John McCain’s organization has undergone a personnel shift that will hopefully result in a more focused and ultimately winning campaign. What will the campaign’s new overriding theme be?
I humbly offer this suggestion: “America First”. This is inspired by a piece from Lawrence Kudlow on energy (more below), but I think it can apply to more big issues. For example:
John McCain has always put America First -- before politics, before party loyalty, before public opinion polls. When America needed a new strategy in Iraq, John McCain stood up to the administration and members of both parties, to support the surge -- years before anyone else . Today, that strategy has dropped violence to a four year low, has given the region hope for stability, and is speeding the day when US Troops can come home for good.
When members of both parties spent billions of taxpayer dollars on wasteful pet projects, John McCain put America First, refusing to accept earmarks, and speaking out against colleagues who do. As President, John McCain will fight to put an end to earmarks.
When the economy slowed down, John McCain proposed a pro-growth plan driven by incentives -- not big government mandates. John McCain will put the American economy first, by making American products more competitive, opening new markets for American goods, and rewarding companies that create jobs in America. As President, John McCain will put hard-working Americans and Small Business Owners first -- with meaningful tax reform to simplify and make the tax code more fair. John McCain has not, and will not raise your taxes.
Below are a few more excellent tax-reform gems from the
John McCain site:
John McCain Will Propose An Alternative New And Simpler Tax System – And Give America A Real Choice. When this reform is enacted, all who wish to stay under the current system could still do so, but everyone else could choose a vastly less complicated system with two tax rates and a generous standard deduction. Americans do not resent paying their rightful share of taxes – what they do resent is being subjected to thousands of pages of needless and often irrational rules and demands from the IRS.
John McCain Will Make It Harder To Raise Taxes. John McCain believes it should require a 3/5 majority vote in Congress to raise taxes.
John McCain Will Cut Taxes For Middle Class Families. John McCain will permanently repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) – a tax that will be paid nearly exclusively by 25 million middle class families. Repealing this onerous tax will save middle class families nearly $60 billion in a single year. Under McCain's plan, a middle class family with children set to pay the AMT will save an average of over $2,700 – a real tax cut for working families.
John McCain will put American Energy First, finding new and reliable sources of energy at home. As President, John McCain will work with both parties in congress to end our reliance on middle east oil, increase domestic drilling, and implement the use of eco-friendly clean-coal, biofuel, wind, solar, and zero-emission nuclear power.
Lawrence Kudlow was first on “America First”, regarding energy. Following is an excerpt from his
article:
America First should be the rallying cry. We have the natural resources to become the Saudi Arabia of coal and the Saudi Arabia of oil. Lift the moratoriums. Stop attacking our own businesses. Put technology to work. Put venture capital to work, with rock-bottom capital-gains and corporate tax rates. Stop being mau-maued by the extremist greenies who have prevented energy production for over three decades. America First. Unleash our free-enterprise energy sector: 2 trillion barrels worth of shale; 90 billion barrels of offshore oil; at least 10 billion barrels up in ANWR and more throughout Alaska, both onshore and off.
Politically, Sen. McCain must also understand how Hillary Clinton clobbered Barack Obama in the big state primaries: Blue-collar workers. They can be the key to victory for McCain. Guess who works in the energy business? Blue collar Reagan Democrats. They work on the rigs. They work in the fields. They drive the trucks. And they're paid high wages -- substantially above the average hourly wage.
Sage advice, no?
How about education? John McCain will put America’s children first, by offering school choice to parents, so they can free their kids from having to attend an underperforming school. John McCain will reform American education to reward high-performing schools and teachers, and empower parents instead of unaccountable bureaucrats and lobbyists.
And healthcare? John McCain will put American patients first by letting patients personalize their plans, have more options, and working to make quality healthcare more affordable to everyone.
Get the idea?
The point is…America First -- not politics, not rhetoric, not political parties. No democrats, no republicans, only Americans. “Change” is nice, but disturbingly vague. With Obama, that could mean anything. Obama has already shown that his idea of change really just amounts to a whole lotta pandering. McCain, meanwhile, has a well-earned record as a non-partisan reformer, and he should run on it.
However the campaign may want to say it, McCain’s new theme should reinforce his independent image.
These are sentiments McCain already feels in his heart, so he should sound completely natural saying it. McCain has a record of stunning political courage, frank non-partisanship, and in-your-face “straight-talk” that Barack Obama simply does not possess. The case needs to be made -- yesterday already -- especially to the independents who will decide this election.
In the meantime, Conservative Republicans need to get over their quibbles with McCain, and focus on the big stuff: Economy, Energy, and National Security. Let McCain speak independently, and cheer him loudly on those issues he’s infinitely better than Obama on. Support the campaign. Get fired up! Donate some funds!
This does not mean caving on conservative principles. It means fighting for your ideas with a Republican in the White House and some allies in Congress -- rather than the most liberal President ever (Obama, if elected) combined with a Republican minority in both chambers. Have no doubt that Obama, in a matter of hours, will shift right back to the left when faced with a liberal Democrat-dominated congress.
The message? America First. The perfect messenger? John McCain.