McCain: ‘I’m The Only Candidate That The Special Interests Don’t Give Money To’
McCain: ‘I’m The Only Candidate That The Special Interests Don’t Give Money To’
At a townhall meeting in New Hampshire last November, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told the audience that he’s never allowed himself to be corrupted by lobbyist money:
Everybody says that they’re against the special interests. I’m the only one the special interests don’t give any money to.
Watch it:
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries, more than any other Senator. McCain sides with the telecom companies on retroactive immunity.
McCain is also the single largest recipient of campaign contribution by Ion Media Networks — formerly Paxson Communication — receiving $36,000 from the company and employees from 1997 to mid-year 2006.
In 2004, as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, McCain reversed a position and took “crucial legislative action” that saved Paxson Communications from “financial ruin.” Drew Clark reports:
McCain initially supported legislation that would have forced Paxson and handful of broadcasters — but not the great bulk of television stations — off the air by December 31, 2006. Bud Paxson himself personally testified about this bill with “fear and trepidation” at a hearing on September 8, 2004.
Two weeks later, McCain had reversed himself. He now supported legislation that would grant two-year reprieve for Paxson — and instead force all broadcasters to stop transmitting analog television by December 31, 2008. Paxson and his lobbyists, including Iseman, were working at this time for just such a change.
Vicki Iseman has represented Paxson since 1998, longer than any of her other clients. The Washington Post reports that Iseman’s clients have given nearly $85,000 to McCain campaigns since 2000, according to records at the Federal Election Commission.
UPDATE: Huffington Post reported recently:
All told, McCain has received more than $400,000 from lobbying firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And among his major fundraisers (”bundlers”) 59 have been identified as lobbyists by the non-profit organization Public Citizen.
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Oops. The Straight Talk Express has crashed and burned.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pmWell this story is certainly getting interesting.
This might be the first uncontested Presidential election since the 18th Century.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:22 pm“McCain has taken nearly $1.2 million in campaign contributions from the telephone utility and telecom service industries…”
- - In McCain’s eyes, telephone service is a basic necessity of modern life and therefore not characterized as “SPECIAL interests.”
February 21st, 2008 at 2:23 pmMcCain, please work on your timing. In light of the current news, it is too easy to fill in the blank:
I’m the only one that the lobbyists don’t give money to. Instead, they give me concubines.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pm.
To borrow the phrase…
F I S H
O N
D E C K
.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pmIf you take enough from enough different sources, none of them is terribly “special.”
February 21st, 2008 at 2:25 pm… Pants on fire!!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pmOn McCain and lobbyists: ” . . . its mildy hypocritical . . . .”
can you say distinction without a difference?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pmTo head off the trolls… yes Clinton did it too, but there was no quid pro quo … well aside from the obvious…
February 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm.
McCampaign thinks warrantless is legal, if it’s granted immunity from prosecution for violating the Fourth Amendment.
Q U E S T I O N:
When will someone suggest shortcutting the situation and propose getting rid of the Fourth Amendment all together?
WARRANTLESS is not illegal if we unmake the laws that made it illegal in the first place… RIGHT?
.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:28 pmBy Feb. of 2009 mcnut will be known as “Who”?…..Blessings
February 21st, 2008 at 2:29 pmMcCain: ‘I’m The Special Candidate That Only Interests Give Money To’
February 21st, 2008 at 2:29 pmMcCain: I’m the only one the special interests don’t give any money to.
Translation: You’ve got to give the money to a friend, who gives it to another friend, who gives it to another friend, who gives it to one of my staff, who gives it to me in a clean package. Or you can be kind to an old man and give an “in-kind” donation **wink, wink**.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:29 pmComment by raynman — February 21, 2008 @ 2:27 pm
I had 2:27 pm!! Do I still win if its not a troll?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:31 pmgg
And that somehow excuses McCain for taking bribes of sex and money to do special favors, including granting immunity to telecom companies for their criminal activities?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pmThe Swift Tongued Express hasn’t taken a dime from a lobbyist - only lip.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:33 pmgood_golly, you’re kidding, right?
That’s a lot like dealing with kids and truth:
Parent: Did you brush your teeth?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:34 pmChild: Yep.
Parent: This morning?
Child: Uh — well, not exactly
None of the donors TP mentions above are in the defense procurement industry.
Comment by good_golly — February 21, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Well there ya go, then. All is right with the world. McCain’s the man. No problems. Yippee.
I’m underwhelmed.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:34 pmNone of the donors TP mentions above are in the defense procurement industry.
