The RINOHunters PAC hereby announces that the following Republican Senator, being among the Republicans least aligned with basic common sense, does not deserve further election to any office above dog catcher--and even that is debatable. 

As pointed out by many activists and bloggers, most notably Michelle Malkin, John Sidney McCain is a bane to the existence of all conservatives and an albatross around the necks of all Republicans.  Michelle's excellent work on John McCain can be found HERE.

The reasons for our focus on this RINO are known far and wide, but we try to never miss an opportunity to remind our fellow common sense Americans just how bad these people are.  So, just in case you'd forgotten, here's the facts:

During his long career in the Senate, John Sidney McCain has rarely passed up a chance to break rank with the conservatives and align with the furthest-left elements of the Senate, including but not limited to the left-wing Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and the far-left Russell Feingold of Wisconsin.

Highlights of McCain's long and infamous career include the following:

JOHN MCCAIN PROMOTES GLOBAL WARMING THEORY, SUPPORTS CAP AND TRADE AND OPPOSES DRILLING:

In spite of the continually-mounting evidence that the theory of man-made global warming is politically-driven junk science, McCain continues to promote the theory of man-made global warming and has been an outspoken advocate of the imposition of so-called 'cap and trade' taxes to stop it. (SOURCE)

In McCain's campaign for the presidency in 2000, he supported a federal ban on offshore drilling for oil.  In June 2008, in the midst of a tough election campaign, McCain reversed his longstanding objection to offshore drilling. (SOURCE)

McCain has generally opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN SUPPORTED THE WALL STREET BAILOUTS:

While claiming to be a champion of fiscal discipline, John McCain supported, against strong public opposition:

The $700 Billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) Wall Street bailout (SOURCE)

A $300 Billion mortgage entitlement bailout (SOURCE)

An $85 Billion AIG bailout (SOURCE)

A $25 Billion auto bailout (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN IS A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR LEGALIZATION OF ILLEGAL ALIENS:

John McCain's record on immigration issues can only be described as abysmal.  NumbersUSA gives McCain lifetime rating of D. (SOURCE)

McCain's recent ratings from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) are in a similar range: 0%, 0%, 15%, 44%, respectively. (SOURCE)

In 2004, McCain actively campaigned against Proposition 200, an Arizona state initiative intended to prevent illegal immigrants from voting or receiving welfare benefits, and requiring state agencies to report illegals to the federal government. McCain strongly opposed Prop 200, arguing it would be overly expensive to execute, that it would be ineffectual, and that immigration regulation falls only under the purview of the federal government. (SOURCE)

In 2007, John McCain teamed up with Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sen. Harry Reid, and Sen. Lindsey Graham to push for The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, more popularly known as the 'McCain-Kennedy' bill.  The bill would have provided legal status and a path to citizenship for approximately 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States. The bill also created a new class of visa, known as the "Z visa", available to anyone living without a valid visa in the United States on Jan. 1, 2008.  The Z visa would give its holder the legal right to remain in the United States on a renewable, perpetual basis, and access to a Social Security number. The bill provided that a Z visa would be provided to an applicant automatically within 24 hours of a request. (SOURCE)

Critics of the McCain-Kennedy bill fought the bill based on several objections, including:

Completion of background checks would not be required for Z Visa legalized status. 

Payment of back taxes would not be required for Z Visa legalized status.

Gang members, absconders, deportees, aliens with terrorism connections and child molesters would all be eligible for Z Visa legalized status 

Aliens holding Z Visa legalized status would be immune from deportation.

Aliens holding Z Visa legalized status would be entitled to taxpayer funded legal counsel and arbitration, in-state tuition, student loans, and the earned income tax credit.

Altogether, benefits to illegal aliens under McCain-Kennedy were estimated to cost taxpayers

billions of dollars:

(SOURCE)

Ultimately, McCain was unsuccessful in overcoming the overwhelming public opposition to the bill, and the bill failed to achieve cloture in the Senate.  McCain continues to advocate for what he calls 'regularization' although his campaign has declined to define what the term means. (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN HAS LONG SUPPORTED NEW RESTRICTIONS ON PRIVATE GUN SALES:

While McCain has repeatedly touted his votes opposing certain gun control bills in support of his claim to support the Second Amendment, McCain's record in public office tells a very different story.

