After Smith asked her about her "search for Mr. Far Right," he turned his attention to her recent criticism of conservative author Ann Coulter: "Well here's one of the things you wrote about Ann Coulter, who's been a guest on this program in the past, we had interesting conversations, ‘I straight up don't understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time. If figureheads like Ann Coulter are turning me off, then they are definitely turning off other members of my generation as well.’" McCain replied: "And I think it's hard for me to explain to my friends that are in their 20s, when these icons of the party say radical things. I have a friend that's Jewish. She made anti-Semitic comments. It's hard to defend-" Smith interjected: "The Jews need to be perfected and stuff like that." McCain replied: "Yeah, which obviously, I completely disagree with and think is crazy."
McCain went on to express her desire for more moderate Republicans: "I just -- it's hard for me to defend these icons. And I just -- I just wish for more centrist icons in the Republican Party." Smith then asked: "Let me ask you this, because you say you fall in love with the Republican Party. There's this sort of struggle right now...Going on for -- do you see anybody out there who should, you think, ought to be the next, sort of, leader of the party?" Despite her call for more centrists, McCain offered support for conservative Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: "I love Bobby Jindal...I really was impressed with him. He's very smart. I think, you know, how they're making fun of him is not what I met when I saw him."
Here is the full transcript of the segment:
8:00AM TEASE:
MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: And young Mac attack. Senator McCain's daughter, Meghan, takes aim at conservative Ann Coulter and tells us about her post-election dating issues.
8:15AM TEASE:
HARRY SMITH: Up next, Senator John McCain's daughter, Meghan, here. She'll be along to talk about dating. She'll also be talking about some of her fellow bloggers.
8:18AM SEGMENT:
HARRY SMITH: Senator John McCain's daughter, Meghan, has left the campaign trail and found herself working in the blogosphere as a writer for The Daily Beast. And on it she has written some tough things about Ann Coulter as well as her ongoing search for Mr. Right, or Mr. Far Right. Meghan McCain is with us this morning. Good morning.
MEGHAN MCCAIN: Good morning.
SMITH: It seems like only yesterday we were chatting on the back of the bus. Do you miss the intensity of the campaign and -- in one sense it seems like it was yesterday.
MCCAIN: Mm-hmm.
SMITH: Do you feel like that?
MCCAIN: Yeah, I really miss it. I really miss the bus, I miss being on the road. You can't do it forever, but I definitely miss it. And if there's some kind of opportunity to go back on the road again, I would definitely do it.
SMITH: Well, you liked it.
MCCAIN: I loved it.
SMITH: You liked the campaigning aspect?
MCCAIN: I did. But, you know, I was campaigning with my father and with my family, so it might be different than, you know, an advance person or something like that.
SMITH: Yeah.
MCCAIN: But I had a great time.
SMITH: How was the -- how were the days after the election was over for your family?
MCCAIN: We went up to our cabin in Sedona. And I had friends come with me. And it was obviously a little depressing. But, you know, after a week or two, you just kind of, you know, think of all the important things. I thought 'my brother's safe, he got back from Iraq safe.' You think about the really important things.
SMITH: Yeah.
MCCAIN: It was the greatest experience of my life so far and I've got no complaints.
SMITH: Really?
MCCAIN: Mm-hmm.
SMITH: Your father looks like he is back in fighting form.
MCCAIN: Mm-hmm. I love that. I love that he's going back and kicking ass, taking names, you know. I love that about him.
SMITH: Yeah. The -- how difficult was it, then, because you become this public person. You were not a public person. A year ago you say, 'I'm going to blog about the campaign.' You become a public person. What did that do to your love life?
MCCAIN: Well, I wrote about it on The Daily Beast, everybody can read it on thedailybeast.com. And I did it as sort of a joke, as sort of satirical, because I was going on these dates and obviously the election came up and I had some bad experiences. And I was actually telling a friend of mine, she was laughing so hard, she's like, 'you have to write about it.' And then I did and it just exploded all over the internet, so.
SMITH: Right. So what's the -- what kinds of things happened when someone wants to date you when your father is running for president?
MCCAIN: Well, my article is about post-election dating.
SMITH: Oh, okay.
MCCAIN: And it was just -- people would just say -- this one guy said, like, 'you're quite the maverick girl.' And just bring up my mom and It was just uncomfortable, you know. And just -- you know. I think everybody likes to hear bad dating stories. It's funny, so.
SMITH: Yeah. Now, would you, in your personal quest for Mr. Right, does he need to be-
MCCAIN: And first of all, I'm comfortable being single. Like, I like being single. I just thought it was funny to share dating stories.
SMITH: Okay. Well just in your dating preferences, would you like Left of Center? Center? Right? Or Mr. Far Right?
MCCAIN: I'd like Center leaning Right.
SMITH: Center leaning Right?
MCCAIN: Yeah. Right, Center, but not really very Left.
[LAUGHTER]
SMITH: We got it. We got it. You're in the newspaper this morning here in New York in the -- in the Daily News. 'Mac's Girl In Coulter Clash.'
MCCAIN: Yeah, Daily News can you start using better pictures of me, please? I look uncomfortable, like-
SMITH: There -- well said.
MCCAIN: Please, Daily News.
SMITH: Alright. Well here's one of the things you wrote about Ann Coulter, who's been a guest on this program in the past, we had interesting conversations, 'I straight up don't understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time. If figureheads like Ann Coulter are turning me off, then they are definitely turning off other members of my generation as well.' Yeah.
MCCAIN: You know, I just think that I love the Republican Party, I spent two years campaigning with my father and I completely fell in love with the Republican Party. And I think it's hard for me to explain to my friends that are in their 20s, when these icons of the party say radical things. I have a friend that's Jewish. She made anti-Semitic comments. It's hard to defend-
SMITH: The Jews need to be perfected and stuff like that.
MCCAIN: Yeah, which obviously, I completely disagree with and think is crazy.
SMITH: Right.
MCCAIN: I just -- it's hard for me to defend these icons. And I just -- I just wish for more centrist icons in the Republican Party.
SMITH: Let me ask you this, because you say you fall in love with the Republican Party. There's this sort of struggle right now.
MCCAIN: There is.
SMITH: Going on for -- do you see anybody out there who should, you think, ought to be the next, sort of, leader of the party?
MCCAIN: I love Bobby Jindal. But I met him in a different way. I met him last summer at my parents' cabin when he came with his wife.
SMITH: Yeah.
MCCAIN: And I really was impressed with him. He's very smart. I think, you know, how they're making fun of him is not what I met when I saw him.
SMITH: It's tough out there.
MCCAIN: It is tough out there.
SMITH: Meghan, thanks so much.
MCCAIN: Thank you.
SMITH: Great to see you again.
