Posted on 06/12/2005 11:51:11 AM PDT by Spiff
By Dennis Durband, Editor
June 11, 2005
SCOTTSDALE -- No, Donald Trump, U.S. Senator John McCain has not been fired. On Saturday, the Arizona Republican Assembly (ARA) voted unanimously during its annual state convention to censure Arizona’s senior senator.
McCain has seriously alienated his conservative base in the 21st century. However, he has greatly enamored himself with liberals and he easily won re-election in November with his new liberal support base. The conservatives who make up the ARA membership have had enough of what they consider a betrayal by McCain and they took advantage of their annual resolution ritual to take action against the liberal metamorphosis of the presidential hopeful.
The censure measure will be sent to Matt Salmon, chairman of the Arizona GOP -- with hopes of a state party censure as well -- to all Republican county and legislative district chairmen and will be issued as a press release to the media. No one spoke in support of McCain during discussion of the resolution.
ARA member Bruce Barton, of Safford, authored the resolution. The reasons behind the censure focus specifically on McCain’s amnesty bill for illegal aliens, for deserting the ranks of the Republican Party by undermining Senate President Bill Frist’s recent attempt to change a filibuster cloture rule and for ignoring constitutional concerns with his campaign finance reform law.
Public opinion on the ARA censure ran favorably all week long. A non-scientific GOPUSA/Arizona poll drawing 213 responses resulted in 93.4 percent approval of the censure.
Though a motion for censure Saturday drew unanimous approval, the ARA’s senior member, Louis Stradling, of Mesa, offered up an amendment that would have added stronger language to the document. Stradling suggested an amendment to the resolution that would have charged McCain with “malfeasance.” That move failed when Barton said he agrees with the spirit of Stradling’s suggestion, but he felt the word “malfeasance” might have added a legal sticking point that ARA would be better off avoiding. After the proposed amendment failed, ARA delegates enthusiastically and without dissent approved the resolution to censure McCain.
The resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, Senator John McCain is presently co-sponsoring, together with his Democrat soul-mate, Senator Teddy Kennedy, a Bill to Reform the Immigration Policy of the United States promoting amnesty for illegal aliens and for their U.S. employers, thus ignoring the opinions of his constituents expressed in numerous polls and personal pleas; and
WHEREAS, Senator McCain deserted the ranks of the Republican Party and the Leadership of the U.S. Senate on the issue of limiting the filibuster of judicial nominations, some of which have been on-hold for several years, thus stalling the President’s agenda for judicial reform; and
WHEREAS, Senator McCain led the Democrat Party in “reforming” campaign finance, providing for a clear usurpation of 1st Amendment free speech rights during the last 60 days of an election campaign, and leading to an orgy of spending in the 2004 elections;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Arizona Republican Assembly (ARA) officially and publicly censures Senator John McCain for dereliction of his duties and responsibilities as a representative of the citizens of Arizona; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the ARA strongly urges State Republican Party Chairman, Matt Salmon, the Arizona State Republican Party and its County and Legislative District affiliates to officially and publicly express their displeasure with Senator McCain by means of a public censure; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be sent to the Chairman of the State Republican Party, to all Republican County and Legislative District Chairman and be issued as a Press Release to the media.
The likelihood of persuading Arizona GOP to get on board with the censure is practically nil. The state party typically takes a neutral approach to wayward Republican office holders.
Saturday's censure was just the latest incident of protest against McCain in the past four years. Last year, several people demonstrated peacefully outside McCain's Tempe office over his refusal to support the proposed federal marriage amendment. In 2001, two McCain recall movements arose against the senator. The leaders of those two organizations combined their efforts into one joint recall and then permanently suspended operations upon the events of Sept, 11, 2001. Also that year, opponents of McCain gathered for public opposition rallies in Scottsdale and Tempe.
McCain is expected to seek the GOP presidential nomination again in 2008.
That makes him say hgien, hgien....
It makes you wonder if there would be another group of veterans that could help sway the election one way or another in '08.
Because the Republican party can't find anyone to run against him in the primary.
Good news. It's a start.
That is McCain's act of treason. He fought for liberty in Vietnam -- only to fight against liberty in the Senate.
I know men who were prisoners in Vietnam. Their behavior and surviving the tortures and conditions was nothing less than heroic. For that, I will give McCain his due.
John McCain was a flier in Vietnam, that alone does not qualify for hero status. Patriotic yes, in that he served his country, but not heroic.
McCain IS a US Senator, and his behavior in this elected office is less than heroic. Beyond actually breaking our laws, and senate rules, McCain has not represented the constituents who helped him win elections and, I would submit, McCain has disgraced his position in office as both a party representative and as an elected US Senator.
Compared to other actual Democrats, I would vote for John McCain, but I'd hold my nose doing it. If nothing else, maybe this censure will stimulate AZ GOPers to support a primary challenge to McCain. There is no way John McCain can win again without the states Republican activists backing.
