Postmodern John McCain: the presidential candidate some Arizonans know — and loathe

[kevinmc]

Amy Silvermanhas put together a collection of incidents and outrages detailing the John McCain that Arizona knows. It is a real contrast to the Sainted Senator from Hanoi that most Americans have been exposed to and one that should be read by anyone who wants to vote this year.

I've been a writer and editor at New Times for 15 years. For much of that time, I wrote about Arizona politics, which is to say that I wrote about John McCain. It's still odd to see the guy in the spotlight, because for quite a while, I was pretty much the only one covering him.

I never did fall for him in the way reporters fall for politicians, probably because he wasn't much to fall for back in the early 1990s. In those days, McCain was still rehabilitating the image he'd later sell to the national media. He was known then for cavorting in the Bahamas with Charlie Keating, rather than for fighting for campaign finance reform and limited government spending.

No one seems to remember Keating much, anymore. Amazing. McCain and his fellow Arizonan, Democrat Dennis DeConcini, were hauled before the Senate Ethics Committee along with three other senators to explain their actions on behalf of Keating's Lincoln Savings and Loan.

Keating gave the senators hefty campaign contributions, then called on them to meet with bank regulators to pressure them to go soft on an investigation of Lincoln. There were two infamous meetings. McCain attended both......................More Here

[redqueen]

1. Thanks for posting this!

:kick:

[PatSeg]

2. Everyone needs to read this article

John Edwards is dominating all the news today, as well as the boards. This is an important article and shouldn't be overshadowed by illicit sex.

[opihimoimoi]

3. K&R need 1 more ...com'on peeps....this is a must....

[PatSeg]

4. I agree totally

I've kicked the one in GD numerous times.

[gateley]

5. K&R! Thanks for posting! nt

[kevinmc]

6. kick

[blondeatlast]

7. Dupe, but the more this gets seen, the better. Silverman knows the man and ISN'T charmed by him

unlike most reporters. She's been doing her best to keep him honest for a couple of decades now.

[Chloroplast]

8. A must read. K&R!

[AZBlue]

9. "Some" Arizonans? No - many, many Arizonans.

Thanks for the post - K&R!

[Gabi Hayes]

10. don't forget the Globe article, with lots of damning details:

http://graphics.boston.com/news/politics/campaign2000/news/Pluck_leaks_helped_senator_to_overcome_S_L_scandal+.shtml

[Gabi Hayes]

11. or this one, from Silverman. why isn't SHE being interview by anyone? Olbermann????

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs/

You're U.S. Senator John McCain, and you've got a big problem.

Your wife, Cindy, was addicted to prescription painkillers. She stole pills from a medical-aid charity she heads and she used the names of unsuspecting employees to get prescriptions.

John McCain, Cindy McCainThe public is about to find out about it.
Until now, you've managed to keep it all quiet. When Tom Gosinski, a man your wife fired, sued for wrongful termination and threatened to expose the whole sordid story, you didn't hesitate to call in the big guns.

John Dowd, the attorney who got you out of your Keating Five mess, worked on getting your wife a sweetheart deal with federal prosecutors. He also made Gosinski's lawsuit go away.

He didn't stop there.
To help maintain your reputation and discredit your wife's accuser, Dowd called Maricopa County Attorney Richard Romley and complained that Gosinski was trying to extort money. Romley, your Republican ally, promptly launched an extortion investigation.

[Gabi Hayes]

12. or this one, the most DAMNING thing I've seen yet, from the former publisher of the AZ Republic:

McCain’s artfully contrived persona of a high-minded champion of political virtue works: Washington reporters blindly lionize McCain.

But venerable Washington Post columnist David Broder warned on NBC’s "Meet the Press":

"After the experience we all had with President Clinton, I’m not inclined to discount the view of home state reporters and journalists who have covered a candidate over the years," meaning McCain.

But except for Boston Globe reporter Walter Robinson who spent several weeks digging into McCain’s Arizona behavior and reporting his dark side, Washington reporters avoid disturbing their "hero" perception of McCain.

ABC’s 20/20 almost gave the nation a clearer snapshot. Sam Donaldson taped an interview with Amy Silverman, of The Phoenix New Times, regarded as Arizona journalism’s expert on McCain. But the segment was canceled the night before airing, fueling speculation that McCain’s powerful Senate Commerce Committee’s oversight of broadcasting makes TV wary of offending him.

http://www.mtexpress.com/1999/12-29-99/12-29murphy.htm

this is from 1999-2000!

and the rest of the stuff in here is dynamite enough to sink ten campaigns

why isn't this all over the place?

took me ten seconds to find, when I googled "amy silverman mccain"

[FrenchieCat]

13. Kicking this too! LOL!