John McCain, alleged champion of the poor
By Steve Benen Sunday Apr 27, 2008 7:00pmOnce in a while, American politics will get so detached from reality, one wonders if news articles are part of an elaborate practical joke, meant to drive the reality-based community batty.
Take, for example, John McCain’s assertion yesterday that he cares more about the needs of poor people than Barack Obama.
The GOP nominee-in-waiting rapped his Democratic rival for opposing his idea to suspend the tax on fuel during the summer, a proposal that McCain believes will particularly help low-income people who usually have older cars that guzzle more gas.
“I noticed again today that Sen. Obama repeated his opposition to giving low-income Americans a tax break, a little bit of relief so they can travel a little further and a little longer, and maybe have a little bit of money left over to enjoy some other things in their lives,” McCain said. “Obviously Sen. Obama does not understand that this would be a nice thing for Americans, and the special interests should not be dictating this policy.”
Just 10 days ago, John McCain admitted, on national television, that his idea for a “gas-tax holiday” wouldn’t really make any difference, but the policy “might” give Americans “a little psychological boost.” I guess he's changed his mind?
For that matter, isn't McCain the guy who, just last year, voted for the abolishment of a federal minimum wage standard?
And yet, he feels entirely comfortable lecturing the former inner-city community organizer on what low-income families really need.
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What the heck is with that ad?
Get this old fart to the old folks home already and shut his ass up
Another topic McStupid knows jack shit about.
If a relatively poor individual even owns a car , it's going to be one that gets worse gas mileage than a Hummer or Lincoln Navigator or a Cadillac Escalade ?
Maybe he read the news articles today suggesting $10 a gas and retracted.
The bovine scatology flows fast and furious from this devil.
spoken like someone who's entire life and being has been based around getting shot down.
He's got a job program. The millionaire husband wants to pay everyone $50/hour to pick lettuce. Out of touch?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Now, my friends, I'll offer anybody here $50 an hour if you'll go pick lettuce in Yuma this season and pick for the whole season. So -- OK? Sign up. OK.
You sign up. You sign up, and you'll be there for the whole season, the whole season. OK? Not just one day. Because you can't do it, my friend.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/05/ldt.01.html
Let's just hope there's never a tax rebate on "dipshit" because if so, McCain will have an unparalleled campaign war chest, with a check exceeded only by the refund due to Bush.
That's McCain's carrot just like the tax cut carrot bush used to get votes in 2000. Make people think you have their best interest at heart then as soon as they vote for you, kick them in the teeth. Sadly this sort of thing works on some people.
Opportunistic SOB. When the race to the nomination started, I thouth that he was the nice guy from the Republican cesspool, but now he has sold his soul (if he ever had one) to the devil to be president. I respected this guy after what was done to him in 2000. Guess I learned my lesson, don't feel empathy for a Repug; spit on them.
The federal gas tax "holiday" is the stupidest idea I've heard from McCain (of many stupid ideas).
Yeah, I'm sure I'll feel that extra $2.50/week. Meanwhile the regular-folk CEO's at the new Delta-United-Northwest-KLM-conta-republic-air will be saving hundreds of millions.
McCain is an idiot. At least when George W. bought votes he offered 300$ - not 28 cents a gallon.
"Vote for me, my friends, I'll give you free gasoline!!"
John McCain loves po' folks. He employs hundreds of them to maintain the eight mansions he bought with his wife's daddy's money.
Spend your 30 to 60 pieces of silver well.
Reuters - 1 hour, 16 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Monday that he was focused on getting economic stimulus payments to consumers quickly to boost the economy and had no interest in a second stimulus plan.
(Your on your own)
Yet another great reason for those Clinton fans to vote for him if Obama gets the nomination. Sheesh.
In Martin County, Kentucky last week, John McCain added another one his "Forgotten Places" to the growing list of places his campaign would now like to forget. With a straight face, McCain told the residents of the economically devastated region that eBay represents their economic future. And he did so by appropriating the words of Meg Whitman, who just happens to be not only McCain's national campaign co-chair, but the former CEO of eBay.
For the details, see:
"McCain's Answer for Poverty? eBay!"
McCain looks like a Drudge. Pasty white with coal black eyes. Why is it most Republicans look dead and demonic?
Ruthless People @ 17:
Because they basically are.
Steve, the attack vector goes through Teddy Roosevelt on the issue of the working class and minimum wage.
http://www.ssa.gov/history/trspeech.html
Compare McCain to Roosevelt not democrats.
