Let's Be Reasonable About John McCain
By Mike Griffith Posted in 2008 — Comments (44) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
If John McCain ends up being the GOP nominee, his voting record shows why every Republican and independent conservative should support him. As we read this, let's ask ourselves which of the Democrats would even come close to this voting record and to these positions. McCain's not my first pick either, not even my second pick, and I agree there are some black marks on his record. But, his voting record also proves he'd be a substantial improvement over any of the Democrats:
--Gun Control
Voted YES on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
Voted YES on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence. (Mar 2004)
Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
Voted YES on more penalties for gun & drug violations. (May 1999)
Voted YES on loosening license & background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
Voted YES on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks. (Jul 1998)
--Tax Reform
Voted YES on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on supporting permanence of estate tax cuts. (Aug 2006)
Voted YES on permanently repealing the `death tax`. (Jun 2006)
Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on extending the tax cuts on capital gains and dividends. (Nov 2005)
Voted YES on reducing marriage penalty instead of cutting top tax rates. (May 2001)
Voted NO on increasing tax deductions for college tuition. (May 2001)
Voted YES on eliminating the 'marriage penalty'. (Jul 2000)
Voted YES on phasing out the estate tax ("death tax"). (Jul 2000)
Voted YES on requiring super-majority for raising taxes. (Apr 1998)
Rated 72% by National Taxpayers Union, indicating "Satisfactory" on tax votes. (Dec 2003)
--Abortion
Voted YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. (Oct 2007)
Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)
Rated 0% by pro-abortion group NARAL
Rated 75% by pro-life group National Right to Life Committee
--Budget & Economy
Voted YES on $40B in reduced federal overall spending. (Dec 2005)
Voted NO on prioritizing national debt reduction below tax cuts. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on 1998 GOP budget. (May 1997)
Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
--Civil Rights
Voted YES on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
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)
--Crime
Pro-death penalty; more prisons; increased penalties. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on limiting death penalty appeals. (Apr 1996)
Voted YES on limiting product liability punitive damage awards. (Mar 1996)
Voted YES on mandatory prison terms for crimes involving firearms. (May 1994)
Voted YES on rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals. (May 1994)
--Education
Teaching creationism should be decided by school districts. (Jun 2007)
Against nationally imposed standards & funding strings. (Feb 2000)
Teach virtues in all schools. (Dec 1999)
Enlist retirees for tutoring. (Nov 1999)
Good teachers should earn more than bad lawyers. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on declaring memorial prayers and religious symbols OK at schools. (May 1999)
Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules. (Mar 1999)
Voted YES on education savings accounts. (Jun 1998)
Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education. (Jul 1996)
Voted YES on requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer. (Jul 1994)
Voted NO on national education standards. (Feb 1994)
--Energy and Oil
Voted NO on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
Voted NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
Voted YES on defunding renewable and solar energy. (Jun 1999)
Voted YES on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)
--Families and Children
Unfiltered Internet robs our children of their innocence. (Dec 1999)
Parents should be active in media kids are exposed to. (Jul 1999)
Label violent media products like we label cigarettes. (Jun 1999)
Media Responsibility Act requires video & music labeling. (Jun 1999)
Violence in media caused Littleton shootings. (Apr 1999)
Rated 83% by the Christian Coalition: a pro-family voting record. (Dec 2003)
--Government Reform
Voted NO on granting the District of Columbia a seat in Congress. (Sep 2007)
Voted YES on requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections. (Jul 2007)
Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress. (Mar 2006)
Voted YES on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity. (Mar 2006)
Voted YES on require photo ID (not just signature) for voter registration. (Feb 2002)
Voted YES on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations. (Apr 2001)
Voted NO on funding for National Endowment for the Arts. (Aug 1999)
Voted YES on Approving the presidential line-item veto. (Mar 1996)
--Health Care
Voted NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on blocking medical savings acounts. (Apr 1996)
Tax credits for those without employee health insurance. (May 2002)
Tax deduction for long-term care insurance. (May 2002)
--Defense
Voted NO on limiting soldiers' deployment to 12 months. (Jul 2007)
Voted NO on preserving habeus corpus for Guantanamo detainees. (Sep 2006)
Voted NO on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act. (Mar 2006)
Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision. (Dec 2005)
Voted NO on adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on deploying National Missile Defense ASAP. (Mar 1999)
Voted YES on military pay raise of 4.8%. (Feb 1999)
Voted NO on prohibiting same-sex basic training. (Jun 1998)
Voted YES on considering deploying NMD, and amending ABM Treaty. (Jun 1996)
--Immigration
Voted YES on declaring English as the official language of the US government. (Jun 2007)
Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
Voted YES on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)
--Jobs
Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Jun 2007)
Voted YES on repealing Clinton's ergonomic rules on repetitive stress. (Mar 2001)
Voted YES on allowing workers to choose between overtime & comp-time. (May 1997)
Voted YES on replacing farm price supports. (Feb 1996)
--Judges
Voted YES on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice. (Jan 2006)
Voted YES on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (Sep 2005)
--Social Security
Voted YES on Social Security Lockbox & limiting national debt. (Apr 1999)
Voted YES on allowing Roth IRAs for retirees. (May 1998)
Voted YES on allowing personal retirement accounts. (Apr 1998)
Voted YES on deducting Social Security payments on income taxes. (May 1996)
--Welfare and Poverty
Voted YES on welfare block grants. (Aug 1996)
Voted YES on welfare overhaul. (Sep 1995)
Now, by any objective measurement, that is not the voting record of a liberal nor of a moderate. It's a voting record of someone who is fairly conservative on most issues.
