A few days ago I outlined a rough framework for how I approach the question of who to support for President in an attempt to rationalize why I’ve decided to vote for the Republican nominee, John McCain despite the fact that I don’t particularly care for him. My reason? I hate him less than I hate his opponent.

Okay, so hate might be a strong word. Let’s just say I don’t agree with everything he says. I’ll start with the big three: Taxes, the economy, and civil liberties.

McCain is a typical Republican on the big three. He wants lower spending, lower taxes, less regulation, and takes a moralistic view on society.

Taxes

He opposed the Bush tax cuts at first because the country is heavily in debt. You can’t pay off loans if you cannot even pay your bills. It is not a popular stance, but it is the realistic conservative stance. Now that he is running for president, he is in favor of lowering taxes – the popular conservative stance. In this regard he earns a few points, I suppose. Deep in his heart of hearts he realizes that the budget needs to be balanced – he even supports the balanced budget amendment – but to become President he’s sacrificed true conservatism for popular conservatism. I guess I can understand it. I don’t agree, but I can understand it.

The other side of the tax issue is spending. As said before (and will be said again), it is unrealistic to expect have lower taxes unless spending is cut. On the spending front is where John McCain shines. McCain has made a habit of being a little belligerent about spending. His outspoken criticism of pork has pissed off many on both sides of the aisle, and its something he’s done for years.

On taxes I give McCain a B+. He understands the issue. He knows what needs to be done. My only criticism of him here is that he, understandably, bows to public pressure – but even when he does, he’s at least erring on the right side of the issue.

Economy

John McCain has taken the unprecedented step of admitting he has no clue how the economy works. Good for him – I, uh, think. Well, whether he knows anything about the economy or not, if elected President, he will be in charge of it; and whether he defers to his advisors or takes on the issues himself, he’ll have some decisions to make.

McCain, despite his gaffes, has shown himself to be a believer in a strong dollar, a free trader, and a deregulator. He believes in free market capitalism. Yet, for all of that, he is still in favor of bail outs and recently he has started talking about a windfall tax on corporations with only 8.5% ROI.

On the economy I give McCain a C. He’s a pretty typical politician in that regard. He listens to his advisors, the party, and to the public and makes policy decisions that, if they are not inspired by the opinions of others, are at least in line with them. If he ever becomes President, I’d bet my bottom dollar that his administration would be exactly as good as the collective wisdom of Republican lobbyists tempered by public opinion.

I am not very optimistic but I will admit that, when it comes to the economy, Republican cronyism is better for the economy than Democratic cronyism.

Civil Liberties

When it comes to the subject of civil liberties, McCain’s positions can only be described as baffling. He disregards the first amendment by supporting limits on grass roots political organizations and the flag burning ban. He and waffles on the second when he vocally claims he supports gun ownership and then sponsoring bills that would ban gun conventions, assault weapons, and require mandatory gunlocks. He is publicly against gay marriage, and downplays the fact that he is against a defense of marriage amendment. He believes abortion is a states rights issue just to avoid taking a stand on it. He is against habeas corpus but vehemently opposed to torture.

When I read his voting records and read his comments, I cannot help but think I am seeing a man flailing wildly in the dark. When it comes to McCain on civil liberties, giving him anything more than an F would be a crime. The only glimmer of hope I get from him is that his rhetoric and his voting record are frequently in conflict.

Other Issues

McCain is pro-death penalty and strongly supportive of law enforcement, except for hate crimes legislation which, for some reason, he doesn’t believe in. He is in favor of a strong boarder, but also believes those who have already immigrated legally should be granted amnesty. He opposes mandates for universal health care and universal health insurance, is in favor of allowing medicine to be imported from other countries, and opposes expansion of Medicare when the proposal comes from a Democrat but votes for such expansions when the proposal comes from a Republican. He’s strong on foreign policy and has a great degree of intuition there, but he insists on supporting faith-based programs.

When it comes to the other issues I have to give McCain a D. For each position he takes that I agree with, there’s one that I disagree with. He’s a mixed bag – not horrible, but not great by any means. I’d let him pass, but I certainly wouldn’t be making him valedictorian.

Conclusion

I cannot help but feel that if John McCain is not weak, he is at least easily influenced. On almost every issue he takes a good Republican stand, gets criticized into moderating his position, and then shamed into taking a step back. It seems to me that every position he takes is blurred. It’s like he doesn’t understand what he’s voting for and has no clear philosophy on his legislation. There is no direction, no decisiveness, no logic.

There is no mistake that McCain is a typical Republican. He has criticized for not being a true conservative because he isn’t a true conservative – he is a politician, through and through.

Stay tuned, folks. On Tuesday I’ll take a look at the Democratic nominee, Barak Obama. A week from now I will compare the two and explain why, despite his many flaws I’ve decided to back McCain.