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John McCain said in one of his Town Hall meeting this week that the "Most important issue for voting for a candidate for the President of the United States, is that you must be able to trust that the candidate will do what he says he will do." He went on to say something like; "Knowledge and judgment are the most important qualities."
If that is correct, we should all run as fast as we can in the other direction, away from John McCain and the GOP.
Yes, I know that Obama has changed his position on a couple of issues, but he has at least given a reasonable explanation for those changes. But as compared to John McCain's 180 degree turns on highly important and highly visible issues, Obama's changes would hardly live up to Obama changing his mind on what he was going to have for breakfast.
If you cruise the Internet today, you will find whole web sites dedicated "only" to long lists of "John McCain's Flip-Flops" on the issues. This week, on Keith Olberman's, Countdown Show on MSNBC, Keith even dedicated one of his 10 minute "Special Comment Sections", just for covering John McCain's position changes on the issues.
Let's look at what McCain has changed drastically on, and let's also look at what "wouldn't change" if McCain were to become our "Commander in Chief".
The McCain: 180 Turnstile:
>>>McCain was against the latest GI BILL that was driven by Senator Jim Webb, right up until it passed and was signed by President Bush. Now, McCain tries to take credit for the bill. (And remember, McCain says he "supports the troops", but he has voted against vitrually every bill for the vets over the past decade.)
>>> John McCain co-sponsored the McCain / Feingold Bill for "Campaign Finance Reform". Then, when he decided to run for President in 2008, John Mccain violated the Mccain-Feingold Campaign Finance laws.
>>> On US Immigration, John McCain and Ted Kennedy introduce an Immigration bill. Then McCain called other Republicans in Congress and asked them "not" to sign the bill. After McCain's intervention, Republicans in the House were less willing to sign onto the bill.
>>> In 2000, while on MSNBC's "Hardball" w/ Chris Matthews, McCain said "Gay marriage should be allowed." There was then a TV commercial. After the commercial, McCain came back on TV and stated; "Gay marriage should be illegal.".......??? (Well, which is it?)
>>> In 1999, McCain supported, "a woman's right to choose." Shortly afterwards, McCain sent a letter opposing abortion, to the "Right to Life Committee". Then at the 2000 Republican Convention, McCain said that he would support abortion for instances of "rape & Incest". Today, in 2008, he is back to "totally opposing all cases of abortion". Where does the ball stop bouncing?
>>> McCain was totally against negotiating with North Korea......that is until Bush started negotiating with Kim Jong Il. Now it's "OK".
>>> McCain totally agreed with meeting with Fidel Castro. Today he's against meeting with any Cuban representatives.
>>> He accused Obama of offering "confused leadership" when Obama suggested going after al Qaeda terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan. But it then became a good idea when Bush suggested and actually did it.
>>> Six months ago, McCain said, regarding "wiretaps", that the president; "must obey the law". Today, wiretapping is "OK".
>>> One year ago, McCain (after his years in a Viet-Cong prison) said there was no way that US detainees should be tortured. Today, McCain says it's; "OK for the CIA to torture them and they can hold the detainees for as long as they want, for no reason".
>>> McCain on Iraq: In 2004: "We're on the right course."; 2005: "Stay the course."; 2008: "I was 'always' against Don Rumsfeld."
>>> McCain on Social Security: In 2004: "Social Security will not survive without being privatized." 2008: "Have never been in support of privatizing Social Security."
>>> The US BUDGET: Feb. 2008: McCain promised a balanced budget in 4 years; Two months later in: April 2008: McCain promised a balanced budget in 8 years.
>>> McCain on a: Wind-Fall Profit Tax on Big Oil: May 2008: Open to the idea. June 2008: "No way, that was Jimmy Carter's bad idea."
>>> Off Shore Drilling: 2000: "No new off shore drilling". June 2008: "Drilling will take a long time to develop." July 2008: "Good short-term idea."
>>> Rev. Jerry Falwell: 2000: McCain said; "Falwell was an agent of intolerance." 2006: McCain started supporting Jerry Falwell.
>>> Rev. John Hagee: Ultra right wing Hagee was both "in and out" of John McCain's favor, just in 2008.
