Thursday - 15 November 2007 - Standing up for a principle, even when it could hurt.
I think you HAVE to respect someone who stands up for a principle, especially when doing so can be harmful.
Senator John McCain has done that once again. And yes, in doing so, he may hurt his bid for President.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-11-12-independent-ads_N.htm - this is a story from Monday that explains what happened pretty well.
Simply put, Senator McCain, a staunch opponent of third party advertisements in campaigns, asked groups who were running ads on his behalf to knock it off.
As pretty much everyone knows, Senator McCain was a lead sponsor of the much argued McCain Feingold campaign finance laws. Many call it a violation of the First Amendment, others point out that McCain Feingold not only did not help, it actually made things worse for political campaigns. You know the old saying "The Road to Hell was paved with good intentions"??? Well, I think John McCain meant well and I back that up with the comments that he made regarding that first bill being just ONE of several steps that he wanted to take to improve campaign financing. Never got past that first step, so we have the mess that exists today.
So some third party groups start running television ads supporting many of Senator McCain's positions. Observers thought the ads were actually effective. Let's face it, McCain is trailing the front runners by such a distance, many wonder if his campaign will make it to February. He needs all the help he can get.
But these ads are completely in the face of the principles that John McCain holds. And because he does not want to be viewed as a hypocrite, which is exactly what most of the rest of the field is IN BOTH PARTIES, he asked these groups to knock it off. He pointed out the harm that could be done to his fledgling campaign if these ads continued to run.
This action is exactly what made me respect Senator McCain when I signed on as a volunteer for his campaign back in 1999. I had read his book, "Faith of my Fathers" and appreciated the honesty he exposed in that book. McCain let readers know about all of his misdeeds and faults in the era of his life that was covered. I saw what a flawed man he admitted to being. I voted for him in the 2000 Presidential primary, even though he dropped out of the race a week before.
Since March 2000, I have seen my support for John McCain slip. I am not supporting him now, though I really would love to meet the man. But one thing that hasn't slipped is my respect for him.
Now, some criticize McCain for not acting quicker. I think that might be fair, but the "Ready, Fire, Aim!" mentality can be equally dangerous. But he did act, at a time when others would likely not act.
So, while I am not sure I would vote for him or not. At least not yet. I do know that he will get my consideration beyond simply the issues. Because John McCain has shown me that he is flawed, he has made many, many mistakes in his life and admits to them. But he has also shown me again that he will stand up for a principle. Even when it may harm his chances of taking up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
My friends, I believe that term for that is.....Character.
