User Comments

1. 

   8/20/08

   satijournal

   ... and McCain's motto is "America First." Doesn't quite seem like he's putting America first.

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2. 

   8/20/08

   Decameron

   Well, he's been pretty busy running for the highest office in the world, so the absences are understandable. Barack Obama has in fact missed much more Senate work than McCain. He in fact missed the most votes during the primary season than McCain and missed much more than his main opponent, Sen. Clinton.
   It's unavoidable that candidates, whether they be congressmen, senators or governors, will miss their regular duties during campaigns. But rather than dump on John McCain who's put in decades of service, why not consider Barack Obama, who has been running for President for half of his Senate career! He was sworn in in January 2005 and announced his candidacy in February 2007 and has been picking up a salary for campainging ever since. Obama's been campaigning for President for more than 40% of his Senate career. For McCain to have spent that same proportion of time away from his Senate duties, he would have had to have been campaigning for 8 and a half years!

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   1. 

      8/20/08

      RenalFailure

      Obama has missed more votes? Liar.
      
      McCain has missed 63.8% of the votes of the 110th Congress, Obama missed 45.5% of the votes. McCain has missed more votes than the Senator who missed a good chunk of time recovering from a brain hemorrhage.
      
      projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/vote-missers/
   2. 

      8/20/08

      Wisco

      RenalFailure beat me to it. It's really helpful to know what the hell you're talking about. Pulling "facts" out of your rear does nothing to advance the debate -- it only reinforces the already solid perception that McCain backers don't worry too much about the truth.
3. 

   8/20/08

   clioandme

   I kinda wanted to puke when in a speech this week he got harsh on Congress for taking a recess in August. Besides dealing with constituents and their own reelection campaigns, I was wondering how McCain could bash Congress like this when he is supposedly a member of it. That is his major credential, right? And he's not working in Washington either, right?

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4. 

   8/21/08

   jan4insight

   Sati, I < 3 you for posting this!
   
   To add to McCain's welfare-queen-ism, he also gets the best health care insurance in the country, as a member of Congress. (yes, I know all the other s get it, I'm just sayin')

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5. 

   8/21/08

   satijournal

   This is the kind of thing right-wing pundits and bloggers would be all over if it was a democrat. And if it wasn't on the front page of the newspapers, they'd be crying liberal bias. Maybe democrats need a few Hannitys and O'Reillys to hammer on these issues until someone takes notice.

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   1. 

      8/21/08

      jan4insight

      We have Amy Goodman;-)
      
      Actually, I like Democracy Now - unfortunately, too many people label that show "bias" or "predictable" which baffles me, because Amy and her co-hosts really don't make statements. They ask questions, sometimes pretty tough questions, and their guests are the ones who have answer.
      
      Also, Democracy Now tends to report stories that the MSM won't touch with a 10-foot pole. And these are stories we really need to hear. But some people call that biased, or predictable. Go figure.
   2. 

      8/21/08

      satijournal

      I like Amy Goodman, but there's too much depth. I've you've ever listened to Hannity or O'Reilly, they get one talking point and feign outrage over it for the entire show -- sometimes for several shows, and they yell at people who disagree with them. That's what the public latches onto, not some "in depth analysis" where you have to "process information" or use "critical thinking skills."
   3. 

      8/21/08

      clioandme

      "too much depth"
      
      But really, is it asking too much for people to act at least a little smarter?
   4. 

      8/21/08

      satijournal

      You can ask until you're blue in the face but it ain't gonna happen. A lot of people are too busy or too lazy to get any more information than what they see on the evening news. And most people vote out of gut instinct rather than making an informed decision.
6. 

   8/21/08

   Autorotate

   I suppose Obama's been working hard all along?

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   1. 

      8/21/08

      Wisco

      A lot harder than McCain has.
   2. 

      8/21/08

      clioandme

      @Autorate: Didn't you see the contribution above with the numbers and source? www.blogcatalog.com/politics/discuss/entry/john-mccain-a-welfare-queen#comm...