Candidate of the Dark Side
By Joe Schembrie
web
posted February 28, 2000
When John McCain gets done carpet-bombing the Republican Party, will a blade of grass remain?
McCain compares himself to Luke Skywalker, and the Republican Party to the Death Star. As he told an audience in Michigan, "We're going to kill 'em, right?" Sure, he only means that figuratively. But isn't that inflammatory enough?
Even hunting the fair game of his political opponent, McCain goes too far. In South Carolina, three days after pledging to stop all negative campaigning, he 'conceded' that George W. Bush takes "the low road," wants the presidency in "the worst way," and is the candidate of "fear" and "pretense."
The Republican presidential nominee doesn't have enough arrows in his back, John -- could you shoot a few more?
McCain is running against not just Bush but the whole so-called 'Republican Establishment.' It's not just in rhetoric of 'maverick,' 'insurgent,' and 'rebel.' When Democrats accused South Carolina Republicans of racially rigging the primary vote, McCain instantly demanded an investigation. You expect such anti-Republican race-baiting from Al Gore and Hillary X -- not from a supposedly loyal Republican.
A loyal Republican would have mentioned that the Democratic Party was the party of slavery and segregation, of blocking voting booths with white-sheeted thugs and PhD-level literacy tests. A loyal Republican would have mentioned that the Democrats in South Carolina suspended their primary this year in favor of a closed caucus -- the better to keep out 'undesirables.'
But no, this 'loyal' Republican joyfully plays the Race Card and all the other cards in the Democrat's Politically-Correct stacked deck against his fellow Republicans. His campaign brands pro-lifers as "imbeciles," tells Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson to get lost, and stigmatizes a whistle-stop at Bob Jones University into an anti-Catholic hate crusade. After this sledge-hammering, say good-bye to the Republican Party's fragile religious coalition.
For such demolition work, Big Media rewards McCain with a frenzy of promotional hype not seen since the premier of Star Wars Episode I. Superficially-informed voters are easily mesmerized by the Media Force into swooning for the Candidate of the Dark Side.
And so the Republican primaries are stampeded by Democrats and Independents -- those same astute political geniuses who once believed Clinton was clean and Perot was stable, and who have already ruined two political parties of their own.
A few such political vagabonds may stick around and vote for McCain in November, but that won't help Republicans. McCain has won big by running against the Republican Party -- so why stop ever, even after gaining the nomination? Big Media would love to cover a Republican presidential nominee warring upon his own party, and they'd continue to portray McCain as a rebel long after he's coronated emperor.
The liberals dominating Big Media know that voters can easily be led to split their votes between a Republican President and a Democrat Congress. And after all the fratricidal blood-letting, wouldn't a President McCain feel more comfortable dealing with Democrats?
It's not as if issues would get in the way.
McCain is not the first presidential candidate whose personal ambition devastates party and principle. Teddy Roosevelt's ego-serving third-party run elected Woodrow Wilson, and Richard Nixon drowned the Emerging Republican Majority at Watergate. But we need not worry about back-stabbing and scandal -- with a man of honor such as John McKeating.
About being a 'Man of Honor' -- I'd give someone who survived five years in a POW camp a free ride too. But this is going on three decades of opportunism and corruption, boastful adultery and hard-drinking, and now betrayal of his own professed political ideals and constituencies.
A POW Camp couldn't corrupt him -- but Power surely has. And so corrupt, he believes more power will cure him. When did that ever work?
And I'll question not only his integrity but his analogies too. He's Luke Skywalker? Try Luke's father -- the guy with the big black helmet and cape.
Annakin Skywalker -- a great warrior hero in his youth, a man whose body bears the scars of tremendous suffering in service to the Republic.
-- Who is seduced by the Dark Side of the Force -- who betrays his fellow Jedi Knights -- and who as Lord Darth Vader ushers an end to the Republic in favor of Empire.
Though the liberal Big Media's Imperial Storm Troopers successfully invaded Michigan on his behalf, McAnnakin Skywalker knows from exit polling that all is lost unless he persuades the Republican Alliance to lower its closed-primary shields.
So now, he claims to be a true disciple of Obi-Ron Reagan, and that Republican faithful should "not fear" him.
Watch out for the Big Media Death Star looming overhead. And watch out
for a light saber in the back. 
Joe Schembrie is a regular contributor to Enter Stage Right.