Meghan McCain is persona non grata in today's Republican Party.
The daughter of Sen. John McCain, who was the party's presidential nominee in 2008, told msnbc's Al Sharpton on Thursday that she faces relentless criticism from the far right. Conservatives, she said, insist that her moderate views -- including her support of gay marriage -- make her disloyal.
“Many people in the Republican Party treat me like I’m a freak,” the 27-year-old political commentator said on Politics Nation. “Like there’s something wrong with me, and that I’m a mutant.”
McCain's remarks come as several moderate Republicans, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, said this week that they’re uncomfortable with the tone of attacks on President Obama.
McCain bemoaned that "moderate" became a “dirty word” under former President George W. Bush, and pointed to several conservative pundits, including Michelle Malkin and the late Andrew Breitbart, as responsible for the “rise of hate politics.”
“It’s really an epidemic we’ve seen grow in the last eight years,” said McCain, adding that "if you don’t adhere to every single ideal, the [Republican Party] doesn’t want you."