Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

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The Bane of McCain

During the presidential campaign of 2008 I explained the conservative voter's dilemma thusly: Obama will surely round us up and send us to re-education camps (Gitmo will have space), but if McCain wins he will drive us insane.  Choose wisely.

The problem with McCain (there's only one?--ed.) is brought vividly to light in George Will's latest column about how the Arizona political establishment, with McCain flying point, is trying to shut up the Goldwater Institute, which is suing to defend a state constitutional provision prohibiting blatant taxpayer giveaways.  Will nails it with this section:

Constitutions do not impress the co-author of the McCain-Feingold assault on the First Amendment (his law restricts political speech). But the institute's job -- actually, it is every Arizonan's job -- is to protect the public interest. A virtuoso of indignation, McCain is scandalized that the institute, "a non-elected organization," is going to cause the loss of "a thousand jobs." McCain's jobs number is preposterous, as is his intimation -- he has been in elective office for 28 years -- that non-elected people should not intervene in civic life.

Hear, hear.  My favorite McCain joke, by the way, runs as follows: What was the worst job in North Vietnam?  Guarding John McCain.  They're all still in therapy.

Categories > Politics

Discussions - 3 Comments

The joke is tasteless and should be erased.

Mr. McCain makes impetuous remarks from time to time. 'Tis regrettable.

The positive law - including constitutional provisions such as this one which are advisable in our time - must be respected. You should not, however, neglect your two salient problems - a political class which finds boondoggles like this to be ace ideas and a public which is willing to put up with this mess. An understanding of the issue at hand does not require much knowledge of the extant expenditure patterns of the municipal government in Glendale (as an understanding of dilemmas attending federal borrowing does). Man-in-the-street-in-Glendale, what is your excuse?

I wish the man would switch parties... He would make a better democrat than a republican.

Steve, I think you'd have to have served time in the Hanoi Hilton to make jokes of that nature. I agree with AD...tasteless and mean.

McCain is a RINO. No surprise there.

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