Republicans deny 'sowing hatred' in campaign
ARLINGTON, Va —
Republicans on Sunday pushed back against charges that John McCain’s campaign had been sowing “hatred” against Barack Obama, as they struggled to put their White House bid back on track.
Just over three weeks until the Nov 4 elections, Republican presidential nominee McCain reacted furiously at the accusations leveled against him by 1960s civil rights icon John Lewis.
The latest political turbulence came as Obama, 47, builds a steady lead over McCain, 72, on the national level, and on the state-by-state electoral map.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, on CBS television’s “Face the Nation,” said: “The idea that John McCain and Sarah Palin are conducting themselves like George Wallace is just incredibly offensive.”
He added: “We are not going to take this. We are going to challenge Senator Obama’s record versus his rhetoric.”
Lewis, revered as one of the key figures in the 1960s U.S. civil rights movement, ignited a political firestorm by issuing a statement about McCain’s recent searing character attacks on Obama.
Republicans “are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse,” Lewis said.
He also appeared to suggest attacks on Obama were reminiscent of late segregationist Alabama governor and presidential candidate George Wallace, whose rhetoric in 1963 was blamed for a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four little girls.
But McCain said Lewis had launched a “character attack against Governor Sarah Palin and me that is shocking and beyond the pale.”
He said Lewis’ apparent reference to Wallace was “unacceptable and has no place in this campaign.”
“Where was John McCain when George Wallace was spreading his hate and segregationist policies at that time?” asked McCain spokesman Rick Davis on Fox News Sunday.
“He was in a Vietnam prison camp serving his country with his civil rights also denied.”
Later, Lewis issued a second statement in an apparent attempt to defuse the row, saying he had not meant to draw a link between Wallace and McCain.
“My statement was a reminder to all Americans that toxic language can lead to destructive behavior. I am glad that Senator McCain has taken some steps to correct divisive speech at his rallies,” he said.
New Gallup tracking figures Sunday showed that Obama’s lead over McCain had narrowed to seven percentage points at the end of the past week.
Based on polling from Thursday through Saturday, Gallup put the Illinois senator at 50% to 43% for his rival.
With his campaign on a roll, Democratic heavy hitters Bill and Hillary Clinton appeared at their first joint rally for Obama in Scranton, Pennsylvania alongside vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden.
Bill Clinton, the former president, said he was later traveling to Virginia to stump for Obama.
The New York Times reported Sunday that Republican leaders are worried that McCain is heading for defeat unless he brings stability to his campaign and settled on a clear message.
“You’re starting to feel real frustration because we are running out of time. Our message, the campaign’s message, isn’t connecting,” Saul Anuzis, the Republican chairman in Michigan, was quoted as saying.
But Republican Congressman Adam Putnam, speaking on CBS’s Face The Nation said the Arizona senator could still pull ahead in the race.
“Obama has had a good couple of weeks and has opened up a small lead, but we have a long way to go. And I think John McCain is going to retake that momentum with this upcoming debate,” he said.
McCain Sunday visited his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, a battleground state near Washington. He then returned to his nearby home to prepare for the third and final presidential debate with Obama on Wednesday at Hofstra University in New York state.
Obama was in Toledo, Ohio, also readying himself for the debate. Campaign spokesman Bill Burton said the Illinois senator did not believe in the comparison between McCain and Wallace.
But he said Lewis “was right to condemn some of the hateful rhetoric that John McCain himself personally rebuked.”
Chants of “terrorist” and “kill him” were reportedly heard at recent McCain events and some commentators blamed hard-hitting negative advertisements which claimed Obama consorted with a domestic “terrorist”—1960s radical William Ayers.
Wire reports
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0
Sarge
What happened to Obama's 11 point lead? The latest Zogby poll has him with a mere 6 point lead. Time to take the gloves off, Obama! Lessee... what we got on McCain/Palin... well, we got Palin "abused her power as Governor" to deal with jerks... nah, that's not gonna work... lessee... we got McCain crashed some planes when he was a Navy pilot... nah, that's not gonna work...
