McCain has said over and over again that she is not interested in running for office. Ever. She cites her lack of tact, indiscriminate past, and her distaste for “dynastic culture” in politics. She, however, is in the special position of having the network, ability, and – though dynastic political culture is unfortunate – name credibility needed to successfully run for office. Given her unorthodox beliefs, it is all the more necessary for her to have those resources in order to run in a Republican primary.

Personally, I’m a great admirer of feminist Audre Lorde. In one of her speeches, she elaborated on her often cited phrase, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” Lorde was speaking about racism and feminism, noting that one cannot work within oppressive and intransigent systems in order to subvert them. In this instance I’d argue against that.

It might be true that it is nearly impossible to dismantle a whole system by working exclusively from within, but if McCain’s goal is to radically shift the Republican Party’s platform, she could be affecting a heck of a lot more change as an elected official than as a television show host. Raising McCain is a step in the right direction, but I hope McCain decides the next logical step in changing Republicanism is to put her name on a ballot.