Comment by good_golly — February 21, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Oh, then it’s alright. If he were in the pocket of the defense procurement industry it would be one thing, but the pocket of his lobbyist gf is a whole ‘nother ball o’ wax…
February 21st, 2008 at 2:35 pmheh- good one patty
February 21st, 2008 at 2:37 pmLet’s see — that would mean that McCain’s inclusion as one of the Keating Five was just a cruel error, right?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:38 pmHEY, McCain, Quick …. PANTS ON FIRE!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:39 pmNone of the donors TP mentions above are in the defense procurement industry.
Comment by good_golly — February 21, 2008 @ 2:30 pm
Okay, so McCain is not a corrupt liar, he’s just corrupt.
Glad we got that straightened out.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:40 pmWell I certainly hope the Straight Talk Express has a fire extinguisher on board on account of Senator McCain’s pants may indeed be on fire!
.
What? It’s been done already?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pmThere is something really wrong with that man. Doesn’t he realize that there is written evidence that will prove him to be a liar? Or does he have a very specialized definition of what a “lobbyist” is.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:42 pmThis corruption aspect, rather than any sexual liaison, is what is muy disturbing about the old straight-talker and erstwhile Bush-clone.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pmYawn…a lying republican. That’s the only kind we have anymore.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pmMcCain has lobbyists all over him like fleas on a stray dog:
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Nah — it will still be contested. Even landslides have been a contest (albeit a bit lopsided) — elections of 1936 and 1972 come to mind. Not to mention Obama’s election to the Senate in 2004 (he ran against carpetbagger Alan Keyes, who was such a joke he never had a chance).
We need to remember that this will be a contested race, and that there are a number of people who would vote for a boll weevil if it was the GOP nominee.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pmCHOO! CHOO! ALL ABOARD THE DOUBLE-TALK EXPRESS!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:43 pmUm John,your also the only candidate who surrounds himself with women who eerily resemble younger versions of his mother. Get a grip man.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pmYou’re right, Fritz –
February 21st, 2008 at 2:44 pm“lying republican” — true redundancy.
there are a number of people who would vote for a boll weevil if it was the GOP nominee.
Comment by missmolly — February 21, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
Oh right — I forgot Ron Paul was still running.
Kick-Snare-Crash!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pmTo repeat, I don’t care if McCain wanted to expressly get something “straight” between him and the lobbyist UNLESS there was a political favor exchanged.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pmPlease show the split screen photos of Bush and McCain eating birthday cake and playing guitar while New Orleans’ Ninth Ward was drowning. That should pick up a few more votes in the South. Nero would be proud.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:47 pmNone of the donors TP mentions above are in the defense procurement industry.
Since McPander says he’s the only one running who is not getting defense industry special interest money, I’m sure that he must have a long list of defense industry contributions going to Obama. NOT!
I’m willing to bet big money that there are plenty of defense industry contributions that have gone to McPander and that there will be plenty more as he runs in the General. The defense industry must love McPander, the candidate of eternal war.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:50 pmNow the Pander Express has turned into the “How Much BS Can I Shove Down Your Throat - Milk Run.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:53 pmMcBomb is 100% unsuited to be prez :
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_02_11/cover.html
February 21st, 2008 at 2:53 pmMcWar is toast.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:54 pm#5, Max-1, by all means, help yourself!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:55 pmeveryone knows only trial lawyers and unions are special interests…corporations and such are not…*sarcasm
February 21st, 2008 at 2:56 pmWell, I’m not going to hang McCain over the Paxson thing. I still don’t see WHY the gov’t is forcing broadcasters (and TV viewers) to switch over to digital in the first place. (If we want to hold McCain accountable for the whole “analog-to-digital switch, I’ll go along with that. But not because he was lobbied to delay the changeover date.)
February 21st, 2008 at 2:56 pmGeorge W. Bush responds to the attacks on the US embassy in Kosovo.
-GSD
February 21st, 2008 at 2:57 pm#43, SHIT, I’m afraid to even click on that link!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:58 pm#43, Lemmee guess, he’s bombing Lesotho?
February 21st, 2008 at 2:59 pmWhy, that lying old whore! He ought to be ashamed of himself.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:00 pmVicki Iselman and Paxson’s “deal” with McCrazy is what will totally destroy his campaign now. People see that he’s a total hypocrite - in both his personal life now and in his professional life as well. Besides, I’d call taking 1.2 million from special interest groups a pretty heavy chunk. How can we permit this fraud from lying in our faces?