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rjd_jr
At the least Mccain's inactions have encouraged the racist crazies to come out of the woodwork. His pathetic response to a lady at a rally that called Obama an "Arab" was one of the most asinine things I have ever heard. Only recently has he and his campaign half heartedly "spoke out" against the racist and ignorant hate.
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Everton2
In the 1960s McCain was in a prison camp in Vietnam fighting for so called "freedom", a retort which his campaign advisers like to throw out there.
However, they seem to forget two things: The first is that thousands of minorities were at the same time fighting and dying in Vietnam; And secondly, that millions of minorities back home in the so called land of the free were fighting just to have a seat on the bus let alone vote.
John McCain service in Vietnam is no more important than that black enlisted man who fought with distinction and still did not enjoyed the kind freedom McCain and his lot enjoyed at home.
McCain already had a stake in America when he was captured, yes a substantial one that well exceeded many of those who died in their thousands in that wasteful cause that was Vietnam.
McCain can take his war service and insert it not too carefully up his rear end.
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Nippon5
Everton2 John McCain service in Vietnam is no more important than that black enlisted man who fought with distinction and still did not enjoyed the kind freedom McCain and his lot enjoyed at home.
They are comparing the minorities lack of rights in the states as the same as being a POW in a war not just a military person. Actually what McCain faces as a POW was as bad if not worse then racism in the states in the 60's and 70's. Even if everyone in the world calls you names, dont let you go to school at the best school, wont give you a good job, wont ride a bus with you, etc etc, that doesnt seem to be as bad as this (follow the link to read what he had to go through) http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html
with that said both peoples faced things that most people will not have to endure in their life, to disregard one or the other is being prejudice
To lessen the mans suffering is just a foolish attempt to make a political point.
0
coulrophobic
This ain't rocket science.
Allegations of racism are what you get when you expose the mainstream media's leftist agenda.
0
timorborder
I think it is important to seperate between McCain here and the puppet masters of the GOP. When Obama was called "an arab" (unfortunatley, a term of division and a slur on many Arab-Americans), McCain stepped in and set the record straight. On the other hand, the masters of wedge politics within the GOP are the same crowd who accused McCain himself of fathering a mixed race baby (also another slur against people of mixed heritage) back in 2000. Such people and their fellow travellers (like the chickenhawk radio host who suffers from rectal cysts), will stop at anything to make sure that the status quo (in which they prosper) remains, such people do give a rats about the future of America. If the truth be known, certain racist, hate-loving, xenophobic elements of the GOP don't really care if McCain wins or not, all they want is a person in the Whitehouse like Curious George who will pander to their every whim.
Again, as I have said on a number of occasions, McCain has effectively been shafted by his own party for past indiscetions in not following the party line, and sticking it to Curious George on numerous occasions. I also feel that both McCain and Obama are by and large people of principle, however, the problem is the wackos that both men have attracted to their campaigns.
0
DS
I guess "sowing hatred" is the modern political term used for what used to be called "telling the truth". Face it, Obama has no record, and a long list of shady radicals in his past.
He started his political career in the home of (ironically) a man who bombed the Capitol Building. A man who so hated government that he is now.... a government employee, working in a public university?!?
He took his spiritual cues from a bigoted hate-spewing conspiracy theory believer masquerading as a pastor. Sat quietly in the pews for 2 decades and listened, and later turned to the same man for advice.
Wow.
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coulrophobic
"If the truth be known, certain racist, hate-loving, xenophobic elements of the GOP don't really care if McCain wins or not, all they want is a person in the Whitehouse like Curious George who will pander to their every whim."
Name them and shame them.
Go on.
What are you waiting for?
0
RomeoRamenII
Americans voting for obama makes them quite possibly a racist.
Consider this: people on the right do not like obama because he is either socialist and/or has questionable judgment about those he allows in his circle to influence him, Meanwhile, many liberals are voting for him because of the "historic nature" (code words there) of his campaign.
Guess who is and who is not living up to the Dr. King dream of being "judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin”?
