McCainpedia: Defining Double-Talk that is the McCain Campaign

You have to check out the DNC’s new version of Wikipedia, called McCainpedia.

The website models itself after the unofficial internet encyclopedia Wikipedia and helps cut through John McCain’s double-talk. Unlike Wikipedia and his campaign speeches, McCain can’t change the facts to fit his latest rhetoric.


This is a great resource to remind undecided voters where McCain stands (or sways) on the issues.

Say you wanted to know how his Iraq policy is different from Bush’s and didn’t feel like spending hours sifting through old news websites. A couple of quick clicks and you’ll see John McCain has been parroting Bush’s failed policy on the war since 2002.

Remember these famous McCain, Bush-like phrases:

Winning in Iraq would be “easy.” -- McCain, 2002/2003

The end is "very much in sight.” -- McCain, 2002

Another year will prove "stay the course" is working. -- McCain 2005

Iraq is "on the right track." -- McCain 2006, as the country moved closer to civil war

And don’t forget his latest slogan…

“Make it a hundred. …That would be fine with me.”

You like stats:

How about 95% -- The amount of times McCain supported Bush legislation in 2007.

88.3% -- The amount “Mr. Maverick” voted with the GOP in his latest Senate term.

There’s even something for summer: Flip Flops

McCain in 2001: The Bush tax cuts benefit the wealthy at the expense of the Middle Class.

McCain in 2004: “Nothing tops my confusion for cutting taxes during wartime. I don't remember ever in the history of warfare when we cut taxes.”

McCain Now: "I will not let the Democrats roll back the Bush tax cuts. Make the Bush income and investment tax cuts permanent.”

Did the war suddenly end without the rest of the country figuring it out?

Before you explore the site, we have one disclaimer: Some McCainpedia content is a little tough to understand. This is not because of holes in the DNC’s research, but because McCain’s policies are extremely vague and not very well though out. However, if you’ve navigated President Bush’s Whitehouse.gov, McCainpedia might be a little easier to piece together.

McCain Question of the Day -- May 21, 2008:

Can Senator McCain explain why the new lobbying standards he set for his campaign aren't even as strict as the lobbying reform bill he proposed in 1997? Does McCain agree with his campaign adviser Charlie Black, who called lobbying reform "inside the beltway nonsense?" Is McCain really serious about lobby reform, or is it more campaign rhetoric?

On the campaign trail John McCain talks about cleaning up the influence of lobbyists in Washington by having the most transparent campaign in history and stopping the revolving door of lobbyists in Washington. Yet he continues to cover up just how significant of a role lobbyist have played and continue to play in his political career. [foxnews.com, 5/19/08; johmccain.com, accessed 5/21/08]

According to the Huffington Post, “McCain has 115 lobbyists either working or raising money on his behalf. Many of these individuals have taken a leave of absence from these positions in order to help with the campaign. But others have held, simultaneously, fundraising and lobbyists positions. In addition, the Senator has 70 registered lobbyists who have bundled money on his behalf -- raising at least $100,000.” [Huffington Post, 5/20/08]

The USA Today reports that Randy Scheunemann, McCain's top advisor and spokesman on foreign policy issues, lobbied McCain's Senate staff on behalf of the Republic of Georgia while working on the campaign. This is yet another example of the revolving door McCain has set up for lobbyists on his campaign. [USA Today, 5/21/08]

Now after months of criticism from Democrats, good government groups and the media, he’s instituted a new transparency policy, yet McCain continues refusing to address the history of lobbyists’ influence in his campaign.

McCain is right about his campaign being transparent! Voters are starting to see through all of his double talk.

Party Over Protection: The “Maverick” McCain is Pure Republican on the Environment

John McCain prides himself on being a maverick. Maverick? Really?

Well, apparently McCain’s understanding of vocabulary is as shoddy as his pal Bush’s. If McCain had any idea what maverick meant, he wouldn’t be using it to describe himself, especially when it comes to his environmental policy.

This week McCain is boasting about how he’s different from other Republicans, how he cares about environmental issues. But when you look at his record, he clearly sticks with his polluting party.

