Late Edition's McCain Flip-Flop Flashback
By Bill W. Saturday Jun 28, 2008 9:00pm
CNN's Late Edition dug from their archives this clip of John McCain in August of 1999:
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Heather)
McCain: I think that we must go back to the party platform of 1980 and 1984 - we include people who have specific disagreements who share our same goals. Ultimately, I would like to see the repeal of Roe v. Wade, but to do it immediately, I think, would condemn young women to dangerous and illegal operations.
See, back in 1999, McCain was walking a tightrope by calling himself pro-life on a personal level while at the same time assuring pro-choice voters for pragmatic reasons that “in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade.” Yet, today, McCain says bluntly right on his website that "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned."
It's really hard to overstate the audacity of those in the media who tried to make Obama's recent decision to opt out of public campaign financing out to be some colossal flip-flop without even mentioning the fact that McCain has now flip-flopped a gazillion times on almost every issue under the sun. To summarize just a few of Steve Benen's list of McCain flip-flops:
- McCain was against the repeal of Roe v. Wade before he was for it.
- McCain was against torture before he was for it. Really for it.
- McCain was against crazy right-wing preachers like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson before he was for them.
- McCain was against Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy before he was for them.
- McCain was against shady Bush "Pioneer" Texas billionaire swift-boat financiers before he was for them.
- McCain was for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law before he was against it and began breaking it.
- McCain was against Grover Norquist, whom he called "corrupt, a shill for dictators" before he was for him.
- McCain was against BJU because of its "hateful," "racist and cruel" policies before he was for it.
- McCain was against ethanol before he was for ethanol and then he was against it again.
- McCain was against a Martin Luther King holiday before he was for it. ...
And that's not all. There's many many more. In fact, here's an even longer list. McCain has reversed his former positions to fall more in line with the Bush administration so many times now it's really hard to tell Bush and McCain apart (can you beat my 3 out of 5 on the first try?). It might actually be easier to list the issue(s) McCain hasn't (yet) flip-flopped on, although I can't think of a single one right offhand.
Login or Register to post comments.
Hola
I got 4 - first try!
I was actually thrown by the assault weapons question, but I should have known Bush would be the one who wants to take the guns out of Americans hands...hell you can't have a proper dictatorship if your public is armed!
This is what Rahm Emanuel should have said to the pecker Tim Pawlenty.
Dahgrostab'ph-r-i @ 2:
ok you're a wonk, or a really good guesser.
I got 3 right but I also guessed on 3. lol
Why in the world anyone think that pro-choice people would want to join political forces with a party that has the "ultimate goal" of ending abortion??
IF the law were somehow repealed, wouldn't that be and end to that choice?
What hasn't McCain flip-flopped on?
When will MSM point out all of McCain's flip-flops? Oh right, there still to busy talking about Obama's rejecting public financing and Bill Clinton. All we have to do is throw in another poor missing white girl and MSM will forget McCain is even running.
Hey! Way to go! This is the kind of post that deserves attention. It illustrates each and every example of how Grandpa John has changed and why he should be disqualified as eligible for President.
He hasn’t flip-flopped on the status of his US Citizenship yet. But give him time. I’m sure it will come up eventually.
"flip-flopper" is such a nice euphemism - let's call McCain what he really is:
an arrogant, opportunistic, sociopathic LIAR.
justabill @ 7:
I have yet to hear John McInsain say he was wrong or even just mistaken (or taken out of context) when he referred to his wife Cindy as a trollop and c**t.
.
McFish = McFlipper
.
It's not a flip-flop, he's just having a senior moment.
Man, this site is getting to be so boring...every other article is about what McCain ate for breakfast or who McCain shook hands with.
Yaaaaaaawwwwwnnnnnn.
How about the Congressional democrats AGREEING to give Bush $400 million to start covert operations INSIDE IRAN, hoping to provoke another war?
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/17/060417fa_fact
All democrat and republican supporter/asskissers are out of their friggin' minds.
Site Monitor: If you want to have that discussion, why don't scroll 2 down to that topic?
This should be a commercial... McCain's beliefs in his own words.
this truly is the democrats election to lose
True @ 15:
Dude, there's a Chinese proverb that states, "If you're bored, it's probably your fault. If you're so "bored" why the hell are you here? I do understand how you feel because McChameleon has flip flopped incredibily so many times that it becomes unimportant to you(kind of like the murder of innocent Iraqis, or Dubya's lawbreaking).