>>> McCain opposed having a "Martin Luther King Day". Today he approves.
>>> South Carolina's Confederate Flag: In 2000, McCain initially opposed displaying the confederate flag. He has however, "admitted that he changed his mind when he heard how many Southern votes he might lose by saying that he opposed displaying the flag".
>>> EVOLUTION in Schools: In 2000, McCain only supported teaching Human Evolution in US public schools. In 2005, McCain said that theories other than Evolution should also be taught in public schools....?
Evolving Answers: McCain's campaign says that McCain's positions don't "flip-flop", they "evolve" over time. It seems kind of hard to "trust" someone as McCain has advised, when he changes such basic positions "on a dime" and when it appears that they only change when it's "politically convenient".
Yes, I understand that positions can change when new information is acquired or becomes available. But one should also offer an explanation of what that new information is, and how it caused such major changes, such as McCain's 180 degree changes on the: GI BILL, Abortion, Off-Shore Drilling, Social Security, and his multiple changes on Iraq from 2003 to 2008.
IF ELECTED, AREAS THAT WON"T CHANGE IN A GOP / McCAIN ADMINISTRATION:
After going through what the American people have gone through over the pas 12 years of Republican mis-management, even though change is desired, major change is always hard for everyone. In addition, there is very big money out there for trying to avoid any major changes. The money comes from large corporations, lobbyists, and less-than-reputable Republican politicians (ie: in the likes of Tom DeLay & Denny Hastert). This money is in the millions to billions of dollars that will be used to maintain the status quo in many areas of our politics and in the fundamental structure of our society.
Listed below are some of the items that probably won't change, if Senator John McCain becomes the next President of the United States (POTUS).
>>> Bush's current policies on Iraq and the US Economy will not change.
>>> No changes in US Healthcare, even though today's US healthcare costs per citizen are more expensive than other countries that offer Universal Healthcare Programs. (US Healthcare is currently in 37th place out of 127 countries world-wide.)
>>> No new programs for increasing the pay of, or for paying rewards to, the "good teachers" in public schools. Also, no new programs to provide incentives for increasing the number of college students to pursue teaching or nursing careers. (You "will" see more push for Charter Schools, home schooling and school vouchers.) Education costs for individual American families will continue to soar.
>>> McCain will appoint more conservative Supreme Court Justices, in the same mold as Robert's, Scalia and Clarence Thomas. You can then also say good-bye to "Roe vs Wade".
>>> Tax cuts for the wealthy will stay and possibly be increased.
>>> There will be continued support for Big Oil and no serious plans for alternative energy.
>>> Expect continued reliance on oil and more pushing for drilling off shore and continued desire to drill in ANWAR with nothing to show from it for 10 years. Also, no lowering of "per-gallon gas prices", even when the oil starts flowing, as it will be sold and shipped to where it earns the most money.
>>> Private companies such as Halliburton and Blackwater will continue to "rape" the US tax payer with their "no-bid" contracts for US military and construction business abroad. I use the word "rape" because per the GSA, there is currently "1 paid contractor for every US military person operating in Iraq and Afghanistan". This ratio is the most expensives of any US military effort and in some cases, the contractors are not under the direction of the military commanders. (Some US Generals have said to reporters privately that they sometimes don't know what the contractors are doing.)
>>> Still no rule changes saying that media broadcasts must be truthful. (FOX NEWS, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, O'Reilly and Savage will still be spouting their right-wing exaggerations.)
>>> No federal tax incentives for companies supplying money for building clean solar energy or wind-farms.
>>> US Ports and Borders will still be open and insecure.
>>> There will be no comprehensive immigration program.
>>> Fewer changes for cars to increase gas mileage, build electric cars, or incentives for more Hybrids, etc.
>>> There will probably be more home mortgage problems as "Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac" will still not be actually "fixed". (The GOP and big business loves the current "loop-holes" in the regulations. They know the government will "bail them out" if they go too far.)
>>> There will still be more "Cancer Capitalism". This is "Terminal Capitalism out-of-control" with few or "zero" regulations, on Trade, Big Oil, Drug Companies, Military Contractors (like "Halliburton & Blackwater"), Insurance Companies, Health Providers, Food Inspections & Import Inspections (Such as for children's toys, drugs, produce, Pet Food, etc.)