McCain’s Campaign Financed by Oil Money and Polluters:

McCain fundraisers and advisors have earned over $13 million dollars lobbying for oil and related interests. [The Politico 3/4/08; whitehouseforsale.org]

Another one of McCain’s $100,000 bundlers, James Nicholson, is CEO of PVS Chemicals, Inc. In 2002 the company settled a lawsuit with New York State for dumping sulfuric acid into the Buffalo River. [whitehouseforsale.org, accessed 5/10/08; Buffalo News, 11/18/92, 7/29/97]

In 2000, California officials ordered a company headed by one of McCain’s $250,000 bundlers to stop dumping polluted materials into Crystal Cove State Park, a dolphin birthing ground. [whitehouseforsale.org; LA Times, 11/17/00]

And he has a record to back it up:

“In December, he was the only senator to miss a vote on whether to funding extension of tax credits for renewable energy by eliminating billions of dollars in tax deductions for oil companies.”

“In July 2003, he voted against Democrats' proposal to raise fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks to 40 miles a gallon by 2015.”

“In June 2005, he voted against a congressional proposal to establish a renewable-electricity standard of 10% by 2020.” [Wall Street Journal, 5/12/08]

McCain can talk all he wants about being a maverick on the environment but he’s actually contributing to our pollution problem with all of his hot air.

Bush Can’t Blame It All on Supply and Demand:

Before Bush keeps trying to drill holes in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge -– ANWR he should plug some of the craters in his own theory about the reason for soaring gas prices. While recently addressing the press, Bush continued his rhetoric about global oil production not keeping up with growing demand as being “one of the main reasons for high gas prices.”

While that’s the explanation Bush has fooled many uninformed news sources with, it’s not the case according to several industry experts, including Bush’s own advisors.

“The Bush administration's own Energy Department, now says the demand for gasoline here is on track to see the first annual drop in consumption in 17 years. …[A]nalysts aren't the only ones who are questioning this supply and demand explanation. Let me give you a quote from the head of Exxon Mobil recently: ‘In terms of fundamentals, fear of supply reliability is overblown.’” [NPR, “Marketplace,” 4/29/08]

And Bush didn’t stop drilling his hole there. He went on burrowing with his supply and demand myth, talking about making it easier to build more refineries and nuclear power plants.

“Another reason for the high gas prices is the lack of refining capacity. It's been more than 30 years since America built its last new refinery.” [Bush News Conference, 4/29/08]

…It might be time for a longer drill bit; the hole is getting deep, Bush.

Barbara Shook, who works for Houston based energy research firm Energy Intelligence said in an NPR interview:

“We're expanding refining capacity in this country. We have probably more than half a million barrels of new refining capacity per day under construction right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see another 100,000 barrels per day of new capacity announced in the next six months to a year.”

In fact, according to the same NPR report, U.S. refineries have actually been cutting back production because their profit margins are slimming.

Could it be that Bush, a Harvard MBA, just doesn’t get the concept of supply and demand? After all, he’s the self-proclaimed C student.

Or, does he keep spinning and spinning us into this supply and demand hole as a distraction from the real reason for soaring gas prices, which is an even deeper and scarier hole that he’s dug: the economy and the devalued dollar?

The real economic experts blame the devalued dollar for a significant amount of pain at the pump.

“According to a report in Algerian government newspaper El Moudjahid on Monday, OPEC president Chakib Khelil said that crude prices probably would not fall if not for dollar weakness. In fact, Khelil said if the dollar begins to gain back some significant ground, crude prices may fall off a cliff.”

“‘The weak dollar is a major detriment to the price of oil,’ said Stephen Schork, publisher of the energy industry newsletter The Schork Report. ‘It's keeping prices artificially high.’" [CNN MONEY.COM, 4/29/08]

Bush’s spin is also a distraction from the speculators who are getting rich on the backs of working families, the very people he’s giving tax breaks to and an economic policy McCain would continue if elected president.

“[A]bout $9 billion was invested in oil futures back in 2000. Well, that's now up to $250 billion, and even the head of Exxon Mobil blames wild speculation for all this!”[NPR, 4/29/08]

Bush, you might want to stop spinning and at least listen to the guys from Exxon Mobile.

