Why do I like john McCain?

[ManfredVonRichthoffen]

I don't know that much about him.

I know he pood the schrooch on whatever it was that allowed the 572 groups to flourish.

I have a good feeling about him, for no reason I can figure.

Maybe he just comes off as less of a partisan stooge in interviews. Maybe I feel like he is telling the truth. Maybe he has less of a schmuck vibe than other politicians.

Maybe it's his hair.

[Grammatron]

He hosted SNL.

[phildonnia]

Three ideas:

McCain comes off as being extremely humble. I think it's the soft voice. That quality in anyone is attractive, and it seems especially rare among McCain's profession.

Somehow, McCain has avoided being harassed by the media, so no dirty laundry of his has ever been seen. This may be because there is no dirty laundry, but I'm inclined to doubt it.

McCain puts a lot of energy into bipartisan or non-controversial issues, so whenever he comes out with a strong opinion, its about something reasonable.

[varwoche]

Not that it would happen, but McCain and Powell could form a 3rd party that would win the election in 2008. Powell would have to do some mea culpas, no big deal.

I respect McCain a great deal, though I strongly disagree with him on many issues and can't imagine supporting him in a general election. I'd take him in a heartbeat versus Bush though.

I was disappointed when it was revealed that he did something slimy during 2000 primary. I forget what it was, though I seem to recall he came forward in a stand-up way.

[Crossbow]

Did anyone else see McCain last night when he guest hosted the film Paths to Glory on TNT?

I noticed that he made a bit of a criticism about Bush. However, he did not do anything overt and he was able to provide some historical context for the film.

[Regnad Kcin]

Originally posted by varwoche
I was disappointed when it was revealed that he did something slimy during 2000 primary. I forget what it was, though I seem to recall he came forward in a stand-up way. This may not be what you're thinking of, and I can only remember it in the most undetailed way, but I believe he was speaking before a meeting of Republicans and made some very unflattering joke at the expense of Chelsea Clinton. If true, sad.

Furthermore, while I expect that kind of gutter crap from many within the so-called Party of Morality, McCain's joining in is disappointing insofar as he does seem a cut above the run-of-the-mill pol in so many ways.

[Art Vandelay]

Originally posted by ManfredVonRichthoffen
I don't know that much about him.

I know he pood the schrooch on whatever it was that allowed the 572 groups to flourish.
Actually, his campaign finance "reform" brought them to prominence. He's anti-first amendment, anti-choice, and anti-gay. I don't see why he's so popular with liberals. Good PR seems to be the only thing going for him.

[aerocontrols]

Originally posted by Art Vandelay
Actually, his campaign finance "reform" brought them to prominence. He's anti-first amendment, anti-choice, and anti-gay. I don't see why he's so popular with liberals. Good PR seems to be the only thing going for him.

I like the guy and hoped he would become President in 2000, though I don't like the McCain-Feingold CFR legislation. I read his book, and his life story is pretty powerful stuff. I would like to think that if I were the son of the Admiral in charge of forces in the Pacific during Vietnam I could tell my Vietnamese captors 'no' when they offered to send me home from the Hanoi Hilton early. This counts for a lot with a lot of people Left, Right, and Center.


I can't figure out why he's popular with hard-core lefties, though. I think many just don't care to dig that deep since he often criticises his fellow Republicans.

Anybody else remember when he endorsed Phil Gramm over Bob Dole in 1996? I would think that would bother lefties and some moderates, unless they just don't remember it.

I have no doubt that if he ran for President on a Republican ticket, McCain's current fans on the left would quickly rediscover his status as the sole Republican member of the Keating Five. And that his infidelity cost him his first marriage. I have little doubt that the Moveon.org crowd would point out that his first wife stood by him while he was imprisoned in Vietnam and through his recovery after he returned. Then once he recovered he cheated on her and divorced her.

Originally posted by Regnad Kcin
This may not be what you're thinking of, and I can only remember it in the most undetailed way, but I believe he was speaking before a meeting of Republicans and made some very unflattering joke at the expense of Chelsea Clinton. If true, sad.

"Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." -- John McCain

MattJ

Edit because I re-thought a bit.

[HarryKeogh]

I appreciate the fact that he's a free thinker and will oftentimes vote against his party's lines.

He votes with his conscience. Too bad a pro-life stance is part of that but all in all I really respect him as a war hero and politician.

[shecky]

IIRC, he's had a rep for being a rather nasty person to deal with. I've no doubt that if he were running for pres, we'd all be sufficiently reminded. I think his current cross-party popularity can be somewhat explained when he's looked at in comparison to Bush.

[a_unique_person]

At least he's not freakin idiot, and he appears to respect what war is.

[bug_girl]

I think I like him because I actually respect him, and that's pretty rare. Paul Wellstone is one of the few other politicians that I can say that about--he also spoke his mind.

I don't agree with McCain, but he is a veteran, he isn't afraid to not toe the party line, and he is a interesting person.
That's why I like him, anyway. But I don't think I'd vote for him, unless it was a "anyone but bush" sort of ticket.

Although i do like the McCain/Powell ticket idea :)

[SlippyToad]

Originally posted by Art Vandelay
Actually, his campaign finance "reform" brought them to prominence. He's anti-first amendment, anti-choice, and anti-gay. I don't see why he's so popular with liberals. Good PR seems to be the only thing going for him. Well, he can't seem to make up his mind if he's going to stand for his principles or whore for Bush, so I certainly have lost a lot of respect for him. Four years ago, I would have voted for him with a clear conscience. Now, not so clear.

[ManfredVonRichthoffen]

Originally posted by aerocontrols
"Do you know why Chelsea Clinton is so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father." -- John McCain
hahahahahahahahahahahha!


That's terrible. Not right.

{snicker}

[davefoc]

I suppose I'm over sensitive or overly politically correct but I wouldn't vote for McCain if he had made that joke.

I think people like him because he seems to be more willing than most to take non-partisan stands. I don't quite know what to make of that. How does somebody even get elected like that? The American political system seems to be very well designed to filter out anybody that actually speaks their mind and votes their conscience. How did anybody like that actually slip through the cracks?

[CSSMariner]

like McCain, I met him in Washington on 9/19/01 on the way to New York, then Chicago and Seattle presenting a white paper on Marine Environmental Engineering. He is a somewhat small man with a determined handshake from a relatively small hand, and an open, very ingratiating manner.

I supported him in his campaign against King George II, and I would support him today. He has personal experience with the terror of war and the horrors of captivity with an enemy who does not know how to treat a captive warrior with the honor he deserves. He also suffered as a result of the activities of Kerry and his VVAW, and Hanoi Jane, both of whom I dearly despise. Yes, I am a vet of the Viet Nam era, and Kerry would not make a good sized pimple on the tail of a real hero the likes of John McCain.


It has been my experience in life that the real heroes, both in the military and civilian forms thereof, are quiet. I know some real military heroes, and it is true of them all. I am an active member of the Wise County Veteran's Group with whom I have a breakfast each and every Saturday at five restaurants at which we gather in rotation every Sat. morning at 0830. There are some documented heroes in that group, and no, I am not one of them, and to a man they are reluctant to revisit their accomplishments. The vets in that group range from WW II to the present actions in Southerm Asia.

My 82 year-old mom is a hero from the civilian side of things, and she, like McCain and other real heroes, does not toot her horn about what she has done for others.

I would pick McCain in a heartbeat over either of the two empty shirts, one of them a fake hero, running today. Four months in 'Nam, three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star, yeah right, show me the scars. He knew the system and rode it out and into a cushy government position where he has not had to do anything, and has not really done anything for 20 years, nor has he ever held a "real job."

Choosing the lesser of two evils is endorsing an evil nonetheless.

My vote for a statesman, and there are none who are able, or perhaps with the desire to rise to the top in our present day political environment. So :( :( :( and blue but true.