THE PLANK JULY 14, 2008
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Speaking to the La Raza conference today, John McCain touts his courage on immigration reform:
At a moment of great difficulty in my campaign, when my critics said it would be political suicide for me to do so, I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage. I cast a lot of hard votes, as did the other Republicans and Democrats who joined our bipartisan effort. So did Senator Kennedy. I took my lumps for it without complaint. I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans. It was the right thing to do for all Americans.
This is absurdly misleading. First, McCain co-sponsored immigration legislation in early 2005, before the conservative revolt against immigration had erupted, and at a time when doing so helped endear him to the Bush administration and the business lobby. Second, after his position became unpopular, McCain repeatedly declared that he "got the message" and refused to support his own legislation. How McCain can get away with portraying himself as the candidate in the race who refuses to trim his sails for political expediency continues to mystify me.
--Jonathan Chait
3 comments
2000, on the bus, in New Hampshire, what great access and copy. That image will never change for the "opinion makers" that made it. Journalists even more than politicians, cannot be seen as flip-flopping on their opinions. Costs their organs their loyal followers and therefore advertising money.
- jemerk
July 14, 2008 at 12:27pm
So Jon, what you're saying is McCain was for the 87 billion immigrants before he voted against the 87 billion immigrants?
- jet
July 14, 2008 at 2:00pm
"How McCain can get away with portraying himself as the candidate in the race who refuses to trim his sails for political expediency continues to mystify me."
It could have something to do with the fact that no correspondant who publishes negative things about McCain gets to ride the Straight Talk Express.
Or it could be that Republitards have the MSM on the ropes with a constant barrage of Left-Wing bias claims, which the MSM continually duck by never printing anything negative about the Right-Wing (even if its completely true).
Or, it could be that Liberal Editors in MSM have 0 spines to share between the lot of them.
Or, the right-wing media empire has everyone by the balls and is now pumping right-wing bias into the MSM at will and unchecked, and everyone else is getting confused as a result.
Or, my personal favorite, because the GOP has simply mastered the art of lying and combined it with rapid flurry sound bites so that by the time anyone figures out that they were lying its already old news and no one runs with it.
- GSpinks
July 15, 2008 at 2:15am