McCain Camp Reassures Right Wing: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Comment Was ‘Poorly Worded’
McCain Camp Reassures Right Wing: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Comment Was ‘Poorly Worded’
Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke to a “friendly audience” of business leaders about immigration policy, a topic he has been quiet on ever since the right wing erupted in rage over his support for the Senate’s immigration reform bill. After the business leaders complained about the difficulty in obtaining temporary visas for certain immigrants, McCain said reform needs to be a “top agenda item“:
Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States. … It is a federal responsibility. … I believe we have to secure our borders, and I think most Americans agree with that, because it’s a matter of national security. But we must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item if we don’t do it before, and we probably won’t, a little straight talk, as of January 2009.
As RawStory noted, the anti-immigration right wing pounced. AllahPundit called it a “sunny little pander,” after McCain repeatedly said he would “secure the borders” first. “John McCain is a liar,” said John Hawkins. McCain is “back to his full, open-borders shamnesty push,” said Michelle Malkin.
McCain’s campaign, however, quickly pandered to the right wing. The National Review’s Jim Geraghty reports that the campaign said McCain’s statement on the priority of immigration reform was “poorly worded“:
Team McCain tells me the senator’s comments were poorly worded. There’s been no discussion within the campaign of altering their stance on illegal immigration, and as far as everyone on the campaign is concerned, the policy is still, ’secure the border first.’
It’s hard to believe McCain’s comments were “poorly worded.” The New York Times reported that McCain “asked others on the panels for suggestions about how to ‘better mobilize American public opinion‘ behind comprehensive immigration reform.” McCain said immigrants “are also God’s children,” urging “human and compassionate” reform, which drew applause.
McCain’s flip flops on immigration are becoming commonplace. During a Jan. 30 GOP presidential debate, McCain said he “would not” vote for his own immigration bill now. But yesterday, he called the rejection of the Senate immigration bill a personal “failure.” It seems McCain’s immigration policies change from day to day, depending on the audience.
Sort Comments By: Top Rated | Date
32 Responses to “McCain Camp Reassures Right Wing: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Comment Was ‘Poorly Worded’”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Register
RSSLogin
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog RollAbout Think ProgressContact Us
Donate
ah mccain…flip, flop, flip, flop. iran is allies with al-queda….iran isnt allies with al-queda..ok… uhm its not impossible iran is allies with al-queda..
flip
flop
flip
ah mcain…tryin to look crazy to the crazies and sane to the moderates…whoever wins, watching this dude squirm is priceless..
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 pmOk, did McCain mispeak or merely have a “senior moment”?
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 pm.
Oops,
Johnny McSpoke.
.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 pmAble to leap vast panders in a single bound
Its a turd
Its a lame
Its McWaffle Man!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:32 pmNot poorly worded, poorly pandered.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 pmMcIIIrd is a floppin on deck again.
OT…
KO (in his Special Comments segment) is about to rip Clinton a new one for her completely useless comments today (big story with the MSM) and TP is…
uh…
well…
(sound of crickets…)
TP,
Cover ALL of the news!!!!!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 pmOK, the fence is definitely conjoined to his ass.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 pm#6 dixie blood
Clinton thinks the race gets interesting in June, what with RFK’s assassination having happened in June, too.
She says she doesn’t understand it…
… and neither do I understand her equation.
.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 pm#8 Max-1,
KO just rip her a new one — big time — in his special comments tonight!!! Go Keith!!!
She must now stop her losing campaign based the ghoulish remarks she made today that TP will not report on or share with the progressives here!!!!!!!
Her career is dead!!!!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 pmcaption:
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 pm“I’m expecting to have a major stroke any day now, so I practice holding small cups that won’t spill to much on the carpet, and sighting along my thumb to help with depth perception.”
Tell Bill Clinton that his loud mouth, cruel, hateful, lawyer wife will never be VP for anyone ever in this country!!!!!
She will never be President either!!!! EVER!!!! Not after today!!!
Go and sit home in Chappaqua, NY!!!! Keep your collective mouths shut!!!
