Ed Shultz vs Senator McCain: "McCain and our Vets"

[chknltl]

This morning The Ed Shultz Show took on Senator McCain's position regarding our veterans. He does so by examining McCain's voting record. He further challenges ANY McCain supporter to call into his show and prove that McCain is not a warmonger. Ed has spent the last two weeks examining McCain and has hit him pretty hard on a number of issues including his notorious anger control problem.

Here is Big Eddie's (fan's call him 'Big Eddie'), list of McCain's voting record regarding vets:

http://www.wegoted.com/News/more.asp?ID=4398

(4/7/2008 )
McCain Refuses to Support Sen. Jim Webb’s and Chuck Hagel’s new GI Bill.

The bill, officially called the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007", would establish a program of educational assistance for members of the Armed Forces who serve in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001.

Sen. Jim Webb has called on McCain to sign on as a co-sponsor to his GI bill

The bill has 51 co-sponsors – including 9 Republicans – but needs 60 co-sponsors to make it filibuster proof.

McCain Voted Against $19 Billion for Military Hospitals, Choosing Tax Cutes for Wealthiest Earners over Veterans.

In February 2006, McCain voted against an amendment that would have provided for at least $19 billion for military health facilities, paid for by eliminating tax cuts for the wealthiest earners.
*Senate Amendment 2735, Amendment failed.


McCain Voted Against Legislation to Provide $2.8 Billion For Medical Care for Veterans.

McCain voted against a 2006 Democratic amendment that would have provided $2.8 billion to increase veterans’ medical care.
*Senate Amendment 149, Amendment failed.

McCain Voted Against Establishing $1 Billion Trust Fund to Provide Improvements to Military and Veterans’ Health Facilities

McCain voted against an Amendment to establish a $1 billion trust fund to provide improvements to health facilities that treat veterans and military personnel paid for by allowing dividends and capital gains tax breaks, for those with incomes greater than $1 million to lapse on December 31, 2006.
*Senate Amendment 2735

McCain Chooses Corporations Over Veterans, Voting Against Adding $1.5 billion to Veterans’ Medical Services in 2007 Budget by Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes.

McCain voted against an Amendment offered by Democrats to increase medical services funding to veterans by $1.5 billion in 2007, to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
*Senate Amendment 3007

McCain Voted Against Mandatory Funding of $6.9 Billion in 2007 Budget and $104 Billion Over Five Years for Veterans' Health Care.

McCain voted against a Democratic amendment to provide a mandatory stream of funding of $6.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2007 and $104 billion over five years for veterans' health care; paid for by restoring the pre-2001 top tax rate for incomes over $1 million and closing various corporate tax loopholes.
Senate Amendment 3141

September 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments.

The legislation would have provided minimum periods between deployment of units and members of the Armed Forces deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
*Senate Amendment 2909

April 2006: McCain one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430 million for Medical Services for the Department of Veteran Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

Despite his vote against, it passed overwhelmingly, 84-13 (3 not voting). All 13 voting against were Republicans.
*Senate Amendment 3642

October 2003: McCain voted against an amendment offered by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322 million for safety equipment for troops in Iraq.
*Senate Amendment 1817

April 2003: McCain voted against an amendment that would have provided more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.
*Senate Amendment 452

August 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650 million.
*Senate Amendment 1218

Big Eddie urges all progressives and dems to focus on Senator McCain. He wants to prevent the nightmare of a third Bush term which he feels is EXACTLY what Senator McCain is offering regardless of what the Senator or his supporters would have us believe.

[maseman]

1. You know I see a lot of people in DU

refer to Ed Schultz as "like Rush Limbaugh."

No offense, but I have NEVER heard Limbaugh stand up against John McCain for voting in the Senate against veteran rights. I have never heard Limbaughdo anyhing but pontificate for more tax cuts as a shill for the right-wing party.

I'm sorry but Ed Schultz is the best thing to hit progressive talk radio in years. Gee, he's also much more successful on Jones Radio than anyone on Air America.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. He's what I call a 'Mid-west leftie"

Farthest-left thing they've seen in the mid-west... but he's a little to far to the right for us far-left lefties.

Truthfully, the poor man's voice sounds just like limp-balls. other than that, he's nothing like him.

[chknltl]

19. He has some of druggie limbaugh's manerisms...

...when it comes to his on-air persona but there it ends. I agree with you, Big Eddie is taking it to McCain as nobody else is doing. He is RELENTLESSLY hitting McCain with McCain's own words and records. He urges everyone to take a long hard look at McCain. He feels that McCain has gotten a pass long enough and Ed is doing what he can to get the word out about this bad tempered war-monger.

I further agree with you, Ed Shultz is one of the best things to hit progressive radio in years. He talks to the common man, as well as the cognoscenti who lurk here and in the blogosphere. To some degree, all of the progressive radio hosts are teachers, unlike Thom Hartmann, Ed is teaching those who would be woefully lost trying to keep up with Hartmann. Ed keeps things simple, in this he is again like limbaugh but unlike the propaganda rush spews, Ed Shultz is giving his audience a fair dose of reality and keeping it on a level rush fans can easily grasp.

