McCain's Straight Talk America

[ProSense]

What utter BS:

Senator McCain's Testimony on Lobbying Reform Proposals to the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee Hearing

January 25, 2006

"Madam Chairman, let me begin by thanking you and Senator Lieberman for holding this important hearing today. There is no doubt that a crisis of confidence exists in how Congress is perceived by the American people. Poll after poll reveals that a majority of the American people see those us who serve in Congress as the lowest of the low. We need to fix that. We need to restore the confidence of the American people by proving to them that we can make tough decisions and end corrupting practices. We need to restore the confidence of the American people in their government, not so that we can all stay in office, but so that our children and our grandchildren will have a trustworthy, reliable government upon which they can depend. "

more...

http://www.straighttalkamerica.com

[Erika]

1. I bought McCain's spiel once before and contributed to him

when he ran against the W. W treated McCain and his family horribly with smears and lies to get the nomination.

I've never had any use for McCain since he buckled under to W and even endorsed him. How do you support someone who smears your family? Let him be a masochist who supports W. I won't support him or W.

[redstateblues]

2. I'm embarrassed to say I once sent him $25. Gullible me.

[Skittles]

15. I would kick both your asses

but it appears you did learn :thumbsup:

[saracat]

3. He can go F***CK himself. He is the most corrupt of the corrupt!

Always telling other people to reform themselves. Can you spell CHARLES KEATING, Mr. MCCain? What a phoney. He makes me ill. I despise him. He has NO redeeming social value. And I am sick of the but he was a war hero crap. He has betrayed his country his family ,and his friends more than once since then. JMHO And BTW, he is unfortunately MY Senator, and I have NEVER had ANY respect for him.

[baby_bear]

4. No one seems to speak of Charles Keating - not for years

Thanks for bringing it up, saracat.

We all should, here at DU, in LTTEs and in conversations with our colleagues, and those others out there who may have forgotten that McCain cost the taxpayers billions of dollars (as I recall).

b_b

[AZBlue]

5. Oh, I'll scream it from the rooftops if I have to!

If this man gets very far at all at attempting to run, I'll do everything humanly possible to stop it. He's dangerous and a lot of America still remains fooled by him. It scares me.

[Admiral Loinpresser]

6. How about the media?

They have been fawning over him since 2000. Here is a little "straight talk" about John McCain from Media Matters:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200602110001#3

Media ♥ McCain

Has any political figure ever been the beneficiary of the kind of relentlessly positive, often-sycophantic media coverage Republican Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has enjoyed for as long as we can remember?

McCain's favorable treatment is particularly glaring whenever ethics and government reform come up. While other politicians face regular media second-guessing and cynicism about their motives and consistency, McCain is presented as a paragon of virtue, tirelessly and selflessly toiling away to make America a better place. His "years of work" for lobbying reform are mentioned; his refusal to investigate Jack Abramoff's ties to lawmakers is not. Lobbying reform is described as a "very personal issue" to him; his own reliance on campaign cash generously provided by lobbyists with business before his committee and his frequent use of corporate jets is ignored. And when his involvement in the infamous Keating Five scandal is mentioned, it tends to be by way of explaining why he is so passionate about reform - the fact that the Senate Ethics Committee found that he had "exercised poor judgment" in the scandal is less often mentioned.

Nor is McCain as consistent on campaign finance reform as his publicists in the news media would have you believe. Think Progress explains that McCain has now flip-flopped (don't hold your breath waiting for the media to use that phrase to describe McCain) on public financing of elections:

In December 2002, appearing on PBS' NOW with Bill Moyers, McCain spoke enthusiastically about expanding public financing of elections, saying Arizona's public financing law could "absolutely" be used as a model for the whole nation.

<...>

Now, he is refusing to even discuss public financing and attacking others for even considering it.

But McCain's uniformly positive press extends beyond mere questions of policy. Media figures like MSNBC's Chris Matthews genuinely appear to swoon whenever he walks in the room; news organizations make editorial decisions that amount to an in-kind contribution to his prospective 2008 presidential campaign.

During a McCain interview with Matt Lauer, NBC plastered McCain's 2000 presidential campaign slogan across the screen, declaring: "Straight Talk from John McCain." Try to imagine an NBC interview with Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) that included an onscreen graphic blaring "John Kerry: A Stronger America." Yet when it comes to McCain, this sort of media treatment -- which would be inconceivable in the case of nearly any other candidate, Democrat or Republican -- is the norm. On his Daily Howler website, Bob Somerby described a February 6, 2005, McCain appearance on ABC's This Week, during which McCain was interviewed by host George Stephanopoulos:

Try to believe -- just try to believe -- that a major host actually said it:

STEPHANOPOULOS (2/6/05): Okay, let's turn to Social Security. Two straight-talk questions right at the top...

Good God! Two "straight-talk" questions? Knowing McCain's favorite term of self-praise, Stephanopoulos started by pimping it for him!

<...>

s Stephanopoulos pandered, the situation kept going downhill. Try to believe that this occurred even after McCain's first misstatements:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Final straight-talk questions: What kind of benefit cuts should future retirees expect?

<...>

Good God! Even after McCain's original misstatements, Stephanopoulos was still pimping his "straight-talker" slogan for him.

<...>

Do you see why it's easy to disinform voters with "journalists" like Stephanopoulos around? Try to believe that we saw what we did -- that we saw a major TV host pimping a major pol's favorite slogan, pretending he was getting "straight talk" even as his "straight-talking" guest was making weird misstatements.

And on February 7, Matthews interviewed McCain about the senator's public exchange of letters with fellow Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL); Matthews promoted the segment by announcing, "We'll get the straight talk from Senator McCain himself in just a moment," then went on to ask McCain a series of fawning, leading questions, leaving little doubt whose side he took. And, sure enough, McCain picked up Matthews' cue and twice described his own comments as "straight talk."

[tsuki]

14. Thank you, saracat. I keep saying Keating Five, Keating Five,

Keating Five, but we keep getting the wow! McCain threads.

[0007]

17. Real reform, eh?

[johnnyrocket]

7. McCain is worthless, a GOP goon like the rest...

especially since is ISN'T a 'straight talker' anymore...he's full of it.

[ProSense]

8. What exactly would McCain run on?

A toture ban rendered useless by the signing statement attached to it?

Maine senator would advise McCain if he runs for president

PORTLAND, Maine If Senator John McCain runs for president in 2008, fellow Republican Susan Collins of Maine will serve as one of his Senate advisors.

A spokesman for Senator Collins confirmed that McCain asked her if she would be one of his advisors if he decides to seek the White House. The spokesman, Kevin Kelley, said Collins told McCain that he would.

The Arizona senator is regarded as a likely potential candidate for the Republican nomination.

http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4499433&nav=HMO6

[wisteria]

9. McCain is self-promoter and nothing more. He duped me once,

and I won't fall for his sorry act again.

[mitchum]

10. The last time he told the truth he was tapping out messages

[ProSense]

11. Who is he fooling? n/t

[wiley]

12. This is as bad as NewsMax crap.

McCain? NFW!

[ProudDad]

13. So how about all you repuke pigs resign

That would restore the public's confidence.

<COUGH> KEATING FIVE <COUGH>

[ProSense]

16. McCain is a fraud

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2460953&mesg_id=2461134