ABC's Tapper claimed that McCain has "work[ed] in a bipartisan way" on immigration, did not note reversal
SUMMARY: ABC News' Jake Tapper asserted that Sen. John McCain has a "[r]ecord of actually working in a bipartisan way and taking risks to do so," and offered immigration reform as an example. But Tapper did not note that in the race for the Republican nomination, McCain reversed himself on a key aspect of immigration reform and said that he "would not" support his own bill if it came up for a vote in the Senate.
In a June 5 post on his Political Punch blog, ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper claimed that "unlike [Sen. Barack] Obama," Sen. John McCain has a "[r]ecord of actually working in a bipartisan way and taking risks to do so," citing McCain's work on immigration reform as an example. But Tapper did not note that in the race for the Republican nomination, McCain reversed himself on a key aspect of immigration reform and said he "would not" support his own immigration reform bill if it came up for a vote in the Senate.
During the January 30 Republican presidential debate, McCain explained why he no longer supported the bill, which included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, stating: "The people want the borders secured first" -- a position at odds with his prior assertion that border security could not be disaggregated from other aspects of comprehensive immigration reform without being rendered ineffective.
As Media Matters for America has documented, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, the Politico, and Reuters have each ignored McCain's immigration reversal in reports discussing McCain's position on the issue.
Further, contrary to Tapper's claim that Obama does not have a "[r]ecord of actually working in a bipartisan way," Media Matters documented that Obama was a key co-sponsor of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S.2590) with the bill's primary sponsor, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn (OK) in 2006. In a press release upon Senate passage of the bill, Coburn himself referred to the legislation as the "Coburn-Obama Bill" and stated that the bill, which McCain co-sponsored, would "create a Google-like search engine and database to track approximately $1 trillion in federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans." In a June 4 article, The Hill reported that Obama and Coburn are currently working on legislation to "beef up the website by requiring the actual contracts to be posted as well as new details." According to the article, "McCain's Senate office contacted Obama's office Monday night asking to sign on" to the bill as an "original co-sponsor" and "Obama staffers were happy to comply with McCain's request to sign on, an Obama adviser said."
Obama also worked with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar (IN) to produce the "Lugar-Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative," which President Bush signed into law on January 11, 2007, and which received funding on June 28 of that year. In addition, four of the 12 co-sponsors of Obama's bill (S.2125) to "promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo" were Republicans: Sam Brownback (KS), Susan Collins (ME), Mike DeWine (OH), and James Inhofe (OK). Bush signed the bill into law on December 22, 2006.
From Tapper's June 5 post on Political Punch:
How John Sidney McCain III Could Theoretically Beat Barack Hussein Obama:
1. National security, national security, national security.
2. Record of actually working in a bipartisan way and taking risks to do so, unlike Obama. (Example: immigration reform. McCain nearly sacrificed his presidential campaign to pass that bill. Obama joined the bipartisan coalition but defected when labor-friendly amendments were offered.)
ABC is oh-so-liberal, aren't they? Yeah, they sure are in the tank for Obama! Big time! LOL...
So the 'Maverick' brand is gonna be pushed real hard now. That's the narrative.
The only exceptions are:
1. When Drugbaugh is talking about his first hand experience with oxycotin addiction.
2. When Drugbaugh is talking about the hypocrisy of jailing drug addicts while he sends his housekeepr to score his next oxy supply for him.
Well, for starters, Rush... then we can move onto M. Rotten Levin - of course, he doesn't come right out and say it because his horrible show is based at WABC but he has bashed Brian Ross at times.
Disney sold off a large portion of its radio network a while back, including WABC-AM, flagship for Jeff Christie, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. While Disney still owns the TV network and stations, the radio stations are now owned by Citadel Communications.
"Disney sold off a large portion of its radio network a while back, including WABC-AM, flagship for Jeff Christie, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. While Disney still owns the TV network and stations, the radio stations are now owned by Citadel Communications."
The radio stations were right wing BEFORE the sale, they're right wing AFTER the sale. The right wing's liberal media lie is just that, a lie. An often repeated BIG LIE.
The National Conference on Media Reform http://www.freepress.net is this weekend discussing and debunking and exposing the lying corporatist fascist right wing's liberal media lie. Murdoch just dispatched Bill O'Lielly to attack the conference today, and next week.
"Who says ABC is so liberal? Afterall they are the ones that aired the "Path to 9/11"."
Not only is GOP-Disney-ABC a right wing conservative network, the dis-likes of Jake Tapper, AND Charles Gibson, are 2 of GOP-Disney-ABC's partisan right wing conservative Republican media hacks.
