Opinion: A President to Be Proud Of

John McCain isn’t perfect on gay issues. But New Republic editor Jamie Kirchick thinks gay voters should approach the Arizona senator with an open mind.

By James Kirchick

Sen. John McCain aggravates more people in Washington than perhaps any other politician. Championing reform for campaign finance and immigration alongside Russ Feingold and Ted Kennedy has long made McCain a thorn in the side of conservatives. His steadfast support for the Iraq war alienates liberals who admire McCain for the reasons conservatives despise him. And McCain has disappointed gays.

But while McCain has racked up an unimpressive voting record in Congress -- he supports “don’t ask, don’t tell” and DOMA, and opposes adding sexual orientation to the federal hate-crimes bill and ENDA -- what distinguishes him from many of his Republican colleagues is that he has also taken some courageous stands.

McCain was one of the very few outspoken Republican opponents of the Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate, calling the proposed ban “un-Republican.” This was a crucial initiative for the religious right, endorsed by President Bush and used as a wedge issue in the 2004 presidential campaign. McCain spent far more political capital in standing against this divisive amendment than Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or, for that matter, any Democrat. The Human Rights Campaign praised his “ironclad opposition to undermining the Constitution” and said that “all senators should follow Senator McCain’s example.”

McCain’s opposition to the FMA is emblematic of his tempestuous relationship with the religious right. After the bruising 2000 Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, McCain labeled the reverends Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance” and “corrupting influences on religion and politics.” Sure, McCain spoke at Falwell’s Liberty University in 2006, but he didn’t pander. At the end of the day, McCain loathes the religious right, and the feeling is mutual. A notoriously stubborn man, he will probably not feel the need to appease the antigay wing of his party, especially considering how outspoken its members have been in their denunciation of him. Evangelical leader James Dobson has already said he will not support McCain.

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Kirchick is an editor at The New Republic.

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