John McCain came to Page

[PaleoRob]

Today John McCain came to Page for over an hour to put on a town hall event in the City Council chambers. My first thought was that he must be feeling the pressure from Hayworth if he is traveling to the end of Arizona. He talked for a little while about health care and how much deficit spending we've been doing and how that has hurt our economy. He then took questions from the crowd (including me!). Questions and answers included the following (summarized by myself for conciseness):

Q: Will cap and trade force NGS or the nearby coal mine to shut down?
A: He doesn't think cap and trade will pass the senate. In order to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions we need to do things like more offshore drilling and building somewhere on the order of 100 new nuclear power stations across the United States. He views NGS as an important electric provider and if it shut down rates across the southwest would increase.

Q: Is there help in the healthcare overhaul for developmentally disabled people who have lost their state-sponsored health coverage due to budget shortfalls? This question was asked by someone with a disability and took about 20 minutes to ask.
A: Maybe. He'd have to check.

Q: Why isn't there unemployment available to people who have to leave their jobs to find a better job in a different state?
A: Times are tough.

Q: With the state taking away money from career programs, is there anything he can do to help restore funding?
A: Not his issue. That is a state issue.

Q: Why doesn't a real person pick up the phone when his office is called? Also advice to become a centrist.
A: There are people on staff that do answer the phones. Did not address the centrist suggestion.

Q: Would he support or oppose federal funding for a proposed Lake Powell-St. George pipeline? It might not be legal to build it. Would he also support a one-item-per-bill bill to eliminate the strange pork barrel projects that show up.
A: Opposed to taking water out of the lake for any reason, but would have to do more research to determine if it was legal or not. Did not answer the one-item part of the question.

Q: Question was kind of unclear but it appeared to be about how the healthcare overhaul would end up killing people.
A: Addressed in a round-about way by talking about the mammogram recommendation a few months back and how bureaucracy can end up killing people because it is not personal, etc.

Q: How can we rebuild America's economy since we have no manufacturing base any more?
A: Small business. Not all small business remain small - look at eBay, which employs 200k people today. And we still manufacture things in America today. We also need to take on China and make sure they are playing fair because free trade needs to be on fair ground and the American worker can compete with any other worker in the world.

Q: What can I do about my student loan payments since I have been out of work and have had shoulder surgeries?
A: GI Bill has helped lots of Americans pay for college. Same with Teach for America and a few other programs. He also got the questioner's information so that his office could see if there was something in the situation that he could help with.

After the questions there was hand-shakes, photos, and then he drove off to the airport to fly to Scottsdale for another function. An interesting day in Page since we usually don't get national politicians up here. He probably thinks that most of us are ignorant provincials based on the majority of the questions asked. :roll: I'm glad I went!

Bonus points for guessing which question was mine.

[big_load]

How could the Lake Powell - St. George pipeline possibly be consistent with the statutory allocation of Colorado River water?

[JimmyLyding]

A true maverick. Don't forget that we're posting about a US Senator who ran for President with Sarah Palin as his VP. Additionally, don't forget that 3 of his prominent economic advisers in August 2008 were Carly Fiorina, Phil Gramm, and John Thain. Anyone who's interested can use the magic of the Internet to determine those 3 individuals' economic beliefs and history.
I'm sure Senator McCain is tossing and turning in Cornville worrying about the good folks in Page.

[Jim]

I don't follow the Republicans much, but I do hear his radio ads from time to time. They make me want to vomit, so maybe this a "gastric regurgitation" free approach to get himself reelected.

[PaleoRob]

How could the Lake Powell - St. George pipeline possibly be consistent with the statutory allocation of Colorado River water?

I don't think it can be, unless the upper basin states agreed to sell some of their water to St. George.

[big_load]

On the other hand, a lawyer would probably argue that merely building the capability to move the water isn't the same thing as using it. They could argue that it's only for emergency use or the possibility of reaching future agreements. After the pipeline is there, they'll start taking water and fight it out in court. The day will come all interested parties (including the courts and legislatures) address the well-known problem of the total allocations exceeding even long-term average availability.

