Beacon Street Journal

First, there was the idiotic and inexplicable off-limits posture on Obama’s Jeremiah Wright controversy. The mid-course correction came only after Obama himself stated that it was a legitimate campaign issue.  Next came the shameless pandering to La Raza, and his plaintive pleas on the need to resuscitate his signature legislative debacle, Comprehensive immigration reform. Read: amnesty and open borders. If that wasn’t enough to send party loyalists over the edge, next came the preaching of the global warming gospel. For McCain, it always seems that it is never enough to disagree with his party, he feels the need to poke a stick in the eye of conservatives and rub their face in the dirt of his contrarian and liberal apostasy. John McCain has been true to form lately, ruminating with his signature self-righteousness and sanctimoniousness that conservatives find so grating. Is this Mr. Maverick’s idea of outreach to the disenchanted and dispirited conservative base of the party? If so, there is a good chance his campaign is going to flounder come the summer.

There is a sickening impulse among Republicans to allow liberals and their handmaidens in the media outlets to not only define the political vocabulary but also the rules of the campaign game as well. McCain comes from a long line of Rockefeller Republicans who seem to think that it is important to curry favor from the media in order to dispel the oft-repeated and wholly spurious notion that Republicans are mean, and are neither virtuous nor compassionate. The mistaken belief is that if only Republicans compromise their conservative principles to conform more to liberals wishes, then the media onslaught can be held in abeyance. But, history proves that this is a fools errand. Memo to Republicans: the mainstream media never have liked you and they never will. 

Is McCain foolish enough to believe that the adulation from the media, which he so cravenly and eagerly solicits will continue unabated? The media’s unabashed love fest for Obama has already begun in earnest. Newsweek recently declared that the Republican Party has been scaring voters since 1968. Does McCain think that by adopting the media’s posture on global warming that he will be afforded favorable press coverage?

Why did McCain feel the Jeremiah Wright fiasco was not a legitimate issue for discussion? Cindy McCain continued the mystery when she recently declare that there would be no “negative campaigning.” In this regard, it would be helpful to define your terms. Calling attention to your opponents character defects and lack of judgment is not “negative campaigning”, rather it is an appropriate manner of elucidating your respective differences with a view to answering the question who is more fit to lead the country?

Obama has already implemented his general election strategy for deflecting any criticism aimed at his character, judgment and ideological convictions: invoke the “Distraction” Theory. Why does McCain seem so eager to play by the rules established by the Obama campaign? The incomprehensible attitude of McCain on this score is a prelude to disaster. Many conservative commentators have argued that McCain, by virtue of his ability to secure independents and defecting Democrats, is the candidate perfectly positioned to capture the White House in this election cycle. Perhaps. But here is some food for thought: will any support McCain garners from independents and Democrats be offset by disaffected conservatives sitting out the election?