Washington Times: ‘McCain Refuses To Pander’
Washington Times: ‘McCain Refuses To Pander’
Today, The Washington Times has a headline declaring, “McCain refuses to pander“:
Perhaps The Washington Times missed yesterday’s Senate floor action, when the straight talk express voted against a ban on waterboarding. McCain, a former prisoner of war, has spoken out strongly in favor of establishing a single interrogation standard as articulated in the Army Field Manual, which bans waterboarding. But yesterday, he joined his fellow hardline conservatives and voted “no.”
That vote wasn’t the only time McCain has put politics over principles in an effort appease the right wing. Some other examples from recent weeks:
– Pander On Tax Cuts: In 2001, McCain was one of just two GOP senators to vote against Bush’s destructive tax cuts. Now, however, McCain makes a point of touting his support for making Bush’s tax cuts permanent.
– Pander On Stimulus: For the past few months, McCain has been declaring that passing an economic stimulus package is at the very top of his agenda. Yet when the Senate voted earlier this month on a generous bill providing increased assistance to seniors and veterans, McCain skipped the vote. The bill fell just one vote short of passage, a victory for the far right.
– Pander To Karl Rove: In the 2000 presidential campaign, Karl Rove launched vicious smear tactics against McCain on behalf of Bush’s campaign. Recently, however, McCain has embraced the right-wing political operative. He said that he has “always respected Karl Rove as one of the smart great political minds I think in American politics” and specifically refused to condemn Rove’s partisan smears.
Pander is increasingly what McCain does best.
UPDATE: Climate Progress has more.
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If McCain refuses to “pander”, what is he calling it? Flip-flopping? Molding his agenda to fit the GOP base?
McCain used to be a principled Senator who came out against torture amongst all his torture-happy fellow candidates, and he had the cred to back it up. Now he’s backing down from this position. If he won’t call it pandering, maybe he can call it whoring himself for conservative support.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:12 amTo use a paraphrase a quote from chris matthews that was used against another candidate in 2000, “McCain would lick the bathroom floor to geb to be President.”
February 14th, 2008 at 10:14 amPlease, people, it’s the Moonie Times.
Would you excoriate the Weekly World News for refusing to acknowledge that Bay Boy stole a candy bar from the corner bodega? No. They do what they do.
WWN sensationalizes sometimes fictional stories to sell copies.
The WaTimes lies about Republicans for the same reason.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am“McCain Refuses To Pander”
WTF?!?!?!?!
McJowls is pandering to everyone so much that the “Straight-Talk Express” should be renamed ” THE PANDERING EXPRESS”
February 14th, 2008 at 10:17 amJonathan Chait chronicles McCain’s calculating expediency very well in this piece:
http://www.tnr.com/ politics/ story.html?id=4a65fb2f-7752-493f-a8d3-7fa4aa5e55d0
February 14th, 2008 at 10:17 amI would strongly agree that McCain has become a “panderer” like no other, and he has definitely moved much further to the Right, resulting in the wheels falling off his “Straight Talk Express.” However, one issue covered above about the economic stimulus bill is very inaccurate. Indeed, he did not show up for the vote for CLOSURE…that is, the vote that would have stopped debate and moved the vote forward. Even IF the original legislation could have been brought up for a vote, there is a strong possibility that it still may not have passed. And by the way, the final bill that passed includes assistance to veterans and seniors. The bill that was NOT allowed to be voted on included extension of unemployment benefits, and increased funding for food stamps.
There’s enough spin on the Right. I’d like to see Progressive sites avoid it. The facts are damning enough.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:17 ambut hey, he support TORTURE after “supposedly” being TORTURED….
he’s probably lying about his “torture” experience.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am†THE PANDERING EXPRESSâ€
- - Fast, and bad, Chinese food to be sure.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:18 amMultiple choice:
A. McCain is a Pander Bear
B. McCain is senile
C. McCain is a liar
We are talking is….not was, becasue I think at one time McCain was something else.
