Normally not a very surprising thing for the presumptive GOP nominee, but given McCain’s strong appeal to independents and disaffected Democrats, the fact that he’s also stirring enthusiasm on the right makes Obama’s task much, much harder:
Conservatives may not be enamored of John McCain, but on subjects that are near and dear to their hearts — legal philosophy and judicial appointments — they are finding a lot to like about the Arizona senator.
Between his campaign trail rhetoric and a stable of legal advisers who are well-regarded in conservative circles, McCain is winning over converts who at one time harbored deep suspicions about his commitment to appointing reliably conservative judges.
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It’s a surprising turn of events for a candidate who was once booed at the Conservative Political Action Conference and especially for one who played a key role in brokering the “Gang of 14” compromise in 2005, a deal that some conservatives contend undermined the Republicans’ opportunity to ban filibusters against judicial nominees.
This newfound respect is rooted in the widely-held belief that, if elected, McCain will appoint high court justices like George W. Bush appointee Chief Justice John Roberts. Former President George H.W. Bush deeply disappointed conservatives by appointing the liberal-to-moderate David Souter.
“He has attempted to make it clear he’s going to appoint judges with a demonstrated conservative record,” said Robert Alt, deputy director of the Center for Legal and Judicial studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“I think his general approach will be very consistent with [former] President [Ronald] Reagan and President [George W.] Bush,” said Mike Carvin, a former deputy assistant attorney general under Reagan, who argued Bush v. Gore for the Bush campaign.
Added to McCain’s defense of low taxation and genuine efforts to secure greater energy resources, McCain is rapidly putting together a message which can resonate from the right to the center – and while Obama is busily disheartening his kook left base, McCain is now position to dive into the fall campaign with the ability to set the terms of the debate.
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