Today’s “Far-Right Friend” should be familiar. It’s Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, otherwise known as “Liar McTheocon.” This blog has previously mentioned Santorum’s sleaze, but Rick is really an endless source of wignuttery. First of all, there’s Santorum’s shameful record on the environment. Then there’s this little gem: 

The Beaver County Times tells us about Lloyd “Skip” Haswell, a Marine Corps veteran who was recently listed as a member of a group of “Veterans for Santorum.” It seems that Rick’s recent vote against an amendment to provide “an assured stream of funding for veterans health care,” and his failure to respond to Mr. Haswell’s inquiries about that vote, have caused Mr. Haswell to reconsider his support for Rick…Haswell said he’s been trying to get an answer from Santorum’s people on why the senator rejected the amendment, but his calls have been ignored. Consequently, he pulled out of the Veterans for Santorum, saying he can’t campaign for someone who “votes against veterans” then can’t take the time to explain himself. “The veterans deserve answers,” Haswell said,” and that’s all I’m asking for.”

By the way, if you want more on how ridiculously out of touch Santorum is, just stop by Santorum Exposed.

So, just to recap, McCain is endorsing and campaigning for a man who:

• Uses a “charity” as an illegal campaign slush fund
• Votes against the environment 95% of the time
• Votes against veterans benefits
• Has repeatedly resorted to bigoted hate speech

Meanwhile, McCain claims to be:

• A reformer
• An environmentalist
• An advocate for veterans
• Opposed to homophobic GOP activism

So, forgive me if I’m not exactly clear where McCain stands on…well…..anything.

This is part one of what I envision as an ongoing series on the candidates John McCain has endorsed and campaigned for. Contrary to his image as a “moderate maverick”, McCain has shown that he’s a party hack, willing to to anything it takes to placate the far-right base.

The first candidate: Michael Steele, running for Senate from Maryland. This is a guy who has compared stem cell research to the Holocaust. Meanwhile, most Americans support stem cell research. McCain himself has called for expanded stem cell research. So, for those Americans who support federal funding for stem cell research, is a vote for John McCain a vote for science? If McCain has his way, the Congress will have at least one more Senator opposed to saving the lives of countless Americans.

Also, it’s important to mention that Karl Rove has played a huge supporting role in Steele’s campaign. Apparently, “Turdblossom” is the one who talked him into running. Then, in the midst of the Plame allegations and investigation, Steele took Rove’s dirty money. Yeah, Steele seems like a far-right, Bush crazy. So why is the “moderate maverick” endorsing him?

By now, we all know how warm and fuzzy John McCain gets when he talks about Jerry Falwell. Now, it seems the good Reverend is reciprocating:

“By five minutes in, we’d gotten all the old stuff behind us and the air all cleared,” Falwell said. “And, you know, John McCain is a strong conservative. He’s pro-life. He’s strong national defense. He’s a national hero. His view on family is just where most conservative Christians’ views are.”

Well, folks, there you have it. John McCain and Jerry Falwell are in lockstep now. Gosh, politics is a lot easier without those pesky principles. 

Senator John McCain is the ultimate political media darling. Many members of the media have latched onto his maverick myth and continue to build it up. Not that McCain is complacent in this. His PR team is extremely savvy and has learned which issues to push loudly and which to push quietly.

Think about it. When do you hear the most media coverage about Senator McCain? He gets on the air and in print whenever he does something that is not considered the republican party line. Does he ever get coverage when he acts like a typical republican? No, and that is his modus operandi 80% of the time.

The big question is whether this media-crafted image will hold up under the scrutiny of another presidential race. If his strong republican voting record becomes common knowledge it is unknown how that will affect his image in the minds of voters. What will it take to erase that maverick myth that has been so carefully constructed?

Here’s hoping for a nice picture of McCain embracing Jerry Falwell…

The more moderate voters see of the real John McCain, the more they distrust him. After all, he claims to be a maverick yet votes with the republican party over 80% of the time. In New Hampshire one voter didn’t let McCain off the hook. Did he respond with reasoned arguments and commend the woman for asking intelligent questions? Take a look:

“I’m not getting anything I really need and my grandchildren are getting saddled with $9 trillion in debt,” said Diamond, a Keene retiree. “Why should I vote Republican?”

Because, McCain replied, Democrats have also voted to increase federal spending.

“Maybe,” the Arizona Republican suggested, “you should vote for the vegetarians.”

Diamond was not amused by McCain’s sarcasm. “Republicans are in charge of three Houses,” she snapped back. “You have no excuse.”

McCain shook his head. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, peering at the 500 people gathered at the town meeting. “I knew we should have cut this thing off.”

If I spoke to my grandmother that way, I would get a swift slap to the face. I don’t think belittling seniors is a winning strategy.

This episode, however trivial to the overall race, illustrates a key weakness that could sink Senator McCain’s bid for the presidency in 2008. He buys into his own maverick myth just enough to be surprised when someone else challenges it. His voting record is so conservative that Ms. Diamond will not be the last person to call him on it. Senator McCain should be very careful. If he handles future challenges with the same negative comments the press will pick back up the anger meme from 2000.