I figure just about anyone in Page might ask about the coal mine, so my money is on this as your question.

[Jeffshadows]

Those of us who have gone to school on the GI Bill can attest to the fact that it is NOT free money. We earned it; some of us almost lost our lives many times over to earn it. I don't think there needs to be a generally-available analog if that's what he was insinuating...

[PaleoRob]

Those of us who have gone to school on the GI Bill can attest to the fact that it is NOT free money. We earned it; some of us almost lost our lives many times over to earn it. I don't think there needs to be a generally-available analog if that's what he was insinuating...

No, I got the impression that he was saying that if you want a free college education then either join the military join one of the programs for civilians that provide similar (such as Teach for America, where about $20k is forgiven from student loans if you teach in a low-income school for 5 years) or apply for scholarships.
Alex - good guess, but no.

[Jeffshadows]

Those of us who have gone to school on the GI Bill can attest to the fact that it is NOT free money. We earned it; some of us almost lost our lives many times over to earn it. I don't think there needs to be a generally-available analog if that's what he was insinuating...

No, I got the impression that he was saying that if you want a free college education then either join the military join one of the programs for civilians that provide similar (such as Teach for America, where about $20k is forgiven from student loans if you teach in a low-income school for 5 years) or apply for scholarships.
Alex - good guess, but no.

While that's true, some of the worst people I ever served with were the ones who were openly there "For the college money." I'm not arguing with you, Rob; I think McCain is losing it...

[big_load]

Alex - good guess, but no.

Darn, I was really counting on those bonus points.

Anyway, although my initial reaction was that he must have been lost, we're certainly getting the view that he's in the fight of his life.

[PaleoRob]

he's in the fight of his life.

I think this is right on the nose. I kind of feel like this is more important to him than the presidential race. If he loses this, then he's out of his job (not that he couldn't land a consulting job or collect retirement).

[JimmyLyding]

The fight doesn't appear to be as close as many believe. Hayworth has the Teabagger crowd in his back pocket, but McCain has the old-guard Republicans and the money in his. The Teabaggers scream very loud, but they're not writing fat checks, and they're still far-outnumbered by moderate Republicans.

Hayworth was described in The Economist (without being mentioned by name) as "a nitwit who frets about man-on-horse nuptials." That pretty much sums up the views of the vast majority of Republicans who don't consider illegal immigration to be their #1, #2, and #3 issues.

A recent poll has McCain up by 15 percentage points, and that points to a landslide. McCain's attack ads paint Hayworth as a loon who worries about men marrying horses, vampires, and UFO invasions but Hayworth's attack ads paint McCain as not being conservative enough. The Teabaggers are going to vote for Hayworth, and McCain isn't going after their votes. Moderate and old-guard Republicans are trending toward McCain, and Hayworth isn't even trying to woo them. If he is then he's doing an exceptionally bad job.

[Jeffshadows]

Speaking of the Teabag wingnuts:

ALBANY, N.Y. – Opponents of the fiscally conservative tea party movement say they plan to infiltrate and dismantle the political group by trying to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic.

Jason Levin, creator of http://www.crashtheteaparty.org, said Monday the group has 65 leaders in major cities across the country who are trying to recruit members to infiltrate tea party events for April 15 — tax filing day, when tea party groups across the country are planning to gather and protest high taxes.

"Every time we have someone on camera saying that Barack Obama isn't an American citizen, we want someone sitting next to him saying, 'That's right, he's an alien from outer space!'" Levin said.

Tea party members said the backlash comes from ignorance.

"They can't actually debate our message and that's their problem," said Bob MacGuffie, a Connecticut organizer for Right Principles, a tea party group that also has members in New York and New Jersey.

The tea party movement generally unites on the fiscally conservative principles of small government, lower taxes and less spending. Beyond that the ideology of the people involved tends to vary dramatically.

Levin says they want to exaggerate the group's least appealing qualities, further distance the tea party from mainstream America and damage the public's opinion of them.

