McCain: A Chip off of the Bush Republican Block

John McCain likes to tout his independence from the nutwings that make up the Republican Party base. However, neither his voting record nor his recent statements indicate that he will be anything other than a third term Bush administration. McCain has virtually always voted in lock-step with his Republican colleagues. As well, his advisors are almost all industry hacks and lobbyists. The one issue that could have put McCain in good stead with Hispanic voters was his support of a comprehensive immigration reform bill that he co-sponsored with Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. He has now repudiated that position and is in lock-step with the Bush administration’s radical immigration enforcement tactics.

The conventional wisdom put forth by the mainstream media is that McCain is a “maverick” amongst Republicans. But McCain’s right wing position was recently highlighted in a report by the media watchdog, Media Matters. The Media Matters report notes that the media continues to push this maverick narrative against all facts to the contrary. Of special significance is his repudiation of comprehensive immigration reform.

In a March 31 article, the Los Angeles Times claimed that Sen. John McCain's "biography tour" may "soften conservative discomfort with the maverick senator, who has strayed from Republican orthodoxy on immigration and campaign reform." In fact, as Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, McCain has abandoned his previous support for comprehensive immigration legislation to more closely align himself with the base of the Republican Party. McCain asserted on January 30 that he "would not" support his original comprehensive immigration proposal if it came to a vote on the Senate floor, now saying that "we've got to secure the borders 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.

Media Matters also notes another L.A. Times article which hues to the maverick narrative.

In a June 5 Los Angeles Times article, staff writer Michael Finnegan wrote that in the Southwest, where there is an "influx of Latinos," Sen. John McCain "hopes that his support for legalizing many undocumented immigrants, and the political price he paid for it within his party, will keep him competitive with Latinos." Yet Finnegan did not note that during the race for the Republican nomination, McCain reversed himself on the issue of border security, saying that "we've got to secure the borders 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. Indeed, McCain said in January that he "would not" support the comprehensive immigration reform legislation he once sponsored with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

Latinos never had much reason to support the Senator from Arizona. Arizona has put in place some of the harshest anti-immigrant measures in the country. Neo-Nazi Sheriff, Joe Arpaio has used these measures to harass Latinos. McCain has not uttered a peep of protest against these highly punitive and discriminatory measures. Whatever hopes the Republicans had of splitting the Latino vote in key swing states are quickly dissipating.

Links:

http://mediamatters.org/items/200804010006?f=s_search

http://mediamatters.org/items/200806040010?f=h_latest

http://mediamatters.org/items/200805220003?f=s_search

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