John McCain: The Republican Answer or Conservative Disgrace?

By Jane Pomeroy

Elected to the House of Representatives from Arizona’s first congressional district in 1982, elected to the US Senate in 1986 and re-elected three times thereafter, and then running in the presidential elections of 2000, it is safe to say John McCain, a catholic born in Panama, has quite a bit of experience in politics. With extensive participation in US Naval Academy, having fought in the Vietnam War and held as a prisoner of war, and following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, McCain is a proponent and advocate of American military operations. A staunch political conservative, he hopes to represent right wing politics with a few unorthodox policies.

Having butted heads with leaders of the Religious Right and Moral Majority, in no way is McCain a proponent of the religious conservative community, unlike President George W. Bush, a born-again Christian who sympathizes greatly with this group. As well, vying significantly from immigration reform programs advocating complete security of borders, a 7-foot wall, and deportation of illegal immigrants, McCain supports the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, which seeks to form a compromise between this generally right-wing stance, and that which proposes legalization of all illegal immigrants.

However, McCain is a supporter of lowering taxes as a means to provide revenue to the nation. He believes our troops must succeed in Iraq and remain there until they do. As well, he believes in “Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life,” (i.e. overturning Roe v. Wade), another classic aspect of the conservative republican party. Yet, as wholesome and relatively flexible to change as he may appear, McCain’s face is popping up all over the leading internet video-sharing website Youtube for reasons that would not traditionally be considered respectful.

During an informal press conference, McCain was asked by an audience member, “How do we beat the bitch?” Referring to Hillary Clinton and her threat to McCain as a fierce opponent in the presidential race (and as a woman), the inquirer—who happened to be a woman herself—stirred up quite a bit of laughter in approval. To the surprise of many Youtubers, not only did McCain laugh along, he acknowledged the question, proceeding to lie down his plan to win the presidency over this “bitch.”

Though his politics may satisfy the interests of both conservative republicans and those looking to slightly move away from President Bush’s current politics, will the spread of such a degrading image of blatant disrespect lose him votes? We will simply have to wait and see.