion are major threats. Islam will need to undergo major reform in order to participate in civilized society, and the extremist elements of Christianity must continue to be criticized and marginalized. Most politicians pander to religious extremists, but the degree to which they seem to agree with those extremists is often what’s really frightening. Where McCain really stands here is unclear, and it would be to his advantage to (as Barack Obama has) publicly distance himself from inflammatory statements made by those high profile religious leaders that endorse him.

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year. [1]

My take: Damage to our environment is one of the key threats facing humanity, and must now be front and center with anyone who seeks public power. Anyone who flaunts this issue, yet seeks the most powerful office in the world, is unfit to lead.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 6th, 2008 at 8:48 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.