McCain spins like a top on immigration flip-flop
By Steve Benen Sunday May 25, 2008 8:00pmJohn McCain’s incoherence on immigration policy has quickly gone from problematic to humiliating. The poor guy has spun himself into a box he can’t seem to get out of.
Just Thursday, in a relatively high-profile speech in California, McCain went back to the position he’d given up to win the Republican nomination. McCain boasted about having worked with Ted Kennedy and said, “[W]e must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item.” McCain went on to take an anti-deportation position on immigrants already in the U.S. who entered the country illegally, saying “they are also God’s children, and we have to do it in a human and compassionate fashion.”
Soon after, far-right activists were apoplectic, especially given McCain’s repeated assurances during the primaries that he’d given on a “comprehensive” approach to immigration reform. So, the day after his speech, McCain reversed course yet again.
McCain’s campaign, however, quickly pandered to the right wing. The National Review’s Jim Geraghty reports that the campaign said McCain’s statement on the priority of immigration reform was “poorly worded“:
“Team McCain tells me the senator’s comments were poorly worded. There’s been no discussion within the campaign of altering their stance on illegal immigration, and as far as everyone on the campaign is concerned, the policy is still, ’secure the border first.’”
This doesn’t make a lick of sense. On Thursday, McCain was talking to a group of business leaders who liked McCain’s original approach to comprehensive legislation, and the senator sought input on how best to rally support for his own bill (which he now says he’d vote against). On Friday, McCain told opponents of his immigration bill that he didn’t mean any of what he’d just said.
This is more than just a shameless flip-flop; it’s quickly becoming a character flaw. He’ll shovel whichever nonsense he has to say to please which ever audience happens to be in front of him at the time.
For those keeping score at home, McCain does not support “comprehensive immigration reform.”
Nearly all of these, by the way, come from the last six months.
Truth be told, in terms of my issue priorities, immigration reform is relatively low. But I know for Republicans, it’s among the most important issues, if not the most important domestic policy issue. And yet, here’s the Republican nominee, running on a platform of consistency, shifting with the wind and changing his position from day to day.
I get the sense the media establishment is prepared to give McCain a pass on this, but are Republican voters?
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McLame.
My god this guy is worse than Romney and that is saying something. Even tjhe Freepers see through this BS
He’s a lying sack of shit flip flopper.
This has got to go into a commercial. Back and forth and back and forth and back. This guy is too weird.
And the way he gives speeches. He sounds like he is already dead.
The wheels are flying off the Straight Talk Express with such force that they're going to end up killing innocent bystanders.
He honestly doesn't remember any of it.
McCain is unable!
Who cares? Obama for World Dictator!
You think he's bad now...
Remember how young Bush looked when he became President?
Remember when Bill Clinton could actually pick up chicks with his good looks?
Can you imagine what 4 years in office will do to a 70 year old man who is already gray and forgetful.
He's old, he's a politician, and like Reagan (his hero) he forgets.
It's that simple. Vote McLame for more of the McSame!
Keep it up, McCain, attaboy...
Well he's gotta say something to keep the wingers in tow. To those zealots, Democrats are the definition of evil. They will hold their nose and vote for McSame. They are useless.
Obama shows this is not going to be a defensive race. Goes on the offensive and hits the haters with the truth before they hit him with lies http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/23/obama-rush-limbaugh-lou-d_n_103...
Love. It.
Paul's Bunions @ 8:
Paul's Bunions @ 8:
Maybe a better bumper sticker would be-
"McCain is un-Able!"
perhaps he can't remember what year it is anymore?
"The poor guy has spun himself into a box he can’t seem to get out of."
And yet, his name will remain on the ballot and will remain a problem for the Democrats as long as they can't get together a clear, cohesive package and even a single candidate soon.
I mean, holy crap!
"that he’d given on a “comprehensive” approach to immigration reform."
shouldn't this read "given up..." ?
It is even funnier, because Obama and McCain worked together on the bill!
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s @ 10:
months
George @ 20:
So Obama knows everything about McCain, and McCain has forgotten what century it is.
My friends, mis amigos, I was for cheap labor before I was against enforcing the law.
Several days ago some good comments appeared in another c&L post about the inefficacy of calling McCain a flip-flopper (or any other insult that the Republicans invented).
It was good advice and we should follow it. a) Flip-flopper worked on Kerry but won't work on McCain due to personality differences; b) using Republican-invented terms reinforces their idelogical framing of the issues (example: retaliating by claiming republicans 'don't support the the troops' just reaffirms the harmful idea that all debates can be reduced to whether you support the troops or not); c) turning a Republican term meant for a Democrat against a Republican just looks childish, as in a kid who is called a liar and then points to someone else and says "but he's a liar too!"
