Walters: Let's discuss the economy, for heaven's sakes. Let's discuss healthcare, let's discuss insurance for kids - let's not drag up (all this stuff) just to discredit people on either side, there are much more important issues
Here's the problem with that,the McCain Campaign have nothing to say about the economy, they have nothing to say about healthcare (other than they plan to Tax Us for it) and they don't want to discuss insurance for kids because - McCain has repeatedly voted against expanding health insurance for kids (SCHIP). When Bush vetoed that bill, McCain said "It was the right call."
That's not a bit of Straight Talk we're likely to hear anytime soon.
Whoopi goes on to point out that William Ayers surrender himself to federal authorities back in 1980. (She fails to mention that was NEVER CONVICTED OF ANYTHING) And then goes on to argue that his life has since turned around, so much so that when he met Barack Obama he was a fully respected member of the Chicago community and an associate of Mayor Daleys, not some shadowy figure hiding out and plotting to bomb federal buildings. Exactly why should Obama have shunned him?
By the way... no one was injured in any other bombings by the Weather Underground. (Note: A police man in San Francisco was fatally injured by shrapnel from a bomb planted at police headquarters, but that incident has not been conclusively linked to the Weather Underground)
Goldberg: You have to say "40 years ago this is what you did, what are you doing now?" because otherwise you say that the parents of all the kids in this classes, and the school itself, and all the faculty are "carousing with a terrorist"...
And then of course Hasselback had to get into it...
She claimed that McCain was "cleared" of ethics charges involving the Keating Five, which is true except that both he an Sen John Glenn were both reprimanded for poor judgement, for allowing themselves to be put into that position in the first place.
If we're going to go into this, then we need to go into it. How about a point by point comparison?
Ayers was never convicted of anything. Charles Keating WAS convicted of fraud, racketering and conspiracy.
At the time of the Weatherman bombings, Barack Obama was only 8 Years Old. At the time of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Scandal, John McCain was a sitting U.S. Senator who let himself be bullied by lobbyist into intervening with government regulator who were about the shut Lincoln down.
There is no evidence that Barack's association with Ayers ever affected his
policy decisions in a way that negatively affected the American people - but you can't say the same thing about McCain.
Another point on "supporting terrorists" is the fact that John McCain has repeated refused to support legislation against Domestic Terrorists who target Abortion Clinics.
McCain Record on Domestic Terrorism:
– Voting against making anti-choice violence a federal crime. As the Jed Report notes, McCain voted in 1993 and 1994 against making "bombings, arson and blockades at abortion clinics, and shootings and threats of violence against doctors and nurses who perform abortions" federal crimes.
– Opposing Colorado’s "Bubble Law." McCain said he opposed Colorado’s "Bubble Law," which prohibited abortion protesters from getting within 8 feet of women entering clinics [Denver Post, 2/27/00]. The law was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
– Voting to allow those fined for violence at clinics to avoid penalties by declaring bankruptcy. NARAL Pro-Chioce America notes that McCain "voted to allow perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive-health clinics to avoid paying the fines assessed against them for their illegal acts by declaring bankruptcy."
On this last example of McCain let terrorists off the hook, there's an interesting parallel, one of the convictions for fraud against Keating - was Bankruptcy Fraud - when he attempted to avoid paying his many lawsuit settlements.
The McCain Campaign are the ones who decided to bring this up, because if they discuss the economy - they lose, well I think considering the fact that McCain is still calling for further deregulation and hasn't learned his lessons from 17 years ago - he and his campaign are the ones who are going to Get Served with this kind of tactic.
Vyan