It's Election Season - Here We Go!

[jackshoegazer]

Ten Things You Should Know About John McCain

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.

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."

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.

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.

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/

(Via MoveOn.org)

Comments

[ladytinkerbelle.livejournal.com]

and now, even if i wanted to vote for McCain (which i dont), i so wouldnt. are you going to make a post like this for all of the candidates?

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

See the comment below, I talk about that a bit. In short, not at this juncture. Right now, I'm planting the not-McCain seed. When the Dems have a candidate, I'll probably do a solid outline of why Dems are better and a reiteration of why McCain would be a catastrophe.

[fortepiano.livejournal.com]

Meep. Holy crap.

It'd be interesting if you did one for Obama and Hillary too.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I got this from an email forward and it's nothing I didn't already know. I doubt if I will do something like this for Barack or Hillary as I want them to win. We can NOT afford for McCain to win. That would be the worst thing imaginable for this country. Hillary & Barack have problems, some more than others, but they are NOTHING compared to McCain. In general, the Democratic policies are better for America and that has been shown time and time again. If for one reason and one reason only, we can not let McCain the the White House and that is the fact FACT that he will stack the Supreme Court with very right-wing judges and you will see Roe V Wade vanish. Civil rights, women's rights, all down the toilet under McCain.

[fortepiano.livejournal.com]

Hey can I get this as an email forward as well? My dad wants to vote for McCain and it really pisses me off. It's nique nique 24 at hotmail.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Sent!

[ariannash.livejournal.com]

McCain is insane. Also, I just got an email (from what NGO/group I can't recall) with this exact list, today!

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

We're probably on the same mailing list :)

[katachthonios.livejournal.com]

Let's not forget that of those candidates in the limelight, only one has ever denounced the USA.

Was that low? I mean, the guy was a POW...

Oh, wait-- a high school chum's old man was also a POW. Lost three buddies in 'Nam, was tortured, and yet Brian didn't "heroically divulge information" for a goddamn pack of cigarettes.

Don't pass yourself off as a hero unless you truly are.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

I am amused that his POW bit is the only thing that's sort of off-limits. However, they ARE starting to question his mental issues, exacerbated by the POW experience or not. Some pundits are basically saying, "This guy has PTSD and is unstable. He can't be President."

[anomalon.livejournal.com]

11. He has wooden teeth.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

12. He invented shaving?

YES

[anomalon.livejournal.com]

That's the spirit!

[rzezidizz.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU for posting this. I especially appreciate that it cites sources, which I am reading now. When I finish, I will send this specifically to three people:
1. My dad who has been sending me forwarded emails with right-wing propaganda (I think just to piss me off) that NEVER cite accurate sources. One actually cited its source by saying "check it out on Snopes.com!" I did, and Snopes definitely refuted it.
2. My college roommate who has started to become a republican sympathizer (because she's dating a republican).
3. A friend who will certainly pass it on.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Excellent. I should send it to my parents also. Spread the word! Any Democrat is better than McCain!

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

This is a great critical-mass type announcement that really brings together a variety of sources. I hope this dispells some of the myths that he's a moderate conservative and a not-too-bad alternative. Anyone But Bush doesn't have to mean ANYONE.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is is that until Bush stomped him in the 2000 primary, he was a pretty "maverick" guy. He sided with the Dems on a lot of things, especially campaign finance and ethics reform. He said those right-wing religious crazies like Falwell & Robertson were hateful people, bad for America, etc. Then after the 2000 primary, he started siding with Bush on everything. He completely flipped all of his previous positions and started kissing right-wing ass. Thus, the Right hates him because he was so moderate for so long and now the Left hates him because he's lost all his credibility.

[antarcticlust.livejournal.com]

Right, but with things like abortion he's ALWAYS been conservative.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

On August 25, 1999, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that McCain had told its editorial board:

"I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. ... But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to (undergo) illegal and dangerous operations."

Several days later, he issued what the San Francisco Chronicle called a "clarification," reportedly saying: "I have always believed in the importance of the repeal of Roe vs. Wade, and as president, I would work toward its repeal." McCain added:

"If Roe v. Wade were repealed tomorrow, it would force thousands of young women to undergo dangerous and illegal operations. I will continue to work with both pro-life and pro-choice Americans so that we can eliminate the need for abortions to be performed in this country."

[pretzelcoatl.livejournal.com]

11. He inspired this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaP9eiWuX3s) video.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

ACK!

[jesuslovesbono.livejournal.com]

it's raining crappy music!

[atomic-goo.livejournal.com]

I am so sending this to my dad! This will be ample payback for all the Hillary hatemail I've been getting from him.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

HAHA, everyone's sending this to their parents. What horrible children we are! :D

[jesuslovesbono.livejournal.com]

heh, my parents are Democrats.

[anubis75.livejournal.com]

as are mine

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Lucky!

[shibly08.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm showing this to my government teacher who thinks McCain is fucking fabulous.
Although I know he agrees with McCain's number four.
Either way, maybe it'll wake him up a little.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Sweet, spread the word. McCain is bad news.

[jesuslovesbono.livejournal.com]

I got that list in an email from MoveOn.org, and while I agree that McCain's not a good candidate, my intellectual honesty compels me to share something I sent to MoveOn in response:

Well, I checked the League of Conservation Voters scorecard for McCain here: http://capwiz.com/lcv_stage/bio/keyvotes/?id=192&congress=1102&lvl=C
and I noticed the vote was given as a "?" which means, if you check the legend at the bottom of the scorecard, that he was absent from voting. So he got a 0 in 2007 because he was not there to vote for all the environmental measures listed on the scorecard. You'll also notice that in the years before 2007, he did vote for some measures, but only in one of them was the percentage over 50%.
Just letting you know.
**************
So maybe #10 was misleading. Of course, the other 9 items remain, and I don't blame you for not liking him.

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

To be fair, 10 should be McCain always gets a F. :D


Just wait until I post about all the times be voted against funding for soldiers and vets. From the "I was a soldier and a war hero I support the troops" guy, that's hugely hypocritical.

[explodingalice.livejournal.com]

May I share this on mine?

[jackshoegazer.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! I got it from Moveon.org :)