Will the Real John McCain Please Stand Up?

Mother Jones ^ | Aug.23, 2010 | Suzy Khimm

[AuntB]

A Senator’s journey from bipartisan maverick to right-wing ideologue—one flip-flop at a time.

In theory, John McCain's right-wing madness could come to an end on Tuesday, when he is expected to prevail over former Rep. JD Hayworth in Arizona’s Senate primary. Faced with a stiff conservative challenge, McCain has spent this election cycle defying many of his long-held moderate positions.

In fact, his transformation from aisle-crossing, party-bucking maverick (see this 1998 Mother Jones interview) to cookie-cutter conservative has been years in the making. During his 2008 presidential bid, he began to lurch rightward on a litany of issues in his play for the GOP's conservative base. His choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate was the final blow for some of his truest believers, who saw it as political pandering at its worst. But the failed White House run was just the beginning of McCain’s transformation into an ideologue. Behold some recent flip-flops:

Immigration: Back in 2006, McCain was among the primary sponsors of a bipartisan reform bill at the heart of Bush's immigration push, and worked closely with Ted Kennedy on the issue. The bill included a path for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship if they paid a fine. Hayworth latched onto the bill early in the current primary fight, blasting his rival for supporting "amnesty," whereupon McCain denied that he had ever supported legalization and ratcheted up his anti-immigration rhetoric. He proceeded to push aggressively for border security, speak in favor of Arizona's harsh new immigration law, and even support hearings contesting the 14th Amendment provision that ensures American citizenship as a birthright.

Gun Control: McCain was once a vocal advocate for stricter gun-control laws. As Think Progress points out, he even appeared in ads for the nonprofit Americans for Gun Safety urging states to close the gun-show loophole that lets people buy firearms without a background check. But McCain made a dramatic reversal this past spring. He introduced a bill that would force the District of Columbia to repeal its gun-registration laws and allow residents to transports firearms within the district.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Four years ago, former war hero McCain seemed willing to consider changing the military's ban on gay service members. "The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, ‘Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it," he said. But in February 2010, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chair Mike Mullen testified that they supported Obama's desire to repeal DADT, McCain rebuffed them. "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," he said after the testimony.

Climate Change: Once a key supporter of cap-and-trade legislation—he co-sponsored a 2003 bill and declared during his 2008 campaign that the country urgently needed to address global warming—McCain now calls it "cap-and-tax," and has tried to claim that he never supported the policy to begin with.

McCain could soften his newfound positions prior to November. But since he’s safely ahead of all of his Democratic challengers, there’s little incentive for him to change up now. Moreover, his flip-flopping mirrors his party’s rightward creep: For example, Sen. Lindsey Graham—whom many have compared to the old John McCain—has similarly abandoned efforts to work with Democrats on climate change and immigration.

If the GOP expands its congressional ranks significantly this November, it could bring a degree of ideological diversity back into the party if moderates like Mike Castle, Charlie Crist, and Mark Kirk are elected to the Senate. But given the beating he’s received from the conservative base since stepping into the national spotlight, it's unclear whether the old McCain will ever come back.

[AuntB]

Even the libs notice the duplicity of good ol' McCain! Wake up Arizona!

More:

There's is a good article today outlining the too close relationship between McCain and lobbyists. The author is a liberal who doesn't like conservatives like Hayworth, but he makes the point about Mccain and his lobbyist friends like Rick Davis that I talked about in my article, Indians, Lobbyists and Arizona Politics...OH MY!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2440173/posts

John McCain Still Pallin' Around With Lobbyists

Aug. 21, 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/john-mccain-still-pallin_b_689909.html

John McCain’s Transformation From Maverick To Erratic (slideshow!)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/john-mccains-transformati_n_685745.html

[colorado tanker]

Actually, McCain was a conservative before he was a moderate before he was a conservative again.

[AuntB]

“Actually, McCain was a conservative before he was a moderate before he was a conservative again.”

I bet he doesn’t change his under ware as often as he changes his mind.

[MaggieCarta]

Even the libs notice the duplicity of good ol' McCain!
Wake up Arizona!

Oh, Aunt B, I really hope they will...

[MaggieCarta]

Ping!

[SandRat]

[donna]

This is just normal McCain behavior when he visits Arizona. He can get on talk radio and sound like he wrote the Constitution.

[Will88]

But the failed White House run was just the beginning of McCain’s transformation into an ideologue. Behold some recent flip-flops:

It's not all that complicated. McCain has just been pandering in the direction he thought would win him the most votes. No more a transformation than you have a transformation when a weather vane changes direction. When he's not pandering for votes, he's just following his quirky moods and looking for opportunities to undermine his own party.

McCain has no consistent political philosophy and enjoys being the center of attention> And the best way to be the center of attention is to poke his own party in the eye for the MSM.

[TheClintons-STILLAnti-American]

"But the failed White House run was just the beginning of McCain’s transformation into an ideologue. "

I wonder if Suzy refers to those who never stray from the talking points of her Liberal religion as "ideologues".

[Deb]

Mother Jones and HuffPo? Really? You drag this crap into the site and expect to be taken seriously ever again? Or are you trying to take JD down?

Your activism on the side of Democrats is really disgusting.

[AuntB]

“This is just normal McCain behavior when he visits Arizona. He can get on talk radio and sound like he wrote the Constitution.”

It’s really like the beaten wife syndrome...’I’m sorry’...’I’ll never hit you again’....blah, blah...

When are people going to stop believing his lies?? I’m afraid he’ll do a lot more damage before they wake up.

[WOBBLY BOB]

[AuntB]

“Mother Jones and HuffPo? Really? You drag this crap into the site and expect to be taken seriously ever again? Or are you trying to take JD down?

Your activism on the side of Democrats is really disgusting.”

___________

Stuff it, Deb. All you’ve done for all the years on FR is BITCH and whine at CONSERVATIVES! Where’s your posts against the old fool McCAIN?
NO WHERE, that’s where! With republicans like you & McCain, we don’t need democrats!

Sometimes a grain of truth comes from the other side....something you wouldn’t recognize if it bit you in the ass.

And it’s the likes of you that make this MY LAST POST.
We’re tired of being dragged down with you! It’s all yours to continue to destroy as you always have with your rino pandering.

Happy now, you old hag?

[OldDeckHand]

Someone should start a pool - What will be McCain's first embrace of a Democrat agenda item, and how soon will it happen after he's reelected?

[La Lydia]

Aunt B? Siding with Democrats? In what parallel universe? What in the world does this post mean?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

You'll have to wait until after November 2nd for the real John McKeating to return.

[ScottinVA]

Your activism on the side of Democrats is really disgusting.

????? She posted a piece by MJ that, for once, happened to hit on something which FReepers tend to agree. What exactly is the problem here?

[DustyMoment]

I will always respect and honor Sen. McCain’s military service. He endured terrible punishment at the hands of the North Vietnamese in the Hanoi Hilton before he came home.

But, as a senator, he has reached across the aisle so many times to side with the leftists, that he his besmirched his own service.

It’s time for AZ to retire McCain and let a REAL conservative represent this brave state. Sen. McCain is simply not up to the task.

[Nosterrex]

The bottom line is that you cannot trust McCain? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Are the voters in Arizona that foolish?

[marmar]

Go, AuntB, chop the little trolls head right off.....lol