Attacking McCain's Child...

[skypilot]

How did the Bush administration attack John McCain's child? I know how they attacked McCain but I seem to have missed this other attack. Randi Rhodes mentions this from time to time as she did today but today was the first time it really sank in to my thick head. What was the nature of this attack on McCain's child?

[Fenris]

1. McCain has an adopted child from, er, Cambodia?

Anyway, the Bush team during the 2000 promaries called voters in SC and asked them if they knew John McCain had a black baby. Which he doesn't. He has an adopted daughter who happens to be Asian. Nasty tactic by the Bushes.

[Bunny]

13. Bangladesh, actually.

n/t

[proud patriot]

2. it was a push poll I believe

"did you know McCain has an illegit black child?"
was the question asked over the phone in the south.

[eyesroll]

3. From what I remember...

The Bush campaign made some phone calls in (South Carolina?) and asked, "would you think less of McCain if you knew he had an illegitimate black daughter?"

His daughter is adopted, from Bengaladesh. The attack threw sex, lies and racism into one neat package.

I swear, the Bushies must have something on McCain, for him to be giving even one second of campaign time to them...

[skypilot]

4. Thanks all.

Actually, I DID know a little something about this. I'd heard about the push poll but I thought the Repubs were referring to a fictitious child--something that I'm sure none of us would put past them. I didn't know that McCain actually had an adopted child.

[hackwriter]

8. This is exactly what happened

This is why McCain has NO more credibility, as far as I'm concerned. To actively campaign for someone who spread rumors and lies and attacked your FAMILY? How much of a whore can he be?

[Cobia]

20. What if McCain does give a s*ht?

What if really doesn't?

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Didn't they pull that shit with Clinton even before they did with McCain?

I know it was in "Primary Colors", but I seem to remember seeing tabloid stories about Clinton's alleged affair with an African American woman and him having a son who was about 12 at the time.

Anybody else remember that?

[K-W]

6. They said soo much about clinton, this was probably one of them.

My favorite was that he was a drug smuggler

[skypilot]

9. ...and that there were crack pipes on the WH Xmas tree.

This in a book titled "Unlimited Access". Wouldn't you think that there would be at least ONE PHOTO of these crack pipes in a book whose title claimed unlimited access?

[knitter4democracy]

16. Yeah, that one was over the top!

I had an ornament on the White House Christmas Tree in 1998, and while it was the ugliest tree I've ever seen (couldn't fit more crap on it if ya tried), there wasn't anything like that. That rumor was such a slap in the face to all the artists around the country who create items for the tree it's not even funny. Grr.

That was a weird December, though . . . Hillary couldn't talk to us during the reception because she was a the Hill trying to talk them out of impeaching her husband that day . . . Ain't government grand?

[bobbieinok]

17. Pat Roberts claimed there were condoms and cock-rings on Clinton tree

I was in a meeting (part of my job) where he said this in 96.

He may have said he had this info from Bob Dole, since he quoted Dole a lot for negative Clinton stuff.

[skypilot]

18. How the fuck does Pat Roberts...

...even know what a cock ring is?!?!

Oh, I forgot. Religious fundie, they're always freakier than they let on.

[skypilot]

7. Actually, that sounds familiar.

I think David Brock talks about it in "Blinded by the Right".

[Bunny]

14. Yes. With a black prostitute, no less.

Can't just be a nice black woman, has to be a black prostitute. They're absolute pigs and they WILL roast in hell.

[Hoosier Democrat]

10. This was the most SHAMEFUL trash I've ever seen...

Having been in politics a long time, I pretty much expect the Republicans to sink to the bottom of the cesspool every elec tion cycle. From Willie Horton to "Barney Fag" to all the crap about Vince Foster, they never cease to amaze.

The comments about "McCain's black baby" really pissed me off. Granted, the little girl is of Asian heritage, but what if she was black and why should her race even matter?? Sadly, there is just too much ignorance in this country and it pisses me off. As the adoptive father of a son who is Latino, I especially find this objectionable. I ignore it, but I can see the glances from people when I take my boys out. Yes, one does look different with his black hair and bronze skin. But why should it matter??

I guess that my personal situation makes me even more infuriated with Senator McCain. I always liked mcCain and thought of him as honorable. This past week, watching him whore for the Bushites, I think I want to be sick.

[Cleita]

11. And McCain is stumping for Bush, why???

Is he being blackmailed?

[HFishbine]

12. Read this

The anatomy of a smear campaign
By Richard H. Davis (McCain's former campaign manager)

<snip>

"It didn't take much research to turn up a seemingly innocuous fact about the McCains: John and his wife, Cindy, have an adopted daughter named Bridget. Cindy found Bridget at Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh, brought her to the United States for medical treatment, and the family ultimately adopted her. Bridget has dark skin.

Anonymous opponents used "push polling" to suggest that McCain's Bangladeshi born daughter was his own, illegitimate black child. In push polling, a voter gets a call, ostensibly from a polling company, asking which candidate the voter supports. In this case, if the "pollster" determined that the person was a McCain supporter, he made statements designed to create doubt about the senator.

Thus, the "pollsters" asked McCain supporters if they would be more or less likely to vote for McCain if they knew he had fathered an illegitimate child who was black. In the conservative, race-conscious South, that's not a minor charge. We had no idea who made the phone calls, who paid for them, or how many calls were made. Effective and anonymous: the perfect smear campaign."

more: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/

[skypilot]

15. Thanks for this article, HFishbine.

*

[southernleftylady]

19. was this those swiftboat backing guys?

i heard that the guys who backed the swiftboat vets did this .. is this true?