Friday, April 04, 2008

McCain tries to erase his record


Today John McCain had the balls to campaign in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of the Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. Takes balls when you have his record.

He not only voted against the King holiday in 1983, pandering to Arizona's white xenophobia, but he's been a consistent foe of measures that would benefit African Americans and others pushed to the margins of society. Color of Change sent along of an informative catalogue of McCain's votes and positions on rights issues:

  • He voted an amazing FOUR times against the Civil Rights Act of 1990 -- a bill designed to make it easier for employees to prove job discrimination and imposing harsher penalties on bosses who discriminated.
  • In 2004 he opposed affirmative action in college admissions -- a key component of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that is among King's key legislative victories.
  • He has voted at least 8 times against raising the minimum wage.
  • And as recently as last month, he argued against federal intervention to help Americans, disproportionately Black Americans, who have faced foreclosure during the housing crisis.
Not my idea of someone who has any business invoking Dr. King's memory.

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