NY Daily News editorial lauded McCain's "straight talk" on immigration, ignoring his reversal
A New York Daily News editorial endorsing Sen. John McCain asserted that McCain "has delivered 'straight talk' and risked the consequences of unpopular positions," citing as an example McCain's "forceful advoca[cy] of comprehensive immigration reform," claiming that "[c]haracteristically, he has held his ground against an anti-immigrant fervor that rivals ... have exploited." In fact, McCain has reversed his position on a key element of the immigration debate and has offered inconsistent statements on whether he would support his own comprehensive immigration bill.
A February 4 New York Daily News editorial endorsing Sen. John McCain (AZ) for the Republican presidential nomination asserted that McCain "has been guided by two forces: conservatism and honor. Time and again, he has delivered 'straight talk' and risked the consequences of unpopular positions." As "one example," the editorial pointed to McCain's "forceful advoca[cy] of comprehensive immigration reform," asserting that, having "[r]ecogniz[ed] the economic importance of immigration, [McCain] would secure the borders, create a lawful channel into the U.S. for foreign workers and enable the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to gain lawful status, provided they paid penalties and taxes, stayed employed, learned English, kept a clean record and waited their turn." The editorial further stated that "[c]haracteristically, he has held his ground against an anti-immigrant fervor that rivals ... have exploited." However, McCain has reversed his position on a key element of the immigration debate. While McCain previously supported comprehensive immigration reform, he is now calling for border security before the creation of a guest-worker program or a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, as Media Matters for America has previously noted. The change represents a complete reversal on the issue of whether border security can be disaggregated from comprehensive immigration reform and addressed first.
Moreover, McCain has recently offered inconsistent statements on whether he would support his own immigration bill. During CNN's January 30 Republican presidential debate, McCain asserted that he "would not" support his own comprehensive immigration proposal if it came to a vote on the Senate floor, despite having stated three days earlier, on the January 27 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, that he would sign that very legislation into law if he were elected president.
From the February 4 New York Daily News editorial headlined "McCain is best choice for the Republicans":
McCain has led an extraordinary life. The product of a military family, he was shot down as a Navy flier over Vietnam and spent 5-1/2 years as a POW. Despite isolation and torture, he refused an offer of release unless his men went first.
As a two-term Arizona congressman and as a fourth-term senator, McCain possesses deep experience and a keen awareness of the threats America confronts around the globe. Throughout, he has been guided by two forces: conservatism and honor. Time and again, he has delivered "straight talk" and risked the consequences of unpopular positions.
For one example, McCain has been a forceful advocate of comprehensive immigration reform. Recognizing the economic importance of immigration, he would secure the borders, create a lawful channel into the U.S. for foreign workers and enable the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to gain lawful status, provided they paid penalties and taxes, stayed employed, learned English, kept a clean record and waited their turn.
McCain's stance is practical and in keeping with America's tradition as a beacon for newcomers. Characteristically, he has held his ground against an anti-immigrant fervor that rivals, including Romney, have exploited.
McCain has been similarly brave on the Iraq war. He broke Republican ranks to become an early GOP critic of how President Bush was conducting the war. Then, disregarding rising anti-war sentiment, he called for sending more troops to the war zone. How right McCain proved to be.
He has been just as on target in calling for controlling government spending, crusading against pork-barrel projects and winning passage of landmark campaign finance reform.
The record leaves no doubt as to who John McCain is and where he stands. He is a fiscal and social conservative who holds to core beliefs while remaining dedicated to finding bipartisan answers to the many challenges facing the U.S.
[...]
There is no comparison between these two men, McCain and Romney, one authentic, the other not.
Having dedicated his life to America, McCain is more than credible when he speaks of serving "a cause greater than self-interest." He has done that. Republicans should make McCain their nominee for President.
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The Mav, our mayor, and rambo appear to be in for a fight. Yesterday I was informed that Hulk Hogan preferred Obama, and we all know that the hulkamaniacs are a force to be reckoned with. Then I was even more disconcerted when I saw Jimmy Conway campaigning for Obama. Things are heatin up!
The media is selling their PRODUCT like it was Corn Flakes, or Ginsu Knives. Republicans have cute brand-names, labeling straight from Madison Avenue, to sell us on their "value".
And "BRAND X" is covered, too, in terms of how inferior Democrats are in every way.
We're in a perpetual Supermarket aisle, and challenged whether we want the new, improved, healthy and good-for-you MAVERICK brand, or will you sadly go for the "SOB-SISTER" brand? C'Mon, people! There's no choice at all, just listen to our ADVERTISING. You'll make the RIGHT choice, and pick the brand name WE say is "BEST FOR YOU". Be good little consumers, now, and be manipulated! Resistance is futile.
Tex,
To a point I agree with you, all these pet names and cute little monikers attached to these candidates is just media labeling/copywriters/graphic designers on the payroll.
But give the voters more credit than that, they have heard all this McCain straight talk maverick stuff before, it's not likely to sway too many in any general election. People want substance, or at least their issues being addressed, more than Madison Avenue generated names.
I wish you were right, but a manufactured "MESSAGE" (example: SwiftBoaters) combined with 24/7 nationwide megaphone of ALL Media (and that's ALL, from talk radio to the NYTimes to CNN), broadcasting, underscoring, and endlessly repeating (with virtually NO scrutiny or fact-checking) has an effect. It WORKS. Everyone is said to HATE it, to REJECT it, but time and again, IT WORKS.
Maybe it doesn't work with ALL ... but it works with ENOUGH, to make the difference "on the margin" in tight races. And lately, they're ALL tight races.
It's INCONCEIVABLE that McCain, who promises only to continue BUSH's legacy, could be polling BETTER than either Hillary or Barack ... yet that's what OUR MEDIA is telling us. People want MORE OF THE SAME more than they want CHANGE, our media tells us. And with Democrats turning out in numbers from TWICE to FOUR TIMES the number of Republicans in the Primaries. How can it BE that McCain could be seen as the "frontrunner"?
If you have a 32% approval rating, as Bush does, that means that TWICE as many OPPOSE the job you've done, and that's borne out in the Primaries so far. AT LEAST 2-1 AGAINST incumbent Republicans.
And yet, the Media assures us that it's true ... that EITHER new voters will turn out in droves to vote for the MAGIC of McCain and the prospect of "more of the same", or that in the General election, Democrats who showed up enthusiastically for the primaries will just stay home, or even more wild, that those who voted in record numbers in the Democratic primaries will suddenly SWITCH SIDES come November.
I have seen no rationale to support ANY of these theories, one of which MUST be true in order to show McCain to be "competitive" ... but yet the Media assures us he is the probable winner in November.
I'd be scratching my head and wondering what the HELL is going on, but this is the MEDIA ... the SAME media that promoted Bush while bashing Gore, and then destroying Kerry. The SAME media that for a decade has given Bush virtually NO scrutiny. The SAME media that dutifully parroted the White House line about WMDs, nuclear threats, and any other fantasy the Bushies could come up with ... uncritically, unquestioningly, slavishly.
So, I WISH you were right, that "the People" could see through all the media mendaciousness and misinformation, but history shows us that JUST ENOUGH are fooled to keep NeoCons in power. (With a little help from Diebold, of course.)