Cuba
mcsame hasn't flip flopped on Cuba
he hated Castro last week, he hates Castro this week, and he'll hate Castro next week
pretty consistent on that
I don't think Cuba is the issue that decides this election, but ya never know ...
Dahgrostab'ph-r-i @ 3:
Actually, having guns didn't bother the Third Reich any. The USSR OTOH banned guns entirely. But Nazi Germany was pro-gun rights. We all know Hitler was evil. Not to mention even the Russian Tsars allowed guns, as did the Kaisers, and neither the German or Russian empires were especially democratic.
True @ 15:
go back to france
Seriously, this sorry old man is either a liar and or he has no credible position on any issue. McCONFUSION CANNOT BE TRUSTED!
You really are the worst country on the planet, you know that right? Also, did you know that you will never recover from this blight? Yep, you're toast and there are millions of people eating popcorn just watching you implode. Pretty cool, except for the nice people I know who happen to be Americans by misadventure. I feel so bad that they were led astray by a crowd of assholes who lied and cheated their way to power. EG - "Impeachment is not on the table." Yikes, what the hell was she thinking??? History will show her as a failure supreme.
3 out of 5.
4 out of five. I've been paying attention.
McCain Campaign TALKING POINTS MEMO:
"John McCain believes in positions that are good for the country... not just good for the party!"
Everybody is sucking this krap up... without considering the following:
The Republican Party has specialized on policy issues in recent years that have been TERRIBLE FOR THE COUNTRY; so McCain takes an opposing popsition, simply because he does not want to support his party line!
From a far RIGHT point of view, that makes he a "maverick."
From a "CENTER" point of view, that's just him covering his ass.
True @ 15:
So McCain's endless contradictions about virtually EVERY SINGLE policy position he has ever been asked about aren't newsworthy?
Sorry, but that's just bullshit.
C&L and other progressive websites must keep talking about McHypocrite's blatant flipflops. There is no other option.
as a registered dem im more interested in our own candidate's recent flip floppage over FISA and the abject negligence the dems in the legislature are committed to.
as long as impeachment is off the table expect iran and anything else bush wants to fuck up before leaving office is on the table.
honestly i wasnt surprised by obama's true corporately owned colors to show. this shit he's saying about FISA how lets pass it now and he'll fix it later is similar to what he said when he voted to renew the bill of rights shredder known as the patriot act.
im so fed up with the dem leadership umm and ahhing their way through bumbling explanations as to why they're voting yes on unconstitutional laws. the republicans might be able to get away with that shit because the vast majority of their constituents probably havnt read the constitution or the bill of rights since 5th grade.
the dems dont have that luxury. our base is wising up.
now what are we gonna do about it?
im a very concerned registered dem too and voted for kerry last time around. it was the first election i voted in. i still remember the fact kerry conceded before the votes were counted in ohio.
to this day i still have no idea why he conceded.
the last person to ask kerry why got tased.
lets hope obama isnt gonna go out like that too.
freepatriot @ 19:
Give him time. Ask him often enough and he'll flip flop on that.
Freepatriot;
I just received new info; McBush has flip-flopping on CUBA
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/15924.html
Ann Telnaes has a good political cartoon at the WaPo this morning comparing Obama's flips to McCain's many flops:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/...
Okay, I'll brag on myself and say I got all 5 - and didn't guess on any.
Roket @ 10:
What does this mean? there is no question about his citizenship. He was born to two US citizens, at an American military base. That automatically makes him a native-born American citizen.
There's enough legitimate reasons for rejecting McLame; we don't need to use false talking points the way the Repugs do.
McCain was against the new GI Bill before he decided that he was proud of the fact that "we" passed it.
McCain doesn't think twice about making contradictory statements because he knows nobody will ever call him on it -nobody will ever ask him to explain why, or give reasons for his contradictions - he would really be in trouble if he had to face journalists in the UK - because they always do embarrassing follow ups - that's why the news readers in the US will never be termed 'journalists' - Ever notice that McCain has termed his campaign 'Straight Talk' because it never is - GOPers always put a great label on stuff just so they can lie like bandits!
