Off The Grid # 4: McCain In The White House

I'm off the grid for the rest of the week. Twice a day, I'm posing questions to which I do not know the answer. I will read through your submissions and post the best answers when I return.

Thursday PM question: How will President McCain handle abortion, gay rights, and other sensitive cultural debates as president? Will be bridge differences? Will he demagogue? Will he be a warrior of the right?

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Comments

I think it's a safe bet that John McCain has zero interest in social issues save how they impact his ability to send America to war. Expect him to appoint more radical right-wingers to the Courts but otherwise ignore social issues unless he finds himself needing to mollify social conservatives for some specific reason.

Posted by V. | February 14, 2008 3:23 PM

The same way McCain handles every other issue, by being a pentulant little brat who yells at anyone who dares disagree with him, on either side of the political spectrum.

Posted by DSG | February 14, 2008 3:34 PM

I don't see McCain as a warrior in the "culture wars".

I do see him appointing judges and perhaps cabinet members who are, if for nothing else than to please the "thoecratic" wing of the republican party.

Posted by freaktown | February 14, 2008 4:01 PM

McCain will delegate as much as possible WRT cultural issues. His cabinet will be key. He could do somthing rare and put together a bi-partisan cabinet.

He will be more hands on with foreign affairs.

Pelosi will be on thin ice if he is elected. He'll be impatient with congress.

Posted by Kim | February 14, 2008 4:06 PM

McCain will do what he has always done, which is occasionally talk maverick, and immediately cave before the bigots. This is McCain the Non-torturer who just sold out on this, as on so many issues.

Posted by zarrel | February 14, 2008 4:07 PM

The above posts are right - McCain just doesn't get up in the mornings for this stuff.

The real question is: will he veto Democratic Congress bills that expand reproductive rights, etc? For example, if Congress re-passes the blanket exception to the Global Gag rule, would he veto a budget over that? Or let it slide?

I honestly have no idea.

Posted by Jesse | February 14, 2008 4:07 PM

How will President McCain handle abortion, gay rights, and other sensitive cultural debates as president?

The closer we get to the general election, the more he'll emphasize federalism, and the less he'll pander explicitly to the far right. He'll tack back to the center, in other words, just like Clinton or Obama will do.

Posted by Jasper | February 14, 2008 4:21 PM

He certainly won't demagougue, for I think he understands that path is, well, un-Presidential. The skipper of the ship has to look out for all the crew, after all, and not put down some to win points with others. Otherwise, well, at least Captain Bligh got a longboat and a compass...

For the same reason, he won't be a warrior of the right either. The right is going to have be its own warrior on some issues. Now, Senator McCain should forthrightly state what he will and won't veto, within the bounds of good politics, and what his views are. And he is runnning on a certain platform, a Republican platform, and if elected needs to somewhat be bound by what the people pledged their troth on. The Presidency is not a vehicle for the President to run the nation as like a feudal fief, as he see fits as long as he "lives off his own".

But nor is the President a representative in the way a Congressman or Senator is. He is an executive, able to act in accordance with his best judgement, as bounded by the limits placed on him by the people, in Congress assmebled.

It is a balancing act.

The true answer lies beyond one man, or even the government. It has been said that the character of a great people breaks through and shapes their government. If this ever ceases to be the case in America, then we are no longer America.

We face these problems because the still-vibrant doctrines of the past no longer rule for everybody. We, as a people, are simply going to have to work through to find a common philosophy on certain issues, for I do not believe a true multi-cultural nation--in the sense of significantly great differences on issues of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--can long endure. A President McCain certainly will have a mighty bully pulpit to make his views known. But it is in the people that the final decision must be made. This is why I have always hated, with a visceral hate, an activist Supreme Court, for they prevent this resolution, and are helping a process that is slowly turning citizens into subjects.

Candidate McCain should say what he feels on these issues. A President McCain should govern in accordance with that. But he should do so in such a way that allows the 'conversation'--that tired worn out cliche--to occur where it needs to. In the hearts and minds of a free and self-governing people. Then, and only then, can it be expressed into action in Washington.

Actions in Washington can be used as a catalyst to spur debate, but they should never be the reason, the sole determing factor of what the culture is, or is going to be. Only the people can do that.

Posted by S. Wallace | February 14, 2008 4:34 PM

And my proceeding post above, if you think about it for a second, is why I really think the President should not be seen as the leader of the party, at least in the sense of being able to name the chair and so forth. Leading the party and leading the nation are two somewhat related, but really different, jobs.

Render unto the nation what art the nations, and unto the party what art the party's. It's easier if there is something of an hoest broker or independent check at the party head.

But these are thoughts that only took about as much time as it took to type them as to think about them. They are there as food for thought. After all, as Pericles said in the Funeral Oration, we think ideas improved by discussion...

Posted by S. Wallace | February 14, 2008 5:13 PM

McCain is a conservative on social issues. He just doesn't believe in amending the Constitution to achieve these aims.

But let's not pretend that he won't act as President to promote his social conservatism short of amending the Constitution or, consistent with his record as a deficit hawk (excepting military expenditures), providing new funds for the advancement of his socially conservative positions. It short-circuits some of the agenda, but not all.

