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Image is nothing

Scrappy, straight-talking, anti-establishment reformer - this is Arizona Senator John McCain's image. He has been portrayed as being opposite of the moneyed, privileged, pro-establishment George W. Bush. They are supposedly two very different kinds of Republican vying for the same nomination. However, even as they have been framed as being on opposite ends of the GOP spectrum - with McCain edging deeper into the Democratic side - the two Republican front-runners are very similar.

First, McCain represents "establishment" just as much as Bush. He, too, comes from a prestigious military family, has capitalized off of his image as a military hero, has married into a wealthy family and has served inside Washington for his entire career.

Bush is known for his privileged background and monstrous campaign war chest. However, he is ironically viewed as pro-establishment even though he has never served inside the beltway. He only has political experience in his Texas buffer zone. Of the two, McCain is actually the Washington insider.

In today's political system, however, images are contrived. They do not accurately portray candidates but how candidates wish to portray of themselves. They are useful for candidates who are willing even to pit themselves against their parties for their own political gain.

John McCain, for example, has concocted his anti-establishment image by advocating legislation against the platform of his party. Campaign finance reform is the gem of McCain's anti-establishment platform, but it continues to be the GOP's plague. His domestic agenda's reliance on this issue is disturbing. It reflects that he has limited knowledge and opinions regarding a wide range of domestic issues and that he is merely trying to feed his anti-establishment image.

To his credit, McCain has done an impressive job of bringing the issue of campaign finance to the people. He has linked larger social problems to the dominance of powerful interest groups who are controlling the political process.

But in reality, McCain ought to approach domestic issues without using campaign finance as a crutch. If he wins the presidency, he will be forced to waste time pushing campaign finance reform proposals to a Congress that is satisfied with the current system and does not want it to change.

If Congress fails to pass viable campaign finance reform legislation, McCain will still be the victor. He can blame Congress for supporting the unfair status quo and still retain his contrived image as an anti-establishment reformer.

All of this relays a disturbing truth about modern politics. Political victory does not require being yourself but requires creating an image that sells. Instead of working with Congress to bring about good things, and instead of creating party allegiances for the sake of a stronger platform, candidates like McCain feel compelled to create images for themselves that can ensure them victory but can also pit them against their own party.

Interestingly, all of McCain's efforts to build his image will help him in the primaries but have also pitted him against Republican leaders. Although McCain beat Bush by 19 points in the over-hyped New Hampshire primary on Feb. 1 and is now favored to win South Carolina, his party's antagonism toward him could make a nomination process tricky.

As Evelyn Nieves reported in The New York Times, "When Mr. McCain was out of earshot (at the party celebrating his New Hampshire victory), the lobby gossip here at the Hyatt Burlingame buzzed along the lines of how Gov. George W. Bush of Texas, the presidential candidate of choice for most of the state's party faithful, would put the upstart Mr. McCain in his place."

Republican leaders across the nation, including those from Arizona, support Bush because he is more likely to move in the direction his party wants him to.

McCain, on the other hand, has not been afraid to be vigilant about issues that are unpopular among Republicans.

This fact points to the dilemma of McCain's image. His growing popularity with the people is matched by his continuing aversions from his party. New Hampshire was a victory for McCain, but his image's volatility may hurt him in the end.

Sheila Bapat is a political science sophomore. She can be reached at editor@wildcat.arizona.edu.