This is a very telling interview about McCain.
First, I know McCain has this Barry Goldwater fetish going on, but he self-promotes using the idea that "When the Republicans regain control, I'll be the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in the tradition of Barry Goldwater."
Next, he (at best) distorts his position regarding Cap and Trade. Unfortunately the host (for whom I usually hold the utmost respect) asked the question about "Obama's Cap and Trade," giving McCain an easy "disclaimer."
Truth be told, McCain has been a proponent of such legislation as long as it is not detrimental to his own campaign against a more Conservative opponent.
From Business and Media Institute, Mar 19, 2008:
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain is using the idea of global togetherness to promote “a cap-and-trade system” to battle climate change. He said “Americans and Europeans need to get serious about substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years or we will hand over a much-diminished world to our grandchildren.”
From Politico, November 19, 2009:McCain has emerged as a vocal opponent of the climate bill — a major reversal for the self-proclaimed maverick who once made defying his party on global warming a signature issue of his career.
Former aides are mystified by what they see as a retreat on the issue, given McCain’s long history of leadership on climate legislation. McCain and Lieberman authored their first climate bill in 2003 and reintroduced the legislation in 2005 and 2007.
And from The Pew Center summary of McCain-Leiberman Climate Stewardship Act of 2005:
The Commerce Department would determine the amount of allowances to be given away or "grandfathered" to covered entities and the amount to be given to the Climate Change Credit Corporation established by the bill. The Commerce Department's determination would be subject to a number of allocation factors identified in the bill. The Corporation would use proceeds from the sale of allowances to reduce energy costs of consumers, assist disproportionately affected workers, help low income communities and individuals, disseminate technological solutions to climate change, and aid fish and wildlife in adapting and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
In other words, big government and redistribution of wealth.
McCain recently began to tout the benefits of offshore drilling, but still won't bring himself to accept what his running mate and former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin supports: drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Next, I am split on McCain's position regarding the recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. While I vehemently disagree with McCain on the issue, I give him credit for "standing his position." However, it seems he's willing to change his position in so many other places, and I am baffled why it is that he does not understand the Constitutional impact of the decision.
His bravado about being elected the nominee for the Republican Party is understandable, yet I might suggest he not use that as a talking point when campaigning against Hayworth. American Republicans clearly picked "The next in line" as well as the most centrist candidate who might compete best against Barack Hussein Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton.
He claims to have voted against "Every earmark that has come down the pike," yet that is not true. Recently McCain had to pull an advertisement blasting J. D. Hayworth for voting in favor of a bill that included an earmark that offered money to study snakes in Guam. The reason McCain had to pull the ad? He too voted for the bill.
He got very rough with a caller, and basically took over the show, not allowing the host to control the issue. Temper, temper, Senator...
As I broke down in a previous post, every scoring agency that I can find scores Hayworth as more Conservative than McCain. Generally speaking, Hayworth has a more Conservative record than McCain according to "On the Issues."
He comes across as if he's bragging about the major endorsements he's receiving, but the truth is there's a machine at work, and all except Palin are part of the obligatory machine. Palin feels an obligation to endorse McCain, as she said in a round about way when she said "I keep my word" on The Glenn Beck Program.
Regarding his statement that Hayworth did not offer "Any positive proposal" during his announcement speech, perhaps McCain should look in the mirror. Every advertisement he has run since he began campaigning in mid-January has been an attack ad of sorts.
Meanwhile, during any appearances he has made, Hayworth has done nothing but offer praise for McCain's service and discussed his (Hayworth's) own principles.
McCain took a call from a man who pinned him to his support of TARP, which he is now backing away from. His answer soon turned toward his opposition of Obama's Stimulus.
Finally, I am willing to give McCain some benefit that he learned a lesson from the outrage he received over his McCain-Kennedy Amnesty bill, but the bottom line is that he was a co-sponsor of that bill. In the mean time, J. D. Hayworth has been very clear about his position, in essence saying that if we were to actually enforce the laws we have in place (in the spirit of Sheriff Joe Arpaio) we would not have such a problem.
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