February 21st, 2008 at 3:00 pmI wouldn’t click on any link provided by a known troll. They can’t be trusted.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:01 pmI see that McCain’s 1.2 million comes from telephone utilities and “telecom industries”. And his Mini-Me/Cindy named Vicki just happens to lobby for those industries. This is ugly and disgusting.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:02 pmI think we can now legitimately call the demise of McCrazy’s campaign McVickiViagraGate. Or how McCrazy’s been “iselman’d”.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:03 pm“You can’t do this to me! I’m CHARLES FOSTER McCAIN!”
February 21st, 2008 at 3:04 pmthis has been a bad day for gg.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:06 pmRetroactive immunity is a terrible policy for any government to adopt. It tells every business in the country that they can buy their way out of past misdeeds.
The fact that the illegal acts in this case were asked for by government officials is besides the point. It’s like asking whether the congressperson solicited a bribe or was approached with a bribe. The bribe itself is what’s illegal no matter who approached who.
It should be for the courts to decided whether the companies knowingly broke the law or if they should be let off the hook because they were complying with a government request. Congress should not short circuit the judicial process.
At least one major telecommunications company consulted their lawyers and opted not to break the law. That company, Qwest, was subsequently denied government contracts as retribution for refusing to break the law.
This country cannot afford a McCain presidency. His rhetoric never matches his actions. He says what we want to hear, but he never follows through with actions.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:09 pmWho needs all this? He sucks because he’s a Republican’t, and by definition Republicant’s suck. It’s enough that his positions are wrong, without stooping to the Republican’t level of mudslinging. Let Rush Limbaugh do the dirty work — it’s all he knows.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:10 pmUnfortunately over the past seven years the chimp has proven that you can tell any lie you want and people will not notice. McCain lies, he is a putz, and the msm will not call him on it.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:14 pmSheesh, is McCain deliberately trying to sink his own campaign?
Its not like these things cannot be verified.
He will probably write about his failed Presidential run down the road, “How to Self-Destruct in 10 Easy Steps”
February 21st, 2008 at 3:14 pmHey John, your vote is going pretty cheap. You should ask for a blonde with a million mile stare.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:15 pmIf McCain gets the GHP (Hypocrisy) nomination, make sure to TIE HIM to the FAILED policies and WAR CRIMES of TRAITOR Bush.
“You’re either WITH McCain and Bush OR
You’re with the USA and the TRUTH”.
And anyone who thinks this is “unfair”, remember THIS:
I was in DC during the ‘94 elections, and I remember this ad:
“Bill Clinton and the Democrats are AT IT AGAIN! And (Democratic candidate) ….”
They did it QUITE SUCCESSFULLY, as to take BOTH houses of Congress. All except Ollie North, who is such a TRAITOR that the RapeTards
wouldn’t vote for HIM..
February 21st, 2008 at 3:15 pmNow it’s obvious that when McLiar leaves the campaign with his tail between his legs, he’ll be doing Viagra commercials like his fellow Rethug, Bob Dole. He’ll be introduced as Miss VickiViagra.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:17 pmSatirev, when did I become a known troll?
It is a Reuter’s link of Bush dancing like a Buffoon in Africa.
-GSD
February 21st, 2008 at 3:18 pmI always snicker when I see the phrase “special interest”. I live in Oregon, and I’d like to be able to pump my own gas. Does that make me a special interest? Would I be bribing a public official if I donated to the re-election campaign of someone who promised to fight for my “special interest”? The entire point of LOBBYING is to affect the legislative process. This involves either educating, or otherwise affecting public officials in order to impact how they vote, or what legislation they introduce.
Everyone who donates to a campaign either does so because they believe their interests are best served by that person, or they hope that their contribution will change the voting habits of that person. The only way to eliminate this factor is publicly funded elections. And we’ve seen how interested Republicans tend to be in those…
February 21st, 2008 at 3:21 pmMaybe he meant “Special” as in “Special Ed”? Ok, so Special Education Interests did not bribe him. It’s those “Not So Special Interest Corporations” that gave…er ah, bought him with money and sex, that’s not a problem.
Just surprised that it was a woman, alot of these repukes just love the man meat.
Buck Fush
February 21st, 2008 at 3:21 pmWow. McCain did not have a chance even BEFORE this influence-peddling/affair story broke. I can’t see the evangelicals and hardcore conservatives being swayed to vote for him at this point. He’ll have a hard time winning independents, especially if Obama is the Democratic nominee.
The Republicans are toast. Bush killed them, and McCain will drive the final nail into the coffin.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:23 pmthis has been a bad day for gg.
Comment by joe cantwell
Aren’t they all?
February 21st, 2008 at 3:23 pmMcWar is toast.