[driver8]

23. Ed Schultz is also very pro-labor.

That makes him ok in my book!

[madinmaryland]

3. I'm surprised the Ed-haters here haven't come out about this.

Guess they are a bit confused between their hatred to Ed and McCain. :rofl:

I actually enjoy listening to Big Eddie. He represents a part of the country that in the past we dems have not reached out to.

[JDPriestly]

4. I like Ed Schultz. They took him off our L.A. station.

I wish they would put him back on.

[Disturbed]

6. McSame is a Hypocrite.

His voting record proves it.

“Hypocrisy, my friends, is the most obvious of political sins — and the people will punish it,” John McCain

Yeah, he needs to be punished.

[calimary]

24. I miss him, too.

I'm still stunned that they decided to take him off the air. Only one of the most prominent progressive voices we have. And in the second-largest radio market in the country!?!?!

Wouldn't have done it, were I programming the place. But I'd make more changes than that. First of all, on a progressive political talk station, you do NOT yank primary coverage - including California primary coverage - because of a hockey game from another city. WTF? And they did that at least three different primary Tuesdays!!! They probably have a locked-in contract, but a political talk station has no business preempting primary coverage in an election year (especially your own state's primary, in such a crucial year as this one) for a frickin' hockey game.

[JDPriestly]

25. I write e-mails to KTLK to let them know who I like and who I don't like.

My favorite is Thom Hartmann. I really don't like Lionel. He isn't progressive and does not prepare his programs. He just blows off steam and bores the world as far as I am concerned. There is also a guy on fairly late at night who is not at all progressive. He really does not fit into their programming profile.

I wonder what KTLK could do to get better sponsors?

[NewJeffCT]

5. Great post - if it's not too late to edit

Tax "cutes" should be tax cuts.

[chknltl]

8. I quoted the Ed Shultz Show...spelling included

That said, I ran spell check across it and I also missed it! Thanks

My real fear is that I may have pushed the DU 'three paragraph rule'. I could have selected to omit this or that of what Big Eddie's staff has put together. I decided that this list was important in it's entirety so I cut and pasted it as is.

[Supersedeas]

7. and yet the Media free rider for McBush continues -- he's accessible, ya know

[JDPriestly]

26. The easy accessibility bit is going to backfire.

Sooner or later, McCain's bad temper will ruin it all.

McCain has a self-destructive streak. That's why he downed 5 planes and ended up in a Viet Cong cage. His life has been one mishap after another. He has been a kind of perpetual victim. How many times has this guy been in emergency rooms? The accidents and horrible incidents are not coincidences. There is something in McCain that seeks excitement, risk and danger. Something foolhardy. Something that tempts fate. It manifests itself in his anger and impatience. He can draw enormous energy and focus from this self-destructive, risk-taking streak, but then he loses his focus and something goes wrong. That is McCain's pattern in his life.

Even in his relationship with his wife, something went wrong that caused her to seek solace and numbing in a prescription drug. It must be Hell to live with John McCain. Don't worry, he will probably sabotage his campaign.

Remember how his campaign nearly tanked last summer. That's how he likes to live. He likes to ruin things and mess up and then get rescued or somehow extricate himself from trouble. He likes living on the edge of disaster.

McCain's chosen archetype is the phoenix, which is not only the name of the capital of Arizona but the mythological symbol of disaster and rebirth. The question is, what kinds of hellfire would McCain's risk-addiction cause us as a nation to go through. What horrible risks would McCain have our nation take in order to get his thrills. We have just finished over 7 years of absolute insanity and failures under Bush. We really don't need another eight of accidents, close calls and last minute rescues.

[chknltl]

9. kick

[TTUBatfan2008]

10. Ed kicks ass...

I subscribed to his podcast today. $6 a month. It's hilarious listening to him rip McCain a new asshole. While he may sound like Rush, he actually uses the damn truth instead of bullshit. He hammered McCain's voting record on taking care of veterans.

[chknltl]

11. Ed has been clobbering McCain for the past few weeks

He is done with Obama V Clinton. He still gets calls about it but he feels it is better to spend time on McCain. He called Obama the most likely winner of the Democratic nomination months ago, he fought through the 'Clintonistas' who called in crying foul and has moved on.

He has openly called for Progressives everywhere to take on our opponent, Senator McCain and by God he is leading the charge! I call him a patriot for this, I stand by that assertion.

Big Eddie would appreciate your words TTUBatfan2008, if he heard what you said here he would say back to you, "Glad to have ya!" (He says that all the time to callers calling in with similar kind words.)

[TTUBatfan2008]

17. Yeah he's a cool dude in my book...

today was the first time I've listened to his show. I was able to stream it at work. I usually listen to Nova M, which carries a bunch of Air America stuff. I've seen Ed on TV quite a bit and absolutely loved it when he went on MSNBC after the Wisky primary and said "it's over" regarding Clinton. I couldn't help but chuckle today when he went through the laundry list of McCain's piss-poor treatment of veterans while pretending to be a friend to veterans' rights and benefits. Plus, it was hilarious when he yelled, "Bring it on!" when talking about how the McCain campaign wants to frame his warmonger label as Swiftboating. Ed's got facts to back up that assertion so he knows he'll kick their ass if they try to start calling him out on it.