RR
0
proxy
There is a danger that McCain will destroy the republican party for a generation. The majority of American want nothing to do with the far left and have mistakenly assumed the the dems represent the crazy left. Likewise the majority want nothing to do with the crazy far right. If McCain appears to represent the crazy far right the center will abandon the party for a generation.
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jeancolmar
The grim reaper of hate sowing in the Republican Party is Palin with her personal and unfounded attacks on Obama. McCain on his part has not disapproved of anything she has said.
Palin's big lie that Obama "pals with terrorists" is a case in point. Bill Ayes has never been arrested for terrorism nor is he now under investigation. He is a respected professor. He has a cleaner bill of health than Palin, who own state's investigation has declared that she abused her abuse of power. Furthermore, Obama is to the right of Ayes, with whom he has had little contact. But the Republicans are pushing this lie. Sowing the seeds of hatred? Yeah.
Obama did one brave thing in his political life. He opposed Bush's war on Iraq, which common sense alone showed was unnecessary (I mean even before it was plain as day that Bush & Co. lied about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction). Otherwise, he has been a humdrum American politician, probably more honest than most, and about as liberal as Teddy Kennedy.
I must note that the Democrats have been discreet about McCain's personal life, like his adultery during his first marriage, the dumping of his first wife because she was invalided by a car accident, though it would have appealed to the "family values" crowd.
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timorborder
With two parties that are far to the right of center, I love it when Americans talk about "socialism" and "the left." If the nation were not so insular or self-preoccupied in its views, people would realise that there is nothing that comes close to socialism on the US political landscape. Are all Americans named McCarthy? I sometimes think I have woken up and been transported back to the 1950s.
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coulrophobic
"Bill Ayes has never been arrested for terrorism nor is he now under investigation."
He was arrested but eventually freed because the FBI bungled his case.
Ayers famously admitted his guilt after being acquitted - “Guilty as sin, free as a bird — what a country, America.” Google it.
"Obama is to the right of Ayes, with whom he has had little contact."
Even Obama's campaign manager has admitted their ties are much deeper than Obama first claimed.
"Obama did one brave thing in his political life. He opposed Bush's war on Iraq..."
From the safety and obscurity of the Illinois legislature.
Brave man.
What happened to all that courage?
By 2004 he was saying his position was pretty much the same as President Bush's.
In 06, with Iraq looking bad, he switches back.
In an interview with Bill O'Reilly two months ago he flips again and calls the surge a success.
"I must note that the Democrats have been discreet about McCain's personal life, like his adultery during his first marriage, the dumping of his first wife because she was invalided by a car accident, though it would have appealed to the "family values" crowd."
You obviously missed McCain's reply to the nationally televised debate question in August about what he considered his greatest moral failure.
He is on good terms with his ex-wife and she has declared she believes he'd make a good president.
Forgiveness is also a family value.
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Everton2
Nippon5 You forgot a few other problems the minorities had that can be compared with McCain's imprisonment. You conveniently left out the wide spread all important lynchings, the thousand of race base murders and false imprisonment that occurred.
I suggest that you are the one who is undermining the importance of minority suffering. You have clearly missed the point. You think a little bit of freedom is OK as long as it is not happening to you.
Minorities were prepared to die in Vietnam even though they did not have an equal stake in America. The system McCain fought and was imprisoned for was hypocritical in is application and patently bias in respect to those that it rewarded.
For those reasons McCain's service must be seen as one that purely representing the interest of a particular class and race, It did represent the interest of all Americans.
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Taka313
Well...if the hatred shown on these threads is indicative of anything, I'd say the writer of this story knocked that one out of the park.
Again, we here so much about William Ayers yet there has never been any consternation by those on "the right" over the bush family's ties to the house of Saud. None of them howled at the moon over the fact that bush invited members of the taliban to Texas and that donald rumsfeld once shook hands with saddam hussein.
The right also likes to talk about being the "family values" party, yet, none of them howl at the moon over the fact that candidate mccain referred to his wife as the most vile word you can call a woman.