[Deleted. Off topic. And had it been on topic, I would have truncated it and asked you to provide a link. You may repost this as an excerpt and a link in an open thread-Sitemonitor]
John McCain's milieu: opportunism, moral bankruptcy, short lived idolatry as a bored “public servant”, he intentionally and deceptively re-invents himself as a youth attuned, hip-gyrating political pop star in order to gain a pathetic and almost paranoiac/compulsive Narcissistic driven crusade for public exposure and build a constituency base for his political ministry and sad, pitiable self-loathing, self-losing mind game. Reforming himself as a champion of the downtrodden, his decision to run as a presidential candidate under the un-substantive, but universally pinhead appealing platform of personal empowerment and eternal life through stolen wealth, and in the process, attracting an ever-widening circle of fanatical followers - serves as a patently bizarre, deliriously kitschy, and idiosyncratically disjointed portrait of spiritual desolation, existential vacuity, and monomania as the once seemingly grounded McCain becomes estranged from his family and faith under the intoxicating, corrupting delusion of power.
"For that matter, isn’t McCain the guy who, just last year, voted for the abolishment of a federal minimum wage standard?"
THANK YOU! WHY on god's green EARTH is not the Dem Party and the candidates repeating this EVERY chance they get?!?!?! What is WITH them??!?!? This has been bugging me since the inevitable "elitism" tag first raised its ugly little head.
I wish this puppet of the robber barons would get it through his thick skull that he is not MY FRIEND!
Sure mccain is for poor people, that is if we all throw in our money and bribe the son of a bitch. He's one of the richest people in congress, Iam sure he can hardly sleep at night with the worry.
This country has been bled dry. There's going to be a lot of people hurting.
"Poor thinkers" , perhaps .................
Their even trading and speculating on climate now.
http://tinyurl.com/6d7ffo
http://www.chicagoclimatex.com/
ANYONE who is poor that actually believes this deserves the financial distress they will have that is to come.
No one in their right mind would believe a word that comes out of this criminal's mouth. Which explains his popularity among the reich.
John McAnus. Someone had to say it.
The economic incentives of the Neocons are very similar to the economic incetives of the Herbert Hoover Administration.
Neither of them understand the extent of problem.
I can buy a DVD player at Walmart for $30. My rent is $1000 a month. Twenty years ago, a DVD player cost me $300 and my rent was $400 a month.
A package of razors cost $12, gas is soon going to be $4 a gallon, the cheap meat is $4 a pound, and don't get me started about the price of a dozen eggs and god forbid if you get sick that will cost you a gazillion billion dollars. All this adds up. None of this makes anysense. We live in a country where you can work 60 hours a week and at the end of it still not have enough money to have food on your table or a roof over your head.
"Once in a while, American politics will get so detached from reality, one wonders if news articles are part of an elaborate practical joke, meant to drive the reality-based community batty."
Once in a while? Has this not become commonplace?
Another gem from John "Band-Aid on a Bullet Hole" McCain.
AngryOne @ 16:
Is this clear? Poor, unemployed people can buy cheap stuff from China, and sell it on ebay? How are they going to get the capital to do that, collect aluminum cans?
The tax break of 18 cents a gallon wouldn't bring the price down to what it was last week!
Just how stupid are the voters? Wouldn't they rather hear of a sound energy policy?
And shame on HRC for jumping on board with this nonsense.
The fight for the Dem nomination is the fight for the Presidency.
Mcold is just embarrassing himself now.
John McCain offers what he admits is nothing but a meaningless symbolic gesture in lifting the gas tax to us working class and poor people and he thinks he understands us. BS on that. Oh, and my capital gains amount to zero as it does for most of us who work for under thirty thousand a year, so I can't say I'm impressed.
The only positive mcstain carries with him is the likelihood that he will die in the near future. Hopefully before a group of paid off cronies posing as "judges" hand him the presidency.
And remember, McCain has already stated that his appointment to the Supreme Court would be in the mode of Roberts and Alito. If McCain gets elected, we'll be looking at these kind of decisions for the next 30 years. Welcome to the new America.
The gas tax holiday is an asinine idea. The demand for gasoline is price inelastic, as anyone who has taken Econ 101 would know. The majority of the tax break would wind up going to oil companies and refineries.
So essentially, McCain proposes giving a big fat tax break to the oil industry and at the same time accuses Obama of being beholden to the special interests and not understanding the needs of the poor.
The fact that this utter nonsense goes unchallenged by the MSM is appalling. Seriously, McCain's lack of financial understanding leaves him unfit to run a 7-11, much less our nation.
Stop the Presses!!!
McCain is a 'Compassionate Conservative'!
He wants a 'Kinder, Gentler Nation'!
What Republican would ever lie about things like THAT?