Let's rise above name-calling and if that isn't possible, then for God's sake let's invent some names of our own instead of copying Republican ones.
By the time Obama is finished with McSame, he will not remember his name.
Maverick Straightalk McFlipflop.
This is going to be difficult for Steve Benen to understand, but McCain has never flip flopped on this issue, his basic position of granting an amnesty to millions of illegal aliens has been the same for several years. The "secure the borders" bit was just a laughable attempt to get the pro-American vote, but almost everyone - except for Benen and the like - sees through it.
McShit for brains is starting to remind of the movie " Weekend At Bernie's".
Panderer: A person that will tell anyone what they want to hear to get their approval. In other words, a person lacking integrity, courage and character. Congratulations, John Mc Cain, for becoming the person you supposedly despise.
Lick finger.
Determine wind direction.
Speak accordingly.
The issue with the MSM not reporting on McCain, when they would absolutely fry Barack and Hillary for the same thing, must stop. I wish I could tell everyone I had a plan. I do not. However, we have many brilliant people in the political blogosphere, trying to solve this, and most have more experience in these matters than I do. I would love to see a site like MoveOn invite the entire progressive internet, to email ideas to a secure mailbox, where the entire lot could be dissimilated and analyzed. You never know where the next great idea might come from.
I'd love to see McCain get tangled up in such a fabricated issue as immigration reform.
I also wish Obama would take up the offer by McCain to visit Iraq. Imagine the huge crowds that would show up in support of Obama, the candidate who is pledging to end the occupation pronto. He could be Iraq's saviour from the war criminals if he plays it right. But then I could be FOS. I'm not holding my breath on that one. I still have some hope left.
Some
ON MCCAIN JUMPING OFF THE TALLAHATCHET BRIDGE TO SENILITY
Floppy John never made a lick of sense ... pass the biscuits please.
McWindsock
More changeable than a 78 RPM, switches directions faster than a windsock in a tornado, able to pander to whoever is in front of him, And who, as mild mannered Tapioca McDork, wages a never ending battle for no memory, no accountability, and continence.
McWindsock: My friends, how do I stand with you?!
McWindsock: My friends I stand on your side of the issues. What ever I am supposed to have said elsewhere, is a lie. Are you going to believe me or your damned lying eyes?! Or ears. Or maybe yor sense of smell... is it Tapioca time? I like Tapioca, we should have some now. Its white. Like me. HMMM.
Do you think the Republicans will really nominate John McCain this summer as their candidate?
I expect them to do a bait and switch, where McCain gets his day to be cheered and applauded, and will then be allowed to use an excuse to say goodbye ("Thank you my friends, for offering me the greatest job I never had") so the GOP can put Romney on the ballot, who'll have a bigger chance against Barack Obama.
the pander-talk sailboat
searching for the breeze
mccain spun like a dreidl?
McLame was for it before he was against it before he was for it before he was against it before ...
Said this so many times before. Cliff's Notes:
Flip flop doesn't work on McCain. Stop calling McCain a flip-flopper. It sounds ridiculous. Flip-flop worked on Kerry because of the Rove-crafted image of Kerry the weak wussy liberal with finger in the wind, unable to take a stand on anything. Flip-flop plugs into that image nicely. Hell, even the WORD sounds weak and wussy. It was genius character assassination FOR THE ABOVE REASONS.
McCain has a very powerful and long-standing image of being an alpha male, a tough customer, etc. Flip-flop just bounces off him, and worse, makes YOU sound ridiculous and lame. When pointing out McCain's endless reverses and reverse-reverses, you can't call him a flip-flopper.
Instead, say the truth: McCain is desperate to get into the White House, will do or say anything to anybody to get the Presidency before he dies. He has completely sold his integrity down the river for a shot at the Oval Office. Or: Look, it's Campaign McCain vs Senator McCain again!
These will work because they plug into his tough-guy image. It just makes him a tough guy who's going to lie to you so he can sit in the big chair before he croaks.
PLEASE stop with the flip-flop, it sounds ridiculous.
McCain would have to improve his act just to rise up to achieve the level of being a flip-flopper. He's just a 2-bit flim-flammer.
McCain is vulnerable on this issue with the talk-radio Republicans. They don't trust that he hates non-whites enough, despite the fact that he dropped bombs on them for a couple of years.
This doesn’t make a lick of sense.
yes it does Steve. And you yourself point out how in your next paragraph.
He’ll shovel whichever nonsense he has to say to please which ever audience happens to be in front of him at the time.
I am aware that such a policy doesn't make in sense in the rational sense but it makes perfect sense for mcsame, the neo-con corporatists running his so called campaign. Hell after 7 years pf bizarro world these nut cases have absolutely no idea which is up and which is down anyway.
McPanderer
Hans P. @ 35: How would this work?
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