.
Posted on 07/09/2008 6:37:32 AM PDT by Salena Zito
Drawing the sharpest distinctions yet between himself and the man he hopes to replace, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday his presidency would focus on climate change issues, reducing federal spending, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center and eliminating torture by the U.S. government. In a meeting with the Tribune-Review's editorial board, McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said "spending got out of control" under the Bush administration. He blamed Congress for pushing spending and the administration for failing to halt it.
(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com ...
“My opponent believes America would be better off by refusing opportunities to sell in growing foreign markets. “
I don’t have to look very hard with McCain. He’s spewing the above fantasy that’s been used to hoodwink the public on trade agreements since NAFTA and before. Yeah, all those huge new markets for American products in Central and South America. All those agreements do is give US corporations access to cheap labor, then we have a trade of US jobs and technology for more foreign cheap labor, and several billion more on the deficit side of our balance of trade.
But, the President of Columbia made clear what these ‘trade’ agreements really involve on a recent thread:
“It’s not only a disadvantage as we compete with free-trade nations like Peru, but also with Chile and Mexico,” Plata said. “These countries compete with Colombia to attract U.S. direct investment. Not having the treaty approved . . . is the equivalent of sanctions. That’s because companies in our countries upgrade factories with investment. They will get it, we won’t.”
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299977554904067
It’s all about luring US ‘investment’, or jobs and factories, to the cheap labor of Columbia and other nations. Columbia is understandably displeased, being at a disadvantage in luring US jobs because they don’t yet have a free ‘trade’ agrement with the US.
And, you actually believe McCain’s talk about taxes? Have you checked his record on that issue?
You pick one of a dozen issues. Is agreeing with a candidate on every issue a prerequisite for your support? Afraid to comment on all the other things McCain said? Afraid you might find several things you have to agree with?
He voted to extend the cuts because not doing so would be a tax increase. He wants to make them permanent because not doing so would be a tax increase. The only B.S. is coming from you. Tell me you agree with Obama more than McCain. Tell me you disagree with everything in those remarks.
“Shuffling the deck on where you put them surely doesn’t improve the situation.”
Perhaps not but I don’t see how greatly weakens our security or however you put it. Face it - closing Gitmo is a sop. It’s one “we” on the Right don’t like but it’s necessary pandering.
LOL, that must of been a hard decision! Personally, I'd rank McCain 9th and Hucksterbee 10th. But that's only because Hucksterbee has the religious bigotry baggage in addition to McCain's baggage. On the other hand, his lesser experience in pushing amnesty for illegal aliens, suppression of political speech and gorebal warming is a definite plus over McCain, so it is not an easy decision.
“Afraid to comment on all the other things McCain said? Afraid you might find several things you have to agree with?”
WE have the two worst presidential candidates in my memory, and maybe in US history. The operative question is not a checklist of what I agree or disagree with McCain on, but whether more harm will be done by Obama and a Dem. Congress (and a determined Republican opposition), or by McCain and a Dem. Congress and a hand full of the usual RINOs.
Plus, it’s difficult to believe what McCain says after some of his flip-flops to hoodwink voters during the primaries, and now flip-flops to pander to other voters during the general campaign.
I disagree. With Obama we have probably the worst in history. With McCain we have a candidate that is centrist on a few positions but is easily to the right of Ford, and Bush I & II on fiscal issues.
“With McCain we have a candidate that is centrist on a few positions but is easily to the right of Ford, and Bush I & II on fiscal issues.”
He’ll have to do a lot more than constantly trying to score cheap political points with the “pork barrel spending” which amounts to less than 1% of our $3 Trillion+ budget. Few things have been blown more out of proportion than by McCain’s constant harping about earmarks.
But, again, it’s not going up and down a checklist of issues, but making calculations of the harm the great maverick will do with a Dem. Congress and his RINO running buddies. Obama against a determined Republican opposition would probably do less harm because more bad proposals would be defeated. Republicans (and Dems.) would go along with too much junk from McCain.
Is McCain still against drilling in ANWR?
McCain has called for a one year freeze on all non-defense, non-veteran spending in order to have a complete evaluation and overhaul. It’s much more than pork although that is the most glaring and obvious place to start.
You said it. McCain is an unmitigated disaster, eclipsed only slightly by Osama. In past elections, I at least felt something good about the candidate I was voting for. This is like choosing between swallowing ricin or putting a .44 mag slug through your brain.
McCain has easily been the most powerful Republican in the entire Congress for the last decade.
And so, after looking at our fiscal situation, the question is, how can anyone claim with a straight face that this guy would slow down the spending train even one notch?
The global warming baloney alone will break America's bank.
Then add tens of millions of new illegals, drawn by the promise of easy amnesty.
I'd bet five bucks that if McCain becomes POTUS he'll also sign on to some form of socialized medicine before it's over, too. Gotta make Uncle Teddy happy, you know...
Only the incredibly naive could buy one bit of the "McCain is a fiscal hawk" schtick.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.