Flip. Flop. 0
Dick Polman looks at John “Straight Talk” McCain’s record:
Space does not permit a full recitation of his flip-flops, so here’s a modest sampling:
McCain used to dismiss Jerry Falwell as an “agent of intolerance,” but tomorrow he will trek to a Florida religious convention to woo the guy.
McCain, until recently, was pushing for a reform law that would require conservative groups to reveal their financial donors. But, after fielding protests from evangelical Christians and antiabortion activists, McCain decided last month to strip out the provision.
McCain in 2000 assailed Bush’s proposed tax cuts as a sop to the rich, and a year later, with Bush in office, he voted against those cuts, declaring that “the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans.” But a year ago, he switched sides and voted to extend tax cuts for the wealthy.
McCain in 1999 said that, “even in the long term,” he would not support the repeal of Roe v. Wade because “thousands of young American women would be performing illegal and dangerous operations.” But last November he said that he now favored repeal because “I don’t believe the Supreme Court should be legislating in the way that they did on Roe v. Wade.”
McCain in 2000 was incensed when a pair of Texas businessmen, Sam and Charley Wyly, bankrolled some Bush-friendly TV ads that distorted McCain’s record. McCain declared at the time that their “dirty money” did not belong in national politics. But last year, McCain decided that their dirty money belonged in his campaign; he took $20,000 and allowed them to chair a McCain fund-raiser. (McCain later had to give back the money, because, it turns out, his new friends are reportedly under federal investigation.)
There’s more, but that’s about all I thought I could get away with under “fair use.” Follow the link the watch him flip.
