Friday, April 04, 2008

Disgracing The Memory Of Dr. King Like Only McCain Can

For some strange reason, Presidential candidate John McCain decided to show up in Memphis today to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Why is that odd? Well, for starters, John McCain rejects much of what King stood up for. He was against war, McCain is obviously for it. King wanted so many different things for our society that was meant to help us achieve equality and justice for all, yet McCain is running for George Bush's third term, and that goes together like oil and water. On top of the principles and issues, McCain initially voted against making King's birthday a national holiday...and sought to defund the commission that promoted the holiday as late as the 1994. So what type of response did McCain get in Memphis from those in the crowd?

From The Huffington Post:

Senator John McCain, "who says he will court the African-American vote this year and campaign in places Republicans often shun," spoke in Memphis on Friday to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

But his speech was met with boos and interruptions from many in the audience, as he apologized for repeatedly opposing the creation of a holiday to celebrate King's legacy.

McCain voted against the creation of a holiday honoring King in 1983, a vote which was supported by a large number of Republicans. McCain claimed this week that he was largely unaware on the importance of King's work at the time, due to his Vietnam-era service overseas. Speaking on Thursday to reporters, he explained that his conversion occurred around 1990:

"I voted in my...first year in Congress against it and then I began to learn and I studied and people talked to me. And I not only supported it but I fought very hard in my home state of Arizona for recognition against a governor who was of my own party."

But McCain's voting record since 1990 doesn't support this explanation. In addition to voting to oppose a state holiday in 1987 (which he later supported) and a federal holiday in 1989, McCain voted in 1994 to cut funding for the commission that promoted King's holiday.


This is a hard one for the McCain camp to spin and the comment about reaching out to African-American voters is nothing more than a pleasantry. Beyond the facts of the case, there is something to be said about a picture being worth a thousand words, but a video of McCain being booed (not to mention the man that is keeping him dry) speaks volumes.