And this is why the GOP won’t win the presidency
June 18, 2007 at 4:45 pm by Wayne GarciaTwo leading Republican candidates in a struggle over which one is more conservative on the issue of stem-cell research.
In one corner is John McCain, the former maverick turned uninteresting grouch whose campaign is distributing video clips of one of his rivals appearing to accept some levels of embryonic stem cell funding and research. McCain’s campaign is understandably nervous, because the war hero senator is dropping like a rock in polling and can’t survive the imminent arrival of the Rear Admiral (Fred Thompson).
In the other corner is serial position-changer Mitt Romney, who has won many social conservative hearts and minds despite previous stances that were less-than-conservative. In this case, according to the NYT, McCain doesn’t appear to have the goods on Romney; the video has enough wiggle room in it for Romney’s campaign to make the argument that he hasn’t changed in his opposition to destroying fetuses to enable stem cell research.
Of course, it is not even part of the battle that both men’s positions are out of the mainstream for the nation as a whole. But then again, this isn’t about the nation as a whole; it’s about winning the Republican primary. Plenty of time to “nuance” a position in the General Election.
