In an ultimate act of political cynicism, John McCain is planning an address in Memphis today to supposedly commerate the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. The only problem is that McCain had once voted against making MLK day an official federal holiday, and now that it's an election year John McCain would sure like to have the votes of African Americans as well as any supporters of civil rights. It seems that McCain has had a sudden election year political conversion on race issues.
It is such cynical acts of political phoniness that really turn off many voters. Pandering politicians have terrible voting records on important issues while in office, but then work hard the deceive voters about their actual records when they seek higher offices. McCain would sure like voters to forget that he also was a strong political defender of outrageous racist Arizona Governor Evan Mecham who made his first act in office rescinding the state MLK holiday that was approved in the state. McCain made a real effort to defend this racism by Mecham.
And McCain's record of racist votes didn't just stop with the federal MLK holiday vote. McCain voted against the 1990 Civil Rights Act. And McCain even voted against an antidiscrimination bill intended to protect employees based on race four times in 1990 as well.
McCain has even surrounded himself with outrageous racist advisors as well such as Richard Quinn, who acted as McCain's South Carolina advisor during his failed 2000 presidential campaign. Quinn has also advocated for the election of former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke to federal office. Quinn has even sold outrageous and offensive t-shirts that celebrated the assassination of Abraham Lincoln through a website that he operates, but even this wasn't enough for McCain to disassociate himself with this absurd racist. During the 2000 presidential campaign, McCain refused calls from outraged voters to fire Quinn as an advisor to the McCain presidential campaign and instead defended his hard core racist friend by calling him a "fine man".
And McCain's rotten instincts haven't just stopped with his mere votes against the civil rights of minorities, but have extended over to opposition to Gay rights as well. McCain has consistently opposed antidiscrimination and crime bills intended to protect Gay Americans from hate crimes and job discrimination both. During this latest campaign for president, McCain has attracted the support of antiGay radical Pastor John Hagee of San Antonio who denounces Gay Americans from the pulpit calling them "degenerates". Hagee has also attacked the Roman Catholic faith as well. McCain also has attracted support from extremist evangelist Rod Parsley of Ohio as well who is also another outspoken critic of the Gay community.
McCain's best hope is that voters are simply too stupid to look at his rotten record of support for racism and racists, and wrongfully believe that he's some sort of political moderate, which is hardly the case. McCain's views on race have been way out of mainstream of most Republicans for years. Most Republican legislators have far more moderate records on civil rights issues and have had kind words for Dr. Martin Luther King compared to McCain. Today, McCain will show up in Memphis and offer some phony politically moltivated praise for Dr. Martin Luther King, but it's only because McCain is running for president and now wants votes.
Perhaps the discussion of race this election year will now turn to John McCain, who almost makes Rev. Wright look good by comparison. McCain's views on race issues could even prove to be his political undoing when more voters examine his terrible record on this important social issue.
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