Wait a second, Let's not forget the third partisan right wing conservative Republican media hack at GOP-Disney-ABC, Terry Moran.
So the 'Maverick' brand is gonna be pushed real hard now.
Whenever you hear Gramps McCain referred to as a "maverick", remember this picture:
The Ford Maverick was a lousy car, and Bramps McCain would make a lousy president.
The Maverick was a huge sales success. Nearly 579,000 units were produced in its first year. This rivaled the record-setting first year of Mustang sales (nearly 619,000), and easily outpaced the Mustang's sales of less than 200,000 in 1970...
...As they grow in age and rarity, the cars have been making a resurgence in popularity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Maverick_%28North_America%29And theres a lot of idiots who buy 22" spinner wheels for their cars. I could go ahead and say the same thing ...since majority of them, if not all, are Obama supporters.
Coming from one of the MM posters replies: we look at certain groups, and see their similarities. these are called "facts"
And the fact is you are a stereotyping racist.
"Coming from one of the MM posters replies: we look at certain groups, and see their similarities. these are called "facts""
Well, Columbus, time to back up your alleged "facts" about Obama supporters.
Give us the specific name of an Obama supporter that has 22" wheels on their car. I want specific names, specific places, AND specific cars.
Otherwise, you are furthering another ignorant, foolish, unsubstantiated stereotype.
-- Obama was a key co-sponsor of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S.2590) -- mmfa
Obama was one of 47 senators to co-sponsor the Coburn bill...Key co-sponsor...LOL
-- Obama's bill (S.2125)to "promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- mmfa
This bill didn't even require a roll call...it passed overwhelmingly with unanimous consent...way to go out on a limb to reach across the aisle Obama.
-- Lugar-Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative -- mmfa
This was a penny ante amendment to the HUGE OMNIBUS spending bill
None of these so called bi-partisan actions listed by mmfa required any particular statesmanship skills...no risk...nothing earth shaking here...just more spin from mmfa about Obama.
I love the first one Wesley. Talk about spinning the information...its not what is being said, its what is being left out.
Obama has some success as you have pointed out. Look at some of McCain's. (Just a Sample)
You wouldn’t know it to look at them, but political consultants are as faddish as anyone else. And the current vogueish advice among the backroom set is: Go after your opponent’s strengths. So in the first volley of what feels like the general election campaign, Barack Obama has attacked John McCain for being too close to lobbyists. His assault is part of this week’s Democratic chorus: McCain isn’t really the anti-special interest reformer he pretends to be. He’s more tainted than his reputation suggests.
Well, anything is worth trying, I suppose, but there is the little problem of his record. McCain has fought one battle after another against lobbyists and special interests. And while I don’t have space to describe all his tussles, or even the lesser ones like his fight with the agricultural lobby against sugar subsidies, I thought that, amidst all these charges, it might be worth noting some of the McCain highlights from the past dozen years.
In 1996, McCain was one of five senators, and the only Republican, to vote against the Telecommunications Act. He did it because he believed the act gave away too much to the telecommunications companies, and protected them from true competition. He noted that AT&T alone gave $780,000 to Republicans and $456,000 to Democrats in the year leading up to the vote.
In 1998, McCain championed anti-smoking legislation that faced furious opposition from the tobacco lobby. McCain guided the legislation through the Senate Commerce Committee on a 19-1 vote, but then the tobacco companies struck back. They hired 200 lobbyists and spent $40 million in advertising (three times as much as the Harry and Louise health care reform ads). Many of the ads attacked McCain by name, accusing him of becoming a big government liberal. After weeks of bitter debate, the bill died on the Senate floor.
In 2000, McCain ran for president and reiterated his longstanding opposition to ethanol subsidies. Though it crippled his chances in Iowa, he argued that ethanol was a wasteful giveaway. A recent study in the journal Science has shown that when you take all impacts into consideration, ethanol consumption increases greenhouse gas emissions compared with regular gasoline. Unlike, say, Barack Obama, McCain still opposes ethanol subsidies.
In 2002, McCain capped his long push for campaign finance reform by passing the McCain-Feingold Act. People can argue about the effectiveness of the act, but one thing is beyond dispute. It was a direct assault on lobbyist power, and earned McCain undying enmity among many important parts of the Republican coalition, who felt their soft money influence was being diminished.
In 2003, the Senate nearly passed the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act. The act was opposed by the usual mix of energy, auto and mining companies. But moderate environmental groups were thrilled that McCain-Lieberman was able to attract more than 40 votes in the Senate.
