Posted on 04/04/2006 1:13:02 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain threatened on Tuesday to cut short a speech to union leaders who booed his immigration views and later challenged his statements on organized labor and the Iraq war.
"If you like, I will leave," McCain told the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted.
"OK, then please give me the courtesy I would give you."
It was a contentious session that tested McCain's commitment to the straight-talking image he honed during his failed 2000 presidential bid. An underdog six years ago, the Arizona Republican is expected to seek the 2008 GOP nomination as a front-runner.
"I loved it. I love mixing it up like that," McCain said after the speech to a Democratic-leaning crowd of several hundred.
He did seem to enjoy the back and forth that began minutes into his address, when he mentioned campaigning on behalf of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican. The crowd booed the reference to Schwarzenegger but laughed at McCain's self-effacing joke that followed.
He said somebody came up to him at the Schwarzenegger event and said, "Do people tell you look like John McCain?"
"Yes, they do."
"Doesn't that make you madder than hell?"
Later, the senator outlined his position on the Senate immigration debate, saying tougher border enforcement must be accompanied by guest-worker provisions that give illegal immigrants a legal path toward citizenship.
Murmurs from the crowd turned to booing. "Pay a decent wage!" one audience member shouted.
"I've heard that statement before," McCain said before threatening to leave.
Afterward, the senator said he offered to cut his speech short "because I wanted to be heard."
In the speech, McCain also argued that withdrawing U.S. troops prematurely from Iraq would turn terrorists loose on the United States.
This time, there was no booing - though one audience member cursed from the back of the crowd.
McCain got another laugh when he finished the speech and asked whether anybody had "questions, comments or insults."
The first questioner seemed to challenge his commitment to organized labor. When McCain started to praise a particular labor group in Arizona, the crowd booed again.
"Stop!" he said with a smile, drawing laughter from the crowd. "I surrender."
But he took more questions, including a pointed one on his immigration plan.
McCain responded by saying immigrants were taking jobs nobody else wanted. He offered anybody in the crowd $50 an hour to pick lettuce in Arizona.
Shouts of protest rose from the crowd, with some accepting McCain's job offer.
"I'll take it!" one man shouted.
McCain insisted none of them would do such menial labor for a complete season. "You can't do it, my friends."
Some in the crowd said they didn't appreciate McCain questioning their work ethic.
"I was impressed with his comedy routine and ability to tap dance without music. But I was impressed with nothing else about him," said John Wasniewski of Milwaukee. "He's supposed to be Mr. Straight Talk?"
Others said McCain showed some moxie, if not the best political judgment.
"Most of us don't agree with him on immigration, but I give him credit for trying," said Chris D. Schoenbeck of Milwaukee.
With his profile rising, a growing number of Democrats are accusing McCain of flip-flopping on issues to court conservative GOP primary voters.
McCain denied that charge later Tuesday - after addressing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a GOP-leaning group that backs his immigration views. There were no boos. Just laughter, and at the end of his remarks, a standing ovation from the Hispanic leaders.
Yet McCain's mind was still on the labor activists and their prickly reception.
"I can't tell you how much fun that was," he said.
Bullshit. And those weren't his friends.
Read my post #118 to Dane... He makes a hobby out of pulling events or facts out of context and then rewording or altering key details to come up with his ludicrous (un)factual statements....actually I think he is a wimp who loves to play the bully & know-it-all on FR.
Dane raises his ugly anti-Americanism again. He loves the illegals and hates conservatives & Christians. He pulls out obscure facts and I can tell you sure as shootin he has obscured or somehow altered his "facts" to make a statement that is most likely untrue in the context in which he quoted it. He is a troll... make no mistake about it.
I already shredded Dane on his fact altering story about Tancredo's basement in some other threads. His whole story is based on 2 illegal unnamed immigrants who admitted they lied to their employer about their immigrant status, supposedly to work in construction and it just happened to be on Tancredo's basement. Then the paper that broke the story based on lies, allegations & inuendoes was the liberal ragweed left-wing Denver Post, who basically wanted to smear Tancredo based on the allegations of the 2 unnamed illegal immigrants who admitted they lied....And Dane is nuts enough to proclaim that Tancredo should take a sledge hammer to his remodeling based on the allegations of 2 lying, anonymous, possible legal/or illegal immigrants.
And Dane, the anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-conservative, pro-illegal bigot, keeps harping about this story based on bogus allegations & inuendoes. Dane is a troll.... and belongs back in DUmmie land.
"If you like, I will leave," McCain told the AFL-CIO's Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted.
"OK, then please give me the courtesy I would give you."
Look, I'm not a big union fan but explain to me the courtesy he would show them. He is all for allowing illegals to come here and take their jobs. Thats not courtesy in my book. Thats a direct shot to the you know whats.