And as for the WA Times? Well it is not a newspaper…maybe a propagandapaper?
February 14th, 2008 at 10:18 amWell, this is the least credible major newspaper in America, and scraping the bottom of that barrel is quite an achievement.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am“McCain Refuses To Panderâ€
WTF?!?!?!?!
McJowls is pandering to everyone so much that the “Straight-Talk Express†should be renamed †THE PANDERING EXPRESSâ€
Comment by Uncle Ho — February 14, 2008 @ 10:17 am
or the DOUBLE TALK express.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:19 amYa, thats a reputable article.
See also :
-Iraq has WMD.
-USA doesnt torture
-USA gets warrants before spying
-Social Security Privatization a good idea.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am#10, one would hardly call newspaper printed with red-ink supported by Moonie money “major”.
Though it does mean that the Moonie-nuts are closing ranks around McCain, perhaps.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:24 amThe Washington Times is a whore for the Republican party. They’ll lie, cheat and steal in order to annoint another four-years of failed and failing policies.
Sen. McCain is the biggest pander-bear, as he whores himself to get any vote he can.
I can’t wait to watch him lose in November! It’s his flip-flops that will eventually sink his campaign and his attempt at the Presidency. Sen. McCain was portrayed as “too old” in 2000 by the Bush Campaign, he’s only gotten even MORE “too old” to be President eight years later!
February 14th, 2008 at 10:26 amToday, The Washington Times has a headline declaring, “McCain refuses to pander“:
Maybe it was a typo.
As in, McCain refuses to ponder what he will do after he is soundly defeated by president-elect Barack Obama.
(I think my headline would be more realistic, btw)
February 14th, 2008 at 10:30 amWould you excoriate the Weekly World News for refusing to acknowledge that Bay Boy stole a candy bar from the corner bodega? No. They do what they do.
Comment by ralph the wonder llama — February 14, 2008 @ 10:16 am
Who the hell is Bay Boy, ralph? What? Happy Valentines Day!
February 14th, 2008 at 10:31 amisn’t he the owner of the pet name, Pander Bear?
or was that Quittens?
February 14th, 2008 at 10:34 amanti-Kerry groups used giant flipflops as a prop during the ‘04 campaign… why not a “Pander Bear” now?
February 14th, 2008 at 10:34 amMultiple choice:
A. McCain is a Pander Bear
B. McCain is senile
C. McCain is a liar
We are talking is….not was, becasue I think at one time McCain was something else.
And as for the WA Times? Well it is not a newspaper…maybe a propagandapaper?
Comment by Evergreen2U — February 14, 2008 @ 10:18 am
You forgot:
February 14th, 2008 at 10:35 amD. All of the above
As usual, the right wing media wants to re-write history to support “their guy”.
Nope, no pandering here
and no pandering about torture, either.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:35 amThe Moonie Times. They don’t deserve a thread. My neighborhood 4 page circular has more news and definitely more credibility.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:36 amPandering? McCain has sold the tattered remains of his soul to attempt to sit in the White House. I was disgusted in how the Rove smear machine attacked McCain in South Carolina. I had some respect for McCain back then. Now to hear how deep McCain’s nose is planted inside the Rove rectum is proof that he stands only for McCain and will do anything to get elected.
America wants / needs change and a 73 year old White republican male who has sat inside the beltway for over 20 years is not the answer.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:37 amIt’s the Moonie Times, for heaven’s sake. *yawn*
February 14th, 2008 at 10:38 amWow, what a morning….
Pander Bear and Bat Boy in the same thread.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:45 amYa, thats a reputable article.
See also :
-Iraq has WMD.
-USA doesnt torture
-USA gets warrants before spying
-Social Security Privatization a good idea.
Comment by overlap
And:
The House and the Senate had access to the same WMD intelligence.
