Nicky Berman | Staying true to the Straight Talk Express

When Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) visited Penn's campus in November, he wasn't met with the welcome you might expect for the Republican Party's nominee for President.

Kiley Austin-Young, a College junior and a now-devoted McCain supporter, didn't even consider attending the event. "I thought he was out," Austin-Young recalled. "I didn't think there was any way he would possibly win."

And this, of course, is because way back in November of 2007, McCain resided in the "Also Ran" category of presidential candidates. That summer, McCain had fired the majority of his campaign staff due to insufficient funding He was polling at less than 1 percent, and many pundits believed that the Democrats would crown Dennis Kucinich before the Republicans would nominate John McCain.

Now, with McCain picking up state after state in the primaries and sitting comfortably with a 700-count lead in delegates, it's hard to believe that his nomination was ever in question.

Zac Byer, College sophomore and president of College Republicans, helped organize the McCain event in November.

"If McCain were to speak here tomorrow," he admitted, "it would take less than 12 hours for us to fill the largest auditorium on campus."

Although it may seem like the stars have aligned for McCain, some believe that his true struggle lies ahead. While the media fixate on the disunity in the Democratic Party, McCain is confronting a different kind of unrest among Republicans - especially those on the far right.

But whatever challenges he encounters, McCain should stick with what's been working for him throughout his decades of public service: a record of straight talk and actions based on his principles - not on what will please the Party.

Unfortunately for McCain, the delegate totals present only part of the picture. Although he has all but secured the nomination, a significant portion of the party remains dissatisfied with this result. McCain, known for years as a maverick, can name enemies in all facets of the GOP's conservative wing. First, we have the James Dobsons and the Ann Coulters, those Republicans - rare species on Penn's campus - who believe that a President McCain would destroy the GOP and everything it stands for.

But the Republican distaste for McCain extends beyond these personalities. "McCain does indeed face major challenges along these lines," explained Penn Political Science professor Rogers Smith. "McCain has social conservatives mad at him about immigration, economic conservatives mad at him about campaign finance and his vote against Bush tax cuts, even some national security conservatives upset by his opposition to torture. If many of them simply sit out the election, he's in trouble."

In the months leading up to November, the candidate might be pressured to win over those ultra-conservatives whose current support for him is, at best, lukewarm. But McCain's walking a fine line: If he falls into the trap of altering his positions to court the right, he risks losing the all-important support of independents, as well as his reputation for candor and honesty.

Pandering didn't work for Mitt Romney, and it won't work for McCain either. During the primary season, instead of throwing their support behind the new Mitt, many voters called his bluff and branded him a flip-flopper. The Democratic candidate and the media will be on high alert for this kind of Mittifying, ready to pounce on any indication that McCain's weakening under conservative pressure. Indeed, they already attacked a Senate vote last week when McCain voted against a measure to end waterboarding, a method of torture that he has strongly opposed in the past.

"He's definitely making a pointed effort to get the base behind him," observed Austin-Young. "Even in his speeches, he's beginning to use the language of conservatives, of Reagan."

Not only will such pandering be futile, it might be completely unnecessary. As McCain reintroduces himself to the Republican base, voters will examine his twenty-four year record in the Senate and realize that he's not as liberal as they may have feared. As Sean Flood, College senior and long-time McCain supporter points out, McCain's no less conservative than any of his recent Republican predecessors. "The current president is not a perfect conservative," explained Flood. "His spending record is quite un-conservative, and his father's record is even less conservative."

And while Ann Coulter's voice may be the loudest, it certainly isn't a fair representation of conservatives at large.

Sean-Tamba Matthew, College senior and state chairman of College Republicans, touched on the larger issue at play. "People fail to realize that not all conservatives agree with Ann Coulter," he explained. "We have minds of our own, and we have a broad and diverse party."

Nicky Berman is a College senior from Boston, Mass. Her e-mail is berman@dailypennsylvanian.com. Philly-Bustering appears alternating Tuesdays.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.