Kyl: McCain’s earmark pledge is ‘more symbolic than it is signficant.’
Kyl: McCain’s earmark pledge is ‘more symbolic than it is signficant.’
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has claimed that he can cut up to $100 billion in earmark spending, a major tenet of his plan to balance the budget. The Wonk Room has noted, however, that McCain’s budget numbers do not add up. In a Tuesday event at the RNC, a host noted that the total cost of earmarks pales in comparison to the war in Iraq, Social Security, and health care spending. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) admitted that the earmark pledge is in reality just “symbolic”:
KYL: It is true that the question of earmarks is more symbolic than it is significant in terms of the total amount of money. But if he combines that with the notion of ending wasteful Washington spending…And so if addition to earmarks, which are relatively small, you begin to focus on not just raising taxes but to reducing spending here and there, that is a big deal.
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Kyl also said that the frequent conservative catch phrase “wasteful Washington spending” is just political rhetoric. “The reason that I use it is because the consultants who look at the polls tell us that if there’s anything that drives American taxpayers crazy it’s that phrase ‘wasteful Washington spending,’” he admitted. “They hate it.”
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Pro-choice Republican leader: McCain ‘really doesn’t care’ about women’s rights issues.
Pro-choice Republican leader: McCain ‘really doesn’t care’ about women’s rights issues.
On Tuesday at the RNC, ThinkProgress spoke to Jennifer Stockman, co-chair of Republicans For Choice, a conservative organization that supports abortion rights. When asked about how the choice of Gov. Sarah Palin would affect women’s rights, Stockman said it would mean they would have to “work harder.” She said she hopes McCain won’t touch women’s rights issues because he “doesn’t care” about them:
Well, it means we have to work harder. We have to make sure that the McCain-Palin administration…don’t make these issues, the social issues, the central portion of their policy agenda, as Bush has done. We have a lot of work to do. We don’t believe McCain would — he really doesn’t care much about the issue, even though he has almost perfect pro-life voting record.
On the prospects of McCain overturning Roe v. Wade, Stockman said, “The only thing that gives me comfort is that Democrats are going to win the Senate.” Watch it:
McCain’s lack of knowledge on women’s issues is well-documented. In July, a reporter asked if it is “unfair” that insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control. “I certainly do not want to discuss that issue,” he said, pausing uncomfortably for several seconds. “It’s something that I had not thought much about.”
VIDEO: Top McCain Aide Tells Gay Republicans, ‘You Are An Important Part Of Our Party’
VIDEO: Top McCain Aide Tells Gay Republicans, ‘You Are An Important Part Of Our Party’
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has long opposed gay rights, stating that he is in favor of the “traditional definition of marriage.” Today, however, McCain’s chief adviser Steve Schmidt addressed a luncheon for the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay advocacy group. ThinkProgress attended the luncheon and captured exclusive video of the speech.
Schmidt opened by stating he has a personal connection to LGBT issues because his sister is a lesbian:
[I want to pay] my respect and the campaign’s respect to your organization. On a personal level, my sister and her partner are an important part of my life and our children’s life. I admire your group and your organization, and I encourage you to keep fighting for what you believe in because the day is going to come. You are an important part of our party.
Schmidt did not touch upon McCain’s opposition to gay rights and was cautious in expressing any support for the group’s agenda, simply saying that “over time” more equality for gays “will be reached”:
We as the Republicans are the party of freedom and as the party we strive to reach that goal and we’ll keep fighting as a party to reach it in full. And I think over time it will be reached. And you are an important part of this party.
Schmidt then changed the subject to politics and went after critics of Gov. Sarah Palin. Watch the full remarks:
Unfortunately, McCain campaign adamantly opposes the Log Cabin Republican’s agenda, which includes “equality for gay and lesbian people.” McCain said he couldn’t pick Michael Bloomberg as VP because Bloomberg is “pro-gay rights.” McCain opposes gay adoption of orphans, supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and opposes gay marriage and civil unions.