Comment by Kay — February 21, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
I understand Bush likes toast.
when McLiar leaves the campaign with his tail between his legs, he’ll be doing Viagra commercials
Comment by satirev — February 21, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
I doubt he’ll do the commercials cuz he’ll try the product and decide it doesn’t work because he’ll be watching that tail between his legs instead of the real target.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:23 pmNow we know why McFlipFlopper is voting in favor of retroactive immunity. This recent scandal will put a very abrupt end to Bush and McCain’s plans for immunity to telecoms; in fact, we will get to the bottom of some very dirty pool involved with these telecoms as we’re discovering right now with McCain’s dealings on behalf of Paxson. Yes indeedy deed. McCain is now papped, whapped, and zapped on his own pitard.
There may be some shred of truth that he didn’t take any dinero from the telecoms; he just took a whore.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pmHe couldn’t multi-task enough to do a commercial, on second thought, PatrioticLiberal. He’d have to have his eyes on the teleprompter so he knows what to say, one hand to inject the Botox into his tired face, and the other you know where. McCain’s a troglodyte and could never even think about multi-tasking.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:27 pmIsn’t it a great day when another Republiscumbag Hypocrite is outed to the american people? Isn’t it poetic justice to sit back and watch him self-destruct? He’s the one lying about what he did with the telecoms; he’s the one lying about his affair. There goes his personal reputation and his political reputation in one giant swoop. His aides were right but they assumed that he wasn’t brain damaged and might comprehend the sheer logic of what they were trying to do for him by stepping into his overt affair with Iseman. They were right on the money when they told him that it would most certainly ruin his political career.
I don’t even want to see this sick man’s face on television any longer. Ugh! He’s become repulsive.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:30 pmA fabulous question for Barack or Hillary to pose during the first debate is this: In view of your affair with the lobbyist representing the telecoms and your vote “aye” for retroactive immunity for their illegal spying on americans, what have you to say for your purported strong sense of integrity now, dude?. He’s skinned.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:32 pmYet another reason why the US simply cannot afford to have a Pres. McCain!
February 21st, 2008 at 3:46 pmI’m the only one the special interests don’t give any money to.
You see, johnny doesn’t get any money . . . . just booty !
February 21st, 2008 at 3:49 pmI believe McCrazy didn’t sleep with that woman. He is the pastiest looking old man I’ve ever seen with his clothes on. Of course if I was married to him I’d hope Iseman or anybody would handle the dirty work, yuck.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:04 pmTired old white men lying to America…
where have we heard this before?
February 21st, 2008 at 4:11 pmEveryone who donates to a campaign either does so because they believe their interests are best served by that person, or they hope that their contribution will change the voting habits of that person. The only way to eliminate this factor is publicly funded elections. And we’ve seen how interested Republicans tend to be in those…
Comment by zathrus
There’s a huge difference between an individual who contributes to a politician’s campaign and a lobbyist who is representing an entire industry and doing it with huge amounts of cash. If I make a $25 campaign donation to a politician because I would like him to work hard for the environment, do you think that politician is likely to change his thinking or his vote? Then think about a lobbyist for the telcom industry who will funnel $100,000 into my next campaign. Now, do you think that I am likely to tell that person, “no”?
February 21st, 2008 at 5:01 pmAnother BUSHCO CHIMP speaks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:12 amMcCain: ‘I’m The Only Candidate That The Special Interests Don’t Give Money To’
Technically, he’s sincere. His currency is sex, not money.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:33 amSpecial Interests don’t give John McCain money, he gets it the old-fashioned way — by earning it!
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm54. by fletc3her -
Unfortunately, the reality of today’s corporate world is that buying oneself out is a norm.
The corporation breaks the law or regulation.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 pmWhen caught, you can’t jail a corporation.
The corporation is assessed a fine.
The corp gets the fine decreased.
The corp looks on it as the cost of doing business.
The sex angle is unfortunate, but it seems very important
to some. Remember they impeached Mr. Clinton.
However the real story here is to see the McCain from “The
Keating 5″ and not to be surprised that there are more
similar accusations. And there will undoubdtedly be more.
Salmon Dave
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 pmRon Paul is the ONLY candidate that fits this description!! This is part of the reason that he is known as and is called “Dr. No”. You have only two choices for President: Ron Paul or the CFR! McCain and Clinton are members already. My understanding is that Obama has joined recently and has Zbig as his foreign policy advisor. Huckabee has Richard N. Haass, the President of the CFR, as his foreign policy advisor. Thanks for your time.
February 24th, 2008 at 10:17 pm