Oh wait, you’ve already done that.

That’s why we need a Democrat in the White House who won’t base the county’s entire energy policy on what oil executives have to say.

Do You Want 100 More Years in Iraq? Guess Who Does!

The Democratic National Committee rolled out a new television ad focused on the fact John McCain would be "fine" keeping our troops in Iraq for 100 years. It will begin airing in Delaware and nationally this week.


But don’t wait to see it on TV, watch John McCain now promote a continuation of the Bush Administration's open ended commitment in Iraq at DNC.org!

The ad features Senator McCain telling a town hall audience that despite the long war having cost our country $500 billion and 4,000 lives, staying in Iraq for 100 years "would be fine with me."

The ad asks the question all Delawareans must ask themselves when they go to the ballot box this November: "If all he offers is more of the same...is John McCain the right choice for America's future?" [DNC News Release, 28, 2008]

“The American people don't want four more years of the same failed policy in Iraq that continues to cost taxpayers $12 billion a month,” said Chair John Daniello. “We want new leadership that gets our troops safely out of Iraq, and refocuses on the real threats to America's security, including the still-at-large Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist group.”

This ad and McCain’s continued support of Bush’s failed policy in Iraq comes as Thursday’s fifth anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech approaches.

Five years later, only 31% of Americans approve of how Bush is handling the war.

Here’s a little campaign math for McCain:

$144 billion X 100 years = (wait may calculator keeps blinking error, error, error!)

What it really equals is no money to cover the uninsured, no money to make sure our children get the best education to compete in the global economy, no money to assist returning veterans.

McCain said he doesn’t understand economics that well . . . but these calculations shouldn’t be that tough even for him to figure out.

McCain Tosses Bush Under the Bus:

McCain, traveling on his “America’s forgotten places tour," jumped off the Straight Talk Express – his campaign bus -- long enough to throw President Bush under it.

"Senator John McCain took direct aim at the Bush administration on Thursday as he stood in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and declared that 'never again will a disaster of this nature be handled in the terrible and disgraceful way that it was handled.'”
[NY Times, 4/24/08]

Once again, the double-talker took no responsibility for his own complicity in the disaster and failure of any timely response. The fact is McCain has a history of denying the Gulf Coast aid when it needs it the most and has a record of outrageous votes to prove it.

"Instead of helping the area rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast get back on their feet, McCain actually voted to deny emergency funding to the area, and he voted against giving victims of Katrina access to Medicaid and unemployment benefits."

"Sure sounds like McCain would be more of the same Bush-Brownie inaction for the Gulf Coast. And that's the last thing Louisiana--or the rest of America--needs."

[DNC Press Release, 4/24/08, 2006 Senate Vote #112, 5/4/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #28, 11/3/2005; 2006 Senate Vote #6, 2/2/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #229, 9/14/2005; 2005 Senate Vote #234, 9/15/2005]

McCain’s Record of Inaction:

McCain voted against a bill that would have provided more than $28 billion for hurricane relief.

McCain voted against an amendment to provide emergency health care and other relief for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

McCain voted twice against establishing a Congressional commission to examine Federal, State, and local response to devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. Gulf Region; and making immediate corrective measures to improve future responses.

McCain voted against allowing up to 52 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina.

For all of his tough talk in front of the cameras, McCain’s actual record on the issues most important to America is no different than the failed Bush strategies.

McCain’s Right; He knows Little About Economics:

Despite most of McCain’s double talk, he’s been straight about one thing: He doesn’t know much about the economy. Recently, McCain made a major speech on the economy -- one of the first times the Arizona Republican has spoken extensively on the issue. In the speech, McCain made it clear he still doesn't get it, and he's still the wrong choice for Delaware’s future.

This week the DNC unveiled the first
campaign ad of the ’08 election season that highlights how McCain’s out-of-touch with the economic crisis. Check it out.

It’s pop quiz time:

Join swing voters taking the McCain quiz.

The DNC conducted a series of focus group discussions with swing voters in Minnesota and West Virginia. While voters had a broad sense of John McCain’s military history, they knew little about his position on issues most important to America.

See if you know about all of McCain’s flip-flops and Republican leanings.