ThinkProgress also spoke to Jimmy LaSalvia, Director of Programs and Policy for the group, which has endorsed McCain. LaSalvia said McCain last met with the group in 2000. A McCain aide, Mike Duhaime, spoke to the group this week. LaSalvia expressed support for Gov. Sarah Palin:
Well, I think that we have a lot in common with Gov. Palin. She is a reformer who hasn’t ever been afraid to take on the party’s leadership and stand up for what’s right. And that’s what we do every day. We have taken on our party’s leadership when we felt they were going in the wrong direction, and that’s what Gov. Palin has done in Alaska.
When running for governor, Palin opposed civil unions as well as gay marriage. “I believe that honoring the family structure is that important,” Palin said in 2006.
Christine Todd Whitman: ‘Definite correlation’ between global warming and hurricanes.
Christine Todd Whitman: ‘Definite correlation’ between global warming and hurricanes.
Earlier this week, Hurricane Gustav slammed into the Gulf Coast, barely sparing the New Orleans area. As the Wonk Room has documented, the intensity and frequency of these storms is linked to the warming planet. In an interview with ThinkProgress in St. Paul, MN on Tuesday, former Bush EPA administrator and New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman said that global boiling is undeniable:
There’s no question that the climate is changing and scientists will tell you that one of the outcomes of that is more frequent and more severe storms, droughts, and floods. They just can’t tell you when or where these things will actually occur. … Scientists will tell you that there is a definite correlation between these temperature changes that we’re seeing and the frequency and intensity and severity of storms.
Watch it:
Whitman added that she is “not as comfortable as [she] would like to be” with some of the decisions made by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.
Specter: Lieberman is ‘practically’ voting as a Republican already.
Specter: Lieberman is ‘practically’ voting as a Republican already.
In his RNC speech Tuesday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) referred to himself as a progressive, stating, “What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this?” In a small RNC press conference yesterday that ThinkProgress attended, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said that Lieberman is “practically” voting as a conservative now and should switch parties:
Well I would like to see him move a little closer to being a Republican. I’d like to see him vote with the Republicans when we go back in September. He’s practically there. That would have the consequence of giving us a Republican senator . We could confirm a lot of judges. We could do a lot of things.
Specter said he has talked to Lieberman about switching parties “over the past many months.” Lieberman responds with “a very winning smile” when discussing the matter, he added.
Lieberman: McCain Supports Palin’s Call For ‘Exit Plan’ From Iraq
Lieberman: McCain Supports Palin’s Call For ‘Exit Plan’ From Iraq
In March 2007, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, seemingly distanced herself from the Bush administration and McCain, stating that she wanted to see an “exit plan” from Iraq:
I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place.
Yesterday at a Republican National Convention event, ThinkProgress asked Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) how Palin’s desire for an “exit plan” is consistent with McCain’s refusal to call for a withdrawal timetable from Iraq. Lieberman said McCain does indeed support an “exit plan”:
Yes, [he supports] an exit plan from Iraq. But the question is what is it. In other words, a lot of my Democratic colleagues in the Senate including Senator Obama kind of gave up on Iraq when things were going tough in 2005 and 2006. … The goal has always been to leave, but not to leave on a politically mandated timetable from Washington.
Watch it:
But it’s hard to believe that McCain supports a clearly defined “exit plan” from Iraq. He has for years been opposed to all withdrawal plans from Iraq, claiming the U.S. will withdraw only when there is “victory.” “If you pass a resolution…that dictates withdrawal and a time for withdrawal, all you’re doing is telling the enemy, ‘hang on, we’re leaving,” he said in March 2007.
Lieberman today also suggested that McCain supports the new withdrawal timetable reached between the U.S. and Iraq, which would call for the removal of combat troops from Iraq by 2011:
The sooner we’re out the better. It looks like the Iraqis and our government have agreed that 2011 is a reasonable goal, not a forced timetable, to be out of there with all of our combat troops
But Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did indeed ask for a “forced timetable.” “There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date which is the end of 2011 to end any foreign presence on Iraqi soil,” Maliki said last month.
GOP Congressman: Palin Has ‘Defeated’ The Corruption In Alaska
GOP Congressman: Palin Has ‘Defeated’ The Corruption In Alaska
In recent weeks, several conservatives have inflated the record of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in particular her record on fighting the rampant corruption that has plagued her state for years.
