I know that I am an issues person as all of us should be in America. It truly boggles my mind as well as others that races come down to how candidates come across to the voters as well as their personalities. To me, a true maverick shows up to vote when important pieces of legislation are being decided for all of us. Whether you live in Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, how an elected politician votes or in this case does not vote also affects you. I selected the above mentioned states because they are known as battle ground states within this election. At this point, America is in the battle where it comes down to two opponents who seek differing courses for the citizens of this country.
In this New York Times article, you will read where McCain, “talks about his support for a renewed effort to win the Iraq war. He pays tribute to Gen. David H. Petraeus and the report he issued about progress in Iraq.” So, my question is: Why did he miss the vote to confirm General Patraeus as reported by the Washington Post?
So much was made at the Republican convention concerning our energy needs where the mantra was, “Drill baby drill” which was the clarion-call by Giuliani. So much was made by McCain himself as he supports off shore drilling and where Palin supports drilling in ANWR. So, why did John McCain miss this vote which dealt with, energy, jobs, families and disaster relief? Those who felt Katrina, Rita, Gustav and with the Gulf coast in Ike’s path, deserve to know, McCain.
So much was made by McCain against wasteful government spending where he said in his acceptance speech, “And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.” He has even said he would make famous those responsible for excessive earmarks. So, why didn’t McCain vote for this bill which would, “establish a bipartisan commission for the purpose of improving oversight and eliminating wasteful government spending under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.”
For those seniors who depend upon Medicare and boomers who will at some point enroll in this program and the numbers are getting bigger: Why did McCain miss this vote concerning Medicare? The bill he missed voting on was the, "Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act of 2008"
Much was made of our national security at the Republican convention: So why didn’t McCain vote up or down on this bill? This vote was the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
With many facing foreclosure and with the government seizing both Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae, I for one would like to know why McCain missed this vote? As you will read, this resolution, dealt with the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008.
Again, so much was made of renewable energy at the Republican National convention where McCain said himself in his acceptance speech, “We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.” So, Senator McCain, then why on Earth did you miss this vote? This vote dealt with renewable energy.
As Americans are paying more at the pump and will be paying higher prices this winter to heat their homes. Why did Senator McCain miss this vote? This bill, was “To increase the supply and lower the cost of petroleum by temporarily suspending the acquisition of petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.”
What led me to address McCain’s pattern of not voting was this article in the Washington Post which speaks to his temper was the last paragraph which states, “After making a few comments, McCain left the Capitol to head to New York for presidential campaign events. Later that day, McCain missed his 43rd straight vote, this on the $2.9 trillion budget outline.” Yet we as Americans are supposed to believe him when it comes to our tax dollars and how they are being spent? How can he miss such an important vote? The reformer, McCain cut and run on this one.
While McCain’s campaign director Rick Davis says this election is “Not about the issues”, it better be so and not just about McCain being a maverick which he is not and Palin a breath of fresh air as described to me by a reader. This is our shared future and McCain just does not get it.
You may contact the author at xmjmac@optonline.net
