And here's a challenge

[ellen_datlow]

Inspired by: suricattus

Tell me something about John McCain and/or Sarah Palin that will make me think well of them as candidates. Not as human beings, but as political candidates who have something to make me sit up and pay attention.

Comments

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

As a citizen of Arizona, I used to see John McCain as the maverick he claims to be, and as an honorable man. More recently, I've been learning a lot about McCain and unfortunately, I've learned very little that has made me think well of him as a candidate. One of the things I've learned is that his views on "women's issues" such as equal rights, equal pay, and freedom of choice are in direct opposition to mine and to those espoused by groups supporting women's rights, such as NOW.

NPR offers this article on Misperceptions About McCain's Abortion Stance, in which they state:

Many Republican voters, however, seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, supports abortion rights, too.

[. . .]

"I have stated time after time after time that Roe v Wade was a bad decision, that I support a woman — the rights of the unborn — that I have fought for human rights and human dignity throughout my entire political career," McCain said. "To me, it's an issue of human rights and human dignity."

[. . .]

"He's been very consistent; he hasn't changed his position," O'Steen says. He says that his group has supported McCain in every one of his senate races. "We've always considered him pro-life," he says.

As for fiscal responsibility . . . well, he was involved in the Savings and Loan debacle (remember the Keating Five?) and he has been a strong proponent of the deregulation of the financial industry that many are blaming for our current economic crisis. These aren't new views for him.

However, McCain does seem more willing than many others to work for bipartisan agreements and, at least in the past, he was less conservative than many other Republican candidates. He also acknowledges that we've created problems with the environment that need to be addressed (unlike his running mate).

For an article that attempts to present the facts without a whole lot of editorializing, you can check out the article about him on Wikipedia (which provides a number of links to sites that attempt to sort out the issues). You can also view his voting record on The Washington Post's voting record for him.

ETA: Link to NOW. Note that NOW has endorsed Obama; the first time they've ever endorsed a presidential candidate.