It's all selective partisan outrage. It's all out of desperation and it's all going to help put Sen. Obama into the White House as the next President of the United States of America.
So...please, hate away.
Taka
0
Sarge
jeancolmar - To claim that Bill Ayers is cleaner than Sarah Palin is the height of absurdity.
0
DS
Taka, it isnt about hate. The keys are judgement and expedience. I see there being two options;
1/ Obama did not know about Ayers' history of violence and terror. In this case, he is a naif and a poor judge of character.
2/ Obama knew, but didn't care. In this case, Obama is a cunning and cynical political operator.
I dont think Obama shares Ayers' political or social views. But that isnt relevant.
0
coulrophobic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBAAW2e3Z08&feature=related
Madonna on stage in concert and shrieking her hatred of Gov Palin. She invited the audience to do so. They eagerly obliged. Press yawned.
Imagine if a conservative entertainer, a female, directed such hatred at Michelle Obama...
0
coulrophobic
"I dont think Obama shares Ayers' political or social views. "
He clearly shares Ayers' views on the necessity of radicalizing children with doctrinaire educational methods and materials.
Why else would Ayers have hired him to chair a foundation that had over 100 million dollars to distribute to Chicago schools and related programs?
0
GeorgeRoper
I don'T know if they are sowing hatred, because i don't watch the news, i can't undersatnd all the malarky, but young Tristram next door reckons McCain looks like a piggy. Blimey wheb he said that i had to laugh.
0
Simon_Foston
Allegations of racism are what you get when you expose the mainstream media's leftist agenda.
You've got Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly Sean Hannity and FOX News to stand up for you. What are you complaining about?
0
DS
Coulro; I meant "share his views" meaning Ayers' desire to violently overthrow the government. The whole point isn't that Obama supports terrorism- that is untrue. The point (which gets lost to Obama's disciples) is that Obama feels free to use whatever and whomever is convenient in his quest for power.
Joining Rev. Wright's church is another example. It was "the" church for up and coming blacks in Chicago to attend. Obama wanted to get socially connected, so he joined up. I dont think he shares Wright's opinions about America, AIDS, and so on.
0
adaydream
I don't send out politican emails or cartoons.
However, I get emails everyday that are being sent out by republicans that are trying to sway votes due to terror claims about Barack is black or Muslim or because his middle name is Hussein.
I haven't got a single email from democrats talking about John McCain.
Republicans here on JT and the ones who send me these hate emails are pretty vengeful people.
One poster the other day, that I was debating, got so upset at the discussion that he said, I would do absolutely anything to get John McCain the nest president. It's scary because I'm worried he would. Legal or not. < :-)
0
SezWho2
coulrophobic,
If Ayers was arrested, he was not charged. He was not acquitted because he was never tried.
As for Axelrod, can you give a source for where he "admitted" that Obama had "deeper" ties to Ayers?
Can you source Obama's supposed flip-flops on Iraq? Can you explain why John McCain makes it a cornerstone of his campaign that Obama has never admitted the surge was a success while you claim that he has done so?
If forgiveness is a family value and the city of Chicago, the University of Chicago and others can forgive Ayers, why can't you?
0
SezWho2
Sarge,
Why do you say that it is the height of absurdity to claim that Ayers is cleaner than Palin. Ayers has addressed the period in his life when he was working with the Weather Underground and when he was in hiding. Palin has refused to cooperate with the investigation into her role in the Alaska Troopergate affair. Palin may be quite innocent of all wrong-doing (except, perhaps, for a violation of the ethics law in allowing Monegan to be pressured), but it is certainly not the height of absurdity to believe that she hasn't come clean but Ayers has.
0
SezWho2
coulrophobic,
Madonna is not running for office and neither is Michelle Obama. Could you imagine if Oliver stone made such comments about McCain's first wife?
0
coulrophobic
Sezwho2,
Why would an innocent man write a book entitled Fugitive Days?
[http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0807071242?showViewpoints=1]
Honestly, it's embarrassing watching you do this to yourself.
