Monday, February 11, 2008

The Myth of McCain the "Moderate" and "Independent"

John McCain is still called "maverick" and other such nonsense by much of the MSM, when in fact in many ways he's a reactionary, one of the most radical right wingers in the Senate. He's also a devoted Bush supporter. Arianna Huffington spells it out clearly here:
I hate to be the one to break up a love affair, especially with Valentine's Day just around the corner, but I can no longer stand idly by and watch the media and independent voters continue to throw themselves at the feet of John McCain.

The John McCain they fell in love with in 2000 -- the straight-shooting, let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may maverick - is no more. He's been replaced by a born-again Bushite willing to say or do anything to win the affection of his newfound object of desire, the radical right.

And we've got the money shot of his betrayal on tape: McCain singing the praises of Karl Rove, calling him "one of the smartest political minds in America," and saying, "I'd be glad to get his advice."...

What is it going to take for you guys to face reality? McCain verbally stroking Rove should be the equivalent of that great scene at the end of The Godfather where Diane Keaton's Kay watches in horror as Al Pacino transforms, in the kiss of a ring, from her loving husband Michael into the next Don Corleone. This ain't the same man you married.

Of course, McCain's embrace of Rove is just the latest proof that the new McCain bears no relation to the old.

The old John McCain once rightly called Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and like-minded religious bigots "agents of intolerance." The new John McCain now slavishly seeks their endorsement.

The old John McCain talked about trying to do something about global warming and encourage renewable energy. The new John McCain didn't show up for a vote last week on a bill that included tax incentives for clean energy, even though he was in DC. And then his staff misled environmentalists who called to protest by telling them that he had voted for it.

The old John McCain once stood tall as a fearless leader on immigration, co-sponsoring a humane, bipartisan reform bill with Ted Kennedy. The new John McCain, when asked during a recent GOP debate whether he would support his own proposal, replied: "No, I would not." In other words, he was for his core beliefs before he was against them.

So McCan has backed an amendment that would limit the right to habeas corpus, has endorsed an Arizona constitutional amendment that would not only ban gay marriage but deny benefits to unmarried couples of any kind (lest those pesky gay people find some kind of loophole), and has discovered a newfound support for teaching "intelligent design" in schools.

The old John McCain once tried to take the mantle of true conservatism away from George W. Bush. The new John McCain is now essentially running to give America a third Bush term - and, indeed, will even out-Bush Bush when it comes to staying the disastrous course we're on in Iraq.
I've said it before, I'll say it again (and again and again):
NO THIRD TERM FOR BUSH
NO TO MC CAIN!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gwqEneBKUs

You saw the Will.i.am video on Barack Obama... they've done one for John McCain now, too.

Anonymous said...

I've watched McCain closely over the years and been very upset by his swerve to the right. He used to be one of my favorite Republicans; now he is a panderer. I don't know to what extent he's fueled by the presidential aspirations (history appears to indicate that conservative Republicans win, while moderates lose), and how much he's actually changed, but either way it's disheartening. Even if he's the same McCain underneath, I don't want a president who would embrace so many pretenses just to win.

One qualification, though:

Karl Rove is a brilliant political mind. He just also happens to be one of the slimiest figures to ever stain our country, and I wouldn't touch money from him with a ten-foot pole.