1.) What did the Minnesota and West Virginia voters find troubling about McCain?

A.) McCain's support for vetoing SCHIP.

B.) McCain’s new election-year support for making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

C.) McCain’s stance on the war.

D.) All of the above.

Answer: D.) All of the above.

While “All of the above” is the correct answer, other acceptable answers would have been:

“McCain’s hypocrisy on ethics and lobbying,”

“McCain’s lack of a plan for a responsible end to the war in Iraq,”

“McCains sluggishness to support any kind of economic relief for families swept up in the mortgage crisis.”


2.) Where do you think McCain stands on issues most important to women?

A.) He opposes requirements for health plans to provide contraceptive coverage.

B.) He favors abstinence-only sex education.

C.) He favors overturning Roe vs. Wade.

D.) All of the above

Answer: D.) All of the above.

**Bonus Question**

True or False?

Some self-described pro-life women view Senator McCain's record on this issue as “unrealistic," "out of touch," and "stuck in the past."

Answer: True

More true or false questions

3.) People in the discussion group call McCain’s stand on the economy and health care a “backward looking approach.”

Answer: True.

4.) McCain opposes the current Medicare prescription drug program on the basis that it gives too many benefits to too many seniors.

Answer: While this may seem like a trick question, this answer is true.

5.) McCain admitted he knows little about economic policy.

Answer: Again, we tried to throw you a curve ball here. You’d think a guy running for president would keep his mouth shut about not knowing much about the economy, especially at a time when the housing market is tanking and food and energy prices are sky rocketing. Unfortunately, this one too is true.

6.) More on economics: McCain supports favorable trade treatment for China.

Answer: If you said false, we’d love to give your credit for hoping … but it’s true. Hope you like lead in your kid’s toys. You might want to chuck your tooth paste, and check Fido’s dog food while you’re at it.

7.) McCain is right on target with exactly what Americans want and provides a stark contrast to the dismal eight years under Bush.

Answer: FALSE!!!!

If you got at least 5 correct answers we hope to see you on Election Day.

If not, please report directly to our remedial class on presidential politics at DNC.org.

Military Expert?

John McCain claims foreign affairs is his strong suit, but when it comes to Iraq, he has some important facts wrong and has failed to establish a real plan for a responsible end to the war.

If McCain wants to keep our military in Iraq the next 100 years, he needs to tell us:
o his plan for building permanent bases in Iraq;
o how he’d pay for a prolonged engagement in Iraq, which today costs $12 billion per month, while making Bush's tax cuts permanent; and
o how he’d pressure the Iraqis to make the political progress the surge
was supposed to enable.

So far, he’s failed to outline any strategy to accomplish such a long engagement and has instead walked in lockstep with Bush on this war for the last six years. Remember, it was Bush’s lack of planning that got us into this mess.
o This administration has failed to deal with al Qaeda and the increasing
power of the Taliban.
o Bush’s strategy has severely strained our military, and weakened our
national security.
o The war has cost more than $1trillion, limiting our flexibility to
properly tackle domestic issues like providing health care, strengthening
educational opportunities and fighting the war on poverty.
[Senate Democrats’ Memo, 4/8/08]

If John McCain can’t come up with a plan on the campaign trail, how can we trust him to figure things out if he’s president?

Bush's Last Pitch

Sunday night, President Bush threw out his annual first pitch of the baseball season to a round of boos. (Thank goodness it's his last as president. That must have been the thought from the people actually cheering.)

It's usually not bad throw. It has a little zip and gets close enough to the target. Most grownups having a catch would consider it to be about an average toss. Too bad for the rest of the country, that's Bush's only accomplishment anywhere close to average.

No need to worry too much longer though, pretty soon a Lefty is going to take the mound and pitch us out of this bases loaded, no outs jam old Righty hurled us into.

So instead of lamenting the possible mediocrity Bush has this great country slipping into, let's look forward to '09 and have one last chuckle at Bush's expense.

You see, according to the Associated Press, Bush spent quite a bit of time last week practicing that first pitch on the South Lawn. It's a shame he doesn't put that kind of effort into his public speaking.

Here is one of the president's many Bushisms.

