In 1960 Barry Goldwater, the patron saint of modern conservatism, gave some
famous advice to conservative Republicans who were angry with their shabby
treatment at the hands of the Nixonites. Get over it, Goldwater told them.
"Let's grow up, conservatives," Goldwater proclaimed. The embryonic
conservative insurgency within the GOP couldn't let hard feelings get in the
way of the hard work that needed to be done, AUH20 counseled.
Today's conservatives might be well-advised to take similar advice with
regard to the successor to Goldwater's seat, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
In the eyes of his conservative detractors - among whom I've long counted
myself - McCain has a maddening habit of proving his political independence
by winning accolades from the New York Times editorial board. On campaign
finance reform, global warming, opposition to tax cuts and other issues, the
"maverick" has too often racked up points by scoring against his own team.
Sometimes he stands to the right of the GOP, sometimes to the left, but
always he seems to relish breaking ranks for its own sake.
It's an annoying habit, but conservatives should consider their other
options. For example, by any measure, Rudy Giuliani is the more liberal
candidate - indeed, the most liberal serious candidate Republicans have
fielded in decades. But because Giuliani made the right enemies - chief
among them those vexatious New York Times editors - conservatives respect
him, even though they disagree with him on almost everything. Meanwhile,
they give the cold shoulder to McCain, who agrees with them on most of the
important things.
For instance, McCain's been a consistent pro-lifer (which distinguishes him
from pretty much everyone else in the race so far). Until recently, Giuliani
argued passionately for partial-birth abortion as a constitutional right.
McCain has voted to confirm every conservative Supreme Court nominee,
including Robert Bork. He voted "guilty" in Bill Clinton's impeachment
trial. He campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, even after a
bitter defeat at Bush's hands. Giuliani says he was ideologically simpatico
with Clinton, and he endorsed Democrat Mario Cuomo for governor of New York.
My point isn't merely to make invidious comparisons between McCain and
Giuliani (heck, to liberals they're not invidious at all). I'm actually a
fan of Giuliani, and I think the GOP and the country could do worse in a
president and Republican standard-bearer. But the double standard on the
right seems more than a little self-indulgent.