Now that Sen. John McCain is the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party, he will have to answer a number of questions to put conservative voters at ease when they take to the voting booths this November.
One of the main concerns among conservative voters is the perception that McCain is too liberal. The McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform and McCain-Kennedy immigration reforms only highlight the issues.
Questions about McCain's age and self admitted lack of economic experience only add to the list of concerns for some voters.
To help sort out the issues and provide an answer to these questions, UT College Republicans President Tyler Lewelling makes a case for Sen. McCain in an interview with Politics Editor Austin Baird.
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Why vote McCain?
AUSTIN BAIRD: Why is McCain the best candidate for America in 2008?
TYLER LEWELLING: John McCain is an experienced conservative leader in the tradition of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan. He is a common sense conservative who believes in a strong national defense, a smaller, more accountable government, economic growth and opportunity, the dignity of life and traditional values.BAIRD: What do you feel separates McCain from Obama and Clinton in terms of experience and preparedness to lead the country?
LEWELLING: Compared to them, McCain is very qualified. If you look back at Obama, less than 4 years ago he was in the state senate. I believe that he has very little experience of running our country and the only thing Hillary Clinton has done other than being in the U.S. Senate for 8 years, is being first lady and a lawyer. John McCain has served in Congress for over 30 years (House and Senate), he served our country in the Navy, and knows how to lead our country in this difficult time.
BAIRD: Why should college students and other voters 18-24 vote McCain?
LEWELLING: John McCain is the right man to lead our nation. Many college students are concerned about the world we live in and if the government can keep us safe, and care about issues such as Social Security, poverty, ethics/government reform, and education. A McCain presidency would help solve many of these problems and restore faith in our government. As a college student, I would be proud to have McCain as my president.
McCain's struggles with conservatives
BAIRD: Many far right conservatives are struggling to fall behind Sen. McCain because they consider him too far to the left. Do you feel like this is overblown by the media or a fair argument?
LEWELLING: I do feel that the media has blown this out of proportion, but many big name conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter have objected to a McCain candidacy. I will admit that there are some things that I don't agree with Senator McCain about but no one will agree with a candidate 100% of the time. John McCain is conservative where it truly matters. If people would do their own research about John McCain, they would see the reasons why he believes what he believes. It is true that he has spoken out against the leadership in the Republican Party but they haven't exactly stuck to their conservative principles within the past few years. The size of the government has grown and the deficit has increased. John McCain has fought against these things and will continue to fight them as president.
BAIRD: Do you think that the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform went too far in restricting freedom of speech?
LEWELLING: No I don't. I believe that out campaign finance system still has problem but this corrected some of them. If someone like Mike Huckabee can do very well on practically no money, then I don't think there is too much to fuss about.
BAIRD: Does the 2005 legislation proposed by Sen. McCain and Sen. Ed Kennedy that would have given a path for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship go against conservative beliefs?
LEWELLING: I believe it does. This is one of the areas that I personally disagree with John McCain with. But he tried to solve a problem when many other leaders didn't and he tried to do it in a bi-partisan manner which says a lot. Many people consider Ronald Reagan the conservative icon of this century and he proposed amnesty when he was president.
BAIRD: Why do you think McCain voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001?
LEWELLING: He voted against them because he said there wasn't a balance between a cut in spending and tax breaks. He believes it wasn't a fiscally conservative decision. I have heard that he also objected to tax breaks in the higher income bracket.
Other concerns
BAIRD: How much should McCain's age, 72 by election time, play into voters' decision making this November?
LEWELLING: I understand how some people would have concerns with his age, but having met him and heard him speak, I am confident that he is capable to lead our country. He doesn't look or seem that old in person and his mother is over 90 years old and seems to be in good condition and good health so I think it ‘runs in the family.'
BAIRD: With names such as Bobby Jindal, Charlie Crist, J.C. Watts and Bob Riley being thrown around by the media, who do you think is McCain's best option as VP?
LEWELLING: I honestly don't have any idea. I personally think that Newt Gingrich, Condi Rice, or J.C. Watts would be amazing on the ticket. Gingrich has the great policy experience and conservative credentials and would help shape great policy for our nation, as would Rice and Watts. Condoleezza Rice and Watts would also help garner black votes and female votes, which Republicans would need going against Clinton or Obama.
Get involved
BAIRD: How can students at UT get involved with other McCain supporters and the GOP as a whole in Knoxville?
LEWELLING: They can contact me at tylerlew@utk.edu. I'm the State Chair for Students for McCain. There will be lots of opportunities to help, especially in the fall.
Comments
Alcid commented, on March 31, 2008 at 5:37 p.m.:
McCain = Draft
Army Chief of Staff General George Casey tells us that our military is way overstretched, and that tours-of-duty will have to become shortened. General (ret) Barry McCaffrey has said that we are so lowering recruitment standards just to keep our numbers up that he is concerned for the long-term quality of the military. Republican presidential candidate John McCain states he “is confident" that Americans will be patriotic enough to answer the call to duty and volunteer in sufficient numbers for the military. McCain is dead serious when he talks about his war policy. He wants to continue the Iraq War. He pledges to increase the US commitment to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. He wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell. He also speaks of other wars. If we continue along the path our president has us locked into and that McCain supports, we will need more quality ‘volunteers’ than are willing. That means McCain must recruit folks who don’t want to be recruited. That means the return of the draft.
Sandy commented, on March 31, 2008 at 6:22 p.m.:
Reagan's immigration amnesty failed because the borders were not secured first. That's why no one wants it now. congress says it will secure the border but everyone knows that they will not. We must have secure borders before there can be a discussion of any kind.
jkb commented, on March 31, 2008 at 6:29 p.m.:
The argument that Hukabee ran on little or no money and he did just fine would hold more weight if he was still in the race and winning. McCain himself is finding himself financially strapped by the rules that he created. Conservatives will vote for him in the end but it is because we don't have a choice. Sometimes you vote holding your nose. It is rare that an election is won when people are voting against someone (i.e. Clinton or Obama) instead of voting for someone they are excited about. Our only hope of winning this one is the bloody infighting that is going on and not the brilliance of McCain himself.
Martin commented, on April 1, 2008 at 8:34 a.m.:
You republican's are crazy to think that we will have 4 more years of Bush Rule! No Way. When George Bush entered office in 2001 gas was 1.19 a gallon. As gas goes up your hope of electing McCain will go down. People don't care about gay marriage and abortion. People finally care about their pocket's what they should have been worrying about in the first place.Any body BUT mccain in 2008...
Jay commented, on April 2, 2008 at 11:44 p.m.:
People care about national security. Obama's time in the senate or Clinton's time in the senate/time as first lady doesn't hold up to McCain's. He was in the Hanoi Hilton longer than either of them were in the senate and that doesn't take into account all of his years in the military, house and senate. Neither democrat is fit to lead the military. They don't understand it nor do they respect it.