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Jewish World Review June 14, 2001/ 25 Sivan, 5761
Marianne M. Jennings
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
NO general is a hero to his valet. John McCain does not enjoy the
star-struck fan base here in Arizona that he has found in the national media.
Chris Matthews waxes rhapsodic about our not-so-native son. Mr. Matthews
has never connected McCain's draw on the Hardball college tour and popularity
among America's studying youth with Cindy McCain's father, the beer
distributor. If you liquor them up, they will come.
But our "maverick senator," as he is called by Katie Couric, Cokie Roberts
and other perkily named media stars, does not meet Arizona minimum standards
for "maverick." We grow 'em feisty. Barry Goldwater was beloved here whilst
still a kook to Huntley and Brinkley. Legend has it that once, in the wee
hours, the current mayor of Prescott painted a crosswalk near town bars while
three sheets to the wind. We've had two governors indicted, one convicted,
and one with bad hair (Gov. Rose Mofford's white beehive, not Evan Mecham).
McCain is tolerated here, not beloved. He is a gunfighter who rides into
town, shots flying in the air. He makes a ruckus, draws attention, and plays
hero, the cowboy come to save us all. We have just let McCain do his little
show so long as he understood not to hit anything. One of his random shots
hit when he voted against the Bush tax plan. During President Bush's
Memorial Day visit here, Senator Jon Kyl's mention of McCain's name drew
booing. The president's listing of political Poobahs brought applause until
the deafening silence on McCain's name. We hicks are not Yale-trained and
opted not to boo the Prez.
We define "maverick" by an obstinacy born of principle. McCain can't have
the maverick mantle until we can decipher what his principles are. He is a
flirt. His constant eye-blinking and forced smile are those of a tart who
teases, but never dates. He is like former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
(except without the brains, having finished fifth from the bottom at the
Naval Academy) who duped everyone with his moral hand wringing, only to end
up voting a party line, defecting only when the party has the votes.
One minute McCain releases a statement of party loyalty, and as the ink
dries, Tom Daschle moseys to the McCain spread in Cottonwood on the eve of
Daschle's rise to power. McCain scolded on Jeffords' defection, "Tolerance
of dissent is the hallmark of a mature party, and it is well past time for
the Republican Party to grow up." Then he demanded that the ASU College
Republicans take down their critical Web site on him.
The media have selective amnesia when it comes to McCain's Joan-of-Arc act on
campaign finance reform. He is John-come-lately there, having been one of
the Keating Five. Charles Keating sent out the kind of vibes that would send
Vito Corleone packing, as it were. But McCain wined, dined, flew and cashed
in with Keating, professing ignorance when Keating's shenanigans saw
daylight. Either McCain lied or he was monumentally naïve. Neither trait is
maverick material.
So smitten are the media that they also ignore McCain's voting record.
Comparing his rhetoric with his votes shows McCain to be either a hypocrite
or politically schizophrenic.
When asked whether his daughter would ever have an abortion, McCain referred
to it as her choice or a "family choice." When confronted again, he touted a
100% right-to-life voting record. He has a 60% approval rating from National
Right to Life.
He preaches reducing government size but favored the tobacco settlements, an
airline passengers' bill of rights and no deregulation of telecommunications
(AT&T, Bell South, Qwest are all big McCain donors). Squelching competition
reduces government size? He has voted consistently for military spending
cuts, one way of reducing size.
McCain is not too often at odds with Jesse Helms. He'll work with Lieberman
on gun registration legislation but votes 100% with the NRA. (Helms 100%) He
has a 60% approval rating from the John Birch Society (Helms 84%) and a big
0% from the National Hispanic Leadership Program (Helms 0%). Animal rights
group give him a 0-20% (Helms 20-25%) and the ACLU gives him 0% (Helms -
same). Teachers' unions give him a 0-25% (Helms is 0-10%) and labor puts him
at 16% (Helms 14%). Business entrepreneurs put him at almost 100% (Helms is
100%). NOW gives McCain a 15% and Helms a 0%. Tax reform groups put McCain
at 65-87% and Helms at 85-95%. By his voting record, this is one
conservative guy.
Mr. McCain is an enigma. His valor as a Vietnam POW for five years deserves
respect. Yet, Mr. McCain is a twit. He called a large retirement community
here, Leisure World (his base), "Seizure World." He mocked Chelsea Clinton's
looks when the Clintons first began their 8 years of pilferage.
John McCain and his coquettish blinks are part of Arizona folklore. He is
all hat and no cattle. If he starts voting as he talks, firing off shots that
hurt, we'll give him the boot, and I don't mean a pair of
06/07/01: No stroke of genius
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