Stop reading right here if you’re going to start crying about #toosoon or chide me for “being like” the GOP.
I do not believe in whitewashing the legacy of my Senator. I have seen numerous postings of McCain taking the microphone from a woman calling Obama an Arab Muslim as his “shining moment.” How sad! Given everything he did prior to and after that “shining moment” you should note that McCain voted in lockstep with the Tea Party, Birthers, and Racists but used nicer language.
Let’s turn back the clock to 2008...John McCain had a problem on his hands. He voted against Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday National Holiday in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1994 …
- Voted NO on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)
- Voted NO on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. (Feb 2009)
- Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
- Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation. (Sep 1996)
- Voted YES on Amendment to prohibit flag burning. (Dec 1995)
- Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds. (Jul 1995)
- Supports anti-flag desecration amendment. (Mar 2001)
- Require 90 day delay for compliance before ADA lawsuits. (May 2002)
- Limit interstate class-action lawsuits to federal courts . (May 2002)
- Rated 0% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
- Rated 33% by the HRC, indicating a mixed record on gay rights. (Dec 2006)
- Rated 7% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
- Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
- Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
- Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
- More death penalty; stricter sentencing. (Jan 2000)
- More community policing; enough hate crime laws. (Jan 2000)
- Prosecute youths as adults, but separately; explore sources. (Jan 2000)
- Endorses teaching intelligent design in schools. (Oct 2007)
- Teaching creationism should be decided by school districts. (Jun 2007)
- Merit pay & competency testing for teachers. (Jun 1999)
- Allow appealing HMO decisions externally & in court. (Jul 1999)
- Voted YES on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts. (May 2011)
- Voted YES on regulating tobacco as a drug. (Jun 2009)
- Voted NO on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Jan 2009)
- Voted NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals.
Vote to express that the Omnibus Crime bill [H.R. 3355] should reject the Racial Justice Act provisions, which would enable prisoners appealing death penalty sentences to argue racial discrimination using sentencing statistics as part of their appeal.
Reference: Bill S 1935 ; vote number 1994-106 on May 11, 1994
Supported CA Prop. 209, canceling affirmative action quotas
On the campaign trail in 1999, when McCain was asked whether he supported California's controversial Proposition 209, a ballot initiative striking down affirmative action quotas, he said: "I support the concept, [but] I thought it was unfortunate we had to go to a ballot initiative to do so." He elaborated, "In Arizona, we've been able to sit down with our Hispanic citizens and talk about how we can help increase opportunities, help with better admissions into our major universities, and we've made grea success and we didn't have to go to a ballot initiative to achieve these goals."
Can anyone parse exactly what McCain thinks of affirmative action from that answer? In summing up his views in 2000, the National Journal wrote, "McCain supports affirmative action, although he's somewhat inconsistent on the subject. He opposed quotas, but has denounced initiatives that attempt to eliminate quotas or racial preferences.""Inconsistent" is one word for such a confusing triangle of beliefs.
Source: Free Ride, by David Brock and Paul Waldman, p.117 , Mar 25, 2008
Q: Should South Carolina be free to fly the Confederate flag from state buildings. In 2000, you said yes. You have since called that one of your worst examples of political cowardice. That flag is still flying in front of the Statehouse. Should it come down?
A: It is not flying on top of the capitol. Yes, I was wrong when I said that I believed that it was up to the state of South Carolina. Now, after long negotiation amongst most parties, there is an agreement that that flag no longer flies on top of the capitol of the state of South Carolina.
Q: It is flying in FRONT of the capitol now.
A: Almost all parties involved in those negotiations believe that that’s a reasonable solution to this issue. I support it. I still believe that it should not have flown over the capitol, and I was wrong when I said that it was a state issue. But now I think it has been settled, and I think it’s time that we all moved on, on this issue -- especially the people of South Carolina.
Source: 2007 Republican Debate in South Carolina , May 15, 2007
A 2011 report found that the private prison industry spent millions seeking to increase sentences and incarcerate more people in order to increase the industry’s profits. 30 of the 36 legislators who co-sponsored Arizona’s now mostly invalidated immigration law — which would have landed many more people in detention — received campaign contributions from private prison lobbyists or companies, including CCA and GEO. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) were also among the private prison lobby’s top benefactors.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., voiced support Monday for a controversial state bill requiring Arizona police to arrest illegal immigrants for trespassing, forcing immigrants to carry work documents and making it a crime to transport illegal immigrants including day laborers.
The Arizona Senate is voting on Senate Bill 1070 Monday.
“I think it’s a good tool,” McCain said during a conference call with reporters when asked about the bill. “It’s a tool that needs to be used.”
Far greater men died at the hands of others and disease.
I’d take the influence that MLK’s had at 39 to McCain’s 80 any day.
I should add for those unfamiliar with AZ politics that our Gov. Doug Douche-y will pick a replacement if McCain decides to resign to spend time with his family.
Here are the two most probable picks:
David Schweikert:
- Voted YES on banning federal health coverage that includes abortion. (May 2011)
- No family planning assistance that includes abortion. (Jan 2013)
- Include pre-born human beings in 14th Amendment protection. (Feb 2015)
- Voted NO on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. (Feb 2013)
- Supports Amendment to prevent same sex marriage. (Aug 2010)
- Voted YES on the Ryan Budget: Medicare choice, tax & spending cuts. (Apr 2011)
- Voted YES on repealing the "Prevention and Public Health" slush fund. (Apr 2011)
- Opposes government-run healthcare. (Aug 2010)
- Defund, repeal, & replace federal care with free market. (Jul 2010)
Paul Gosar
- Prohibit federal funding to groups like Planned Parenthood. (Jan 2011)
- Stop considering manure as pollutant or hazardous. (Sep 2011)
- Stop releasing low-risk illegal immigrants. (Mar 2013)
- Repeal the death tax, immediately and with no expiration. (Jul 2014)
Fighting Obama's Unconstitutional Gun Grabs
Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has taken unprecedented steps to bypass Congress and infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens. On January 5, 2016 the president announced a new wave of forthcoming executive actions on gun control. The announcement of this likely unconstitutional executive order will likely violate the separation of powers and likely create a defacto law without the consent of Congress that attempts to prosecute American citizens under new mandates that have already been rejected by Congress. Even Obama has previously stated that he does not have the Constitutional authority to introduce gun control without the consent of Congress. Furthermore, his far-left proposals have been resoundingly debunked as foolish and would not have stopped any of the major shootings that took place during his tenure. Gun violence is committed by criminals; yet the focus of this executive order is on restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens. Elements of the executive order will even unjustly strip some Social Security recipients of their Second Amendment rights. Whether it is blind ignorance or intentional deceit, President Obama’s actions will sabotage the safety of countless Americans in order to score political points with the far-left.
The level of stupidity is astonishing. The only upside to these picks is that they are extremely far right GOP. If we are up against Flake (who is still far right but not flaming) and one of these guys we can focus our energy on ousting Schweikert/Gosar from the Senate Seat.
I think Kyrsten Sinema is a good choice to run against them. She is a blue dog conservative Democrat, but she can win.
She is the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Congress. Sinema is now the only openly non-theist or atheist member of Congress (Get ready — this is the most significant line of attack by Superpacs)
Speaking about healthcare policy, Sinema said, "I used to say that I wanted universal health-care coverage in Arizona, which went over like a ton of bricks. Turns out, Arizonans hear the word 'universal' and think 'socialism'—or 'pinko commie.' But when I say that I want all Arizonans to have access to affordable, quality health care, Arizonans agree wholeheartedly. Same basic idea, different language."