No one anticipated the breach of the levees.
A wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed. We’re talking about getting a court order before we do so.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:50 amThere was once a man named McCain
February 14th, 2008 at 11:11 amWhose only desire was to reign
Where once there was candor
Now vacuous pander
His soul is a blackened stain
The Pandering Express- coming to a town near you soon.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:11 amAnd let’s not forget the biggest incidence of pandering of all - in a Feb., 2000 speech, McCain rightfully accused Bush of pandering to the extremists of the religiious right, going so far to label them as “agents of intolerance.”
Specifically, McCain singled out the evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as “corrupting influences on religion and politics” and said parts of the religious right were divisive and even un-American.
Of course we all now know that McCain has done some mighty sucking up to the “agents of intolerance” in his latest pursuit of the Presidency.
Bottom line is — if John McCain were any more of a Pander Bear he’d be the star attraction in the Beijing Zoo.
Just saying . . .
February 14th, 2008 at 11:13 amHis nickname is McCave for a reason, just saying….
February 14th, 2008 at 11:22 amIt’s as if the Bush admin has made a deal with McCain: We’ll support (although a bit half heartedly) you if you’ll pander to their policies and wishes.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:22 amMcCain’s new business:
PanderR’sR’US
February 14th, 2008 at 11:25 am#2, BearCountry wrote “McCain will lick the bath room floor to get to be president”.
While he is at it…Senator Craig will be licking something else in the bathroom….
February 14th, 2008 at 11:42 am“Washington Times: ‘McCain Refuses To Pander’ … luckily, we do it for him!”
Sheesh! Does anyone know where to find a list of the Washington Times’ top advertisers? When the advertisers start to feel the heat, these people will lose their influence.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:55 amGotta wonder if Rev Moon will ask McCain to oversee the next mass Moonie wedding …
February 14th, 2008 at 11:59 amMcCain’s the biggest whore on the planet.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:14 pmThat’s precious - anyone who’s watched the news for the last 90 days has seen John McCain kiss every single Righty ass in sight as he desperately, crazily pursues that one insane object of his demented ambition. By November, that man will be ashamed to show his face in public, and the public will be grateful.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:40 pmLuckily, no Moonies were killed during the printing of this headline.
February 14th, 2008 at 12:44 pmLook at the material he is handing to the demos, on a silver platter, to be used in political commercials.
Could it be that the repubs, in trying to satisfy the extremes, have learned the demo’s ability to destroy themselves ?
February 14th, 2008 at 12:53 pmCome on now. You have to remember who owns the Washington Times. It is hardly a reliable newspaper.
On the other hand, the rest of the MSM doesn’t seem to be interested in calling McCain on his pandering and flip-flops. It will be up to the Democrats to run national advertisements to prove to the people of this country that 1) McCain is a giant panderer and flip-flopper and 2) that they can’t trust what they hear from the MSM.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:31 pmCould we please change the headline to:
“McCain Panders to Refuse”
February 14th, 2008 at 1:34 pmanti-Kerry groups used giant flipflops as a prop during the ‘04 campaign… why not a “Pander Bear†now?
Comment by Pete Bogs
I love it! What a great idea. The DNC can order thousands of small teddy bears with a tie around it’s neck saying “Pander Bear McCain”. Then attach to the teddy bear a card with a list of all of his flip-flops and pandering.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:35 pm“The Pander Express” ??
never mind, already taken by Asian take out chain…
February 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pmYou people need to get lives.
Comment by ninja97 — February 14, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
You certainly need a brain, and a conscience. Nobody expects him mot to vote republican, escept when he says he won’t. then, he’s a liar, a panderer, and a pig. which should be easy for you to relate to.
February 14th, 2008 at 4:42 pmWell done. This sort of post is extremely valuable, and will be even more so as the election season progresses.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pmFellatio on the Hill is always so gratifying to both parties. But don’t call it sex.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:59 pm