The Reel McCain

There are figures in American politics that come along who transcend the constraints of an ideology and soar above the base political landscape; I thought John McCain was such a person—in 2000. What I see today is a politician much like the rest, who has managed to transform his refreshing ideas of the 2000 campaign into a trite façade of a so called straight shooter.

Turn on any television screen today, and most likely you will find McCain; extolling the virtues of “straight talk” and “moral character”. A closer examination of this supposed second coming of Teddy Roosevelt will reveal a politician much like the rest—calculating, poll driven, and bereft of political bravery. These are harsh words, and they are not meant to tear down his personal characteristics, rather they are aimed at the image he and his campaign are continuously molding in the public arena. With the help of the spineless media, he has somehow managed to portray himself as a man of principle.

A man savaged by the extreme conservative wing of the Republican Party in 2000, he now flirts incessantly with the sludge of the Republican Party. Much like a hooker who tries to appease her pimp, he overlooks the extreme right wing’s sickening foundation built on implicit racism and explicit exclusionary dogma. Nowhere is this more evident than his rapprochement to Jerry Falwell, a man McCain rightly rejected as a man of hatred and divisiveness. Realizing that the base of the Republican Party is infected with the same strain of hatred and divisiveness, he chose to cater to the germs instead of applying an antiseptic of honor. Today, he stands hand in hand with the same subspecies of the party who maligned him for adopting an “illegitimate black child”.

More damaging to the country was his so-called brave stance against Bush during the Torture Bill debate. One would have thought that a man who was indeed tortured for years at the hands of the Vietcong would be the most vehement protector of our nation’s honor and the belief that even those who are the most reprehensible amongst us deserve the civility of our justice system. Once we give in to the idea that there are some who don’t deserve justice, the delicate balance of our entire system tilts towards injustice. Instead of standing up to Bush, McCain instead provided covering fire for Bush to effectively legislate torture. In the end, Bush got exactly what he wanted in the Torture Bill; while McCain made pretend that he was a defender of our constitution while flicking on the switch to the shredder.

What we have before us is not the real McCain, rather it is the reel McCain—a made for TV phenomenon who charades as a truth teller on the evening news while cozying up to those who pull the levers of power during the day. Keep this in mind while he runs fervently to the right leading up to the primary, only to pivot and change into his “bring America together, I am a moderate” character. I would have voted for him once because I thought he provided a breath of fresh air—I realize now that he is as polluted as the rest of them.