Conservative Republicans Wary of John McCain

Now, two months before the Republican convention, ultra-conservatives see in September’s meeting one more reason to be wary of John McCain. They fear that the candidate does not leave a very strong mark on the party’s “platform;” the profession of Republican faith rewritten for every convention.

John McCain is considered by many Republicans to be insufficiently conservative. He was partisan to the legalization of clandestine immigrants. He is also in favor of an agreement with India and China on global emissions of CO2, while the vast majority of Republicans are strongly opposed to the Kyoto treaty, and he believes in the market’s strength to regulate environmental problems.

But for many, the party’s “platform” reflects the Republican candidate’s opinions. In the current “platform,” for example, only three of the 85 pages do not mention George Bush’s name. The text will necessarily be rewritten to remove traces of the president whose popularity is at 28%, and conservative activists fear that John McCain benefits from bringing back principles that they judge untouchable, like stem cell research.

What to do with George Bush?

While John McCain’s team must reassure Republicans about their candidate’s conservative intentions, a role for George Bush remains to be found. Despite his unpopularity with the public, the President remains the head of the Republican Party, and he has a strong influence on its members. But John McCain has constructed his rhetoric on the idea that he would not embody a third Bush mandate.

They must, then, find a balance in the transfer of power. In 1988, Ronald Reagan, at the height of his popularity, transferred power to George Bush Senior in an airport: after a farewell speech on the evening of the convention’s opening, Mr. Reagan left the next day, crossing paths with the future President at the New Orleans airport, where he was going to be officially named the Republican candidate. According to the White House Press Secretary, George Bush is scheduled to make a speech at the convention’s opening. For all that, it is more than uncertain whether Mr. McCain and Mr. Bush will appear together publicly.