OPINION: Fearing McCain

By Nicholas Bond

John McCain scares me. He scares me a lot.

It is not because he is an exceptional public servant over the last twenty years. It is not that he is a war hero whose record cannot be brought into question. It is not because he has shown time and time again an unwavering moral compass and a steely strength in his convictions.

It is that whomever the Democratic party, my party, chooses to challenge him in the general election, will do that which McCain could not do in a thousand years with a thousand speeches that had a thousand references to Ronald Reagan each:

they will make him Republican enough.

To this point, the only potential chink in the McCain armor has been that he is seen by many Republicans as “not Republican enough” because of his willingness to reach across the aisle and do what is required of his lofty position and even loftier ideals; but now this open wound on McCain’s body of work has been assuaged by either Democratic nominee.

This is not the fault of the Democrats but rather of the American people, who, despite what they say in polls and what they say in interview, fear so greatly change of the necessary grandeur and fear the work that must be put in to make this society equitable for all.

McCain is a fine candidate, and would be an obvious upgrade to the current administration, but it is the belief of myself and many others, that we must take this election by the horns, we must not just settle for “better than before” we must reach for that brass ring on the never-ending carousel of American life, and hopefully, Tuesday will be the day that we can make this happen.

I have faith in you, America. Now, go vote!

Nicholas Bond is the president of the College Democrats, and the Chronicle Sports Editor. You can e-mail him at