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June 7, 2006

Is John McCain a "Pro-Bill of Rights" Republican?

Carroll Andrew Morse

Senator John McCain is coming to Rhode Island to stump for Senator Lincoln Chafee. Senator Chafee describes himself as a “pro-Bill of Rights Republican”, while Senator McCain is less keen on the importance of the Bill of Rights.

Would you classify the following statement as "pro-Bill of Rights"…

I would rather have a country safe from terrorism than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected that has become vulnerable.
Then what do you think of this one…
I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected that has become corrupt.
The second statement is a direct quote from Senator McCain.

I would have hoped that Senator Chafee was accepting Senator McCain’s support in spite of rather than because of his troubling record on limiting political speech, but that does not appear to be the case. The Chafee camapaign’s announcement of Senator McCain’s appearance touts Senator McCain’s campaign campaign finance reform “achievements”…

U.S. Senator John McCain will be the honored guest at a Summer Picnic held on June 17th at the Exeter, RI home of U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee and his wife Stephanie.

Senator McCain chairs the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and serves on the Armed Services, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committees. Senator McCain ran for President in 2000. In the Senate, McCain has successfully overseen important campaign finance reforms and has been a fierce deficit hawk.

In the words of Federal Election Commision chairman Bradley Smith, Senator McCain's campaign finance reforms have created a legal regime where the average American gets “less protection talking about your congressman than for Internet pornography sites or burning a cross outside a church or topless dancing."

Those interested in handicapping the 2008 Presidential race should be aware that Senator McCain’s record concerning the limitation of political speech is going to be as big a problem for him as the “religious right” or immigration policy when it comes to surviving the Republican primary process.

Comments

McCain is a RINO who should be thrown out of the Senate along with Gregg, DeWine, Voinovich, Lugar, Sununu, Smith, Snowe, Specter, Collins and Chafee, all who have more liberal voting records than McCain!

That would leave us with 44 Republican senators and 56 Democrats senators.

Only when the GOP has 12 fewer senators then the Democrats will we really be able to move the conservative movement forward!

Maybe Steve Laffey has a brother who can primary McCain in Arizona?

Posted by: Anthony at June 7, 2006 5:24 PM

McCain suffers from some kind of abuse syndrome if he's crawling back to a wing of the party that questioned his sanity and accused his wife of being on drugs.
He's lost his appeal to Democrats, too. His maverick streak jumped the shark when he kissed Falwell's boots.

Posted by: Rhody at June 7, 2006 7:07 PM

Kissing the boots of a religious leader is far less offensive than lip-kissing a man whose only contribution to society was performed staring into the hind end of a horse.

The backlash over McCain's support for Chafee will be much more detrimental to his Presidential aspirations than his relationship with Falwell.

Posted by: Roadrunner at June 8, 2006 1:58 PM

I'm sure McCain is really scared that his support for Chafee will hurt him.

Club for Growth has targeted McCain for a long time citing him as the "poster child" for what is wrong in the Republican Party. If I were Linc Chafee, I'd feel that I'm in pretty good company.

Both McCain and Chafee speak their minds, whether you like it or not. Deal with it.

Posted by: Anthony at June 8, 2006 10:20 PM

Are there two Anthonys on this board? The one I see here more often is pro-Chafee. The first post, I'm suspecting, comes from an imposter Anthony.
Roadrunner, are you saying the GOP primary choice is between someone who used to work on the hind end of a horse and the said hind end itself? LOL

Posted by: Rhody at June 9, 2006 12:35 AM