"Do I think every member of the tea party is a homophobe, racist or a moron? No, absolutely not," Levin said. "Do I think most of them are homophobes, racists or morons? Absolutely."

The site manifesto says they want to dismantle the Tea Party by nonviolent means. "We have already sat quietly in their meetings, and observed their rallies," the site said.

Another tea party organizer said the attempt to destroy the movement was evidence its message is resonating.

"We've been ignored, we've been ridiculed. Well, now they're coming after us," said Judy Pepenella, a co-coordinator for the New York State Tea Party. "Gandhi's quote is one we understand: 'First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.'"

I hope they succeed. If nothing else, it would be pretty amusing to see these bozos taken down a notch or two. Some of them are downright frightening...

[rally_toad]

The one thing that would be worse than sending John McCain back to the Senate, would be sending JD Hayworth in his place.

On an vaguely related note... I really enjoy the radio ads by Sarah Palin, they are the only ones I remember, I just remember when she says "John McCain is a savage... bla bla bla (possibly saying savage conservative, or savage fighter of liberals)", and immediately I thought of John McCain with rabies terrorizing school children, IDK why.

Hey I might be able to vote for a savage John McCain.

[Sredfield]

The one thing that would be worse than sending John McCain back to the Senate, would be sending JD Hayworth in his place.

Amen to that!

[rally_toad]

Gandhi's quote is one we understand: 'First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.'"

Wow just re-reading that post. I find it amazing that they could compare themselves to Gahndi or take any quote from him. Gahndi worked his whole life for peace... these tea bags called black members of congress who supported the health care bill the n word, and screamed the derogatory name for homosexual at Barney Frank. These people aren't fighting for peace, or really for anything. They've been misled and manipulated by people who are frankly much smarter than they are (John Boehner, Rush Limbaugh, etc.) , they keep hearing about how they are going to be taxed to death (even though the majority of them got a huge tax cut thanks to obama), they legitimately believe the president was not born in the U.S. (please try and tell me that this would still have happened if John Edwards were elected or any other white male, it is obvious racism), and they're main problems with the health bill don't exist (by all measures this bill was middle of the road, no public option, no single payer etc.). I find it insulting that they would compare themselves to Gahndi, a pacifist, when they're main goal is hate, extremism, seccesion, etc.

[JimmyLyding]

Don't forget that John McCain was born in Panama, even if both of his parents were American citizens at the time, and I'm assuming that his mother still is a citizen of this awesome country. The Teabaggers would slam Obama for eating a gyro sandwich FWIW. "He's a Euro-phile Arab who hates All-American turkey sandwiches!!!"
On a light-hearted note it looks as if President Obama is going to overtake President Clinton's record of patronizing all of the nasty, bad-for-you, peppery, greasy, Soul-food-ish, salty, and downright tasty lunch joints in Washington, D.C.
On an even more light-hearted note some of us believe that Alex needs to get over to The Chuckbox (forget that Smashburger corporate grease-pit despite its awesome Freedom Fries) to fulfill his true destiny as an Arizona State Sun Devil. It'll put some meat on your bones! I'll be there around 2:00 PM manana.

[rally_toad]

On an even more light-hearted note some of us believe that Alex needs to get over to The Chuckbox (forget that Smashburger corporate grease-pit despite its awesome Freedom Fries) to fulfill his true destiny as an Arizona State Sun Devil. It'll put some meat on your bones! I'll be there around 2:00 PM manana.

Amen to that brother... I'm going to head over there today and at least check it out. Smashburger fries are the bomb dude, so don't be talking smack!

[Jeffshadows]

Yea, I was watching something on NatGeo about Air Force One and they had Obama's first flight. He gets on and they ask him what he'd like for dinner and he orders a cheeseburger...gotta love it!

[rally_toad]

Dude I went to the chuckbox and remembered too late that they only take cash, so I went to Dave's Dog house instead, which was amazingly tasty. So the chuckbox will have to wait at least until thursday...