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JOHN
MCCAIN: WRONG ON KING HOLIDAY As John McCain heads to
Memphis on the anniversary of Dr. King’s death, it’s worth noting
his record on the issue of a holiday in King’s honor.
When he was a Congressman in 1983, McCain voted against creating a
federal Martin Luther King Holiday and his home state rescinded recognition
of the holiday in 1987. While he has claimed his position has
‘evolved’ and that his original vote was
‘wrong’ his record of support for racist individuals, and his consistent
votes against civil rights legislation belie that claim. And he has
employed controversial individuals on his own campaign whose own nasty
comments about Martin Luther King undermine McCain’s claims of inclusivity
and evolution. McCain’s Contorted
Position on Federal King Holiday McCain Voted Against Creating
Martin Luther King Holiday. In 1983, McCain voted against
a motion to suspend the rules and pass a bill to designate the third
Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of the late civil
rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The motion
passed 89-77. [HR 3706, Vote 289, 8/2/83; CQ 1983] McCain Said His Position
Has ‘Evolved.’ During a 2000 interview, McCain compared his
evolution on this issue to former Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater. "I
believe that Barry Goldwater, to start with, regretted his vote on the
1964 Civil Rights Act," McCain said. "I think that Barry grew,
like all of us grow and evolve. In 1983, when I was brand-new in the
Congress, I voted against the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King.
That was a mistake, OK? And later I had the chance to ... help fight
for ... the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King as a holiday in my
state." [ www.salon.com 4/18/00; Accessed 4/2/08] Arizona Governor Rescinded Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1987, One of newly elected Governor Evan Mecham’s first acts in office was to rescind Arizona’s recognition of the Martin Luther King Holiday. “Mecham strikes many voters as a simpleminded ideologue who is giving a bad name to the nation's second-fastest-growing state. After rescinding the Jan. 19 holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Mecham defended the use of the term "pickaninnies" for blacks.” [Time 11/9/87] McCain Said He Thought Governor Was Correct in His Decision According to the Huffington Post, “In 1983, McCain voted against passing a bill to designate the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of King. Four years later, then-Arizona Governor Evan Mecham rescinded Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday, saying it had been established through an illegal executive order by his Democratic predecessor. McCain said he thought Mecham was correct in his decision.” [Sam Stein, Huffington Post, 4/1/08] McCain: Wrong on
Key Issues for People of Color McCain Consistently Voted
Against The Civil Rights Act Of 1990. In 1990, McCain voted against
a bill designed to address employer discrimination at least 4 times.
According to the Washington Post, the “Civil Rights Act of
1990 is designed to overturn several recent Supreme Court rulings that
made it much more difficult for individual employees to prove discrimination.
The legislation, being fought by business, also would impose new penalties
on employers convicted of job discrimination.” [S 2104, Vote #304, 10/24/90; Vote #276, Vote #275, 10/16/90; Vote #161, 7/18/90; Washington Post, 7/9/90] McCain Avoided Directly Answering Question on Affirmative Action, Finally Said He Opposed Quotas. While appearing on Hardball, McCain was asked about his views on affirmative action. After criticizing teachers’ unions, McCain said, “I want to test voucher programs. Cindy and I have chosen to send our 15-year-old daughter to a Catholic school, because we think that's the best.” He added that he’d ensure that, “Every school and library in America is being wired to the Internet… But, no, I do not support quotas, and have seen the results of it.” [NBC, “Hardball,” 2/9/00] McCain Would Not Support
Affirmative Action for College Admissions.
In a 2004 questionnaire, Senator McCain indicated he would not support
affirmative action policies in public college admissions.
[2004 National Political Awareness Test-
Senator McCain] McCain Voted Against Addressing
The Disproportionate Number Of Minority Children In Prison.
In 1999, McCain voted to table an amendment that required States to
address juvenile delinquency prevention efforts and system improvement
efforts designed to reduce, without numerical standards or quotas, disproportionate
number of juvenile members of 'racial minority groups' who come in contact
with juvenile justice system. The motion to table passed 52-48. [S 254, Vote #130, 5/19/99] McCain Strategist
Opposed King Holiday McCain
Defended Controversial Spokesman Richard Quinn, McCain's
who called the MLK Holiday "Vitriolic and Profane."
