I am a young female fiscal conservative, and I cannot associate myself with the Republican Party due to its position on social issues ["Reagan Republicans Know Meghan McCain Is Wrong About Gays," usnews.com]. Meghan is correct in her assessment; the Republican Party cannot get the votes of most young adults when religious nuts are allowed to drive policy. I won't vote Republican, because they do not represent me. I am a third-party voter forever. The tea parties were a ground swelling of libertarians and fiscal conservatives and have nothing to do with the Republican Party. Fox tried to spin these protests but the majority attending would tell you they are not Republicans.
Comment by Dawn of TN
Peter Roff hit the main point right on the head. John McCain ran on positions nearly indistinguishable from Obama's, and lost. "Me too" politics will only help the Democrats, and deny the Republicans any chance to profit from Democratic mistakes. Meghan McCain's claims are a recipe for defeat, written by the daughter of a loser.
Comment by Dave of IL
Doesn't small government mean that government should stay out of the bedrooms and personal relationships of citizens? The only arguments I hear against same-sex marriage are religious. The Constitution prohibits established religion. How is banning gay marriage going to help the 50 percent divorce rate among heterosexuals? A gay marriage ban is big government run amuck. Rest in peace, GOP. You are toast!
Comment by Teddy Hilton of MO
John McCain lost the election not because of trying to capture the middle of the political spectrum and be more like Democrats, but because he had to maintain too many far-right positions for the sake of expediency and to please his base. McCain in 2000 was a much stronger candidate, without all that "Drill Baby Drill" hubris that he needed to engage in, in order to placate the small but vocal crowd of Limbaughites. Meghan McCain is right; the Limbaugh and Hannity crowd are the irrelevant ones, and the Republican that can communicate acceptance of the real American values like tolerance and multiculturalism will be the next savior of that party.
Comment by Bob of NC
It is amusing to once again see a Republican talk about limited government while trying to stuff the government into the most intimate parts of people's lives. Barry Goldwater himself believed that gay rights were a personal issue and opposed the don't ask, don't tell policy as inappropriate, believing instead that gays should be allowed to serve openly. He was strongly opposed to religious litmus tests for political office and was a strong supporter of the separation of church and state. It just goes to show how far right the GOP has shifted when it finds the positions of the founder of the American conservative renewal to be "too liberal." As far as John McCain ... he lost his mainstream support because he pandered to the extreme right to get nominated. Moderates were his strongest supporters and guess what? They threw in their lot with Barack Obama.
Comment by Cal of CA
At least someone in the party is trying to think of ways to move forward. We live in a new world, now. That tends to happen as the decades pass. We can admire Reagan's ability to lead the people on sheer charisma. We can look at some of his policies and see how they might fit into the global landscape we are seeing, but to suggest the answer for the Republican Party is to revert to a 1980s vision of the world is not only appalling, but dangerous. Meghan McCain may not have all the answers, but at least she is stimulating constructive dialogue. I admire her for being brave enough to speak out against the tired, befuddled, misguided, arrogant, blind leaders who drove this party to its ruin. George W. Bush did not single-handedly destroy our country. He had the help of the whole Republican machine. Every Republican in Washington and elsewhere owns a piece of that culpability. Thank God there is someone finally saying, "ENOUGH!"
Comment by Tim of NY
Holding to the fundamental values of most Americans—marriage between a man and woman, support for families to build a strong social fabric, economic opportunity, growth, progress not just change—will prevail, not Meghan's recipe for pablum.
Comment by Edward G. Stafford of TN
Her [Meghan McCain] latest sentiments indicate she would like for all Republicans to become the dreaded RINOs [Republican In Name Only]. Meghan is poorly mistaken if she thinks that conservatives are a dying breed. She says she is conservative, but she wants us to be more liberal, she wants us to be more like, what's the word? Oh, the Democrats, that's right. Myself included, over 95 percent of our tea party attendees were participating in their first political rally. We're motivated, and we're ready to be heard. What we are NOT willing to do is roll over and paint ourselves in a Democrat suit just to get in office. After all, that's what too many Republicans in office have been doing and one of the main reasons we're so ticked off and mobilized to put an end to it.
Comment by Natalie Nichols of TX
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