Yes, it's time for a change. And the time is now.
If that is correct, we should all run as fast as we can in the other direction, away from John McCain and the GOP.
Yes, I know that Obama has changed his position on a couple of issues, but he has at least given a reasonable explanation for those changes. But as compared to John McCain's 180 degree turns on highly important and highly visible issues, Obama's changes would hardly live up to Obama changing his mind on what he was going to have for breakfast.
If you cruise the Internet today, you will find whole web sites dedicated "only" to long lists of "John McCain's Flip-Flops" on the issues. This week, on Keith Olberman's, Countdown Show on MSNBC, Keith even dedicated one of his 10 minute "Special Comment Sections", just for covering John McCain's position changes on the issues.
Let's look at what McCain has changed drastically on, and let's also look at what "wouldn't change" if McCain were to become our "Commander in Chief".
The McCain: 180 Turnstile:
>>>McCain was against the latest GI BILL that was driven by Senator Jim Webb, right up until it passed and was signed by President Bush. Now, McCain tries to take credit for the bill. (And remember, McCain says he "supports the troops", but he has voted against vitrually every bill for the vets over the past decade.)
>>> John McCain co-sponsored the McCain / Feingold Bill for "Campaign Finance Reform". Then, when he decided to run for President in 2008, John Mccain violated the Mccain-Feingold Campaign Finance laws.
>>> On US Immigration, John McCain and Ted Kennedy introduce an Immigration bill. Then McCain called other Republicans in Congress and asked them "not" to sign the bill. After McCain's intervention, Republicans in the House were less willing to sign onto the bill.
>>> In 2000, while on MSNBC's "Hardball" w/ Chris Matthews, McCain said "Gay marriage should be allowed." There was then a TV commercial. After the commercial, McCain came back on TV and stated; "Gay marriage should be illegal.".......??? (Well, which is it?)
>>> In 1999, McCain supported, "a woman's right to choose." Shortly afterwards, McCain sent a letter opposing abortion, to the "Right to Life Committee". Then at the 2000 Republican Convention, McCain said that he would support abortion for instances of "rape & Incest". Today, in 2008, he is back to "totally opposing all cases of abortion". Where does the ball stop bouncing?
>>> McCain was totally against negotiating with North Korea......that is until Bush started negotiating with Kim Jong Il. Now it's "OK".
>>> McCain totally agreed with meeting with Fidel Castro. Today he's against meeting with any Cuban representatives.
>>> He accused Obama of offering "confused leadership" when Obama suggested going after al Qaeda terrorists in the mountains of Pakistan. But it then became a good idea when Bush suggested and actually did it.
>>> Six months ago, McCain said, regarding "wiretaps", that the president; "must obey the law". Today, wiretapping is "OK".
>>> One year ago, McCain (after his years in a Viet-Cong prison) said there was no way that US detainees should be tortured. Today, McCain says it's; "OK for the CIA to torture them and they can hold the detainees for as long as they want, for no reason".
>>> McCain on Iraq: In 2004: "We're on the right course."; 2005: "Stay the course."; 2008: "I was 'always' against Don Rumsfeld."
>>> McCain on Social Security: In 2004: "Social Security will not survive without being privatized." 2008: "Have never been in support of privatizing Social Security."
>>> The US BUDGET: Feb. 2008: McCain promised a balanced budget in 4 years; Two months later in: April 2008: McCain promised a balanced budget in 8 years.
>>> McCain on a: Wind-Fall Profit Tax on Big Oil: May 2008: Open to the idea. June 2008: "No way, that was Jimmy Carter's bad idea."
>>> Off Shore Drilling: 2000: "No new off shore drilling". June 2008: "Drilling will take a long time to develop." July 2008: "Good short-term idea."
>>> Rev. Jerry Falwell: 2000: McCain said; "Falwell was an agent of intolerance." 2006: McCain started supporting Jerry Falwell.
>>> Rev. John Hagee: Ultra right wing Hagee was both "in and out" of John McCain's favor, just in 2008.
>>> McCain opposed having a "Martin Luther King Day". Today he approves.
