Top Five Myths about John McCain
Jun 20th, 2008 by nick
How many times have you heard that John McCain is a “maverick” or a “straight-talker?” I’ve become increasingly annoyed by the mainstream media’s insistence on repeating fawning tropes about presidential candidate John McCain that just aren’t true. Or at least aren’t any more true about him than any other politician. So without further ado, here are the top five myths about Senator John McCain.
Myth #1: He’s a “maverick” who isn’t afraid to go against the Republican Party line
Truth: McCain actually voted with the Republicans 88.3% of the time in the current congress. This record puts him in company with folks like Trent Lott, and more consistently Republican than Orrin Hatch or Tom Coburn.
Myth #2: He’s a “straight talker” who never flip-flops.
Truth: He’s flipped on many key issues, such as the Bush tax cuts, which he initially opposed but (now that he’s running for president) wants to make permanent. As another example, on immigration he co-sponsored a bill with Ted Kennedy supporting a pathway to citizenship, then said that he would vote against his own bill if it came to the floor!
Myth #3: As a former tortured prisoner of war, he takes a strong stand against torture and mistreatment of prisoners of war.
Truth: To give proper credit, McCain does speak out against torture, and has often opposed the Bush administration’s attempts to legalize it in various scenarios. However, his actions don’t always match his rhetoric; he actually voted against the CIA anti-torture bill, which would have required the CIA to use only those interrogation techniques outlined in the Army Field Manual. This vote aligned him with President Bush, who vetoed the bil.
Furthermore, McCain called the recent Supreme Court ruling reinstating habeas corpus for Guantanamo Bay prisoners, “One of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”
Myth #4: He’s a moderate
Truth: McCain is actually quite conservative on many important issues. On foreign policy, he’s one of the most conservative hawks in the senate. On reproductive rights, both NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood gave him a grade of 0 in 2006. The National Right to Life Committee gave him a 75% rating in 2005-2006.
Myth #5: As an author of campaign finance reform, he’s above reproach in that area.
Truth: McCain was actually one of the “Keating Five”, implicated in the Keating Savings and Loan scandal in the 1980s. Since then, he’s championed campaign finance reform, but apparently his campaign skates a fine line, just like everyone else.
Thank you! It’s awful the way McCain gets touted as a moderate who will be SO much better than Bush. It’s absolutely not true and we have to get the truth out there so that people aren’t mislead into voting for him.