What's wrong with McCain?
Political ·Wednesday July 9, 2008 @ 01:27 EDT (link)
I was recently challenged in a email that spun off of a comment I made in Microsoft's Conservatives and Libertarians discussion list to be more specific about what I don't like about Republican Presidential candidate John McCain. So here's the list I came up with:
Three primary objections:
- Amnesty for illegal aliens (McCain-Kennedy).
- Support for free trade to the extent of American jobs being lost.
- Wants to institute background checks for private gun sales (chilling effect).
Plus a few more random ones; I'm getting these from his issues page:
- Pandering to Hispanics; "Hispanic" shouldn't and doesn't mean "pro-illegal", although it probably does by and large since many are relatives (which shows the interpretation 14th amendment that allows for "anchor babies" needs to be overturned).
- Not a libertarian—most politicians aren't, since they need to give away money to buy the votes of stupid and corruptible people.
- Wants to bail out foolish home "owners" (borrowers) that deserve foreclosure—with money from people that didn't overextend themselves.
- Wants to increase deduction for dependents; no: your dependents, your responsibility. Not a conservative choice there.
- Increased benefits for veterans, increased military spending.
- His health care sounds somewhat good ("choice" and making it easier for individuals to buy insurance) but then he starts throwing around numbers like a $5000 tax credit for buying health insurance; where does that money come from, John? True, he has to fight against a far scarier Democrat nationalized healthcare plan, and I'd gladly take his plan over that, but I'd still like to know where the money is coming from, and the fact is, not everyone can be insured. I wasn't when I was first in the US, working at Hilton as a contractor.
- He sounds a bit too invested in "climate change" (the new term for "global warming"). Frankly, it's not something a government should be concerned with, or at least until it's been proven satisfactorily.
Good points:
- Says he wants to reduce taxes, which at least makes him better than the Democrats, who admit they want to raise them.
- (Now) wants to expand domestic oil production.
- Against abortion. Not necessarily all good, as the expense of unwanted children will be paid by the productive.
- Pro marriage—and although deviants act all disingenuous when they hear that, what it means is that marriage and the benefits thereof should apply only to a male/female union: "Male and female created he them; and blessed them" (Genesis 5:2).
- Pro second amendment—as the Supreme Court found in Heller, and as has been established through hundreds of precedents, the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right. But see above list.
- Will likely appoint strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court.
- Supports school choice. If the Federal government has to get involved with education, then let's at least have as much choice as possible.
Nobody's saying he's not (far) better than Obama and Obamunism ("central planning we can believe in"; bumper sticker), but that's a pretty low bar. Given that Washington state will definitely go to Obama, I'm probably going to write in Ron Paul (conservative-learning libertarian).