Senator John McCain received a less than hearty welcome from a union crowd in Washington DC after touting his stance on immigration and the Iraq war:

Sen. John McCain threatened on Tuesday to cut short a speech to union leaders who booed his immigration views and later challenged his statements on organized labor and the Iraq war.

“If you like, I will leave,” McCain told the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Department, pivoting briefly from the lectern. He returned to the microphone after the crowd quieted.

“OK, then please give me the courtesy I would give you.”

I this how he will hold up on the campaign trail in 2008? Taking your ball and going home is not very presidential. The Eric Cartman style of debate is unbecoming of a Senator.

This about sums it up:

“I was impressed with his comedy routine and ability to tap dance without music. But I was impressed with nothing else about him,” said John Wasniewski of Milwaukee. “He’s supposed to be Mr. Straight Talk?”

In a major campaign appearance for 2008, Senator John McCain will be appearing with George H. W. Bush at his library in Texas. According to the Washington Post:

The appearance with the elder Bush — Texas is in play for once in a Republican primary — is the latest sign President Bush’s team is rallying around McCain for 2008 as the best chance to keep the White House from going Democratic.

As a Democrat, I would love McCain to keep cuddling up close to the Bush family. The current President Bush’s poll numbers are so low that McCain hitching himself to that sinking anchor would be a victory for Democrats.

This is a sign that McCain is building a juggernaut team for the GOP primary and will not be afraid to embrace the Bush dynasty.

Can’t believe I missed this. Seems that McCain promised to never back down from his criticism of Falwell:

Back in 2000, when McCain was asked whether he stood by his description of Falwell, he said, “I must not and will not retract anything that I said in that speech at Virginia Beach. It was carefully crafted, it was carefully thought out.” (Hardball, 3/1/00)

In other words, after promising not to retract his statements, McCain did exactly that and bowed to pressure from the far right.

This morning’s appearance on “Meet the Press” was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Viewers got to see John McCain actually remove his soul and hand it to Satan. Amazing:

RUSSERT: Do you believe that Jerry Falwell is still an agent of intolerance?

MCCAIN: No, I don’t. I think that Jerry Falwell can explain to you his views on this program when you have him on.

Unbelievable. The DNC has a new memo detailing McCain’s recent flip-flops:

WHAT MCCAIN STANDS FOR: THEN AND NOW

Abortion

THEN: McCain Opposed Overturning Roe: It Would Force Women To Seek Illegal Abortions. (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/20/99)

NOW: McCain Wouldn’t Be Bothered By Supreme Court Ban On Abortion, Would Sign South Dakota’s Abortion Ban. (CBS News, 1/25/06; ABC News, 3/29/06; ABC News, 2/26/06; NationalJournal.com, 2/28/06)

Evil

THEN: McCain Called Falwell “Evil Influence” on GOP. (Kansas City Star, 5/28/05)

NOW: McCain Met With Falwell To Lay Groundwork for 2008 Run And Agreed To Speak At Falwell’s Liberty University. (US News and World Report, 11/14/05; Lynchburg News & Advance, 3/28/06)

Tax Cuts

THEN: McCain Opposed Bush Tax Cuts. (Baltimore Sun, 5/27/01; Statement, 3/18/03)

NOW: McCain Voted For Bush Tax Cuts. (New York Times, 2/21/06)

Gay Marriage

THEN: McCain Opposed Federal Gay Marriage Ban. (Los Angeles Times, 1/25/05 3/8

NOW: McCain Said He’s Willing To Support A Federal Marriage Amendment. 1/8Meet the Press, 4/2/06)

Standing Up to Racism

THEN: McCain Condemned Bush For Failing to Denounce Racist Beliefs At Bob Jones University. (Fox, 2/24/00)

NOW: McCain Endorsed George Wallace Jr., Keynote Speaker at White Supremacist Group Gathering. (AP, 11/17/05; 6/6/05)

Creationism / Intelligent Design

THEN: McCain: Local Schools Should Decide on Teaching Creationism. (Times Union, 8/28/99)

NOW: McCain: “Young People Have the Right to Be Told” About Intelligent Design, Refused To Exclude It From Science Classes. (Courier Journal, 12/20/05; Arizona Daily Star, 8/28/05; NPR, 11/7/05)

Campaign Finance

THEN: McCain Was A Champion For Campaign Finance Reform. (New York Times, 10/22/01)

NOW: McCain Laying the Groundwork To Opt Out Of Campaign Finance System For ‘08 Campaign. (National Journal, 12/17/05; Hotline On Call, 12/16/05)

AND LET’S NOT FORGET LOBBYING REFORM

McCain Said He Voted Against Lobbying Reform Bill Because It Was “Weak”… “Senator John McCain… who has long pressed for tougher laws on lobbying, called the 1/8recently passed 3/8 bill ‘very, very weak.’” (New York Times, 3/30/06) But He Previously Rejected More Robust Lobbying Reform Bill. Previously when Feingold pushed a bill with “more robust disclosure of lobbyists’ activities,” McCain “had considered the idea, but viewed it as ‘too onerous’ on the lobbying community.” (The Hill, 3/8/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 1/18/06)

That memo, by the way, is really great at laying out why McCain is a two-faced liar. Americans are catching on to his little shell game, and my guess is that they won’t buy it in 2008.