Richard Quinn, was a South Carolina "strategist" for McCain
in the 2000 campaign. In a Partisan View column, Richard Quinn wrote,
"King Day should have been rejected because its purpose is vitriolic
and profane. By celebrating King as the incarnation of all they admire,
they [black leaders] have chosen to glorify the histrionic rather than
the heroic and by inference they spurned the brightest and the best
among their own race. Ignoring the real heroes in our nation's life,
the blacks have chosen a man who represents not their emancipation,
not their sacrifices and bravery in service to their country; rather,
they have chosen a man whose role in history was to lead his people
into a perpetual dependence on the welfare state, a terrible bondage
of body and soul.” Quinn has also advocated electing David Duke,
and sold T-Shirts through his magazine celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s
assassination. [Partisan View, Southern Partisan, Fall, 1983; Partisan
View, Southern Partisan, Winter, 1989, PFAW Release, 2/17/00] [Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, 12/23/05; Vanity Fair, 11/04] McCain Defended Quinn as
‘Respected’ and a ‘Fine Man.” Despite Mr. Quinn’s writings
and history of racial insensitivity, McCain defended him as a ‘respected’
and ‘fine man’ and refused to fire him. [Associated Press,
2/18/00; New York Times, 2/8/00] McCain Is the Same As Bush: Wrong on Key Progressive Issues McCain on Iraq:
“I Don’t Think Americans Are Concerned If We’re There For 100
Years or 1,000 Years or 10,000 Years.”
In an interview on “Face the Nation,” host Bob Scieffer asked McCain
about staying in Iraq for 100 year. McCain responded, “We’ve
got to get Americans off the front line, have the Iraqis as part of
the strategy, take over more and more of the responsibilities. And then
I don’t think Americans are concerned if we’re there for 100 years
or 1,000 years or 10,000 years. [CBS, “Face the Nation,” 1/06/08] McCain Housing Speech Blamed
Americans Who “Bought Homes They Couldn’t Afford” and Argued Against
Vigorous Federal Intervention.
On March 25th, John McCain delivered a speech on the
housing crisis. According to the New York Times, “McCain appeared
to be trying to confront questions about his dexterity in dealing with
the economy, a subject that he has admitted
is not his strongest suit.” During the speech, McCain said, “Some
Americans bought homes they couldn'’t afford, betting that rising
prices would make it easier to refinance later at more affordable rates.”
The New York Times reported, “Mr.
McCain argued this week against a vigorous federal intervention to address
the crisis, saying Washington should not bail out banks and homeowners
who in his view had knowingly taken on risky mortgages.” [New York
Times, 3/26/08; 3/28/08] McCain’s Plan: Tax Cuts
To For Businesses. According to the Associated Press, John
McCain proposed a long-term economic plan that would lower the corporate
income tax rate and provide several other tax breaks for businesses.
McCain proposed cutting the corporate tax rate to 25 percent from 35
percent. McCain said that his plan was “pro growth, less taxes and
less spending” versus “the Democrats’ tired ideas of tax and spend.”
[Associated Press, 1/17/08] McCain Repeatedly Voted
Against Raising The Minimum Wage.
In the senate, John McCain voted at least eight times against measure
to increase the minimum wage. [HR 2, Vote #23, 1/24/07; S.Amdt. 44 to S. 256, Vote #26, 3/07/05; S.Amdt. 128 to S. 256, Vote #27, 3/07/05; S.Amdt. 3079 to S.Amdt.
2951 to S.Con.Res. 101, Vote #76, 4/07/00; S.Amdt. 1383 to S. 1429, Vote #239, 7/30/99; S. 96, Vote #94, 4/28/99; S .Amdt. 3540 to S.Amdt.
3559 to S. 1301, Vote
S.Amdt. 4272 to H.R. 3448, Vote #183, 7/06/96] NOW: In A
“Breathtaking Turnabout” McCain
“Embraced” the Bush Tax Cuts.
The New York Times reported, “But an equally breathtaking turnabout
occurred earlier in the year, when Mr. McCain embraced the Bush tax
cuts he had once denounced as an unaffordable giveaway to the rich.
In an interview with National Review, Mr. McCain justified his reversal
by saying, ‘Tax cuts, starting with Kennedy, as we all know, increase
revenues.’” [New York Times, 10/9/07]
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