Art Machine
Just another former infatuation junkie

With news about Palin’s no-holds-barred shopping spree circulating and in the process ticking off even the most loyal Republican donors, McCain’s campaign is quick to play down the story. The campaign that has depended on minor past associations and “he has a funny name” to smear their opponent now feels that we shouldn’t be talking about this when there are bigger issues to discuss.

But it actually is a big issue. Big enough that John McCain felt compelled to bring it up on the Senate floor at least twice. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Heck, you don’t even have to take the so-called “liberal media” at their word. You can look it up on the Congressional Record for the 103rd Congress, a word-by-word transcript of the proceedings on the Senate and House floors maintained by the federal government and published through the Library of Congress. Go ahead and browse through May 25, 1993. That’s when McCain had this to say:

Madam President, the amendment before the Senate is a very simple one. It restricts the use of campaign funds for inherently personal purposes. The amendment would restrict individuals from using campaign funds for such things as home mortgage payments, clothing purchases, noncampaign automobile expenses, country club memberships, and vacations or other trips that are noncampaign in nature.

Madam President, I want to emphasize I will be citing some examples of how campaign funds have been used which are extremely egregious, but I want to point out they are not illegal, and the purpose of this amendment is to restrict the use of those campaign funds because, if we are truly going to have campaign finance reform, I do not believe that campaign funds should be used for such things as country club dues, tuxedos, vacations, and other purposes for which they are now almost routinely used by certain Members of both bodies.

But that was just McCain’s comments on the introduction of his own amendment. Surely, I’m not going to hold one prepared statement given on the Senate floor by an elected official in favor of his own amendment against the guy, am I?

No, I’m not.

I’m going to hold two statements against him. Also in the 103rd’s Congressional Record, you’ll find January 31, 1994.

I want to remind my colleges in the Senate and those in the other House of Representatives, as well as the six FEC Commissioners, that on May 25, 1993, the Senate unanimously adopted my amendment to the campaign finance reform bill that restricted the use of campaign funds for inherently personal purposes. [...]

According to Ms. [Sara] Fritz, campaign funds have been used to buy such items as a jumbo illuminated globe from Hammacher Schlemmer, for trips to exotic locals such as Thailand, Taiwan, and Italy, and for tuxedos and an unexplainable $299 for bow ties.

I tell ya, that John McCain. He’s a real, straight-shootin’, do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do guy.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 10:46 am and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.