William Ayers admitted he was guilty.
2001 Photo ("rehabilitated" Bill Ayers desecrating the American flag), and article from a sympathetic Chicago magazine:
"Dohrn plea-bargained to charges of inciting to mob action and resisting police officers. She was sentenced to three years' probation and a $1,500 fine. Ayers was not charged. Even then he showed a way with words: "Guilty as hell, free as a bird—America is a great country," he said."
No Regrets
By Marcia Froelke Coburn
Aug 2001
http://www.chicagomag.com/
(Full url gets mangled...)
0
YangYong
Talk about selective memory sarge, scuse us but WHO wanted to brek up the union with an Alsakan Independence move? Excatly. You know, enough! She's unethical. She's been found with her pants down. Case closed. Let the slaughter continue... and sarge, money where your arrogance is, a million yen on the republican ticket not becoming President / VP elect this November 2008. Let's see how much steel you've got in those that you make out as so tuff.
0
goodDonkey
sarge said:
Last time you reported a 4 point lead. So you want to choose the poll with the lowest lead but since then when it goes up and others went down you are going to claim he is going down in the polls. Very disingenuous. According to the poll you chose to post comments on, on these threads (Zogby), he went up. I will admit that in the polls I have commented on he has lost some of his lead.
0
Nippon5
Everton2
If you want to say that Black Americans fought a war for the White rich man then you should of said that in the first place and not try to twist it to McCain, he elected to fight for everyone in America not just white not just black.
With that logic all wars are for the Rich white man and allways have been since the majority of political leaders are rich and white.
You tried to diminish one mans service and suffering because you didnt like a statement in an article that said, during the racial years of the 60's and 70's John McCain was a POW with no rights and he didnt have anything to do with the likes of a radical political person of the time.
prejudice is just that and when you say a white man this or a rich man that in hate you are guilty of prejudice...
you said: McCain can take his war service and insert it not too carefully up his rear end.
I would love to see what would happen if you said that to someone who served face to face in war (or even in peace) for his country.... It would be a funny sight to watch....
Dont disrespect someones time in the service when all you did was sit in an armchair and shiver at the thought of having to defend your own country...
I understand the suffering and what was done to Minorites in America better then you could ever understand from reading and watching on the TV, I have lived it,I have felt it , I have even fought against it. But I dont diminish one persons fight to survive because he was a color or a social status like you do...
You could take a cue from Lewis and do as he did after he made such idiotic statements..
Later, Lewis issued a second statement in an apparent attempt to defuse the row, saying he had not meant to draw a link between Wallace and McCain.
0
SezWho2
coulrophobic,
My claim was not that Ayers was innocent of wrong-doing. My claim was that you misrepresented the facts. You might be better off to be embarrassed on your own account rather than undertaking to be so on behalf of others.
As for why Ayers would write a book called fugitive days, we can go back to the article from Chicago Magazine:
So, that's part of the answer. Perhaps you could ask Ayers (or Paul Harvey) what the rest of the story is.
Anyone wishing to access the Chicago Magazine can access it here. Page will open in a preview window. Click on the main link to get to the article:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/5wqln5
You repeat your observations but don't address any of the questions I asked. That should be embarrassing.
0
WilliB
The claim that the Republicans "sow hatred" is absurd, in the face of all the hatred spewed by the Democrats, especially towards Palin. This is what in nazi rethoric is called "turnspeak" --- turn the facts around 180 degrees and repeat that.
0
SezWho2
Nippon5,
Harkening back to your first post on this thread, I think you make a good point. But I also think you overstate it when you say that what McCain experienced was as bad or worse than racism in the US. I'll certainly give you painful experience and continuing debility. However, McCain survived, which many other victims--both black and white and might as well add all the other ethnic groups too--did not.
In this last post you say that McCain fought for all Americans. We actually don't know why he fought. We only know that he elected to fight. That he did was a service to all Americans who wanted other Americans to fight for them, but it was only rhetorically a service to all Americans and we don't know that is why he elected combat.