In an interview with ThinkProgress yesterday at the Republican National Convention, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) joined the long line of conservatives pushing this talking point, claiming Palin had fully “defeated” the corruption in Alaska:
They play their politics tough. It was somewhat of an old boy’s club that developed over the years. … She did challenge it. She challenged it as an underdog, as an outsider. She succeeded There is obviously some corruption up there. She dared to challenge it. She defeated it.
It’s hard to see how Palin “dared to challenge” the corruption in her state, in particular, the case of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), who was recently indicted by a federal grand jury with seven counts of making false statements for failing to disclose $250,000 in gifts from VECO oil company. Ironically, VECO has ties to Palin, contributing 10 percent of her campaign funds when she ran for lieutenant governor in 2002.
In July, Palin refused to call for Stevens’ resignation. The Washington Post reported today that she previously served as the director of the 527 group Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service.” Despite her claim that she refused Stevens’ “Bridge to Nowhere,” Palin has repeatedly stated her desire to renew federal funding for the bridge.
In the interview, Lungren scoffed at Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) background:
I checked her background and the only thing I can find that she doesn’t have in her background is she wasn’t a community organizer. And yet we have a person running for president for whom that seems to be the major reason to elect him as President. All I know is Alaska that is a very tough state.
Lungren also launched a false attack on Obama, claiming he has not had a “major piece of legislation” and “hasn’t contributed significantly to any major debate we’ve had” in Congress. Apparently, legislation on nuclear non-proliferation, government transparency, and ethics reform don’t count.
Politico’s Mike Allen: McCain camp ‘excited’ for Bush to speak.
Politico’s Mike Allen: McCain camp ‘excited’ for Bush to speak.
Tonight, President Bush will address the GOP convention via satellite at 9:30 p.m. EDT. His speech was rescheduled from Monday due to Hurricane Gustav. In an interview with ThinkProgress today, Politico’s Mike Allen said “the people here definitely want [Bush] to talk” and that they “are very excited about it.” Allen said the McCain campaign is also “excited” for Bush to address the crowd:
Q: Is McCain’s camp excited about Bush coming to speak?
ALLEN: I think they are, because they know the positive effect of this convention, and they want this crowd to be happy. And it’s not as if people are going to forget that Senator McCain is a Republican, so they might as well have whatever benefit there is to that.
Watch it:
Graham Lowers The Bar For Palin: ‘Don’t Think It Matters’ That She Hasn’t Traveled Abroad
Graham Lowers The Bar For Palin: ‘Don’t Think It Matters’ That She Hasn’t Traveled Abroad
This summer, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and his surrogates spent weeks assaulting Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for traveling to Iraq just once while a senator. “Sen. Obama has been to Iraq once,” McCain said, “this is about leadership and learning.” “Why is it that Senator Obama wants to sit down with the President of Iran, but hasn’t yet sat down with General Petraeus?” he charged in May.
It seems that new VP pick Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) isn’t receiving the same scrutiny for her thin foreign policy resume. On CNN yesterday, Wolf Blitzer asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) about Palin’s foreign policy background, particularly where she has traveled abroad. Graham didn’t know the answer but said it didn’t matter:
Q: Has she met with world leaders like you have, like Biden has? Has she really gone around the world and done any of those things?
GRAHAM: I don’t know where she’s traveled to…But it’s not meeting people that matters. You know, President Bush met President Putin. And I don’t think it matters just meeting people. You look at people’s judgment.
Watch it:
As ThinkProgress noted, Palin has never been to Iraq, failing a central component of McCain’s commander in chief test. Speaking with Time Magazine earlier this month, Palin expressed little substantive knowledge about Iraq policy, admitting that she does not know “what the plan is to ever end the war.” “Let’s make sure we have a plan here,” she pressed:
[My son] is 19, he’ll be gone for a year, and thats quite tough too, kind of on a personal level when I talk about, hmmm, the plan for the war? You know, lets make sure we have a plan here? And respecting McCain’s position on that too though.
In the interview with Blitzer, Graham said Palin’s experience in Alaska is sufficient for her to tackle the world’s largest country. “Gov. Palin took on Ted Stevens. If she can take him on, she can take on the Russians. Heh,” he said.