Do you honestly think that we should use such a liberal definition?
My dog ran away. He's disloyal; therefore, a traitor.
A friend arrived 15 minutes late when he said that he'd definately be one time. He's dishonest; therfore, a traitor.
My niece asks why people are sad watching TV (9/11 live). We tell her its nothing. We're being dishonest; therefore, we're traitors.
How far are we going to go? Should we define class A traitors, like they define class A felons? In this case, my dog is a class C traitor.
What you expect from Manchurian candidate, worked on by Vietcong.
Ping
It pretty obvious that Arizona Senator McCain is a two-faced, phony politician who uses his POW experience to silence critics and to give his presidential fantasies some gravitas and legitimacy. He co-authored a terrible campaign finance Bill that seemed to find rather hasty approval by (too) many Republicans, the president and the Supreme Court and now, we're stuck with it. Conservatives won't forget that, among other anti-constitutional back-stabs McCain has been involved in over the years.
The good news is that while McCain many find some traction for his 2008 presidential asperations in California, New York and New England (and tons of old-media coverage) and he can even win a primary election in states that allow anyone to vote, including Democrats. However, McCain will fail spectacularly in the Southern-state primaries where his liberalism and his squeaky-voiced speeches will fall on the deaf ears (to McCain) of most conservative, grassroots Republicians.
Without their votes John McCain can never be nominated for the presidency on the Republican ticket. I seriously doubt he would actually try to run as a Democrat when he gets so much more attention and TV face-time posing as a 'Republican'.
Benedict Arnold was at one time an American hero & Patriot, wounded in battle while an officer in the Continental Army.
People change!
Military service does not guarantee patriotism, nor does it give anyone a free pass from scrutiny for life.
John McCain is a Republican???
...in name only.
But McCain basks in the light of his past POW status, undeservedly so. As you and I know there a "rules" within the military. Rules of engagement, rules dictating treatment of enemy combatants whe captured and rules that are unofficial (not punishable under the UCMJ), the rules of conduct for the US military captured by the enemy. McCain broke these rules. He was offered repatriation and turned it down, thinking it the noble thing to do. Wrong! Had he been repatriated he could have provided valuable intel on the identities of fellow POWs and the conditions of the camps. He could have provided further intel on routines, movements and personalities and capabilities within the prison camp system. (Intel that could have greatly affected the Son Tay prison camp raid).
McCain talked. He talked too much. He didn't seek council from fellow POWs.
SERE. Survival, Evasion,Resistance and Escape.While he cannot be held accountable under the UCMJ, he is not to be let off free by vets. I know it's hard to say what we would do in such a situation. But there were rules that were created as a guide. Others followed those rules. They are exemplary members of the US military.
In Congress, in the Senate, McCain is still just out for himself.
No faith!
(1)Why did weigh more upon his release from a pow camp, than before he went in?
(2)Why was he culled from the group of returning pow's, upon his return to the states?
There were many questions asked about what he really did inside the POW camp. That's only two I can remember off the top of my head.
Maybe the Vietnam vets who asked these questions are on FR at this time. If they are...I hope they come to this thread.
I disagree with McCain on almost everything he does. That said, he still has a perfect right to do what his principles and conscience dictate. This kind of crap from the so-called Arizona Republican Assembly is totally un-American. I cannot speak FOR what McCain has done, but I can speak AGAINST repressive and irrational political actions like this one.
This post should be tied to an earlier post of today "What's wrong with John MCCain".
Didn't McCain win election last fall by a large number even with recall efforts a couple of years prior and other protest by various groups? I'm not in AZ so I don't know how the people overall perceive him but my guess he'll be elected as long as he seeks the job... Note the following from the press release indicating that they don't expect much in the way of help from the State GOP ....
...The likelihood of persuading Arizona GOP to get on board with the censure is practically nil. The state party typically takes a neutral approach to wayward Republican office holders....
End snip
Look, I'm not wild about Senator McCain, but if I were faced with having to vote for him or some junky Demo, I'd vote McCain any day of the week. While he's not as good as some, he could be worse. For instance, while Chafee, Collins and Snowe took turns flaking off over the trio of conservatives (Brown, Owen & Pryor), McCain voted for all 3. He's generally (and surprisingly) pro-life and anti-gay in his voting record.
Yes, he does silly things but I do NOT agree with those who say he's no better than a Democrat. He may be one of our worst Republicans but he's better than any Dem in the Senate, imo.
John McLame's service in Viet Nam is commendable, but NOT a license for a free reign in perpetuity. Timothy Mc Veigh (on a lower magnitude) also served in the military and was honorably discharged. That service did not give him carte blanche for his future actions. As a member of the Republican Party which has worked for decades to gain majorities in both houses of Congress, McLame is AWOL on supporting the principal goals of the Republican Party!
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