Maggie admits:
I've gotta hand it to Cindy and John McCain. I may not be either of their biggest fans, but I am most definitely crushing on their independent-minded, free-thinking daughter Meghan.
We all remember Meghan's blogging during the campaign, where she raised a few eyebrows for discussing music and makeup in the mix of what was obviously a dead-from-the-start campaign on the part of her father. Although she never elucidated her politics beyond her general support of her father, her sense of humor was what really sparked interest in what she had to say.
Post-election, Meghan's been writing an online column for The Daily Beast. Let's take a look at her two latest posts.
Looking for Mr. Far Right: Here, Meghan dives in the murky world of dating when every guy in the world knows your dad's politics.
Of all the things people warned would happen post-election, no one ever said anything about how complicated dating would become... at this point in time, nothing kills my libido quite like discussing politics...She goes on to explain that hardcore "McCainiacs" are just as much of a turnoff as hardcore Obama fans. I can see why. Girl is in a tough position on this one.
This week, Meghan published My Beef with Ann Coulter, and was able to accomplish something Republicans have struggled with for years: she distanced herself from the nastiest wing of her party while grounding herself in its center. First up, Meghan admits that President Obama is "the hippest politician around," while being a Republican is "about as edgy as Donny Osmond." Here's where the magic happens:
Certain individuals continue to perpetuate negative stereotypes about Republicans. Especially Republican women. Who do I feel is the biggest culprit? Ann Coulter. I straight up don’t understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time.Meghan then goes on to challenge Coulter on several of her controversial statements, blatantly asking her if she really believes the ridiculousness that she spouts. This type of questioning from Coulter's own party is so, so important. Now granted, progressives might be better off if all of America could dismiss Republicans out of hand as being clones of Ann Coulter (certainly, this is a strategy currently in play regarding Rush Limbaugh). But for my money, I'd rather rid us all of the hate speech propagated by people, and yes, especially women, like Ann Coulter. Their contribution to the world is pure poison, and we'd all be better off without it, simple as that. Kudos to Meghan McCain for taking her on and explaining her own point of view with courageous simplicity:
I am not suggesting that extreme conservatism wasn’t once popular, nor am I suggesting I should in any way be any kind of voice for the party. I have been a Republican for less than a year. Still, even after losing the election, I find myself more drawn to GOP ideals and wanting to fight for the party’s resurgence. And if figureheads like Ann Coulter are turning me off, then they are definitely turning off other members of my generation as well. She does appeal to the most extreme members of the Republican Party—but they are dying off, becoming less and less relevant to the party structure as a whole. I think most people my age are like me in that we all don’t believe in every single ideal of each party specifically. The GOP should be happy to have any young supporters whatsoever, even if they do digress some from traditional Republican thinking.To me, Meghan McCain is the type of McCain more voters would have liked to see on the campaign trail last fall. At least one of the family actually understands what "straight talk" really means.
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