2008 Woodie Awards
Endorsements Strenghten McCain's Position
Fatema Kermalli
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Opinions
Presidential candidate John McCain has always had a bit of trouble carrying favor within his own party's base. The conservative Republicans' wary view of him comes in part from the stance that McCain has taken regarding torture - or in using the party's terminology, "interrogation methods".
It is one issue on which this Republican largely agrees with the Democrats.
As a prisoner of war for five and a half years in North Vietnam, McCain himself has undergone torture, the effects of which are still visible today. In explaining his position, the candidate has been quoted in the NY Times as saying: "One of the things that kept us going when I was in prison in North Vietnam was that we knew that if the situation were reversed, that we would not be doing to our captors what they were doing to us."
Even with this experience to back him, however, some conservative Republicans have been wary of McCain, opting instead for such candidates as Guiliani or Romney. Some even advocate Mike Huckabee, a candidate still in the race who, though far behind McCain, has been picking up support in the southern states. As such, McCain has found it difficult to gain the backing of a base which is usually the easiest capture for a candidate of the same party. Difficult, that is, until endorsements started presenting themselves.
Considering the situation he was in, the recent endorsement from ex-candidate Mitt Romney (who is said to have dropped out in order to create more unity within the party) can only help. Although the two men fought a hard a bitter battle during the campaign, they stood together on stage during the endorsement, calling both literally and symbolically for the rest of the Republican Party to do the same.
Such support is very important for McCain, who, with Romney's delegates, would be extremely close to the 1,191 delegates he needs to win the nomination. At the time of the announcement, he had over 800 with Romney
having approximately 200.
Of course, not all Romney supporters are going to switch directly to McCain. Nevertheless, some will be giving more votes and an even more solidified support to McCain, who already has a comfortable lead over fellow Republicans Huckabee and Paul.
To add to this, John McCain now also has the support (given on Presidents' Day) of former President George W. Bush, who said according to the NY Times that he was "happy to help this remarkable patriot carry our party's banner forward."
All of it bodes well for the Republican forerunner… especially the fact that Bush Sr. has also noted that it was "absurd" to call McCain not conservative enough.
It is one issue on which this Republican largely agrees with the Democrats.
As a prisoner of war for five and a half years in North Vietnam, McCain himself has undergone torture, the effects of which are still visible today. In explaining his position, the candidate has been quoted in the NY Times as saying: "One of the things that kept us going when I was in prison in North Vietnam was that we knew that if the situation were reversed, that we would not be doing to our captors what they were doing to us."
Even with this experience to back him, however, some conservative Republicans have been wary of McCain, opting instead for such candidates as Guiliani or Romney. Some even advocate Mike Huckabee, a candidate still in the race who, though far behind McCain, has been picking up support in the southern states. As such, McCain has found it difficult to gain the backing of a base which is usually the easiest capture for a candidate of the same party. Difficult, that is, until endorsements started presenting themselves.
Considering the situation he was in, the recent endorsement from ex-candidate Mitt Romney (who is said to have dropped out in order to create more unity within the party) can only help. Although the two men fought a hard a bitter battle during the campaign, they stood together on stage during the endorsement, calling both literally and symbolically for the rest of the Republican Party to do the same.
Such support is very important for McCain, who, with Romney's delegates, would be extremely close to the 1,191 delegates he needs to win the nomination. At the time of the announcement, he had over 800 with Romney
having approximately 200.
Of course, not all Romney supporters are going to switch directly to McCain. Nevertheless, some will be giving more votes and an even more solidified support to McCain, who already has a comfortable lead over fellow Republicans Huckabee and Paul.
To add to this, John McCain now also has the support (given on Presidents' Day) of former President George W. Bush, who said according to the NY Times that he was "happy to help this remarkable patriot carry our party's banner forward."
All of it bodes well for the Republican forerunner… especially the fact that Bush Sr. has also noted that it was "absurd" to call McCain not conservative enough.
Be the first to comment on this story