Senator John McCain finds himslef in the position of having to woo the base of the party he claims to represent. He and other so-called "moderates" often find themselves in this position. Having little rapport with this group, McCain now goes with candy and flowers and sweet words, hoping to win the hearts of true conservatives. The trouble is, others have gone before him, and conservatives have been stung by other suitors who promised undying devotion.
President Bush described himself as a “compassionate conservative”. It seems his compassion extended more to those who broke into our country than to the taxpayers who have had to pay for the incursion. Before the wedding, Bush also made noises about abolishing the Department of Education. Instead, he added a new program, “No Child Left Behind”, with more money going into this same department that produces no improvement in test scores or graduation numbers.
President Bush okayed the bloated budgets we have seen in his years in office, each one seemingly more outrageous than the one before. This is not conservatism. In spite of an almost complete bi-partisan opinion that Social Security and Medicare were headed toward bankruptcy, the Bush administration threw the anchor of drug benefits onto the sinking U.S.S. Social Security Ship.
Still, the president will tell anyone who will listen that McCain is good for the party and country and is a true conservative. It is legitimate to call into question McCain’s conservatism when the president obviously doesn’t have a good idea of the meaning of the word.
John McCain has sponsored legislation with Democrats several times. When he says he is experienced in “reaching across the aisle”, he is correct. It isn’t much of a reach, however, since his ideas are well accepted by the Democrats, and he would feel right at home on their side of the aisle. He has co-sponsored the McCain/Feingold campaign “reform” initiative. McCain joined with Senator Lieberman on an anti-global warning proposal that would penalize businesses by making them conform to standards spurred by an unproven theory of global warming.
McCain has been against tax cuts favored by the president. He thinks stem cell research is okay. These are two hardcore concerns by conservatives and McCain is on the wrong side of both of them.
McCain co-sponsored the ill-fated amnesty for illegal aliens with Ted Kennedy. He now says he is for building a fence first, but won’t say what should be done after a fence is built. What does he propose for the twenty-five+ million illegals already here? Amnesty, still?
It was only when outraged American citizens shut down the congressional switchboards that their representatives saw the light and killed the bill, in spite of the massive effort of McCain and Ted Kennedy, acting in concert.
About that outcry of citizens, (both Democrats and Republicans), against any amnesty, McCain now says he “gets it”. Does he really? His prominent volunteer, Juan Hernandez, is a dual Mexican/U.S. citizen who was a member of former Mexican President Vincente Fox’s cabinet. Hernandez has been on TV many times to argue against building a fence, insisting the border needs to stay open so illegal aliens can enter the U.S. with no hindrance.
McCain’s suit would go better if he were to give up the “other woman”, which is the Hispanic Lobby. While he now promises undying loyalty to conservatives, this other woman is embedded in his campaign. He seems smitten by the lobby that wants unlimited immigration for only one group of people. He reached across that aisle to Ted Kennedy and did all he could to make his Hispanic paramour’s dreams come true. Republicans are the party of the elephant, which never forgets, it is said. Surely, in this regard, the conservative branch of that party will not forget. The effort by McCain was so great that mere half-regrets won’t cut it with them, especially when McCain is still in bed with the Hispanic Lobby.
How many other groups are out there to ensure divided loyalty to not only conservatives, but to the Republican Party in general?
Conservatives are indebted to WorldNetDaily’s Jerome Corsi for his excellent research and reporting. In his article dated February 12, 2008, titled “John McCain funded by Soros since 2001”, Corsi traces the background of McCain’s association with left-wing donors such as George Soros and Teresa Heinz Kerry. You can’t get much more anti-conservative than that.
Jerome Corsi reports:
“In 2001, McCain founded the Alexandria, Va.-based Reform Institute as a vehicle to receive funding from George Soros’ Open Society Institute and Teresa Heinz Kerry’s Tides Foundation and several other prominent non-profit organizations.
McCain used the institute to promote his political agenda and provide compensation to key campaign operatives between elections”.
Corsi goes on to report that, although “in 2006 the Arizona senator was forced to sever formal ties with the Reform Institute……….”
“Prominent senior officials on the McCain 2008 presidential campaign staff found generously paid positions at the Reform Institute following the senator’s unsuccessful run for the White House in 2000.”
Corsi further points out:
“Financial contributors while McCain was chairman of the Reform Institute also have included the Educational Foundation of America, a group that supports abortion and opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.”
Corsi gives credit:
“The Soros-Kerry funding connection with McCain was first exposed by Ed Morrissey at the Captain’s Quarters blog in 2005.
Subsequently, David Horowitz’s DiscoverTheNetworks.org.website and Michelle
Malkin’s blog gave renewed attention to the Reform Institute’s funding ties.”
McCain is a “Johnny-come-lately” suitor to conservatives. So far, his efforts seem half-hearted. It is said that “faint heart ne’er won fair lady”. Neither will a reluctant and disrespectful heart. There is that age-old question he must answer for conservatives:
Barbara regularly writes for CapitolHillCoffeeHouse. She also appears in California Chronicle, Border Patrol, and Citizens Caucus. Her primary interest is illegal immigration, but she writes about other subjects as well.
Barbara lives in a large city on the West Coast. Her loyalties are with God, family, country, heritage and borders.
She enjoys music, painting, poetry and song writing.
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