Frankly, he'll do anything he wants that makes him happy by rewarding his friends and punishing punishing punishing his enemies. He's kinda like a more socially conservative Nixon but with an oft vicious sense of humor and a snarly charm. Nixon-lite.

Posted by PK | February 14, 2008 5:15 PM

Unless another McCain runs in another election, there will be no President McCain.

Posted by Curtis | February 14, 2008 5:30 PM

McCain Administration = Bush Administration

Posted by Stephanie | February 14, 2008 5:52 PM

About the only thing I can imagine is that McCain would be as Stephanie suggests, although with a little less Rovian shenanigans. His primary goals will be engaging in foreign adventures and pushing the NorthAmericanUnion. If you doubt the latter, look into who's doing outreach for his campaign.

Posted by TLB | February 14, 2008 5:58 PM

This one's easy. He'll make a big stink about how his decency prevents him from gay-baiting, then he'll start attacking gays with gusto.

Does anyone doubt this even for a second? It's what he did with tax cuts for the wealthy, torture, immigration, and now campaign finance reform (he just opted out of public financing).

Bottom line: he'll do whatever Karl Rove tells him to do, the same way he has for the past four years.

Posted by Exile on Ericsson St. | February 14, 2008 7:41 PM

He'll ignore as many as he can. He just doesn't care about them that much. He'll appoint conservative judges, but I don't think his first instinct is to appoint ideologues.

The big question with McCain is whether he wants a second term or not. I think he might decide after six months in office that he doesn't like Presidency enough to run again. If that is the case he will start as many wars as he can, but punt on social issues. If he wants a second term he is much more active in giving the right want they want on social issues.

Posted by Kineslaw | February 14, 2008 8:25 PM

Answer: McCain won't be President.

Posted by Live Wire | February 14, 2008 9:19 PM

Marc:

You are asking us to vote for you. Why are you trying us to bait?

McCain has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh.

Do you know where Bangladesh is located? Do you what religion is in majority there? What are minority religions there? Do you know if that country had women leaders? Do you know anything about Bangladesh?

Has there been a story - any story - on McCain's adoption? How come? NYT will not cover it. NPR and PBS will not cover it.

How about the Atlantic Monthly? I nominate you as the writer.

Take this bait.

Posted by Ali Karim Bey | February 14, 2008 9:34 PM

He will be completely indifferent on these issues, because like bush, he doesn't really care about them. Military is his only true concern, so he will take whatever social line benefits his party when he must discuss it.

Posted by taricha | February 15, 2008 12:03 AM

I'm guessing most of you have seen this, but there were three general election polls released today from Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- the hottest swing states of the general election -- that had McCain in complete toss-ups against both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The two Democrats were running fairly equal against McCain. Link.

Posted by Daniel | February 15, 2008 12:30 AM

His record is actually fairly consistent as Pro-Life. Moreso than Reagan was as a California governor or Bush Sr. He's not very activist about it, but he'll probably be less open to appointing Pro-Choice judges than Reagan was.

I think on gay stuff he'll just go along with the states doing whatever, but he seems to be supportive of states going against Same-sex marriage. He might be more tolerant to civil unions. He's not going to be interested in any Constitutional Amendments on social matters. Which angers some social conservatives, but realistically Constitutional Amendments on social issues are always the longest of long shots. Offhand the only one I can think of to succeed is the 18th, Prohibition, and that was repealed.

Polarization of the voting populace might ebb a bit, but partisanship will remain very strong among politicians. Democrats would dislike him as Pro-War and the far-right dislikes him intensely. Also they both want the Congress and playing on fear/hatred is useful no matter who you are. So if the voters do ebb a bit in polarization they'll do the best to remind them that

McCain is a senile warmonger who hates Asians and revels in the blood of innocents

or

Pelosi is a Socialist who revels in abortion and doesn't care if Al-Qaeda kills your children.

Posted by Thomas R | February 15, 2008 7:34 AM

"Remind them" should've been in quotes. They're intentionally vulgar caricatures of Pelosi and McCain.

Posted by Thomas R | February 15, 2008 7:36 AM

Having to raise these questions means McCain will not be president. I mean, what can he do in 8 months? Anyway, nobody could beat Obama this year.

Posted by robespierre | February 15, 2008 4:25 PM

Hello, Marc, commenters-

On this question: he won't "demagogue" or become "a warrior for the right". His forte, as he candidly admits, is the constellation of defense/national security/foreign policy issues, and that would be where he would focus his administration.

Posted by ElectionNightHQ.com (McCain site) Publisher | February 15, 2008 4:45 PM

I was unaware that McCain was capable of following through on his own personal decisions until this question. He is your standard issue puppet. He'll sacrifice his own beliefs to appease the party establishment(i.e. Bush tax cuts).

Posted by vena | February 15, 2008 5:12 PM

He'll govern much as he legislated. On issues he cares deeply about(spending, the war) he will be a right-wing warrior. He'll veto bills that have too many earmarks or that exceed his requests and he'll fight the war unless the Democrats defund it.

But on immigration, gay rights, abortion, etc., he'll probably seek common ground. Mind you, that doesn't necessarily mean giving Democrats what they want. Many Democrats are against late term abortions, so I imagine we'll see another such bill go through Congress.

Posted by Adam herman | February 18, 2008 3:23 PM