The Real John McCain 10 Things You Should Know
This is a repost from MoveOn.org
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”4
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.5
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
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Sources:
1. “The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day,” ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
“McCain Facts,” ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. “McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq,” Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
“Buchanan: John McCain ‘Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,’” ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. “McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill,” ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/
4. “McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned,” MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. “2007 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard,” February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
“McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion,” CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. “Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady,” Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
“McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,’” Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. “Will McCain’s Temper Be a Liability?,” Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
“Famed McCain temper is tamed,” Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. “Black Claims McCain’s Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: ‘I Don’t Know What The Criticism Is,’” ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
“McCain’s Lobbyist Friends Rally ‘Round Their Man,” ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. “McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam,” Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
“Will McCain Specifically ‘Repudiate’ Hagee’s Anti-Gay Comments?,” ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
“McCain ‘Very Honored’ By Support Of Pastor Preaching ‘End-Time Confrontation With Iran,’” ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. “John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record,” Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/
2 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 9, 2008 at 7:15 pm
AFBlue
MoveOn, as usual spins half truths and distortions to support their uber-liberal agenda.
Read the rest of the story at http://www.macpac08.com/2008/04/moveons-10-lies-about-john-mccain.html
April 10, 2008 at 8:48 pm
journeyhomeburke
The post above is actually from MacPac - MaCains political action committee I’m completely flattered and so I went out to their link and read their counter arguments - it’s a riot.
Apparently “not voting” is their excuse for his poor environmental record. Not voting means Mr. Straight talk is full of baloney and doesn’t have the guts to stand up to principles. How can you be an elected representative and skip any votes? These politicians and their moneychangers live in such a fantasy world that they think the tax payers accept the fact and think it is okay that they duck issues. They don’t even perform the function of their job - which is to vote. I’ve got news for them missing votes is worse than voting against someones interest.
Want more entertainment from this lobby group who posted this crappy link on my site - go out and read it - I laughed hysterically.
Here’s a good one John McCain isn’t really so rich because he put all his money in his wifes name - that’s a laugh out loud riot and too funny. That excuse isn’t flying.
Ohh so he’s really poor and one of us working stiffs- pathetic that they would even think that excuse would sail. Their site also claims that the majority of Americans are pro-life but want a war that kills people more hypocrisy and double talk.
There isn’t one unwanted pregnancy until someone actually becomes pregnant - we know their poll (I’m sure they had one) asked men about pregnancy. This is a woman’s issue only - it’s their body and the men involved should have asked the woman upfront before they had sex with them - how they felt about bearing children and raising a family - the two are connected you dopes. Then gone and taken a cold shower if they didn’t like the answer. Irresponsible behavior doesn’t give you any rights. You would think the so called moral majority would have this figured out! All of America not just the majority but ALL OF AMERICA supports and demands - SELF-determination, freedom and liberty. Get a clue!
I have spent much to much time on their partisan link of shady sources and mis-information, excuse making, and mincing of words. It’s so pathetic and patently absurd. They must hold the voters in complete disdain to think these poor excuses for well documented behavior and lack of action or leadership legitimize, missing votes, and voting against the issues at hand.
They must think we are completely stupid and will buy into their excuse making. Mr. Straight talk sure makes a lot of excuses. No man makes excuses - you either did it or you didn’t - step up and take responsibility. McCain is a fraud a typical politician and a lackey - he’s courting as much lobby money as he can get.
Oh his money’s in his wifes name - oh he didn’t vote, oh he didn’t vote against torture but he “said” he was against it so that’s what counts. WRONG - Mr. Straight talk should know - TALK is cheap! Actions speak louder than words.
We are not all idiots out here but apparently you are if you think those type of grade school, sophomoric excuses hold any water.
Your republican party has lead this country onto the verge of bankruptcy - the Democrats - the freakin’ Democrats (Jim Wrights party) left you with a surplus and you couldn’t manage the Countries affairs.
In fact you have bungled the whole job. You foisted on us an illiterate with a proven track record of insolvency and bankruptcy and he has now done that for the Country. Thank you very much for your ardent and strident support and voting for incompetent illiterates just because they say “God Bless” you simpletons. The reason there is Separation of Church and State is because the act of faith is one of blind acceptance. You can not run a country on blind acceptance. But that’s how you run a cult and get suicide bombers.
Post my response on your web site let’s see who has the most integrity.