McCain give[s] us a chance in the general. No one else does.
Keeping repeating it won't make it any more true.
McCain, Giuliani, and Romney are all very electable in the general. The only one I doubt the electability of is Mike Huckabee, because of some of the foolish things he's said so far this campaign. Mitt will take the south because the south won't vote for Hillary or Obama. Rudy will take the red states plus will force Hillary or Obama to defend some blue states just to stay in the running. John will get enough independents to overcome base apathy.
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Finrod's First Law of Bandwidth:
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it takes the bandwidth of ten thousand.
McCain is the only one who beats any top three Democrat, going by the RCP average.
1. McCain
2. Thompson
3. Giuliani
His attack on free speech disqualifies him. I'm not sure he could complete the oath of office... that whole part about defending the constitution.
The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct.
It has to be McCain. I am sorry but electability is very important. McCain may not be a purist but is heads above any democrat.
Independents alone can't sweep McCain into office. There are lots of conservatives who will stay home. I myself will enter a protest vote.
I don't want to admonish you, but if you can't vote for a candidate based on their stance on the issues matching up with yours, it says a lot about how strongly you believe in your own positions.
"The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct."
-Calvin Coolidge
In 2000 I voted for McCain in the GOP primary but worked and voted for Pat Buchanan in the general election, because I knew Bush would be a big-government, big-spending Republican. In 2004 I voted for Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party. I'm an independent conservative, so I don't care about a candidate's party affiliation. I just happen to believe that any of the GOP contenders would be "better enough" than any of the Dems to warrant my support.
Everyone has to draw their own line in the sand and determine their own level of tolerance. Bush crossed my line and exceeded my level of tolerance in 2000. I didn't think he was conservative enough, so I didn't vote for him. But this time around I see no reason to consider voting third-party.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
McCain has not won even one exit poll among Republican voters as of yet. We have not had even one closed primary as of yet. Go ahead and keep living your dream though.
Tim Schieferecke
A closed primary state. I believe I have seen a couple of fairly recent polls that show McCain also leading or close in California (also a closed primary state).
Feel free to make snide comments about "real Republicans" - but since nobody made anybody on this site an arbiter of the official definition of a Republican, the fact that McCain leads in a closed primary state (with quite a nice chunk of delegates) should please quiet this.
Second - McCain ran about even with Huckabee in SC among "Republicans." With Fred pretty much out (has he made it official?), we'll have to see how things shift. Once we get down to 3 (or 2) you can see how Republicans decide to go.
So clearly, someone as "pure" as yourself didn't vote for Bush in 2004, since he signed the bill, right?
After all, obviously, it's an unpardonable sin.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
I figured he passed the buck to the SCOTUS, and it didn't turn out the way he wished. I was disappointed he signed it, I wish he'd have fought it.
There's a difference between passing it on to the SCOTUS in hopes that it doesn't pass constitutional muster, and leading the charge to curtail one of our enumerated rights that is to be untouchable by government.
Please don't make me defend my past support of Bush again.
"The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct."
-Calvin Coolidge
Please don't make you listen to logic again?
Sorry, I'm not even going to pretend I'm gonna honor that request.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
What are you going on about now? I gave you what I was thinking. If you're going to be dismissive of it because of some sort of John McCain fanboyism, fine, but don't try to dress it up as if I'm the one being illogical.
"The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct."
-Calvin Coolidge
My objections to Bush go far beyond his signing of McCain-Feingold. Here are some the reasons I didn't vote for him in 2004:
* Record pork-barrel waste.
* Record foreign borrowing.
* Gigantic new entitlement program, i.e., the medicare prescription drug program for seniors (which U.S. Comptroller David Walker recently called "the most fiscally irresponsible act in recent memory").
* Record federal spending.
* Increased federal meddling in education.
* Basically AWOL on border security and illegal immigration.
