McCain In 2008?

Could Senator John McCain become President McCain in 2008? There’s been a lot of buzz about him lately.

Gus Van Horn is worried about the rumblings of McCain in 2008.

JunkYardBlog is disgusted by McCain’s cynicism.

Professor Bainbridge gives a lot of reasons not to vote for McCain.

Stephen Moore has problems with McCain’s economic ideas.

Rich Lowry writes about McCain’s increasing popularity among Republicans.

A few from Capitalism Magazine’s archives:

Robert Tracinski calls McCain a traitor.

Patrick Mullins writes about McCain’s statist vision for America.

Alex Epstein says McCain’s morality leads to statism, here also.

As I was putting together this post, I went to John McCain’s web site to find a proposal of his I remember reading years ago that every American should have to do two years of mandatory national service. At least, that’s what I remember. I could not find the passage on his web site. I scoured the web, but the only thing I could find was this from Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute:

Proponents of a mandatory, universal system, such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), see voluntary programs as a helpful first step and would undoubtedly press for mandatory service once national service became the law of the land.

Many people like John McCain. He’s the media’s favorite Republican. Andrew Sullivan, who is always upset at Bush over something, wishes McCain were President now (sorry, couldn’t find the quote).

I have a friend, let’s call him Joe, whom I plumb to find out what the independent/swing voter thinks on any issue. McCain is one of the few politicians I have heard Joe praise. He says McCain is a “good guy.” He’s impressed by McCain’s honesty.

Joe, like all the independent voters I know, has little interest in politics. He distrusts theory as merely partisan rationalization. When the price of gas goes up, he bitches about the oil companies. When he hears Democrats and Republicans argue, he wonders why they can’t stop squabbling and find a practical solution. Joe voted for Perot in 1992.

McCain has a knack for appealing to non-intellectual, non-partisan voters. And that’s a lot of voters: Perot got 19% of the vote in 1992. If this bloc voted in the Republican primaries, McCain would be the next President of the United States.

Right now the only thing keeping us from a President McCain is that the Republican base can’t stand the man. They see him as a creep who will sell out the party just to get on “Hardball With Chris Matthews” for an hour of softball.

McCain wants power. He has the swing voters and the “national greatness” neocons at the Weekly Standard. He’s probably thinking of some way to break through to religious conservatives. If he can do that, he’s got a good chance.

Reading all the pieces linked to above, a portrait emerges of a mixed economy fascist -- a fascist who supports some good policies. That is, if you have some understanding of capitalism and individual rights. But when Joe hears McCain exhort Americans to “sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest,” it sounds like what he hears in church on Sunday. Nothing scary there to Joe.

I have never voted for a Democrat. As much as I disliked Bush, I could not punch the ballot next to John Kerry’s name. I know already that if John McCain is the Republican candidate, then I will be voting for Hillary in 2008. I can live with Hillary. A return to gridlock is fine with me. I can’t vote for a man who sees capitalists as robber barons and wants to enslave young Americans to two years of national service.