Posted by
RegularGuy on Friday, August 29, 2008 12:00:00 AM
The rap on McCain is that he is a Bush clone. The mantra, repeated in Obama's speech on Thursday is, "He voted with Bush 90% of the time." But in fact, McCain crossed the aisle and took stands that put him at great odds with his party leadership and with the base of conservatives. He has infuriated me with his willingness to champion bills like McCain-Feingold and McCain-Lieberman, with his support of Cap and Trade schemes, and with his resistance to enforcement of immigration laws, to name just a few of his 'maverick' shenanigans. And yet, despite all this, the Democratic theme is that there is no meaningful difference between McCain and Bush. All of that aisle crossing and 'dissing' of the party has counted for exactly nothing.
The lesson that I hope Republican congressmen and senators will learn from this is that reaching across the aisle is a one way gesture. The hand that reaches back is only there to slap your face. If you want to be the darling of the press, get your face on the news as the man who stood up to the Republican evil-doers, and get yourself invited to those cocktail parties, then just remember that at the end of the day, it will count for nothing with the Democrats and the media. Next time you have the urge to slide across the aisle and do business, just remember the Deomcratic mantra with which McCain is being hung.