* Trade policy that has ravaged our industrial base.
* Granting federal death benefits to same-sex couples.
* Unbelievably incompetent handling of the occupation phase of the Iraq War.
* Fiscally irresponsible monetary policy.
* Willingness to sign assault-weapons ban.
I could list others, but those are most of the big reasons I did not vote for Bush in 2004. If McCain had won the GOP nomination and then the general election, I think he would have been a marked improvement over Bush in many ways. I say this, in spite of the fact that this time around McCain is not my first or second pick.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
What a minor little infraction that is huh? Simultaneously, he encouraged illegal immigrants during their illegal rallies saying the following. "If such demonstrations continue, I think we will have a bill for the President to sign soon. The more debate, the more demonstrations, the more likely we will prevail." Source: New York Daily News, April 2, 2006. McCain was talking to a group of illegal Irish immigrants in New York. He backs 1st Amendment rights for them, but wants to suppress ours. Simply beyond the pale.
Tim Schieferecke
George W. Bush didn't complete the oath of office because he signed McCain-Feingold, and Thompson said "aye" to it.
1. McCain
2. Thompson
3. Giuliani
I presume you're talking about McCain-Feingold. So what damages has that piece of legislation caused? I honestly don't know. I do know that somehow speech seems to be more free than ever before. The Swift Boat ads ended Kerry's candidacy. The blogosphere saved Bush's re-election candidacy. Sounds like free speech is operating just fine, despite a silly attempt to regulate it. Surely since this is a dealbreaker for you that you can provide a sense of the injury to the nation from this law?
"I can say - not as a patriotic bromide...that the United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and...the only moral country in the history of the world. - Ayn Rand
to the website where you got this information. I saw the page earlier today, but perhaps everyone would like the chance to view it.
McCain embracing amnesty www.betterimmigration.com/candidates/2006/McCainPres08.html
McCain denying amnesty stance
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyA6KL444VM
McCain embracing illegal immigration rallies
www.archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/4/2/120003.shtml
Check em out
Tim Schieferecke
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
But the prosecution has a case - a formidable one.
The Warren Report looked pretty good too. Right up to the first time you watch the Abraham Zapruder film.
Kill the terrorists
Protect the borders
Punch the hippies -- Frank J
I considered this, but I'm unwilling to hand the democrats more congressional seats.
"The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge, it is always simple and direct."
-Calvin Coolidge
"I can say - not as a patriotic bromide...that the United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and...the only moral country in the history of the world. - Ayn Rand
and this diary does it well.
McCain is a conservative, who refuses to follow Republican dogma... and look where it got him--unscathed after corruption, bloated republican spending, and a poor military strategy.
To come out of the last 4 years of GOP governance and still have the trust of the American people is quite remarkable.
Good point!
McCain is a conservative, who refuses to follow Republican dogma... and look where it got him--unscathed after corruption, bloated republican spending, and a poor military strategy.
I wouldn't go quite so far, but your overall point about being a conservative vs. Republican dogma is a good one. Go14 is a good example of that.
John Bolton for President
"FEAR THE 'STACH!!!"
McCain has always worked to be as independent as possible. He is so independent that most don't know him as a true Republican and the only place he stands a chance or those with open primaries. McCain isn't good for Republicans and I discuss Jack Kemp's endorsement of him here:
http://www.redstate.com/blogs/kevin_price/2008/jan/21/jack_kemp_we_hardl...
Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650), Publisher of the HoustonBusinessReview.com and writes frequently in his www.BizPlusBlog.com.
Actually, I guess the liberals, Democrats, and the MSM view McCain as quite reasonable, since they easily get him to go along in sponsoring liberal legislation.
I don't know of many conservatives that would describe McCain as "reasonable" though.
John McCain: Great American, Lousy Senator, Horrible Republican.
Jeff Fuller
http://iowansforromney.blogspot.com/
See my disclaimer of Romney Support at my blogsite line above (essentially I'm an unpaid grassroots supporter/blogger).
His Presidential support in this Administration ranges in the 50-80% range. Quite frankly, with this Administration, it shouldn't be that much higher.
Great stuff. And to answer Vegas Rick, I think the idea is that his bad votes have been discussed elsewhere ad nauseum. The point of this is to give some additional information.
McCain would at least try to bring the spending under control. Right now, the government is building programs, establishing earmarks, etc. that are not properly funded by taxes on the current generation. This just places responsibility on our children and grandchildren to pay.
And again, no one is perfect. Each of these candidates have made mistakes, misspoke, taken a poor position.
I can still support any of them.
Erik
I would vote for McCain in the general for sure.
In the primary, well I vote in Georgia and I'm quite sure that Mitt will still be in for it so Mitt will get my vote there.
