BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

We are a few weeks away from the Democratic Convention in Denver and it seems that the convention venue is growing.  Barack Obama will now give his acceptance speech at the INVESCO Stadium, rather than in the convention hall.  Apparently, the convention center will hold only 20,000 people and with the excitement expected to surround the party’s candidate, it has been announced that there will be 75,000 seats available for those who want to see and hear the candidate accept his party’s nomination.

John McCain will give his acceptance speech in the St. Paul center before a smaller group of supporters.  But, that isn’t the real difference in the campaigns or the conventions.

For months Barack Obama fought Hillary Clinton to earn the right to give the acceptance speech.  There was talk about party division and its possible lasting effects.  But, as the convention draws ever closer, it seems that the campaign scars have begun to heal and it is likely that the convention will go smoothly.

While the Democrats were fighting amongst themselves, John McCain seemed to glide across the country without opposition.  In fact, once left as the sole contender, McCain seemed to fall asleep.  His campaign moved from city to city with little excitement and less coverage as McCain sought to re-introduce himself to America.  Of course, his speeches are enough to put us all asleep, but that’s another story.  All seemed well within the Republican Party.  Perhaps, they wasted some valuable time as the Republicans stood on the sidelines waiting to see if the Democrats would self-destruct.

Now, it seems that the real Republican battleground may be in Minnesota at the convention.  The conservative Republicans are becoming more and more troubled by McCain’s move to the middle.

Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of Sen. John McCain in advance of September’s Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party’s official declaration of principles.

The conservatives want to hold onto the past, or so it seems.  Many are still in denial, clinging to the past, believing that the issues being discussed today are not the issues necessary for the party platform.  But, to ignore those issues could spell disaster for the party’s nominee and for those running in state and local elections.

So, where will McCain lead his party?

McCain has not yet signaled the changes he plans to make in the GOP platform, but many conservatives say they fear wholesale revisions could emerge as candidate McCain seeks to put his stamp on a document that currently reflects the policies and principles of President Bush.

“There is just no way that you can avoid anticipating what is going to come. Everyone is aware that McCain is different on these issues,” said Jessica Echard, executive director of the conservative Eagle Forum. “We’re all kind of waiting with anticipation because we just don’t know how he’s going to thread this needle.”

McCain has spent the past year and a half trying to straddle the philosophical schism in the modern Republican Party. In primaries, he stressed his conservative credentials, but since clinching the nomination he has often reminded voters of his more moderate stances while professing his fealty to conservative positions.

Conservatives have proved that for the most part they are not open to new ideas or change.  McCain has had his “straight talk express” derailed from time to time by taking unpopular positions on die-hard Republican ideals.  And, it seems that the convention could be heading for a major train wreck if the issues aren’t resolved pre-convention.

A platform fight at the convention could disrupt that carefully choreographed effort by highlighting the stark differences in vision for the party separating McCain from some of the GOP’s most dedicated activists.

The battle may not be avoidable. The current GOP platform is a 100-page document, and all but nine pages mention Bush’s name. Virtually the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the president, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon.

It is the prospect of a total rewrite that worries some.

The Washington Post continued by saying that McCain is totally out of step with some in the party.  That should come as no surprise.  But, are we about to see buyer’s remorse?  That could depend on the selection of McCain’s running mate.  Time will tell.