L.A. Confidential @ 14:
Had no interest in a second stimulus plan? Good. That's because the first one won't have any effect. It's a blatant ploy to buy off taxpayers today at the expense of our fiscal integrity tomorrow. How typicically Republican---issuing IOU's to the future.
As for Mc Lamo's gas tax relief, that's another crock of shit too, just like his whole candidacy. It would take .18 off the price of gas---assuming that the entire amount is passed on to consumers. That voodoo economics was tried here in IL in 2004 by our pandering General Assembly and was a farce. Consumers saved nothing in the long run and the state lost it's ass on the revenue stream---money they need to rebuild our infrastructure.
'Qu’ils mangent de la brioche'
'Let them cake'
Marie AntoinetteJohn McCainWhat's really unbelievable is that there are people actually saying that McCain is a better choice than Obama!
Great Zeus, I really hope for a large meteor to come and destroy the planet. This is stupid.
Or better yet a bunch of pea sized meteors targeted at the idiots supporting this clown...not to kill them but just to put them into a coma until November 5th.
good point, but you should start your defense first with Obama's story, where he came from, what he's done in the past for poor people, the time he's put in, and how he got to where he is now. then you can add on the details about McCain's other actions.
but the jump straight to McCain's gas tax policy is dissonant.
mcfuckhead is only interest in taking a crap on the poor's heads.
BTW, mccain considers himself poor - and he is, relative to his trophy mistress-then-wife. However, he is still within the top % or two of the US population.
He doesn't give a shit for the real poor in this country, a trait shared by many repukes. Remember that he wants to keep, and even expand, the bush tax cuts for the uber-rich...
The truth: when we spend time playing defense to these preposterous smears, they are winning - because they set both the agenda and the topic of discussion.
This is classic Rovian "attack their strength". Remember when we were justifying Kerry's military service from the likes of George aWol Bush?
If you can't beat 'em, why not START ATTACKING THEIR PERCEIVED STRENGTHS?
I swear them years alone took its toll on MCcain. A mental lift if you will isint going to fix the current situation. What MCcain ment to say was this.
´´when i was a pow and had nothing or no one to talk to, i talked myself into thinking my goverment cared about me. After all, here iam fighting a war(cough ok conflict) because it was expected of me to do so. Sure i sucked at the academy, lied alot, hated gooks even before i met them. But now that iam here after surviving the POW years, i think the same talk to yourself chatter can work for the average american. Aside from my pancake makeup C...t wife. Hell she can drink away her problems.. for those that cannot handle thier booze,, just talk to yourself. Find a spider and befriend it, lie and dont seek any mental help because thats for bitches!
Oh and my temper,, iam just f---cking you!!!´´
I thought about how to respond to McCain's statement about the poor but words fail me. He is really going to need a new campaign manager.
pissed off patricia @ 9:
And I talk to them everyday. I think the GOP could offer 28% of the morons in this country a $50 tax cut in exchange for Haliburton privatizing the air supply, and they would go for it.
The Spaniard @ 43:
LOL! Quite creative too!
Yeah ...right. The mcancient is the spoke person for the down and out...for the lower economic strata in this country. He speaks for "the little people". He is out for their interests.
Hello...anyone home?? This is such nonsense, that if you eat and swallow this line, you are dumber than the two clowns that played in the move, Dumb and Dumber. Give me a break.
Since WHEN does the repug party give a rat's ass about the less than wealthy? Have they EVER done anything for the middle and lower economic class in this country.
God America, get your head out of your ass!!! This is so ridiculous, it's obscene!!
bmw 528 @ 41:
But it probably served it's real purpose - making sure no one raised taxes on the super-rich!
YourMom @ 34:
Looking over the wreckage of two disastrous GWB terms, I would have to say - pretty stupid.
Damn , that MCcain guy is hillarious , a real comedian .In answer to #34 Your mom , pretty GD stupid , a lot of them .
What happens when you're Teflon John and the press is giving you a free pass? A survey that gives these absolutely dismal results when voters judge the candidates on issues....The DNC, Hilary and Obama, all of us, we have work to do, True Patriots! We have balloons to burst...read and weep:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/rasmussen/20080428/pl_rasmussen/mccaintrustmore2...
The last time McPosh went walkabout (with several hundred bodyguards) and met some genuine poor people in a market,
poor people blew it up the next day in celebration.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 53:
Actually, the purpose was to promote an image of competency by "appeasing" the public and giving the appearance of doing something. In reality it was a cheap and transparent stunt that compromised our fiscal integrity---they would have been better off doing nothing. Agree with your comment--no doubt it took the spotlight off the moneyed class for awhile.
McCain's brand of McShmuckery knows no McBounds.
