Paul

Ibrahim

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March 30, 2009

Meghan McCain: Go Back to Blogging About Shoes

In some ways, Meghan McCain and I are very much alike. We are both young people who have voted Republican. We are both the products of big cities. We are both fascinated by fashion. We both attended liberal Ivy League schools (except I didn’t major in Art History). And we are both, in theory at least, right-of-center writers.

But this is where the similarities end.

It took me years of studying politics, law and foreign affairs, participating in conservative activism and developing my third language (English) before I earned my blog and a position as one of the youngest syndicated columnists in the country. All McCain had to do, however, was be born to the 2008 Republican nominee for president. This allowed her to have a cute blog about her friends sticking campaign stickers on various body parts, earning her a following from a Sex and the City audience largely uninterested in politics without colorful pictures.

This, McCain seems to believe, gives her a mandate to become an ideological force in the Republican Party, and be “sort of this new young Republican” who can “make progress and be successful” in ways that she finds like totally awesome.

When McCain decided, post-elections, that she would enter the national political dialogue, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. But now, after seeing her make too many television appearances and type up excessive holier-than-thou commentary in which she professes to speak for young Republicans, all based on nothing but her last name, what patience I had has run out.

I’m sorry, Meghan, but taking pictures of your mom in pajamas does not qualify you to be a spokeswoman for any serious constituency or any serious ideology. And it shows.

Recently, McCain took a break from discussing her weight and tattoos and told Larry King the following:

“I consider myself a progressive Republican. I am liberal on social issues. And I think that the party is at a place where social issues shouldn’t be the issues that define the party. And I have taken heat, but in fairness to me, I am a different generation than the people that are giving me heat. I’m 24 years old. I’m not in my 40s, I’m not in my 50s and older. And I think there’s just such a generation gap . . .”

Well, Meghan, I’m in your generation and I’m about to give you some heat.

McCain so easily falls into the college-liberal mentality associating social conservatism with intolerance, bigotry, witchcraft, and, gulp, old people in their 40s. But more importantly, McCain’s words demonstrate complete unawareness of the principles of conservatism. You see, Meghan, there is no such thing as a “generation gap” when it comes to conservative ideology. Capitalism is as vital to the economy today as it was 50 years ago. Abortion is as cruel today as it was 100 years ago. Gun rights are as necessary today as they were during the American Revolution. Conservative principles aren’t like bell-bottoms, dude – they remain fashionable every season of every year.

Yet McCain believes that it is “cool” and “tolerant” to be ideologically rebellious, because apparently that’s what young people are supposed to be. When King asked her what she thought about abortion, she answered, “I believe in gay marriage.” Then she went back to abortion, and said: “I personally am pro-life, but I’m not going to judge someone that’s pro-choice. It is not my place to judge other people and what they do with their body.”

So McCain would not have an abortion presumably because she believes that she would be ending a human life. As such, why is it not her place to prevent others from having abortions that end human life? After all, she probably believes that drowning a five-year-old also amounts to ending a human life, yet supports laws preventing others from drowning children. At least if she was personally pro-choice because she doesn’t believe she carries a human person, she would be intellectually consistent even if she were wrong.

It is no surprise that McCain is not being taken seriously in the conservative community. The most attention she has gotten is from radio host Laura Ingraham, who jokingly referred to McCain as a “plus-sized model.” This comment, it turns out, was the best thing that’s ever happened to McCain. She milked it in every forum she could find, from her blog, to her other blog, to Larry King, to The View, etc. The infinitesimal controversy launched her into fame in the mainstream media and the left-wing blogosphere. And she won’t stop talking about it.

Meghan, stop trying. Your politics were largely rejected by conservatives, and for now, you are trying to take refuge as a darling of liberals. So, enjoy your 15 minutes of fame. But afterwards, unless you hit the books, you’ll have to fall back on your actual qualification – blogging about shoes.

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