McCain the liar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WztMGVY0zts
McCain's flip flop on Water-boarding and foolish promises
http://youtube.com/watch?v=axrgFGZYFzE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s4-PqAXRIRU&feature=user
JEEBUS FARKIN CRISPIES can anyone name one position obamalamadingdong HASN'T flipfloped on? Irony is truly dead.
McCain finds abortion "unpleasant". Has Mr McCain ever _had an abortion? Has he ever been faced with a difficult economic life choice with a baby in his belly? Please crawl back into your republican hole.
This guy has zero intellectual rigor... he just drifts with the wind and adapts his policy outlook to whatever will benefit him at the time... sure he stood against his party in campaign finance reform (because he had his own corrupt background) and immigration... but, he got no where with these issues... and was really just supporting Bush on immigration reform...
he is more of a flip flopper on the issues than most politicians...
the question is what is he selling now... what are his policy stands now.. and do you agree with them...? if you do then vote for him... if not then don't vote for him......
if you think he has the right policy on the Supreme Court, Iraq, abortion, the economy, healthcare.. etc. then vote for him?
the rest is just bullshit...
secularhumanizinevoluter @ 39:
I will give you a big one... Obama has been against the Iraq war from the beginning... he still is... he still thinks it was a mistake... whether he could have done anything about it, is a different matter (given the Republicans had complete control for 6 years there was zero the Democrats could have done and after that Bush continually used is veto pen...)... he was one of the few to stand up against it... now he and all of us have to live with this bullshit war....
"I would like to see the repeal of Roe v. Wade, but to do it immediately, I think, would condemn young women to dangerous and illegal operations."
I guess it would be ok to condemn these young women at a later date.
Pay attention, angry women who threaten to vote for McCain or not vote for Obama because of sexism.
Phillip @ 42:
yeh obamas so against the war he votes to fund it...
pffft
ummm @ 44:
Man...you loser ass Repubs NEVER tell the truth! You know damn well Obama supported the funding of the troops and their well being. If he hadn't, your troll ass would come here proclaiming that Obama was a secret Muslim who left the military high and dry. Get ready for a well deserved ass whipping in November liar....The public is on to your bullshit.
editor @ 40:
He much prefers squeezing a baby out of his vagina.
Rusty Bombshell Video Shackleford @ 46:
He thinks repealing Roe v Wade during an election year will make many women want to abort their babies so that baby won't have to live in a world of President McCain. If we wait until after his term is over, then less women will abort their babies.
Repealing Roe v Wade, no matter WHEN you do it, will force women to get abortions illegally. That has proven to be dangerous in the past. The same percentages of women were getting abortions before Roe v Wade as after it. The difference was the percentage that were dying from back alley abortions.
I've been compiling a list over on DailyKos. I wanted just mostly Youtube vids of McCain damning himself. Check it out.
Here's the latest from Robert Greenwald:
http://existentialistcowboy.blogspot.com/2008/06/john-mccain-is-unstable...
ummm @ 44:
Off course he voted to fund it... there was really no choice...
but, that does not mean that he flip flopped on him being for or against the war... he has consistently been against the war from day one... few other Democrats can claim that... and McCain has consisently been for the war from day one... a very big stark difference...
both McCain and Obama have not flipped flopped on their position on the war...
You decide on who was right... and vote accordingly....
And by the way if you are for the war why don't you join up and go fight yourself... or better yet why don't you send your kids over there to fight the war....???? put your money where your mouth is... and you can also vote for McCain... and go fight his "other wars" that he talks about...
George Bush's Third Term: A List of McCain's Flip Flops/Etc.
http://www.georgebushsthirdterm.blogspot.com/
McCain Flip-Flops on Public Financing
The Nation -- Media pundits, spurred on by the McCain campaign, went apoplectic last week over Barack Obama's decision not to seek public funding for the general election.
ADVERTISEMENT
Yet McCain's own flip-flop on public financing in the GOP primary has been largely buried or ignored in media coverage, even though it is far more serious--including potentially legally--than Obama's symbolic "broken pledge."
Yes, We got the flip flopping thing on both sides on many different topics. As far as I know the majority of McCains have been over his career, while Obamas have been in the past 4 to 5 months.
Login or Register to post comments.