(1:04) - FOX's anchor brings up John McCain's opposition to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Before I get into this, here's a brief overview of what is going on.
- John McCain's daughter, wife, and campaign manager have come out in support for marriage equality. They deserve a ton of credit for that -- especially Cindy McCain, who put the moral imperative of this issue ahead of what was convenient. It should be a cause of profound shame for Democrats that more in our party haven't done the same.
Note: The GOP should thank Meghan McCain. I don't agree with her take on many things other than social issues (and the wackness of The Young Cons), but a lot of Millenials who pay attention to politics are willing to at least hear her out. Equality for our LGBT friends is the civil rights issue of our time. Being on the right side of it matters a lot.
- Senator McCain is facing a primary challenge from former Rep J.D. Hawyworth, a champion of the GOP base who, among other things, panders to birthers. If McCain supported the repeal, he would no doubt be attacked for it.
If Hayworth wins the primary and becomes the Republican nominee, the race for this Senate seat becomes a toss - up. As a Democrat, I obviously have an interest in Hayworth winning the primary. But this is about something bigger than that.
If McCain decided to back this repeal, he would have something of a defense in Barry Goldwater. Arizona Republicans did not respond well to Goldwater's move to support gay Americans serving openly, but that was 17 years ago. A lot has changed. Public opinion has dramatically shifted in the right direction. One of the sponsors of CPAC 2010 is GOProud, an organization of LGBT conservatives.
Numerous conservative commentators started to identify themselves as libertarians after the 2008 election. It' doesn't get more libertarian than Barry Goldwater, and conservatives who have embraced the label cling to it like a political lifeboat. I don't see how they could credibly go after McCain on this. Some of them might even come to his defense. Ross Douthat, Jonah Goldberg, and other prominent conservatives seem to get that their party's stance on LGBT issues is untenable, to say the least.
Frankly, Hayworth is going to attack McCain like crazy regardless of what he does. John McCain should ask himself a few hard questions.
How many votes would supporting the repeal actually cost him?
Would younger Republicans turn out to support him if he did back the repeal?
And at the end of the day, doesn't courage matter?
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is fundamentally unfair and deeply immoral. It never really made sense, except as a political compromise in an "it's this or nothing" atmosphere. Now, it's completely indefensible.
John McCain has seen this movie before. In fact, he stared in it. In 2002, McCain condemned his previous support of flying the confederate flag in South Carolina as "an act of political cowardice." I seriously doubt McCain will change his mind about this act of cowardice. But he should.
In his heart, John McCain knows Barry Goldwater was right. You don't have to be straight to shoot straight.
