By Michelle Westgate and Samuel Rubenfeld
During a speech at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. on Wednesday, McCain spoke about his vision for defending the freedom and dignity of the world’s vulnerable people. Included in his plan were ideas for overcoming religious persecution, child pornography, and human trafficking.
“No society that denies religious freedom can ever rightly claim to be good,” McCain said. “As President, I intend to make religious freedom a subject of great importance,”
McCain’s goal is to negotiate for religious freedom on an international level. He talked about a decline in values that may be desensitizing society to “evil”. Besides persecution for personal beliefs, he also mentioned the “oppression” of human trafficking.
“America was founded on the belief in the inherent dignity of all human life,” McCain said.
McCain’s plan includes encouraging further communication between national agencies by establishing an “Inter-Agency Task Force” to combat human trafficking. He also plans to make it easier for states and federal agencies to share information in an attempt to pursue and prosecute child predators.
McCain described the Internet as an educational source, but also as a safe haven for criminals and predators.
In addition to his plans to defend human dignity, McCain also addressed the issue of Judicial Philosophy during a speech on Tuesday at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.
“The duties and boundaries of the Constitution are not just a set of helpful suggestions,” McCain said. “The powers defined by our Constitution, and the clear limits of power, lose nothing of their relevance with time.”
His campaign named a Judicial Advisory Committee on Tuesday, which is chaired by Theodore Olson, the former Solicitor General, and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), a former rival seeking the Republican nomination who dropped out before the Iowa caucuses in January.
In his speech, McCain accused judges of making decisions in cases that should never have been heard in court.
“Federal judges today issue rulings and opinions on policy questions that should be decided democratically,” McCain said. He calls these abuses by the courts a form of “judicial activism,” which have caused confusion about the issues.
“These judges show little regard for the authority of the president, the Congress, and the states,” McCain said. “They display even less interest in the will of the people.”
On May 5, McCain celebrated Cinco de Mayo, a traditional Mexican celebration, by introducing his new Spanish-language website.
“We recognize as well the important friendship that exists between our country and Mexico, and celebrate the many contributions Mexican-Americans have made to our society, culture, security and economy,” McCain said.
Despite all of the speeches, McCain still struggles to have a significant presence in the press reports. Last week, McCain was the main newsmaker in only 6.6 percent of all campaign stories, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism’s weekly campaign report.
McCain’s proposal for a gas tax holiday for the summer months, which Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) has also supported, met withering criticism from economists on both sides of the ideological spectrum. More than 230 economists signed a letter opposing the proposal, according to a report from The Washington Post’s political blog The Trail.
“First, research shows that waiving the gas tax would generate major profits for oil companies rather than significantly lowering prices for consumers,” the economists wrote, which the blog post quoted. “Second, it would encourage people to keep buying costly imported oil and do nothing to encourage conservation. Third, a tax holiday would provide very little relief to families feeling squeezed.”
While delivering speeches around the country, McCain is also raising money for his campaign. On Wednesday night, McCain held a huge fundraiser in New York City, hosted by New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and he reportedly will raise $7 million at this event alone. The fundraiser cost $1,000, and a VIP photo-op cost $25,000. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was a rival for the nomination but dropped out in late February, spoke at the event, held at the Sheraton in Midtown Manhattan.
On Sunday, The New York Times editorial board called for McCain to release his medical records, emphasizing that at 71, he would be the oldest man to be elected president, and he is a survivor of an aggressive form of skin cancer.
McCain will deliver a major speech on the environment on Monday in Portland, during which he will discuss climate change, the need to wean off of carbon-based fuel, and his intention to restore the U.S. as the leader in environmental reform, according to a report from Politico.com.
This article was supplemented by reports from multiple news services.