Why I will vote for John McCain

Let me set the record straight. I’ve been as critical of Sen. John McCain throughout the presidential primary as the democrats are of him now. He has suppressed freedom of speech with campaign finance reform, which has ended up hurting his own party and helping his opponents across the aisle. He has opposed efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and enforce existing laws against unlawful border crossings. He has supported what amounts to amnesty for those residing in the United States illegally and taking advantage of America’s good graces. He has embraced the man-made global climate change propaganda, as well as opposed efforts to drill and produce the vast reserves of petroleum product in ANWAR.
He is a compromiser. He is a self-described federalist, who believes in a strong central government. He’s a moderate and centrist on government spending: You never know what side of the fence he will come down on.
And yet, in spite of the fact that he’s a rhino and not a true pachyderm republican, I find myself daring to support the senior senator from Arizona for president of the United States.
Why? Let me count the ways.
But first, I’ll preface my argument by itemizing the issues most important to me, then comparing them to the two major party candidates.
1. National defense. I believe the first duty of the president of the United States is the same as any other service man or woman: To uphold the United States Constitution and preserve, protect and defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is the sum of the oath that every member of the armed forces, the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government take upon entering into public service. In fact, the Constitution stipulates the first duty of the president is to serve as commander-in-chief of the military, so having a person in the office either who has military experience or who whole-heartedly supports the military is crucial.
That isn’t to say that every war hero or politician with military experience would make an effective president. Certainly, history is ripe with examples of presidents who were more effective in uniform than in the Oval Office. And some of the most effective presidents have come from as diverse backgrounds as small-town lawyers, orators, authors, inventors and even actors.
But in a time of war, as we have found ourselves in for the past seven years, a president who has the highest regard for the military and endorses a philosophy of a strong national defense is critical to the survival of our country.
2. Life. If freedom can be summed up by “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Bill of Rights, then abortion is the antithesis of freedom and essential liberty. While proponents of the practice maintain that it promotes choice and, therefore, liberty for women, at the same time, it denies choice to unborn children, who have no voice and no advocate on their behalf defending their right to live. Abortion supporters argue that the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade is constitutional because it upholds the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing the peoples’ right to be secure in their persons. However, the pro-abortion lobby overlooks the obvious: That this right ought to reasonably be extended to all living persons, born and unborn. In fact, the Fifth Amendment stipulates that no person shall be “deprived of life” without due process of law. Human infants killed before they have a chance to breath outside of the womb are not given a fair trial and, thus, are denied due process of law before their execution. This is a direct and blatant violation of the Constitution.
3. Taxation. I believe that Americans are unnecessarily burdened with rising taxes in order to pay for unbridled government expansion that the overwhelming majority of Americans have never endorsed. The federal government has grown in spite of the people and despite their representation, which, unfortunately, has made such decisions independent of the people supposed to be represented. And while we may not have taxation without representation, I don’t believe our representatives have been making decisions in the best interests of the people they serve, but rather themselves. Our representatives make tax and spend decisions for the benefit of their own re-election, to feather their own political nests, and not for any benefit to the people. I believe our representatives should be making responsible legislative decisions that are considerate of the people whose money pays for them. Spending should be cut back and taxes reduced to relieve the burden on everyone, not just a few or select groups.
4. Energy. Why have we allowed ourselves to become dependent on other countries to supply our energy needs, when we have the supply right underneath our feet? Why have we allowed our money to benefit foreign nations who hate us, instead of boosting our own economy? Restrictive environmental regulations that put the skids on domestic energy production need to be relaxed or altogether lifted in order for us to function independently from the rest of the world. There is no reason why we should allow ourselves to be led around by a dangling carrot, when we’ve got our own carrots to eat. While I don’t believe our economy can or should exist on fossil fuels alone, I also don’t believe we can just dump petroleum products altogether. The transition from carbon-based to alternative energy sources needs to be gradual. That is why we must drill our own oil and explore alternative energy options at the same time.
Okay, these are the four most important issues to me. When I compare John McCain to Barack Obama, here is what I see:
1. McCain has a history of putting his country before himself, as evidenced by his service in the military and, specifically, the sacrifices he made in service to America during the Vietnam War. McCain will unequivocally support the United States Armed Forces and its current mission in the “War on Terror.” Obama, on the other hand, is willing to negotiate “without preconditions” with terrorist-sponsoring nations. I am convinced that McCain will not allow America to fail during wartime. He will keep her on the offensive, rather than assume defensive posture and wait for the next attack on our soil. By virtue of his service and whole-hearted commitment to the military, McCain is a better fit than Obama to assume the role and take on the responsibility of commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces.
2. John McCain is anti-abortion; Obama is pro-abortion. Enough said.
3. McCain supports across-the-board tax cuts for everyone, regardless of their income levels or tax brackets, because he knows that relieving the burden of those who employ is just as important as relieving the burden of those who are otherwise employed. Obama, conversely, endorses selective tax breaks for what is termed the “middle” and “working” classes, while raising taxes on the so-called “rich.” What he fails to understand is that by supporting tax increases on those who do the employing, he is harming their ability to employ more people, provide the benefits that working people rely on, and offer products and services at reasonable cost to the average, middle-class consumer. McCain gets this connection, where Obama and his Democratic Party just do not or refuse to.
4. John McCain has come out in support of domestic oil drilling and production, in spite of waffling on ANWAR. But he also understands that there must be a balance struck between the environment and our economy. To be one-sided either way has destructive consequences. McCain at least recognizes the economic and political threats that continued reliance on foreign nations pose, and he is willing to do something about it. Sen. Obama, by contrast, cannot decide whether to support or continue to oppose domestic oil production and the drilling for petroleum on our own soil. He is at odds with his party’s strict environmental voting block and with the blue-collar working class that relies on a strong economy to provide jobs. Without a domestic fuel product, we cannot expect to have a strong economy that grows jobs and creates economic stability for the working class.
By and large, I find myself in agreement with John McCain more than I disagree with him; vice-versa with Barack Obama, who is decidedly more left-wing and socialist for my comfort. I take issue exclusively with Obama’s political philosophies and associated judgment therein; not his skin color, experience, or any other detail of the man.
When I look at the resume of John McCain, I see a man who has all of the faculties necessary to lead the military, make tough and sometimes risky foreign policy decisions, and who is willing to answer the call to duty when the red telephone rings at 3 a.m.
When I regard Barack Obama and his resume, I see a man full of social idealism, charm and fancy rhetoric that beguiles crowds by the thousands. Experience aside, I don’t believe that Obama has the judgment needed to serve as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces in a time of war. The record shows that John McCain does.
And that, to me, is the bottom line.