Does Ed always use the "Sweet Child O' Mine" intro for his show? GN'R is one of my favorite bands ever so it's always cool to hear a hotshot radio guy having similar taste in music. :)

Ed is the type of guy that liberal radio needs. He's got a rural accent and is from middle America so he can appeal to so-called Reagan Dems and even to Republicans that are fed up with the war, spending, etc. Randi Rhodes is good, but she's too shrill and can be pretty annoying at times. I definitely got sick of her Hillary bashing, and it's good she got suspended. She needs to chill the hell out to begin with. The rest of the liberal radio hosts are fucking pussies, even though they do make good points usually. Malloy is probably the best one of all, but he's pretty much marginalized because he represents the far left wing of American politics. He's a badass when he gets riled up about the Bush Crime Family. But as I said, he can never reach the kind of audience that Ed does. Hopefully Ed can keep growing his listener base. It's disgusting that Hannity and Limbaugh have like 26 million listeners just between the two of them, never mind all the other whackjob right wing radio hosts.

[chknltl]

29. 'Sweet Child O Mine' is the Show's theme song.

I listen to my Prog Station always. It is either front and center or in the background as I type online. Thom Hartmann is my fave, a lot of DUers tune in to him because he educates us. Ed Shultz comes on after Thom and he does indeed have a sort of back-woodsy charm, a midwestern farm sage appeal. I agree with others that he is the progressive version of rush limbaugh, they have the same on air mannerisms and attract to a similar audience intellect. Big Eddie has definitely been "Gettin' Er Done" lately in his attacks on McCain. He urges everyone to keep spreading the word because he feels that 4 more years of bush is a disaster America and the world should not have to suffer through.

After Ed's show, I get Rachel Maddow, whom I also like, distinctly different from Big Eddie or Thom Hartmann. Rachel has an ironic wit which masks a VERY keen intellect regarding current affairs in politics. Her and Big Eddie have been getting more and more air time on CNN and MSNBC, (fueling my hope that the msm is undergoing a shift to the left.)

Randi has issues for me lately but I disagree with her suspension. I am wondering if the very issues I have with her are due to meds that she is taking because of recent Oral surgery.... and Mike Malloy, ...well I have recently given up caffeine and I often feel an urge to suggest that he might consider doing the same. Not challenging either's knowledge or skills, they both paid their dues in my book but at this point my preferences are for Thom, Rachel and of course Big Eddie!

[rcsl1998]

12. So, It Took An Attack On 'Big Ed' By McCain To Get Him To Go After Republicans...

...instead of Democrats? Glad that he's finally doing it - better late than never and all - but it's been only one day so far...

[chknltl]

13. One Day??? FYI:

He has been hitting McCain for the past few weeks! Last week the thrust of the Ed Shultz Show was about McCain's temper. This week it looks like it will be over his voting record with vets and the notion that he is a war-monger. The McCain counter attack has been so much frosting on the cake! We "Ed-Heads" are delighted that McCain is feeling the sting enough to be responding to it. You must not have been listening in lately. :shrug:

[Dr Fate]

16. No- he spent a good bit of last week on McCain's negatives...

Last week he did a couple of shows on McCain's negatives- ie his temper and voting record.

...but yeah, we agree that the sooner the nomination is sewn up, the better- otherwise, Ed has to talk about what is topical...

[chknltl]

14. kick

[Dr Fate]

15. Big Eddie is the man- I listen every day.

He doesnt always nail it- but who does?

I dont always agree with him- but he is shifting the content of his show to McCain's negatives...Even if it's on a small scale, I'm glad someone is getting this out there...

[tnlefty]

18. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was out working in the yard

today and I was wishing that I had paper and pen to write the Senate bill numbers down, so I bookmarked this thread. :hi:

[XOKCowboy]

20. I was never a Big Eddie fan but today I'm on his bandwagon..

McCain might have poked a bulldog with Ed Schultz. ES is ready to go on any TV show and point out how little McSame really supports the troops. He's got access too. We all know that Big Ed loves the spotlight and he'll be all over this.

[WA98296]

21. I've been REALLY hard on Schultz here at DU, but when he does it right, my hat's off to him.

Good job Ed!

[Coexist]

27. I agree.

[bleever]

22. Big Eddie and me

might not sharpen our tools the same way all the time, but my DU-sharpened sense of things along with my extended listening leads me to believe he's really for the working people, and for democracy being about letting the people decide.

[Araxen]

28. CNN

I started to listen to Ed after I saw him on Larry King once during one of the primary nights. He has a pretty good radio show and he calls it like he see's it and won't pull any punches.

[VP505]

30. Thanks for

posting that list, it could be useful in countering RW spin a few months down the road.