McCain: A Political Dud
The fact that the Republicans managed to nominate such a sorry excuse for a politician as John McCain is a low point, even for them. Even most of the limited supply of Republicans left don't like McCain, and with a Republican president currently driving nails in America's coffin with one despicable move after another, you might as well save a few nails for the GOP.
My reluctance at taking on a subject like John McCain is entirely derived from the overwhelming mantra of "easy target" that incessantly rings in my head whenever his name is even mentioned. However, I tend to disregard it anyway; most regularly admitting how little chance McCain has in the upcoming election. Jokes about his age, his blatant PTSD, and his embarrassing level of general cluelessness often shoot out of my mouth with minimal hesitation. The reason he's such an easy target has to do with many factors. First of all, 80% of Americans are dissatisfied with the direction we're currently in; most of that 80% attribute this disenchantment to the numerous failures of Republican president George W. Bush, and so, through transference, assume that anyone baring the burden of being associated with the Republican Party is, by association, a scoundrel. This isn't entirely false, but isn't entirely true, either. Many people claiming to be Republican tend to adhere to a mantra all their own; something resembling "I'm full of shit" seems to permeate beneath their voice box, making it unusually difficult to believe a word they're saying. However, that same mantra seems to hoist up the words of many anti-Republican sentiments as well. The reason being, much of that mantra is influenced by most people's lack of understanding of the actual conservative platform.
The conservative platform is supposed to be one of minimal government, lower taxes, balanced budgets, and, most ironically, anti-war. Most people don't know that. All that nonsense about being anti-gay, anti-abortion, and hyper religious aren't supposed to be affiliated with any political party, they're supposed to be left up to the states. With that said, it's quite obvious that the Republican Party has been hijacked and contorted to represent those views, most likely to appeal to a particular base; mostly for lobbyist reasons, but also to win votes. Which brings me back to John McCain; with an ever-dwindling base being depended on for votes, how does McCain actually expect to win? The only logical conclusion I can come to is he doesn't. Nobody in their right mind would vote for John McCain after the last eight years. This is why I, although not a supporter, am very understanding of Obama supporters for the most part. On a surface level, at the very least, a vote for Obama is a declaration that the last eight years haven't gone well; a vote for McCain is a declaration that the last eight years have been just dandy. This isn't purely because McCain shares the party alignment of the current president; it's because he shares many of the same views and policies of the current president. This accounts for my lack of fear regarding the possibility of McCain as president; I would be petrified, if I thought he had a chance. I mean, how much of that 80% would pass up such a historic opportunity of issuing in the first ever African American president to ensure that our country stays the detrimental course we're on? Not very many, I would bet.
Because John McCain is as far away from a possible contender for president as I've seen in my lifetime, I can't help but feel his nomination is deliberately unwinnable. During the primaries, most Republican voters grew very fond of Mitt Romney, only to have him drop out when he was in second place with half the primaries left. Don't be surprised to see Romney showcasing his Ken doll smile for the 2012 election. If you think that prediction is unwarranted, remember; John McCain ran for president in 2000, only to be swift boated by his own party. Now look where he is.
The Republican Party is at its most battered and bruised since its conception, and this is their spokesperson? A man who can barely walk or read? A man who relies on his assistants to recite dialogue in his ear whilst partitioning a verbal faux pas? A man who publicly changes his views from one month to the next? A man who spent several years as a POW forty years ago? A man who, when asked a fairly simple economics question by Congressman Ron Paul, fumbled around aimlessly in search of an answer? A man who, in response to the question "what do we do about the threat in Iran?" answered "Like the Beach Boys song, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran"? The man who, now infamously, stated that he wants to keep troops in Iraq for a hundred years? I could go on, but you get my point; it can easily be summed up with an emphatic mantra of my own: "you've got to be shitting me!"