John McCain's last shot at this is to cut the congressional
Republicans loose and ask the American people over and over again
whether they want to give the Democrats a blank check. This is
essentially what the Gingrich Republicans did to their presidential
candidate, Bob Dole, in 1996. Not only does this put McCain in the
position of running against the unpopular Democratic Congress and
promising swing voters divided government. It also harmonizes the
two conflicting narratives McCain is trying to push -- the
conservative McCain who will veto Democratic tax and spending
increases and the bipartisan McCain who will work with Kennedy,
Lieberman, and Feingold.
McCain can say he is the only presidential candidate who can
both work with the Democrats where possible and block their liberal
excesses where necessary. He might even name those excesses:
middle-class tax increases, taxpayer-funded abortion,
economy-wrecking indulgence of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, repeal
of the Defense of Marriage Act, and the enactment of the Freedom of
Choice Act. Will it work? Maybe not, but it is probably McCain's
last, best chance.
topics:
John McCain, Abortion
