Meghan McCain Speaks at UMass Amherst

An audience in Bowker Auditorium, traversing the political spectrum from Rush Limbaugh supporters to self-proclaimed “anarcho-communists,” gathered Wednesday, October 7 to witness Meghan McCain, daughter of Republican Sen. John McCain, deliver a speech entitled “Redefining Republican: No Labels. No Boxes. No Stereotypes.”

Her appearance opened with a call for applause for the republicans in the room who, despite the overwhelming liberal environment that is Amherst, came out in support. She stood up against her critics, including the author of an article in Wednesday’s Daily Collegian and an artist who defaced a campus advertisement of her performance with a Hitler mustache.

McCain, only two years removed from college herself, discussed her background with her father’s party and her movement to define a new generation of Republicans that she refers to as ‘progressive Republicans.’

The progressive label is defined by McCain’s pro-sex education, pro-life, pro-gay marriage outlook. She adheres to many standard Republican stances, supporting the War in Iraq and opposing health care reform, but is discouraged by the path of the party.

“What happened to the party that loved freedom, individuality and self-reliance,” said McCain, referring to the Republican reluctance to abandon old ideas and make way for new times.

Despite efforts to distance herself from the course her party has taken, McCain still looks toward traditional republican figureheads, Barry Goldwater and Ronald Regan, along with less traditional, Johnny Ramone, as inspirations in her movement.

The Daily Beast is home to McCain’s blog, in which she discusses current events and how they tie in to her own progressive outlook. She has squared off against far-right conservative pundits, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, and more recently Michelle Malkin, who claimed McCain’s out-spoken ways have done more to hurt the party than help it.

“I refuse to be bullied around by the parties’ gate-keepers,” said McCain about her detractors, such as Ingraham, who have stooped as far as taking shots at her weight and hair color. “We shouldn’t let pundits two to three times our age speak for us. We must speak for ourselves.”

McCain has not always been on the same page as her father, though. In 2004, when she was only 20, Meghan voted for Dem. Sen. John Kerry and it was not until she started on the presidential campaign trail with Sen. McCain that she developed her current republican attitude.

While many question whether her liberal outlook surrounding social issues disqualifies her from her proclaimed party affiliation, McCain says she is “sick of taking a litmus test” to prove she is a republican.

An attentive audience questioned McCain about her outlook on everything from cannabis reform to gay marriage to favorite bands in a Q&A session that lasted over an hour.

Speaking of the party’s future, McCain hoped for an inspiring, internet savvy Republican presidential candidate for 2012. McCain is currently working on a book about her experience on her father’s campaign trail, due out next July.