An Open Letter to Senator John McCain the Maverick (Please stay that way!)

CHRISTOPHER MORRIS / VII AnOpenLettertoSenatorJohnMcCain theMaverick(Pleasestaythatway!) by TimothyA.Kelly T hereis alot of discussion among mediapundits and bloggersalikeas towhetherornot you arearealmaverickand,ifso,whetheryouwouldstaythatwayifelectedpresident.Muchofyourpopularity among centrist-leaning Republicans and Democrats, as well as Independents, comes from the perceptionthatyouarenobody ’slackey—thatyoufollowyourprincipleseveninthefaceofunrelentingpressureto do otherwise. Since presidential elections are won not by the Right or the Left but by the majority in the middle, the answer to these two questions may determine whether or not you become America’s 44th president. Permitmethen ,asonewhoadmiresmavericks,toexplorethemboth. Americans love mavericks, and many years ago we even had a hit TV show with that title (though hopefully you do notgamble).AccordingtoWebster’sDictionary,amaverickis“anindependentindividualwhorefusestoconformwith his or her group.” In light of the special interests and party bosses that seem to rule Washington, many of us long for a president who really wouldbehisorherownperson.Welongforsomeonewhowillgovern wellonourbehalf,basedonstrongprinciplesthatdonotyieldevenin the face of the firestorm of political pressures inside the beltway. Are yousuchaperson? Are You A Maverick? Let us consider the evidence. First the question of whether ornotyoureallyareamaverick. You did what most of us could never do. You faced down your captors in North Vietnam, refused early release, endured torture, and came home on your terms. As a Republican senator from Arizona for twenty-one years, you have earned the respect of many (and roused theireofothers)bycrossingtheaisletoworkwithDemocratssuchas Senators Kennedy and Feingold. You have been loyal to the current president yet do not hesitate to take a stand against administration policies when you deem it necessary. For instance, you were an early critic of the way the Iraq war was being fought and stood by your call fora“surge”evenwhenthatbecameextremelyunpopular. Icanpersonallyattesttoyourabilitytostanduptoapowerfulspecial interest in Washington—the gambling industry. You may not remember , but as Executive Director of the National Gambling Impact StudyCommission,ItestifiedbeforeyourSenateCommitteeonCommerce , Science, and Transportation on March 29, 2000. You were concerned about the corrupting impact on college athletes and coaches of Nevada’s amateur sports gambling, which hadbeenwelldocumentedbytheCommission’sreport.Nevada’sSenatorReidwasonyourCommittee,intentonprotectinghisstate ’sinterests,andseveralleadersofthegamblingindustryweretheretocountermytestimony.Iwillnever forget how relieved I was to find that you were capable of taking them all on, making sure that I was able to deliver my message to your Committee despite their efforts to shut me down. I know this was not easy for you, as both parties are beholdentohugecampaigncontributionsfromthegamblingindustry.Yetyouheldfirm. LETTERS TOTHECANDIDATES 42 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 Is this man a maverick? Dr.TimKellyhasservedinseniorgovernmentpositionsatboththestateandfederallevels. HeisDirectoroftheDepreeCenterPublic PolicyInstitute,whichpromotes“principledcentrism”(www.depree.org). Politics_3.qxd:Politics 8/10/08 1:39 PM Page 42 The conclusion we can draw on the first question, then, is that the evidence shows you are indeed the real thing. Deepdownyoureallyareamaverick—it’snotjustapoliticalployofsomesort—andyouappeartotakegreatpleasurein goingyourownwayovertheobjectionsofspecialinterestsandpartybossesalike. Will You Stay That Way? Nowtothesecondquestion.Ifelectedpresident,wouldyouorwouldyounotstanduptothetorrent ofnationalandinternationalpoliticalpressuresthatwouldbeyourdailyworld?Wouldyoufindyourself,despiteyour bestefforts,yieldingtothepowersthatrulewithintheWashingtonbeltway?Wouldthemaverickbecometamedbythe partiesandtheirrespectivespecialinterests?WouldyoubecapturedbytheRightorperhapsswallowedbytheLeft? Onceagain,let’sexaminetheevidence.Therearemanyissuesthatcouldbeexplored—forexample,youropposition andthensupportforextendingcurrenttaxcuts,oryouroppositionandthensupportfordrillingforoff-shoreoil.ButI wouldliketofocusonthehot-buttonissuethatalmostsankyourcampaign—immigrationreform. Yourcampaignhadanear-deathexperiencewhenyoucollaboratedwithSenatorKennedyandothersonacentristoriented immigration reform bill. The GOP leadership reacted against what they perceived as amnesty, and called for anyreformtobeginbysecuringtheborders.PollsshowedthatRepublicansupportforyourcandidacywaswaning,and manypunditsconcludedthatyourdaysintheracewerelimited.Thebilldidnotpass,yourcandidacymiraculouslyrecovered ,andnowyoumustexplaintoHispanicvotersandtheGOPleadershipalikewhatyourpositionisonimmigration reform. As I understand it, you still support the bill’s basic policies, but with one exception—you now say it is necessarytofirstsecuretheborders. Ican’thelpbutwonderwhyyouchangedyourpositiononthatpoint.Wasitbecauseofnewevidence? Regardingtheotherissuesmentioned—taxcutsandoff-shoredrilling—Ithinkitisclearthatnewinformationhas indeedchangedlotsofminds.Therearemanywhonowagreethatthetaxcuts“worked”toimprovetheeconomy,and, in light of rising oil prices, that responsible off-shore drilling should be considered—together with conservation. I applaud you for being flexible and wise enough as a leader to change your position on these two issues, based on new developments . (There are some leaders who seem to confuse being “principled” with being rigid, stubborn and out of touch.ThatisnotwhatIamcallingfor!) Sowhatwasthenewevidencebehindyourchangedpositiononbordersecurity?Ican’thelpbutworrythatthisshift hasmoretodowithanotherdynamicaltogether—theneedtoappeaseyourparty’sbase.Ifso,andifyouhaveembraced something that inwardly you disagree with, therein lies the problem. This means you are tolerating discrepancy between your own core principles and your actions, while denying it is so. That may work politically in the short run, but itwon’tworkpsychologicallyinthelongrun.Itwilleventuallysapyouofthemoralcertaintyandcouragethatissoadmirableaboutyou .Pleasedon’tletthathappen! WhatAmericadesperatelyneedsisapresidentwhoseprinciplesenablehimorhertostandfirminthefaceofunrelenting pressure—not stubbornly but wisely—someone who will do what is best for the people despite fierce contrary pressures. You have demonstrated your ability to do this. But you are also facing the inevitable...