As presumed GOP nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona tries to appeal to the Independent voters, which have been a core voting bloc of Democratic co-frontrunner Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, McCain risks alienating himself from his fellow Republican constituents.
McCain was in Portland, Oregon, a crucial swing state when he addressed the issue of the environment. Oregon is one of the final six states left in the Democratic contest. After May 6, it would look as if Obama is one step closer to grasping the Democratic primary.
However, Clinton has refused to drop out of the race. Her campaign is in pain and her candidacy is almost dead. Plus, it has been acknowledged that the campaign is $20 million in debt. So far, Clinton is going strong in West Virginia. But, it is expected that Obama will win in Oregon.
Campaigning in Oregon, it would seem that McCain is ready to accept Obama as the eventual Democratic nominee. But, Obama was quick to say that the Democratic race is not over yet. Perhaps McCain is trying to slow Obama’s momentum should he become the Democratic nominee. Clinton should not be discounted, yet. There is still a possibility that Clinton can pull an upset victory.
“We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great,” McCain said addressing the crowd. He added: “The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge.”
McCain’s views towards the environment as revealed in the speech puts him on the opposite side of Republicans within Congress and the White House. In addressing the environment, McCain proposed the incremental capping of CO2 emissions.
However, he still opposes the Kyoto Protocol.
But, this speech has drawn criticism from the Democrats. Recently, the DNC has launched attack ads criticizing McCain’s “100 Years” remark. DNC Chair Howard Dean said for those who care about the environment, McCain is not the person to vote for. Dean criticized McCain for trying to re-cast himself in time for the general election.
The talk about the environment could spell disaster for McCain’s campaign. The eventual Democratic nominee could accuse McCain as a flip-flopper in regards to environmental issues. At the same time, it would put him at odds with many Republicans.
Recently, there have been a few Evangelical Christians that have shown signs of dissent. They have said that there are other moral issues to think about such as the environment. One leader has said that they are tired of divisive politics. It may look that this voting bloc may be split between the GOP and the Democrats. That would spell bad news for McCain.
McCain said that he needs the conservative bloc of the GOP to vote for him if he is to win the presidency this November. However, he has not had any luck getting them on his side so far.
While this could help McCain out, it could bring forth backlash from both Democrats and Republicans. It would not be surprising if Obama or Clinton fired back at McCain in regards to the environment.