Easy, he's lying. The Republicans have selective amnesia.

If most of the votes are for things like dog catcher, and funds for a boat house in KS, and only 10% of the votes are really important, whats wrong with that? What is the percentage of votes that the Democrats have voted with Bush? Like too many thing today, the media, and the opposition, don't tell you the whole story. What do the say? "Figures don't lie, but liers figure". Half truths often get more headlines than the truth.

There was a big article a little while ago about how 68% of corporations don't pay taxes. Sounds terrible, and it must be Bush's fault. What they didn't tell you that 51% of US corporations are S Corp corporations that don't pay any taxes legally. The owners pay. They didn't mention that when you lose money, you may not have to pay taxes. There may be some Congressionally created "loopholes" that allow corporation to avoid taxes. The story didn't tell yopu that most LARGE corporations did pay taxes. They did say that most of the corporastions that didn't pay, did it legally, but the head lines seem to indicate this.

Obama voted with his Party 96% of the time according to the Washington Post.

Party Voting Averages: Votung with Party

92.4% Democratic (241 members)

85.9% Republican (206 members)

89.3% All Members (447 members)

Daperera,

You make a very good point that almost all politicians vote along party lines but if McCain bills himself as a maverick who will clean up Washington but he has voted with the party in power for almost eight years how will he run them out of town. I realize that separating himself from Bush is part of his strategy but if he truly has a plan to accomplish this I wish someone would enlighten me. I would love to see Pelosi, Feinstein and Lieberman join McConnell and his bunch on the long desolate trail back home.

Andy,

McCain sponsored the McCain Feingold Bill against the Republican party's wishes. The effect has been a change from Republican to Democrat control of the Congress. While this only counts as one vote, it was a huge one.

McCain supported Comprehensive Immigration Reform (aka: Amnesty) along with the Democrats and in opposition to most Republicans.

McCain needs no "Maverick" credentials, he has earned them.

Obama on the other hand, is just another Chicago politician. He got in good graces with the Chicago establishment, some of whom are crooks (Rezko, Ayers) and as a result, has flourished beyond his ability.

OK, lets talk without name calling.

McCain Feingold was a great start when it passed in 1999 but of course it took no time for groups and individuals to create loopholes larger than Scrooge McDuck's vault door and the pay to play attitude that has permeated K street with such abandon since it's passage continues unabated today. The odious stench of the greasy buck controlling our two (one) party system has shredded the intent of the bill. I have heard neigh a peep from either side of the aisle on a comprehensive plan to fix the problem so we average Americans can feel our vote hasn't been co-opted by Pepsi co.

That's the whole trouble. Both in DC and Sacramento, the entrenched politicians/Parties are happy with just maintaining their power. To maintain their "base" (and get reelected) they have to go with their Party line. It's very difficult to be a "maverick" in either Party. Toe the Party line or you get a broom closet in the basement or an office acroos the street.. As far as I'm concerned, the Two Party System is the problem. It didn't used to be, but it is now. There is no compromising, no real negotiations, no statesmen to get a consensous that they need to solve this country's many problems. Each Party MUST WIN at all costs, and that usually means the citizen/voters continue to suffer. Neither Party has all ther answers.

If we could get 535 members of Congress to dunp their Party affiliations and loyalties, I think we might actuall get something some. The Party gets in the way of compromises, negotiations, and problem solving.

The other problem is we, the voters, keep reelecting these egocentric, power hungry people, and keep thinking/wishing things will change. Good luck!!! They keep talking about "term limits" and how terrible they would be. We have term limits every 2/4/6 years. They're called elections.

well, look at Chunga, starting off negative

Andy, Andy, Andy - you can't even get fellow moonbats to take you seriously

how can you expect us to take you or Obama the racist seriously ?

but seriously

McCain votes with Bush 90% of the time - well 10% independent thought is better the B. Hussein Obama, he votes lib-whack 100% of the time

dang Andy, facts get in the way again eh ?

as for voting FOR Bush's ideas - not a bad thing most of the time

Bush saved the country from depression as soon as he got in office

remember the 3-2000 stock market crash

and 9/11 attacks caused by slick willie's infatuation with oral "not-sex"

now, Bush has not handled the democrat press well, so there is maybe something McCain does not agree with him on

Palin as his Veep shows he will take on the biased liberal media

maybe he will too

as for the handling of the Iraq occupatoin, not 100% effective, I will grant you

but, and a BIG BUT - the left and their media arm has bee consistenly cheering the terrorists

so it makes it hard to intimidate an enemy as a country when half the country is rooting for the enemy (see Democrat in the dictionary)

but even many democrats have voted with Bush a majority of the time

remember, they were in approval of going into Iraq to enforce the UN resolutions, among other reasons

now, McCain did not want the Bush tax cuts, and history shows he was likely wrong

they seemed to ward off a depression caused by the Clinton Gore administration

but we'll never really know for sure, but things were bleak and I think they helped

but Andy, have you not thought that McCain wants to change the tone in Washington, something Bush has not been able to do

Bush has tried and tried to be civil but the left call ihm despicable and personally insulting names every single day and he has not once done the same

that is one thing I'd like McCain/Palin to change

call the media BIASED because they are

call the democrats unpatriotic, because they openly cheer American deaths and enemy successes, also their uncivil and unprofessional conduct is not productive and that has to be "reformed".

