Ryan ChartrandJacki DeMarchi, your ignorance astounds me, especially seeing that you are the vice president of the Cal Poly College Republicans.
You say that since he is a war veteran, John McCain is the only one capable of effectively running this war. By that logic, we should have elected John Kerry in 2004. However, it is obvious that McCain does not truly care about the soldiers fighting for our country. Recently, McCain voted against a GI bill that would allow further education for veterans who have completed their three-year enlistment. This bill passed in the Senate by more than a two-thirds majority that would be needed to overturn the president’s veto (and the president is indeed planning to veto it). McCain was one of only 22 senators who voted against the GI bill. It seems that other Republicans have been able to agree on something with the Democrats, but apparently McCain is not as moderate as these Republicans as you suggest he is.
You say that “McCain does not pander to special interests of powerful groups.” Have you not heard of McCain’s suspected sex scandal with lobbyist Vicki Iseman? Or have you heard about the 59 lobbyists that McCain has fundraising money for him? McCain has more lobbyists fundraising for his campaign than any other presidential candidate. Needless to say, it is a major concern to many that McCain may be indebted to these lobbyists for all of their help. Why are these lobbyists helping McCain anyway? Why are more lobbyists helping directly in McCain’s campaign than any other presidential campaign? What do they hope to gain from it? It really makes one wonder whether or not McCain has promised them something …
You say that McCain does not support the Bush tax cuts. This may have been true at one point, but it is not true any longer. McCain has stated on his campaign trail that he plans to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. Although McCain may have been the least likely of the possible Republican presidential nominees to spend money on these tax cuts, it does not change the fact that he still plans on dishing out money to support them.
You say that McCain is opposed to waterboarding, yet he vetoed a bill that would forbid the CIA from using it. The Senate passed an anti-torture bill in response to a different bill Bush had signed to allow the use of torture techniques, although it is expected that Bush will veto the anti-torture bill. McCain voted against this bill and agreed with the president on this issue.
You say that McCain is the uniting candidate. I agree. McCain has voted along with the president’s opinions 100 percent of the time in 2008 and 95 percent of the time in 2007. It seems to me that McCain truly is the next President Bush. Seeing as President Bush currently has approval ratings in the low 30s, it seems that both Republicans and Democrats alike can rally against Bush. If McCain’s presidency is just going to be another four years of Bush’s policies, then Republicans and Democrats can truly be united, but against McCain. This country has been united out of hate for too long now; it is time to offer Americans something to look forward to.
You say that you “find (McCain) to be powerful, charismatic and inspiring. He communicates with ease and is a true presence in the room.” If these are qualities that you value in a presidential candidate, may I suggest Barack Obama? Anyone who has heard his speeches can agree that he is powerful, charismatic, inspiring, eloquent and a true presence in the room. If you have not had the pleasure of hearing Obama speak, I suggest you read the transcript of his speech on race entitled “A More Perfect Union.” You will also be happy to hear that Obama does not pander to special interest groups, that he does not support the Bush tax cuts, that he is opposed to waterboarding and torture of all kinds, and that he is a candidate with whom Republicans and Democrats alike have united. It seems that you and Barack Obama might actually get along quite nicely.
Meghan Moore is a biochemistry sophomore and a guest columnist for the Mustang Daily.