David Brooks: McCain Is Nothing Like Bush — They Just Agree On All The Important Stuff

Republicans know that when people find out just how joined at the hip St. McCain is with George W. Bush, they’ve got no chance in November. So except to see a lot more of this kind of tripe, today courtesy of McBobo:

…the Obama people are too convinced that they can define McCain as Bush III. The case is just factually inaccurate. McCain will be able to pull out dozens of instances, from torture to global warming to spending, in which he broke with his party, as Rush Limbaugh will tell you.

Here’s a pretty good rule of thumb: if you’re using El Rushbo as a proof point, your thesis is probably total bullshit. And incidentally, McCain voted against the torture ban, siding with Bush. So scratch one of the three issues McBobo cherry-picked.

But as McBobo knows very well, this election isn’t going to be won or lost on torture or spending or even global warming. So let’s take a look what poll after poll indicates are the three most substantial issues that will be on voters’ minds in November:

• Iraq: St. McCain loves Bush’s Iraq war more than anyone but Bush
• The Economy: Roy Blunt admitted McCain is Bush III on the economy and McCain wants to make Bush’s tax cuts permanent
• Health Care: Just like Bush, Maverick Boy doesn’t think the gubmint has any role to play in health care, thinks tax cuts will solve the problem — and he even sided with Bush on S-CHIP

Want more?

• Social Security: St. McCain supports Bush’s privatize social security scheme
• Education: St. McCain backs Bush’s No Child Left Behind and counts Jeb Bush as an education adviser
• Bush: St. McCain the Maverick voted 100% with Bush in 2008

See, totally different! How could anyone possibly conflate them!?

Look, I don’t blame McBobo’s crowd for trying to create some space between St. McCain and Bush — they’ve got no choice, since Bush has been a total disaster and everyone hates him. But like the Bush-McCain war in Iraq, it’s a fool’s errand. On the biggest issues of the day and lots of smaller ones, St. McCain would be Bush III, and Obama will hammer this over and over again until November.

Sucks to be you, GOP.

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1. David Brooks Still Confused About Who’s Destroying the Country
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3. David Brooks Courageously Embraces War Against Islam
4. David Brooks as Oliver Twist’s Workhouse Villain
5. David Brooks Thinks Teabaggers are Jeffersonian Democrats