The people are fed up with the kind of sh!t you spread!!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:14 pmWhat dixie blood said.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 pmDoes McCain not realize there are devices (i.e. TV) that will allow his speeches to be shown to people not physically present when he is speaking? If only he could speak to each group in a vacuum and tell them each what they want to hear.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 pmThis is just outrageous!!! She sits in the Senate seat that once was held by Robert F. Kennedy!!!!! The death of whom she invoked today!!!!!!!!!!! To prolong a losing campaign (the lowest of reasons!!!) What a MORON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can’t run a democracy and be that stupid!!!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:31 pmTest:
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 pmHillary Go Home
The purpose of my previous test post was to determine why the post before that was “awaiting moderation”
Test #2
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 pmHillary herself is using the “Clinton did it too” ploy
Coming this November…
John McCain is Iran Man
.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:53 pmI got it folks. I had this same situation a couple of nights ago on a thread discussing Michael O’Hanlon and his occupation as a Brookings Institute Anna Lyst
I used the word Ann Al O’Gee to describe Hillary’s use of the tragic fate of Robert F. Kennedy in a desperate attempt to justify her continued existence as a presidential candidate.
For some reason , TP has deemed the combination of the letter a, followed by an n, another a, and finally an l, to be unfit to publish.
This was only a test. In the event of an actual censorship, you would not be reading this post.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 pmTo my Right Wing friends reading this… okay, I don’t have any Right Wing friends. But listen anyway, you all are going to have to get used to a long summer of “misspoke” and “poorly worded” and my personal favorite which I just heard today “Mr. McCain pivoted”. Isn’t that sweet, Mr. GOP can “pivot” but everyone else on Earth “flip-flops”.
Anyway, enjoy the ride. Your guy is only going to get older, and a bit more lost between now and November. I guess after Bush GOPers just don’t care what comes out of their candidate’s mouth.
PS: I’m not a Hiliary fan, but folks get a life.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pmPut this single comment in perspective.
– War
– Economic Depression
– Foreclosure
– Global Warming
– No Health Care
– Bush vs. The Constitution
– Torture
– 10 Trillion in Debt
– Wounded and mistreated veterans
– Homelessness
Promise them anything, give them Arpendage!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:28 pmLying sack of crap.
I’m sick of him.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:22 amYou may be interested to hear that I’ve recently launched a simple and educational quiz game to support Obama called Click 4 Obama. Every question you get right helps post “Obama for President” ads all over the web. You can challenge your friends to play and see how you rank against them and everyone else! There is also a facebook application available to play Click 4 Obama on facebook.
You Play, Obama Wins!
May 24th, 2008 at 12:57 amMy, my, my, TP loves to focus on the (real,tis true) deficiencies of the GOP Presidential candidate to be, but not a word about the charm and graciousness of our Miss Hill. What’s the matter, TP? Does the Royal Ghoul of Sewers Past have your tongue?
May 24th, 2008 at 1:49 amRe: “Team McCain tells me the senator’s comments were poorly worded.” What does anyone expect from a cranky senile old fart like McCain? Poorly worded? Trying to find McCain’s viewpoint is like trying to measure the ocean’s tidal levels at a beach. It changes ever few minutes. There’s high tide, low tide, new moon tide, neap tide, spring tide… Same with McCain…
May 24th, 2008 at 1:57 amDemitasse is so elistist. Who wants a president they can sit down and have a demitasse with?
May 24th, 2008 at 2:39 amelitist
May 24th, 2008 at 2:39 amComprehensive Immigration Reform has mcsames name attached to it. He has not given up on it and he does not intend to give up. If he wins the Presidency it will be at the top of his agenda. But saying that doesn’t win conservative votes.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:44 amAfter watching Sen. Clinton’s remarks invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy and her subsequent attempt at an explanation, her political career is over. It was extremely sad to watch a formerly energetic speaker now appear ready to collapse on camera while making lame attempts at an explanation. She won’t get a pass on this one.
What a complete lapse of judgment and a revealing moment.
Now, if the press will begin to take the gloves off the flip-flopping, go-with-the-audience, positionless McCain.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:59 amLike most of Insane McCain’s statements a interpreter and spin doctor are both required for the slavering pack to “get it”
May 24th, 2008 at 9:38 amA Tuesday fundraiser headlined by President Bush for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign is being moved out of the Phoenix Convention Center.
Sources familiar with the situation said the Bush-McCain event was not selling enough tickets to fill the Convention Center space, and that there were concerns about more anti-war protesters showing up outside the venue than attending the fundraiser inside.
….and that’s in McCain’s home state. Too bad. We need lots of Bush-McCain joint appearances.
May 24th, 2008 at 9:47 amWhen crunch time comes, I don’t see how anyone but the loyal 23% will vote for this warped bastard. I’m sensing a landslide in November.
May 24th, 2008 at 11:00 amHis entire campaign is “poorly worded.”
May 25th, 2008 at 2:29 am