Despite allowing his campaign to descend into pure hatred, I have always thought that since the Keating affair McCain has served honorably in the Senate. When he took back the mike from the woman who called Obama an Arab, I thought that he began to atone for the nastiness of the mood that he has allowed his campaign, and most visibly Palin, to create. Nonetheless, if it is fair to question a younger Barack Obama, it is also fair to question a younger John McCain and the fact of service cannot be used to imply that he undertook the service for his country. At least, that is what the people who opposed Gore and who opposed Kerry wanted us to believe.
0
SezWho2
WilliB,
The difference is what the candidates say.
0
WilliB
SezWho2: No, the difference is how the media presents what the candidates say. McCain only needs to say Good Morning, and the mainstream media will turn that into hate speech. The media have always been biased, but in this election it is truly embarrassing to see how they are in the sack for one candidate.
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coulrophobic
"Today Ayers says it was partly because of "[the boy's] questions of who he is and what the background of his mother's life was that [Ayers] started to write this memoir."
But of course. Like Nancy Pelosi and like Barack Obama he is another good "liberal" whose destructive politics or unseemly alliances can be dismissed because at the end of the day, you see, he is obviously all about the children.
0
SezWho2
coulrophobic,
You ask an irrelevant question and dismiss a direct answer with another irrelevancy.
0
SezWho2
WilliB,
No, the difference really is in what the candidates say. Perhaps you could provide some sort of documentation of Obama or Biden uttering the same kind of virulencies which Palin has said and which McCain has allowed her to say.
0
coulrophobic
"Perhaps you could provide some sort of documentation of Obama or Biden uttering the same kind of virulencies which Palin has said"
Virulencies?
She said that Obama pals around with terrorists.
It is true.
0
Nippon5
Sezwho2
However, McCain survived, which many other victims--both black and white and might as well add all the other ethnic groups too--did not.
However Sezwho2. many minorities survived and didnt have as hard as others did. It will depend on which oppressed minority person we speak of, Just as I stated some POWs had horrid deaths at the hand of the enemy. Also sometimes it easier to be killed then it is to relive your torture over and over the rest of your life.......
Not argueing about who was treated worse because only those it happened too can say, Im saying to straight out say he didnt have it as hard as all minorities and minorites in the military is just too general and not acurate...
Based on my experience in the US military and those I know who served I will speak from my heart and what I know, Ive never meet a person who thought they fought just for one race or color in the military who joined of his/her own will, and that includes those I know who fought in vietnam..That doesnt mean racism wasnt a part of life(it still is today) but Ive never meet one who said I only fight to save white/black Americans..
I also defended Kerry when they attempted to taint his service... It part of who I am and what I believe, maybe Im foolish to believe Americans fight for America' military because they love their country and feel a duty to protect her intrest, but its what I believe...
0
adaydream
WilliB - What facts are the democrats lieing about? What are the democrats turning into turnspeak? < :-)
0
Madverts
"She said that Obama pals around with terrorists"
Keep repeating it. It's got to make it true....
...heh, and I'm sure it's one that will be repeated ad-lib after Nov 4th with others in the support group, murmering and nodding in agreement.
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Taka313
A couple of questions for our resident neo-cons:
1) Who has sponsored more terror in the world, William Ayers or the House of Saud?
2) Who has been responsible for more deaths in the world, William Ayers or the taliban?
3) Where has your outrage been over the last 8 years, knowing that bush has ties to both?
The whole William Ayers thing is simply cheap theatrics.
Taka
0
Madverts
Z,
Willi said republicans don't sow hate. That's nearly as outrageous as when he claims France lives unders sharia law.
Some comments are often just best laughed at, rather than examined.
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adaydream
Madverts, I just wanted to hear the crap from WilliB that was his turnspeak.
I think that WilliB must have just pounding his keyboard in hesteria. < :-)
0
SezWho2
coulrophobic,
OK, give me a definition of "palling around with terrorists". If this is defined as serving on the same boards and working on the same community projects with someone who used to be a terrorist, then I'd have to agree according to your definition. It doesn't seem like a very sensible definition though.