Here's a link that shows that 1) the tax break is a stupid idea and 2) that it does far more hurt to the poor than help.
http://www.buildingmarketnews.com/2008/04/ten-reasons-why.html
It's a smackdown of royal proportions.
All I can say is that McCain only showed himself to be more elite than anyone else with such actions. It is a travesty that the media is following his drivel with such aplomb. Now that's true audacity.
Of course he cares about the poor! Who else will clean homes 1 thru 7?
Who else will clean the dribble of applesauce from his mouth?
Who else will change his Depends and feed him Bananas to keep him from going bananas?
Don @ 56:
Actually, this is what happens when 'merikkkans are as dumb as a sack of hammers.
The only "people" that would benefit from this tax break are the corporations.
McMaverick criticizing Obama for being out of touch with the poor is like Mr. T criticizing other people for pitying too many fools.
It is pretty simple. John McCain should be judged by the people on his record over the last 8 years. What had he done while his adminstration was in power. What was his contribution? Did he step up and force the government to get it right in Iraq and Afganistan? Did he help push the country in the right directions to help the economy? What were is initiatives on education, healthcare, homeland security, and the environment? He failed rather admirably on immigration? But what else? All the candidates should be judge on their record, but particularly McCain because it was his party that was in power, so he was in the position to influence and help set policy. What can he point to over the last 8 years as his major achievements to help the working class and middle class people of this country? That would be a good question to ask in a television commerical? When he and his party had all the chips what did John McCain do for this country?
Dont'cha mean, John McCain, alleged champion of the alleged poor (?)
This may be off the subject, but could somebody, anybody ,other than McCain please tell me of ANYBODY who can attest to McCain being tortured while being a POW in North Viet Nam? From what I have seen and read over the years, the only one who talks up this torture bullshit is McCain himself.I have read more than once that McCain shoulder injures came as a result of not ejecting from his plane in the proper position . Also I read that he told the nva that he would tell them everything if they(North Vietnamese) would give him medical care to fix the shoulders he fucked up while ejecting from his aircraft!And last but certainly not least, have McCain explain how over 150 sailors died as a direct result of McCain doing a hard landing on the flight deck of his aircraft carrier!From what I under stand this crash was one of 4 or 5 hard landings that McCain had during his career as a fighter pilot!That, in and of itself, has to be some kind of record! Why don't you run on that record Johnnie boy?
John “the republican” McCain does champion the poor people….
HE LIKES THEM SO MUCH that he would continue the tax breaks for the wealthy just to ensure that many Americans get the uplifting experience of being poor…
Wealthy….. in order for there to be wealthy (owning above average) people… there must be POOR people
SO open up them cheap-labor-GOP gates and let’s cut taxes for the wealthy…. And wont that make you feel good.
Robin Williams, and Whoopie Goldberg will be hosting Debutant Aid this summer ---- young wealthy girls will “come out” and with the help of donations be assured that the caviar is fresh, the orchids in early bloom, and their futures assured.
HOORAY for John “the republican” McCain --- champion of the Status Quo (after you have taken all you can take… scream for peace and Status Quo)
I think the tax on diesel is $0.24, unleaded is $0.15 or so. The only people who will save anything are large corporations like freighting companies and airlines who buy fuel in huge quatities. The money I'd save on gas won't even get me 1 gallon of milk. If you've got a 20 gallon tank and fill it up at $4/gallon, that's $80. With McLame's "tax break" you're still talking $77. What a savings. I wouldn't get out of bed if someone advertised a 3.75% savings on anything. The funny thing is that McStupid is convinced, CONVINCED, that this will provide needed relief to Americans and these morons on CNN and MSNBC aren't doing the math.
I should just watch Spongebob in the mornings. He's way more informative and levelheaded than these bobbleheaded fools.
L.A. Confidential @ 18:
Besides, it's hard to look otherwise when you have had your empathy gene removed through years of select inbreeding.
NoGWBpolicyleftinplace @ 54:
Two questions I'd like asked:
How many of your poor have their own cars? And how much vacation do they have, in which they can drive just a little bit longer?
So he suspends the fuel tax. First, the price of gas goes up 19 cents in profits for the whole oil/gas logistics chain.
Then you deny the gov't that revenue so we have to borrow more money to cover that. And you borrow that money from china and rich people. So the U.S. is now owned by china and rich people. So, since rich people don't pay taxes, they have loaned poor people a few pennies, they charge 6% interest on the money and get richer on this.
So we've created this society of indebtedness. It's like the indentured servants. You never own anything. You work your whole life to pay back debt. And you never really pay back the debt. Most of what you pay is interest on that debt. And you have no rights to unionize, quit a job; because you are controlled by that debt.
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