Die sehr rege und einflußreiche amerikanische Bürgerrechtsbewegung MoveOn versandte folgende Infomail, um auf Aspekte von John McCain aufmerksam zu machen, die ihrer Auffassung nach bislang zu wenig bekannt sind:
*************
10 things you should know about John McCain
1. Feiertag für Martin Luther King
John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws. 1 [Hinweis: McCain hat sich inzwischen dafür ausgesprochen, einen Martin-Luther-King-Gedenktag einzuführen]
2. Politischer Falke
According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China.
Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.” 2
3. Folter
His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban. 3
4. Abtreibung / Roe vs. Wade
McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose [keine freie Wahl, ob eine Frau abtreiben darf] . He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade [ein Grundsatzurteil zu dieser Frage, das eine liberalere gesetzliche Praxis eingeführt hat]. It should be overturned.” 4
5. Kinderpolitik
The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children [seitens der Einrichtung Childrens Defense Fund wurde McCain als der kinderfeindlichste Senator bewertet]. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill. 5
6. Zwangsversteigerungen im Zuge der Immobilienkrise
He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes!
Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations. [Die Lösung für Hauseigentümer, die vor einer Zwangsversteigerung stehen, ist einen zweiten Job anzunehmen und auf den Urlaub zu verzichten] 6
7. McCain als commander-in-chief (Oberbefehlshaber)
Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless [zu rücksichtslos] to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic [unberechenbar]. He’s hotheaded [ein Hitzkopf]. He loses his temper [unbeherrscht] and he worries me.” 7
8. Lobbyismus
McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates. [McCain hat mehr Industrie-Lobbyisten in seinem Wahlkampfteam als jeder andere Kandidat] 8
9. Verbindungen zur religiösen Rechten
McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”9
10. Umweltschutz
He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year. 10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be.
Thank you for all you do.
–Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Sources:
1. “The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day,” ABC News, April 3, 2008
https://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
“McCain Facts,” ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
2. “McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq,” Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
“Buchanan: John McCain ‘Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'” ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
3. “McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill,” ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
4. “McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned,” MSNBC, February 18, 2007
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. “2007 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard,” February 2008
“McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion,” CNN, October 3, 2007
https://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. “Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady,” Associated Press, April 3, 2008
“McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'” Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. “Will McCain’s Temper Be a Liability?,” Associated Press, February 16, 2008
“Famed McCain temper is tamed,” Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. “Black Claims McCain’s Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: ‘I Don’t Know What The Criticism Is,'” ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
“McCain’s Lobbyist Friends Rally ‘Round Their Man,” ABC News, January 29, 2008
https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. “McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam,” Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
https://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/
john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
“Will McCain Specifically ‘Repudiate’ Hagee’s Anti-Gay Comments?,” ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
“McCain ‘Very Honored’ By Support Of Pastor Preaching ‘End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'” ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
https://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. “John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record,” Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
— Schlesinger
PS.: Der amerikanische Soldat, der den Südvietnamesen beim waterboarding eines Gefangenen half, wurde vor ein Kriegsgericht gestellt.
(Photo 1: www.MoveOn.org) (Photo 2: Waterboarding im Vietnamkrieg, Wikipedia CC Lizenz)