--Families and Children
Unfiltered Internet robs our children of their innocence. (Dec 1999)
Parents should be active in media kids are exposed to. (Jul 1999)
Label violent media products like we label cigarettes. (Jun 1999)
Media Responsibility Act requires video & music labeling. (Jun 1999)
Violence in media caused Littleton shootings. (Apr 1999)
"There is 40 years of evidence pointing to the negative effect of violent media on children...But the impact of violence in the media on crime deserves more exploration. So, I have proposed a bipartisan bill to establish a research center on media and children at the National Institutes of Health..."
Q: How do you respond to critics who say that any attempt to curb violence in media is an attack on free speech ?
A: "As parents, we must reassert our authority over what enters our households...While the Supreme Court has never considered the constitutionality of a prohibition on distributing extremely violent or sexually explicit video games to children, other cases before the court would lead one to believe that it would be upheld."
Q: How can the entertainment industry be held more accountable for producing and promoting products that too often glamorize violence?
"I have called for legislation that would put real teeth into video game industry ratings by creating penalties for retailers that fail to enforce the system...I also have called for a universal ratings system across all media because what we have today is alphabet soup. From TV-Y7-FV to AO to PG-13, the different ratings systems for each type of entertainment - TV, video games, movies and music - are tough to navigate..."
Q: Is the government doing enough to combat the problem? If not, what do you suggest?
A: "There is a bipartisan consensus that additional action can and should be taken. For example, I introduced the CAMRA Act (Children and Media Research Advancement Act) along with Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Del., Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rick Santorum, R-Pa., to establish a research center at the National Institutes of Health to examine the impact of all forms of media on children.
...I also am developing legislation to put in place penalties for video game retailers that sell Mature and Adults-only rated games to minors and require the Federal Trade Commission to investigate modifications of video games so that we can ensure that what happened with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas doesn't happen again."
Apparently, according to the above list, a conservative presidential candidate, on violence in video games.
-TS
"When men fear work or fear righteous war, when women fear motherhood, they tremble on the brink of doom; and well it is that they should vanish from the earth." - Teddy Roosevelt
Do you really think you are going to convince anybody by pasting in a big chunk of votes then deleting all the ones that make him look bad? Seriously?
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
<<< Do you really think you are going to convince anybody by pasting in a big chunk of votes then deleting all the ones that make him look bad? Seriously? >>>
I wasn't pretending to give a complete picture of McCain's voting record. My point is that a liberal would not have cast almost none of the votes that I cited.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
You could make a similar kind of list for anybody that's been in the Senate for any amount of time... even if that someone is Teddy Kennedy or Barbara Boxer. There's a heck of a lot of votes cast every year, so there's plenty to cherry pick from. I'm interested in the complete picture, myself, not just the votes that make a guy look good.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
There are a lot of unanimous or close to unanimous votes in the Senate. Teddy probably took part in about 5 million of them given he's a fossil that's been in the Senator since the beginning of time. You could certainly use those votes to paint a totally different picture of the man than what you and me know is the reality. If you still don't believe that, substitute Byron Dorgan, Tom Harkins, Paul Wellstone, Lincoln Chafee, Olympia Snowe, Jim Jeffords, whoever you like. It's not persuasive.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
cherry pick. But I do not see Kennedy voting pro gun, to reduce taxes, or to even support defense, unless there is a pork reason. Heck, all lib dems vote for defense spending in their districts.
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Molon Labe!
I think it is kind of sad that a diary like this gets so many recommends. It's a selective cut and paste job. People's standards of what they will recommend sure have fallen in primary season. Throw together any weak or misleading bot post for any candidate and you are pretty much guaranteed a dozen or more recommends.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
... name three things that do not go together.
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Molon Labe!
Fiscally conservative groups, such as the National Taxpayers Union, have given McCain solid ratings over the years. In contrast, they've given Hillary and Edwards very poor ratings. That should count for something.
Back when the GOP-controlled Senate was spending like a drunken sailor, McCain was one of the few Republicans to speak out against the spending spree and its accompanying pork. I recall seeing him discuss this several times in TV interviews and on the Senate floor, but most of his fellow "conservative" Republicans were too busy spending our money and burying us in debt.
McCain voted for Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito, and has helped guide the nominations of hundreds of conservative judges for other federal court positions through the Senate.
He voted for the partial-birth abortion ban, parental notification, and the ban on abortions in military hospitals.
Again, McCain's not my first pick, but I can't imagine not voting for him if he gets the nomination.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
Thanks. McCain give us a chance in the general. No one else does. He originally was my third choice, but he is for real now. Don't be fooled by Romneys money or fiscal conservatism. He has a huge problem in the general. The south will not support him in the numbers he needs to win.