In 2004, McCain launched a frontal assault on the leasing contract the Pentagon had signed with Boeing for aerial refueling tankers. McCain’s investigation exposed billions of dollars of waste and layers of contracting irregularity.
In 2005, McCain led the Congressional investigation into the behavior of the lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The investigation was exceedingly unpleasant for Republicans, because it exposed shocking misbehavior by important conservative activists.
Over the past few years, McCain has stepped up his longstanding assault on earmarks. Every year, McCain goes to the Senate floor to ridicule the latest batch of earmarks, and every year his colleagues and the lobbyists fume. For years, McCain has proposed legislative remedies — greater transparency, a 60-vote supermajority requirement — that were brutally unpopular with many colleagues until, suddenly, now.
Over the course of his career, McCain has tried to do the impossible. He has challenged the winds of the money gale. He has sometimes failed and fallen short. And there have always been critics who cherry-pick his compromises, ignore his larger efforts and accuse him of being a hypocrite.
This is, of course, the gospel of the mediocre man: to ridicule somebody who tries something difficult on the grounds that the effort was not a total success. But any decent person who looks at the McCain record sees that while he has certainly faltered at times, he has also battled concentrated power more doggedly than any other legislator. If this is the record of a candidate with lobbyists on his campaign bus, then every candidate should have lobbyists on the bus.
I had to laugh that Senate Bill s.2590 is supposedly a testament to Obama working in a bi-partisan way. (It create a Google-like search engine and database to track approximately $1 trillion in federal grants, contracts, earmarks and loans.)
The bill was co-sponsored by 43 Senators. It was a slam dunk before it hit the floor. Hardly inspirational on Obama's part.
Here is a list of co-sponsors.
Sen Alexander, Lamar [TN] - 7/25/2006Sen Allen, George [VA] - 7/17/2006
Sen Baucus, Max [MT] - 9/6/2006
Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] - 7/19/2006
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] - 9/5/2006
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 7/31/2006
Sen Brownback, Sam [KS] - 9/6/2006
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] - 9/13/2006
Sen Cantwell, Maria [WA] - 9/7/2006
Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE] - 4/6/2006
Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] - 8/2/2006
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 7/18/2006
Sen Coleman, Norm [MN] - 7/25/2006
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] - 7/24/2006
Sen Cornyn, John [TX] - 7/18/2006
Sen Craig, Larry E. [ID] - 9/7/2006
Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] - 7/12/2006
Sen DeWine, Mike [OH] - 8/1/2006
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 9/5/2006
Sen Dole, Elizabeth [NC] - 9/7/2006
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 7/27/2006
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] - 9/6/2006
Sen Feingold, Russell D. [WI] - 9/5/2006
Sen Frist, William H. [TN] - 7/24/2006
Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] - 9/13/2006
Sen Hagel, Chuck [NE] - 9/5/2006
Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] - 7/17/2006
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 7/25/2006
Sen Kyl, Jon [AZ] - 9/13/2006
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] - 8/1/2006
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 7/25/2006
Sen McCain, John [AZ] - 4/6/2006
Sen McConnell, Mitch [KY] - 7/31/2006
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 9/5/2006
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] - 9/7/2006
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 4/6/2006
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] - 7/26/2006
Sen Salazar, Ken [CO] - 9/6/2006
Sen Santorum, Rick [PA] - 6/21/2006
Sen Sessions, Jeff [AL] - 7/28/2006
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - 8/3/2006
Sen Sununu, John E. [NH] - 7/13/2006
Sen Talent, Jim [MO] - 9/5/2006
Sen Thomas, Craig [WY] - 9/6/2006
Sen Thune, John [SD] - 7/28/2006
Sen Vitter, David [LA] - 8/2/2006
Sen Voinovich, George V. [OH] - 7/31/2006
The Lugar Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative was all Lugar. Obama simply went along.
This was written in 2006.
"I very much feel like the novice and pupil," Obama has said of Lugar. And it's warm....
... In Russia, where Lugar has been a regular visitor for the past 15 years, the senior senator from Indiana received generous media coverage and attention from political leaders, while the junior senator from Illinois sometimes went unrecognized...
...Still, if Obama wants to see any legislation with his name on it pass, then having a Republican teammate makes more sense. Unlike many Democrats in Congress, Lugar has the ability to get a few things done...
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.larson.htmlIt looks to me like Lugar took Obama under his wing and graciously allowed Obama to be a part of another bill that would have passed anyway.
Senate bill s.2125 was a bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Who on either side of the aisle is against that? It passed unanimously in the Senate and by a voice vote in the House.
If this is the extent of Obama's bi-partisanship looks to me to be very, very weak.