>>> South Carolina's Confederate Flag: In 2000, McCain initially opposed displaying the confederate flag. He has however, "admitted that he changed his mind when he heard how many Southern votes he might lose by saying that he opposed displaying the flag".
>>> EVOLUTION in Schools: In 2000, McCain only supported teaching Human Evolution in US public schools. In 2005, McCain said that theories other than Evolution should also be taught in public schools....?
Evolving Answers: McCain's campaign says that McCain's positions don't "flip-flop", they "evolve" over time. It seems kind of hard to "trust" someone as McCain has advised, when he changes such basic positions "on a dime" and when it appears that they only change when it's "politically convenient".
Yes, I understand that positions can change when new information is acquired or becomes available. But one should also offer an explanation of what that new information is, and how it caused such major changes, such as McCain's 180 degree changes on the: GI BILL, Abortion, Off-Shore Drilling, Social Security, and his multiple changes on Iraq from 2003 to 2008.
IF ELECTED, AREAS THAT WON"T CHANGE IN A GOP / McCAIN ADMINISTRATION:
After going through what the American people have gone through over the pas 12 years of Republican mis-management, even though change is desired, major change is always hard for everyone. In addition, there is very big money out there for trying to avoid any major changes. The money comes from large corporations, lobbyists, and less-than-reputable Republican politicians (ie: in the likes of Tom DeLay & Denny Hastert). This money is in the millions to billions of dollars that will be used to maintain the status quo in many areas of our politics and in the fundamental structure of our society.
Listed below are some of the items that probably won't change, if Senator John McCain becomes the next President of the United States (POTUS).
>>> Bush's current policies on Iraq and the US Economy will not change.
>>> No changes in US Healthcare, even though today's US healthcare costs per citizen are more expensive than other countries that offer Universal Healthcare Programs. (US Healthcare is currently in 37th place out of 127 countries world-wide.)
>>> No new programs for increasing the pay of, or for paying rewards to, the "good teachers" in public schools. Also, no new programs to provide incentives for increasing the number of college students to pursue teaching or nursing careers. (You "will" see more push for Charter Schools, home schooling and school vouchers.) Education costs for individual American families will continue to soar.
>>> McCain will appoint more conservative Supreme Court Justices, in the same mold as Robert's, Scalia and Clarence Thomas. You can then also say good-bye to "Roe vs Wade".
>>> Tax cuts for the wealthy will stay and possibly be increased.
>>> There will be continued support for Big Oil and no serious plans for alternative energy.
>>> Expect continued reliance on oil and more pushing for drilling off shore and continued desire to drill in ANWAR with nothing to show from it for 10 years. Also, no lowering of "per-gallon gas prices", even when the oil starts flowing, as it will be sold and shipped to where it earns the most money.
>>> Private companies such as Halliburton and Blackwater will continue to "rape" the US tax payer with their "no-bid" contracts for US military and construction business abroad. I use the word "rape" because per the GSA, there is currently "1 paid contractor for every US military person operating in Iraq and Afghanistan". This ratio is the most expensives of any US military effort and in some cases, the contractors are not under the direction of the military commanders. (Some US Generals have said to reporters privately that they sometimes don't know what the contractors are doing.)
>>> Still no rule changes saying that media broadcasts must be truthful. (FOX NEWS, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, O'Reilly and Savage will still be spouting their right-wing exaggerations.)
>>> No federal tax incentives for companies supplying money for building clean solar energy or wind-farms.
>>> US Ports and Borders will still be open and insecure.
>>> There will be no comprehensive immigration program.
>>> Fewer changes for cars to increase gas mileage, build electric cars, or incentives for more Hybrids, etc.
>>> There will probably be more home mortgage problems as "Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac" will still not be actually "fixed". (The GOP and big business loves the current "loop-holes" in the regulations. They know the government will "bail them out" if they go too far.)
>>> There will still be more "Cancer Capitalism". This is "Terminal Capitalism out-of-control" with few or "zero" regulations, on Trade, Big Oil, Drug Companies, Military Contractors (like "Halliburton & Blackwater"), Insurance Companies, Health Providers, Food Inspections & Import Inspections (Such as for children's toys, drugs, produce, Pet Food, etc.)
Yes, it's time for a change. And the time is now.
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