0
SezWho2
Nippon5,
I don't think I would say that you are foolish to believe that Americans fight in the American military because of a love for country. I would say that you demonstrate loyalty. I would further say that this loyalty is probably merited in the overwhelming majority of cases.
However, if there is even one case in which someone elects to serve for an ulterior purpose--to escape prosecution, to avoid a draft and try to obtain preferred service, to qualify for benefits or whatever--I think it shows that we cannot automatically assume that military service implies love of American citizens. That's the way I see it.
And so, we can only say that McCain served and that he served honorably according to military records. No one can infer from his service his intent in serving. We can listen to what he says and we can believe it, disbelieve it or count it as irrelevant. I have no information to sway me either to belief or disbelief. To me, playing on McCain's patriotism is a cheap trick.
As far as the torture versus racism thing is concerned, I just don't think we can compare an individual to a group. That is why I pointed out that I didn't think it was true that McCain experienced worse than minorities have. He certainly seems to have experienced worse than some minority members--Clarence Thomas perhaps. I'm not sure the same can be said of his experience versus James Chaney's, although the end came quite a bit quicker for Chaney, how quick we really can't say.
0
goodDonkey
If you want an alternative view of McCain's character read this article:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/makebelievemavericktherealjohnmccain
The article gets into the source of his various methodologies he employees today.
0
goodDonkey
That should have read:
The article gets into the source of his various methodologies he employs today.
0
Everton2
Even though they may seem to try some whites especially those McCain advocates just don't get it. They believe that freedom can be doled out in degrees, and if you get half in the process somehow that is acceptable. That half representing a mitigating factor around which minorities should construct a shrine and be eternally greatful.
That the war service of McCain with its attendant imprisonment and torture stands larger than the quest and realization of social justice. Well it does not regardless of whatever spin you may put on it. Social justice is the moral engine on which real democracy turns, without it we have nothing.
McCain did have a choice when he decided to wear a uniform. His civil rights and freedom were never under threat at home or even abroad, a man who in later years had remained belligerent to the notion of reserving a day to nationally honor the Rev. Martin Luther King. That in itself speaks volume about this man's thinking.
McCain is only a hero to those who seek to deny the manifold injustices that were a reality of the 60s for millions of Americans who just wanted to be treated equality.
If McCain's war service is going to be defined as a measure of character then it must be given the same billing with those who risk lives and arbitrary imprisonment for the cause of freedom at home. How in all fairness can that prolong experience of suffering not be a testament to the battle for true democratic principles.
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Nippon5
One question Everton2..
For those reasons McCain's service must be seen as one that purely representing the interest of a particular class and race, It did represent the interest of all Americans.
McCain can take his war service and insert it not too carefully up his rear end.
Even though they may seem to try some whites especially those McCain advocates just don't get it.
Do these statement quilify as racist or just prejudice?
By the way what is a white? Do I qualify as a white even though I have 1/4 native American in me? Do My kids qualify since they have 1/2 Japanese and 1/8 native American? Just wondering what is a qualified white in your race basing system?
Social justice is the moral engine on which real democracy turns, without it we have nothing.
Sezwho2
I agree with you that some (a very small majority) join only for the reasons you listed, but I think most of those also do it for country too..
Personally I still get wet eyes listening to these http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZf619DIpo
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=C-o9aCoeGoI
Most the time if someone is in a situation where they can stay state side (he was stateside in the military and could of done a Bush and never seen combat) and they request to go to the front (knowing the risk of not coming back) we can come to the conclusion he is doing it for good reasons, and he has stated such in many articles and books.
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Everton2
Nippon5: These statements are simply observations, and due to a lack of space cursory analysis. Whites are those who along with the broader society regard themselves as white.
Nippon5 With all due respect feel free to declare yourself and family to be whatever you like.
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SezWho2
Nippon5,
He could have "done a Bush" and never seen combat. He would never have seen admiral either.
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