Meghan McCain, daughter of John, has written a column critical of Ann Coulter.  Tonight she appeared on Rachel Maddow’s show to discuss the column and her efforts to push the Republican party in a more moderate direction.

I don’t want to be too critical of Meghan.  She’s 24, seems sincere and likable, and has the moxie to put herself out there. So let me offer a constructive suggestion: instead of telling us what you don’t like about Republicans, tell us what you do.  Meghan did say that she loves the Republican party. But why? If Republicans are going to listen to her message of moderation, they’re going to have be convinced that she shares most of their core principles.

Listening to her tonight on Maddow, and reading her anti-Ann column, the only Republican-y positions I heard were that Meghan is: opposed to pork, is pro-military and supported the war in Iraq and the surge. But other than that, she doesn’t seem to share much with most Republicans. For example, we also learned that Meghan:

• Has been a Republican for less than a year [though she was an independent not a Dem before that].
• Voted for John Kerry over George W. Bush.
• Supports gay marriage.
• Dislikes Ann Coulter.
• Supports stem-cell research.

As for her economic philosophy, Megan told Rachel that she didn’t take econ in college and “would hate to make a comment one way or the other . . . I just don’t understand it.”

Again, Meghan seems like a nice and in many ways admirable, certainly gutsy, person.  But if she wants to be an influential voice in Republican circles, she’s going to have to do some more homework, think hard about the issues, decide for herself if she really is a Republican at heart, and if so, why. Only if Republicans feel that she shares their core values are they likely to listen to her recommendations about where the party should go.

Meghan told Rachel that “there’s extreme in both parties and I hate extreme.”  Yet the only extremism Meghan saw fit to criticize was that within the Republican party.  Did she realize that she was speaking with an extremist on the other side, somehow who thinks Barack Obama hasn’t gone far left enough, who gets giddy at the prospect of George W. Bush being prosecuted?  Meghan might have established some GOP bona fides if she had taken the occasion to disagree with Maddow on something, anything. But she didn’t, directing all her fire at her supposedly fellow Republicans.  I’d also invite Meghan to consider that her father was the most moderate Republican in the GOP field and yet was handily defeated by Barack Obama.

Note: On tonight’s show and in speaking with Harry Smith of CBS, Meghan accused Ann Coulter of making “anti-Semitic” remarks, a reference to Ann having said that Jews should become “perfected” by accepting Christ.  Ann certainly has her provocative way of putting things, but let me say as one Jew that I don’t find her comments anti-Semitic.  Jews don’t believe others need to become Jews to be saved.  Traditional Christians do believe people must accept Christ to find salvation.  They thus see it as their moral duty to try to convert others.  If Ann truly were anti-Semitic, I suppose she wouldn’t try to convert Jews and let them, in her belief, go to hell.