"Applause! Besides construction workers, there are millions of Americans who do back breaking labor every day, but because they aren't in a field, it cannot be considered working hard for their money?"
I wonder if the goofy RINO realizes he just pi**ed on every conservative blue-collar worker in America? Let's see him get the GOP nomination now.
"If you want me to pick lettuce or flip burgers for $50.00/hr I'd gladly sign up , it beats what me or anyone else I know is making. $50.00/hr by my calculations thats $100k / year!!!! Sign me up Mr Straight-Talk!!!!"
I hear you, bro! It beats the fire out of the 7-1/2 cents a line I make as a medical transcriptionist, too - considering the god-awful dictators I have to transcribe any more. I'll take a little of that $50.00/hour labor, too!
Afterward, the senator said he offered to cut his speech short "because I wanted to be heard."
oh, like maybe political activists in the 30 days before an election ?
My vote for post of the day.
As a fellow vet, I do appreciate his military service, but I abhor his Senatorial service when he and John F'ing Kerry wrote off all the missing POW's. There is a lot of boiling hate in the military veteran community for this SOB.
You got that right- What if they reorganized, with GWB resigning as president, taking over Rummy's job, and running the war on terror, and let Cheney run the country?
WHY are so many people upset about this? All the ruling said was that individual states could control this-If you have a problem, then change your state law! DUH! It's not a federal thing.
If you have a problem with this, I would like to know- Have you served in the US military in time of war? (yes, I have). Have you EVER served?
And those 'grandstanding politicians' would differ from you how (given the content of your post)? Is there no depth of moral and intellectual dishonesty to which you will not stoop on this issue?
Actually you are more like the DUmmie with your incessant name calling.
All I am pointing out is that there is much more than simple incessant name calling and demonizing of people who do good things such as build buildings and grow food to this problem and when I point that out people like you can't deal with those facts and instantly go into knee jerk ad hominem mode.
"WHY are so many people upset about this? All the ruling said was that individual states could control this-If you have a problem, then change your state law! DUH! It's not a federal thing."
Because it SHOULD be a Federal thing!
Because there is nothing more personal, and no private property more sacred, than one's own family HOME.
Because state governments, and especially local governments, are much more opaque and subject to local corruption and manipulation to take a particular set of houses than the Federal government is.
Because the temptation for local state political interests to conceded peoples' houses to billion dollar industries is often too great to resist, and so there needs to be a bright line national rule, at the level of the Constitution, to eliminate the temptation and make it clear that, as fundamental right of a citizen of the United States, irrespective of what state you happen to live in, your government, at any level, cannot simply side with the richer guy, take your house, and give it to him.
Local government is PARTICULARLY prone to this sort of corruption, and THAT'S why this issue CAN'T be left to the states and municipalities: the right is too fundamental, and the temptation for municipalities and states is too strong, for this to be left to the states.
THAT is why.
The US Constitution has the right rule: no taking of private land except for public purposes, and with just compensation. The States and cities have interpreted this as meaning that they can take houses and given them to the more prosperous in order to increase the tax base, and the US Supreme Court said that it was OK, as a Federal Constitutional matter.
The Republicans should have seized Congress and tamped that down, as a matter of federal law. It's too important.
But they didn't. Because the business interests are in their favor.
That's why.
Then make some valid points and quit your arguing or attacking Tancredo on some bogus, smear story based on 2 immigrants (legal/illegal) who admitted they lied to their employer with false documents. Actually that even supports Tancredo's position more by emphasizing the need for a complete border fence, deportation of all illegal immigrants, heavy fines levied against businesses that knowingly employ illegal immigrants, and in general enforcing our nation's border laws & immigration laws. You keep arguing and making insane comments in favor of illegal immigration.
Huh??? Get back to me when tancredo invites the TV cameras as he destroys his home theater in his basement, done by impure, un-American labor.
Was he there supervising the whole thing being built in a Denver suburb while he was in DC chest thumping for the TV cameras.
What, are you nuts? Your whole story and that of the left-wing Denver Post is based on some allegations of 2 unnamed, unidentified sources who said they lied to their employer with false documents to show they were legal immigrants vs illegal immigrants. And you think Tancredo should knock down his renovation work based on the lies & allegations of 2 "illegal" immigrants who are admitted liars. You gotta stop quoting this bogus smear story. It is incredible to me that you hate Tancredo so much for wanting to enforce our borders and our immigration laws. You are a DUmmie troll, without a doubt. Leave and go back to DUmmmie land
Dane, you have promoted Kyl Cornyn. I want to tell you that I appreciate the good work Kyl, and even Cornyn have presented in this debate. It appears you will be happy with McCain/Kennedy if it gets through.
You're still wrong about Tancredo. As you well know.
I live in Arizona and I'm ashamed of the jerk.
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