Some conservative pundits have crowned Sen. John McCain the GOP nominee for president but that doesn’t mean the Arizona Republican has a comfortable relationship with all members of his party.
McCain spoke this past weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference, which he declined to speak at last year – a choice that many conservatives viewed as a way for him to distance himself from them.
Dan Lipian, chairman of the Ohio College Republican Federation and previously chairman of the University’s College Republicans, attended CPAC 2008 and said he is not pleased with McCain’s status as the Republican front-runner.
Others are disappointed too, Lipian said, because they think McCain isn’t a true conservative.
‘He goes against the grain of the Republican party,’ Lipian said. ‘I respect his service but this man goes against the grain of conservatism.’
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter recently made headlines by stating she would vote for Hillary Clinton before she would support McCain’s candidacy.
Other conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity have also opposed the Arizona senator.
Despite the lack of support from some Republican commentators, McCain has a conservative voting record with the American Conservative Union. As of 2006, the Union gave him a lifetime conservative voting record of 82.3 percent.
David Jackson, associate professor of political science, said McCain has voted conservative overall but his stances on some key issues aren’t conservative.
He has deviated from the conservative base by not supporting Bush’s tax cuts and co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., that would allow foreign workers have a temporary visa, Jackson said.
Junior Brian Bogner, who is a registered Republican, agreed these two issues have angered many conservatives.
McCain’s opposition to methods of torture for interrogation and his desire to shut down Guantanamo Bay, a military prison for those suspected of being terrorists, also disappointed some conservatives.
But not all campus Republicans opposed McCain.
Junior and registered Republican Kevin O’ Grady said he supports McCain on the torture issue because McCain spent time as a prisoner of war during Vietnam and experienced it first-hand.
‘I believe that the tragic experiences he went through have made him see that others do not deserve that treatment,’ O’Grady said.
O’Grady said he identifies himself as a more conservative Republican but thinks McCain will make the best president.
‘I don’t agree with all his views but he is the best candidate still remaining,’ O’Grady said.
After former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney dropped out of the race last week, conservatives were left with McCain and two other candidates pundits say are unlikely to get the party’s nomination: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Texas Congressman Ron Paul.
Paul, who announced on Sunday that he would no longer campaign for the Republican nomination, ruled out a possible campaign as a third-party candidate.
Despite Huckabee’s reputation as a strict social conservative, Jackson said the former governor strays from the Republican base on some issues such as raising taxes.
While serving as Arkansas governor, Huckabee signed 94 tax cuts but also raised taxes 21 times, including a 103 percent increase in cigarette taxes, according to CNN.com.
Huckabee supports a fair tax system, which would get rid of the IRS and replace it with a consumption tax that would encourage investing and saving.
Despite his differing opinions on taxes, Bogner said Huckabee is a good candidate – he’s just a long shot to win.
‘I like him but I don’t think he can win the presidency,’ Bogner said.
Lipian said he wished Romney had remained in the race.
‘I’m very disappointed Romney dropped,’ Lipian said. ‘He was the only true conservative.’