"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." --George W. Bush, addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit, Sept. 7, 2007.

Watch more of Bush's hits, or misses.

McBush:

If you thought we were kidding about McCain bringing a third Bush term, check out this picture.

Kind of creepy...

McCain vs. McCain: A Great Debate

The Democratic National Committee welcomes a new series of debates featuring Senator John McCain.

They show Senator McCain debating himself on the vital issues confronting the American people, making it clear that even John McCain disagrees with John McCain.

As the two McCains square off, you will have the opportunity to hear the old McCain vs. the 2008 McCain, the third-Bush-termer and pandering politician who will say or do anything to win.

"Having made it clear that he is willing to pander and change his positions in order to win the Republican nomination, we can't possibly expect McCain to deliver the change the American people want," said Delaware Democratic Party Chair John Daniello.

For a front row seat to the debates, go to mccaindebates.com.

McCain’s 100 Year War:

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. Every step of the way, our brave troops have done all they’ve been asked to do, they’ve preformed to the best of their ability, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice. Since the beginning of the war, almost 4,000 brave men and women in uniform have lost their lives, including 15 from Delaware.

We’d like to take this opportunity thank and commend our service men and women for their dedication and commitment to the mission on which this country has sent them. We owe our military men and women and their families a responsible way out of Iraq, now. John McCain won’t lead us out of Iraq and hasn’t provided a better direction for our troops in harm’s way.

Despite his double-talk on the campaign trail, John McCain has marched in lockstep with President Bush from the beginning of this war, echoing the misleading rhetoric used to make the case to invade, parroting the president’s rosy outlook even as Iraq was descending into civil war, and now arguing that American troops could be in Iraq for 100 years.

Delaware families can’t afford more of the failed Bush policies that McCain
promises--especially as the economy continues to slide into what Alan Greenspan said could be the worst slow-down since World War II. John McCain’s endless war in Iraq is draining economic resources that would help Delaware’s working families. A recent Congressional study shows the Iraq war is now costing U.S. taxpayers $12 billion dollars a month. That means for the cost of less than a week in Iraq, we could hire 51,000 police officers to make America safer; for four months in Iraq, we could get low-income kids health care for five years; and for just three weeks in Iraq, we could enroll 1.4 million kids in Head Start. [CBO Report, 1/08]

Wheels Falling Off the Straight Talk Express:

A year ago this week, the American people first learned about the dreadful conditions at Walter Reed. John McCain, a veteran himself, saw this as an opportunity to stand up and fight for veterans.

Not really. He actually used it to bolster his own campaign for the White House.

Of course, he talked tough… using the outrageous conditions as a way to point the finger at former Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, saying his failed policies “were on display at Walter Reed military hospital.”

(Reminder: McCain refused to join the prior chorus calling Rumsfeld’s ouster.)

But McCain left out all the times he too turned his back on veterans.
Back in those dark days when Republicans were in control of Congress, McCain was a top Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That put him in a perfect position to give veterans all the money they needed to improve military medical facilities. Instead of protecting veterans, he protected the Bush’s budgets as if the money was coming out of his own pocket. Not once or twice, but for six years he stuck with fellow Republicans, rubberstamping Bush budgets. Those budgets consistently shortchanged veterans and military health care.

John McCain's double-talking, say-anything-to-win campaign strategy shows why America's veterans and military families simply cannot trust him in the White House. The Maverick McCain who used to stand up for his principles has been replaced with a more shameless version that will do anything to appease the right wing of his party, even if it means promising four more years of President
Bush's failed policies. Damien LaVera, Democratic National Committee.

Read for yourself McCain’s double talk on Walter Reed and veterans’ health care.

Despite his record of service in the military and his sacrifice, McCain is no different than the rest of the Republicans. They’re real good at campaigning on the strong military, “we can out-fight any enemy” platform. They think nothing of sending our servicemen and women into harms way to prove that rhetoric.

But when our brave military members back up their tough talk, Republicans don’t bother thanking them by saying, “don’t worry about a thing when it comes to medical expenses, we’ll give you the best care and pay for it all.” Instead, most Republican lawmakers simply discard them as if they were government issued equipment.