Rightward, Ho!

Both Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama began their presidential campaigns as anti-establishment mavericks. Both secured their nominations by appealing to a public that is fed up with the status quo and cynical about politicians, especially Washington-based pols.

As is the case when presidential quests segue from primaries to the general election, candidates move to the right — often to the dismay of the core followers who were courted by and succumbed to the candidates’ more avid entreaties. Thus, John McCain moved from a conservative, if eclectic, candidate to a far right one, as was necessary for him to secure the nomination (George Bush taught him that lesson in 2000). In doing so, he has not persuaded all of the extreme right constituency whose votes he solicits, and he has lost his appeal to those independent voters who found the old John McCain appealing.

Barack Obama moved from left toward center, disappointing many of his advocates who feared he was losing his soul by doing so. He is following the lesson of realpolitik. Bill Clinton taught us that a little capital punishment goes a long way toward assuaging the skeptical hoi polloi. Sen. George McGovern learned his lesson decades earlier when his campaign sank in all its left-wing purity. Thus, while Sen. Obama’s followers — this one included —swallow hard at some of his post-primary positions, we understand why he took them. We know that however right he drifts, his world will be far better than the McCain alternative.

Decades ago, the country got Richard Nixon as its president rather than the liberal Hubert Humphrey because Democratic purists were outraged over their candidate’s secondary role in LBJ’s Vietnam policies. Obama’s questioning supporters better keep that lesson in mind.

It might be a more intriguing campaign in the next two months if the “real” John McCain ran against the “real” Barack Obama — but we aren’t going to see that. Democrats better stick with their chosen political mate; the date they courted inevitably changed after the courtship. But this commitment, to continue the metaphor, beats a broken engagement that results in a bad rebound marriage.