As for McCain/Feingold - a collasal failure. The liberal media gave Gore and then Kerry, Billions of dollars in support that Bush could not have raised in like cash to compete. That he won twice shows how really unpopular the democrats are, given the money advantage their control of the media is worth in dollars. But the loopholes you talk about don't compare 1 iota to the media bias value in dollars and cents. Yes, 600 AM stations carry Rush, 14,000 do not. Not very fair.

Only Fox shows the right view with the left, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, PBS, CSPAN and all the cable channels have no right wing point of view. So we need fairness in media. But it won't happen until we get a President with the backbone to stand up to them.

You know, it's amazing Bush can stand up to Islamic terrorists but not the American Media. I still shake my head when I think of that. Definitely a 10% item that McCain must not agree with, I hope.

common_sense-Good Lord, where to start. Bush saved the country from depression? Huh? We are going to go back to blaming the previous President for the current admin's problems?

That's a stretch. Bush is an idiot, (check out www.wisdomquotes.com and check "Bushisms"), he's the perfect example of what happens when a "C" student becomes President.

I think you are beyond malicious to imply that ANY citizen of this country celebrates the death of a fellow American. Who exactly "openly cheers"? And your hero Rush? A hate monger on Vicodin. People with your outlook on life are sad and a little scary.

Interesting that when things get heated, people feel the need to bring up Obama's middle name. His Mother chose it, not him.

For Common Sense:

Your comments were RIGHT ON! Among your many excellent insights, the media is horribly biased, and it's amazing that Bush has been such a gentleman dealing with them.

Did you not love the comment by Gov. Palin in her speech at the Convention that while terrorists loomed large over the US, Sen. Obama was more concerned with "reading them their rights!" Let us only hope that the American people will get to the task at hand in November and vote for the ticket that is truly about protecting Americans and not raising taxes!

aw shucks I must have overdosed on Granola this morning when I proposed a civil discussion. I think I'll go back to contemplating the brilliance of the inventor of the lava lamp. Peace out dudes. I'm taking my hacky sack and heading back to my hippie pad.

Andy,

No drum circle? Dang!

See you next Saturday.

As political discussions go, I'd say this one is reasonably civil. In 2004, just for fun, I went to MoveOn.org to see what and who they operated. I pointed out to them that 40 of the 45 million without health care were there before Bush,, that the rate of poverty hadn’t changed in 40 years, that Social Security was in trouble Before Bush(BB), the education was in trouble BB, that the DOT.com crash started BB, that the Federal Government had lost almost $1 trillion in taxes due to the DOT.com tumble, and several other areas that Bush was getting beaten up on. I agreed that Bush had some problems, but he was getting blamed for a lot of stuff that really wasn’t his fault.

Man, they didn’t like that at all. “Don’t confuse me with the facts”. They actually called me all sorts of names. I stuck around at their site for while, and finally gave up.

As I said, this blog seems relative civil in comparison.

hey Joszef,

I used to know a fella named Joszef Pelikan. Used to drum with him in a circle and we drank Henry Weinhard's down Sarasota Way.Bodhran I think it was. Great guy, heavy accent always yelling alternately about how he could have been one of the elite and about strangling some guy named Robin Leech for co-opting the common man or some such other nonsense. Thought he got gorged by a Caribou outside of the Malibu court house while protesting beach access for everyone. Are you related?

rengurl-Lets have a discussion after the debates. As of this moment team McCain hasn't let her speak with the media. I can't judge on her convention speech as she didn't write it. All the convention does is prove all these people are public speakers.

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

Geore W. Bush

Bush's sayings always seem to sound better in the original German.

"Wenn Sie eine Lüge groß genug erzählen und fortsetzen, es zu wiederholen, kommen Leute schließlich, um es zu glauben." ("If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.")

Dr. P. Josef Goebbels, 1941

In 2007, John McCain voted with Bush 95% of the time. To date in 2008 John McCain voted with Bush 100% of the time.

His record of "Maverickness" isn't getting better, it's getting worse.

JB: When you say "voted with Bush" you realize that Bush is not in Congress and does not get to vote on bills. He only signs or vetoes.

What an absolutely idiotic position to take... "Voted with Bush"...Sheesh!

Rt, you're losing your grip. Ask your mom to make you a glass of milk and take your temperature.

Salamander:

Wow, can't be civil can you ? You call Bush an idiot. Not nice. Not civil.

But I blamed Clinton/Gore for part of the nations problems, not all. The terrorist's Clinton failed to act upon caused some. But if you worried about a "C" student becoming President, I have to remidn you he is smarter than Gore and Kerry. Ouch ! Man I bet that hurts. Our "C" student is smarter than your "C minus" and "D" students.

But I have to say, he is a horrible speaker. Always thought that. Though he did surprisingly well in the debates (most of the time), to my surprise. As for citizens of this country hating America and cheering on our enemies - take a look at these typical democrats:

http://www.zombietime.com/hall_of_shame/

As for Obama not getting to choose his middle name Hussein

yeah ok, you got me there.....

BUT, he got to choose his church of 20 years

you know, the racist, anti-American one

Rengurl: hey !

Salamander again: ok, Palin has not yet met much of the media

but Great Van Sustern (liberal) of Foxnews ran a special on her

and ABC's Charles Gibson is interviewing her

now, how many times has Obama submitted to a sit down with Sean Hannity ?

\Bill O'reilly ? yes, ok, got me - O'reilly once and look at what he did

he admitted we're winning in Iraq

imagine what Palin will spill - that we're really winning in Iraq

but Obama keeps away from debates and anyone not tossing puffballs at him

and has been for the 3 years (so far) of this campaign