Ryan ChartrandIf I were Tom Cruise, I would be pissed. I would be upset because John McCain and the Republicans are trying to change the badass, aviator shades-wearing “Top Gun” character image into that of a cranky old politician desperately trying to get a position I’m fairly sure he would use to take the country in the wrong direction.
The original definition of the term “maverick” came from Texas rancher Samuel Maverick’s refusal to brand his cattle because, according to his critics, that allowed him to claim all unbranded cattle as his own. Maybe the same strategy applies to third party and undeclared voters: anyone can claim those votes up until the election.
No one wants to know whether McCain is branded or not, but the term’s other definition of an independent thinker or nonconformist can’t be applied to a man who switches his stances on issues (aka “flip-flopping” – remember that dastardly insult from the last presidential election?) and is running on a major party ticket.
He claims to work on both sides of party lines and his moderate views and frequent changes of heart regarding issues prove he has no strong convictions of his own. Not that a closed-minded attitude is good for a leader, but it sure eliminates the maverick title. “Works well with others” would probably not show up in a maverick’s job evaluation.
However, McCain is the mascot of the Republican Party right now (just like real mavericks are to Mesa State College, University of Texas at Arlington, Minnesota State University, Mankato and University of Nebraska, Omaha, according to the giver of all knowledge, Wikipedia).
He’s their last and only hope (and I doubt that he, unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi, has the skills to actually follow through) for any kind of redemption after the Bush administration. As a party, their entire identity is being taken over by a never-ending list of scandals, rights violations and policy flameouts over the last eight years.
This is a campaign that is so desperate it’ll resort to signing on a “who the heck is that?” governor from Alaska as a running mate just because of an x chromosome. Since Sarah Palin’s unexpected entrance into this race, the political battlefield has become a danger zone (“Top Gun” reference intended).
Wednesday’s presidential debate became personal (and not just for Joe the Plumber) and I think the mudslinging will get dirtier, pettier and just plain desperate as we get closer to Nov. 4.
In the long run, I don’t want McCain tricking the American people into thinking he has rights to something he does not. Like Samuel Maverick back in the 19th century, I hope his excuses don’t fog the judgment of those around him. For all his and Palin’s talk of him being an independent thinker who will do what’s needed, his past portrays a politician who is in it to win it, not stay true to any set of stances on issues.
To borrow a phrase from “Mean Girls,” stop trying to make “maverick” happen!
Giana Magnoli is a journalism senior and Mustang Daily managing editor. She has “Danger Zone” stuck in her head and is OK with it.