They say admission is the first step toward healing, so here it goes: I am a recovering McCainiac. It's true, I used to love John McCain. The_Idealist and I both worked a fundraiser for Senator McCain last year and neither of us had shame about being the only folks in attendance to ask for an autograph. When getting our picture made, we told the Senator and his aide how we were willing to do anything we could to help if he decided to run for president again. I thought that man was great, a hero for common sense politics. But alas, my hero has gone M.I.A. So here's my plea and call for Johnny Mac to return...
I miss the John McCain who stood up for common sense immigration reform which doesn't make immigrants out to be vicious psychopaths hell bent on destroying America. This John McCain reached across party lines, a real maverick, who was willing to work with the likes of Ted Kennedy to get this bi-partisan bill up and have a fighting chance before extremists from both sides shut it down. NOW John McCain sides with those extremists who killed his own bill, and has even said publicly that if his own bill came up for a vote then he'd vote nay. And they said John KERRY was a flip-flop...
I miss the John McCain who wanted what was best for his country. Even when folks didn't agree with him, they knew John McCain wanted what was best for America deep down. He aligned himself with folks with the experience, work ethic, and willingness to leave America a better place, even if that meant working with like-minded Democrats . NOW John McCain has sold America out with his pick of Sarah Palin, a lady no one can argue has considerably less experience and record than any one else he could have chosen. By choosing this lady, John McCain sold America out to the right wing of his party to try to win an election, but not to lead a country. He sold America out by going against his morals of choosing a strong leader of foreign policy like Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman. Instead he chose a lady whose chief foreign policy credential is being able to see the outermost reaches of Russia from the outer most reaches of her state. As a Senator in the student government at the University of Georgia, I HAD MORE CONSTITUENTS THEN MS. PALIN DID 3 YEARS AGO! Ms. Palin only got her passport a year ago for crying out loud! How was she more qualified than anyone else in America to be a heart-beat away from the presidency?
I miss the John McCain who was too honorable to stoop in to gutter politics, using race and religion as a bludgeon. When Karl Rove and George W. Bush stoked rumors during the 2000 presidential race that McCain's adopted daughter (of Bangladesh descent) was actually an illegitimate child, Senator McCain did not respond with a cheap shot back. He was more willing to lose an election than sacrifice the honor he forged. NOW John McCain has hired Steve Schmidt, one of the same people on George W. Bush's crew who started that rumor 8 years ago about his daughter to be his day-to-day campaign manager. Senator McCain has rolled out ad after ad containing lie after lie during this election, so much so that even Saturday Night Live took note. Some other highlights include the Associated Press, CNN, and Politico running fact checks on him, decrying the honesty of his ads. CBS News, Fox News, and Fact Check.Com have all demanded that misleading ads containing their names be taken down. The Wall Street Journal, one of the most conservative editorial boards in America, called John McCain's comments "unpresidential." Even Karl Rove, the evil genius said that McCain's ads "didn't pass the 100 percent truth test." MOST DISGUSTING OF ALL THOUGH, is the ad in which Senator McCain accused Barack Obama of being a disgusting pervert wanting to teach Kindergarteners how to have sex. Senator Obama's bill was designed to teach young children about inappropriate touching and he knows it. This ad is disgusting and insulting to Barack Obama as the father of two young girls and is the same filthy tactics George Bush used against him. Frankly, John McCain should be ashamed of himself, I know I am.
I miss the John McCain who united the parties, not divided. The John McCain who put America first, not second to political ambitions. The John McCain whose principled leadership made up for the policy differences I had with him. The John McCain who, whether one agreed with him or not, took an open and honest stand for all to see. The John McCain who had the guts to vote against the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans TWICE, now wants to make them permanent because he's a line tower. The John McCain who bucked Republicans and Democrats for campaign finance reform, before voting in lockstep with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time.
THIS was the John McCain I loved, my hero, and I don't know where he's gone.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I teared up a bit thinking about the McCain I used to know. I was in his top friends on MySpace, I have met him five times, one of which occasions was in his Senate office in Washington where we sat on his couch and talked like old friends. After a 30 minute conversation I got up to leave and he shook my hand and looked me in the eye and told me he would fight for me - an average citizen. That is where he made me feel like I was his best friend. I believed him. What do I see now? I see a man supporting the wealthiest people of America and not me. I see him backtracking on things like the GI Bill, healthcare and all of the other things that you so eloquently mentioned in the post.
Where is the man I fell in love with in August of 2006? The one I believed in, trusted and respected? He is long gone, lost to the ones of the far right that he had to pander to in order to win the primary. Forever gone is the John McCain that was a hero to me, the one who inspired me to be better and do better. The one who truly gave me "hope" and a means of "change" in government. I really hope he finds himself again, the maverick, the one who, even at an old age, inspired me as a teenager to be more honorable. Now I can't even live by his example- the example of dirty politics, exploiting families and religion, and half truths to win elections. The John McCain I loved in 2006 was polling at 5% nationally and he knew he couldn't win an election without resorting to these types of malicious actions. The man that stood for what he believed in but was polling at 5% is now the man that concedes his convictions to win the presidency.
As a democrat, I can honestly say as well that this is not the same John McCain, truly "the maverick" of the republican party. I could have gotten along with him, but now despise him for everything he stands for. Especially the cheap, dirty politics McCain has bought into...
John McCain's downfall just goes to show how our political system is hugely flawed. McCain, a once moderate Republican who cooperated with Democrats, would not have won an election. Republican lobbyists and large money donors don't want someone who will side with both parties on some things--they want a candidate whose sole purpose is to promote their right wing views. With our political system, it's almost an impossible task to gain your parties seat without joining those on the outside edges of the party and bashing everyone else. The same is happening with Obama--he started out preaching about changing politics, and ending negative campaigns. I vaguely remember a long time ago when he talked about uniting the "two America's" that we have created. Well, now it seems that both McCain, and Obama are just doing their part to continue our flawed system.
Post a Comment