McCain has received fair to poor ratings on gun issues from the National Rifle Association, often garnering C ratings on a scale from A to F.  McCain's GOA rating went from a "C-" in 2000 to an "F-" in 2006. (SOURCE)

In 1999, McCain told the Associated Press that he was in support of outlawing 'cheaply made handguns,' also known as 'Saturday night specials.' (SOURCE). 

The same year, he told the Los Angeles Times that he was 'open to voting for an assault weapon ban.' (SOURCE)

In 2000, McCain served as a spokesman for a gun control organization known as Americans for Gun Safety, a group advocating licensing and registering all gun owners.  The group ran advertisements featuring McCain supporting ballot initiatives in Colorado and Oregon imposing new and unprecedented restrictions on gun shows. (SOURCE)

In 2001, John McCain, Joseph Lieberman, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton came together in co-sponsorship of S.890, the 'Gun Show Loophole Closing and Gun Law Enforcement Act of 2001,' also known as 'McCain-Lieberman.'  Dave Kopel described the bill as follows:

[T]he McCain-Lieberman bill consumes many pages. Within these pages are numerous complications and loopholes, which give federal officials the ability to shut down gun shows entirely, to register people who attend gun shows, and to impose many other gun controls which have nothing to do with background checks on purchases. In short, a "gun show loophole" bill could be short indeed; McCain-Lieberman is long because its hidden agenda is so long. (SOURCE)

On March 2, 2004, John McCain sponsored an amendment to S. 1805 that would have effectively outlawed the private sale of firearms at gun shows. (SOURCE)

McCain publicly reiterated his opposition to private sales of firearms as recently as 2008. (SOURCE)

"for McCain to argue this week that he is reliably pro-gun relies on conservatives having very short memories." - John Lott, May 2006 (SOURCE) 

JOHN MCCAIN SUPPORTS UNCONSTITUTIONAL BURDENS ON THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH:

In 2002, John McCain teamed up with far-left Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin to enact the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002," also known as 'McCain-Feingold.'  The law provided for severe criminal sanctions, including steep fines and imprisonment, for those found to have violated its new speech restrictions. (SOURCE)

The bill was opposed by a broad coalition, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Right to Life Committee, the National Ass`n of Manufacturers and the National Rifle Association, among many others.   They argued, correctly, that McCain's law ran completely counter to the First Amendment's guarantee that "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." (SOURCE) (SOURCE)

In one case after another, the courts have ruled that the McCain-Feingold law directly contravenes the freedom of speech guarantees set forth in the Constitution.  Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court again stuck down major provisions of McCain's speech regulations as being in direct violation of the First Amendment's guarantees:

"The First Amendment prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for engaging in political speech...

When Government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought. This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves...

The regulatory mechanism here, based on speech, contravenes the First Amendment."

(SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN OPENLY SUPPORTS KNOWN LEFT-WING REPUBLICANS:

In the 2010 Florida primary for Senate, McCain originally endorsed left-wing Republican Charlie Crist against Marco Rubio.  (SOURCE)  McCain recently withdrew his endorsement.

In the 2010 Illinois primary for Senate, McCain endorsed anti-gun left-winger Mark Kirk. (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN HAS GENERALLY OPPOSED TAX CUTS:

For years, McCain refused to sign the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge to not add any new taxes or increase existing taxes.  (SOURCE)  McCain finally agreed to sign the pledge for the 2010 election cycle.  (SOURCE)

Despite his claim to support limited government and the free market, McCain voted against the economy-spurring tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, denouncing them as "tax breaks for the wealthiest citizens of this country." (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN SUPPORTS FEDERAL TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING THE DESTRUCTION OF HUMAN EMBRYOS:

John McCain is one of four U.S. Senators in The Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of self-described 'moderate' Republicans, most of whom are pro-choice. The other three Senators are Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich.  (SOURCE)  

Amidst an ever-worsening budget crisis and despite the fact that the most promising research on stem cells has come from adult stem cells, McCain has long advocated using federal taxpayer dollars to destroy human embryos for medical research. (SOURCE)

JOHN MCCAIN'S 'GANG OF 14' STUNT ABANDONED SOLID JUDGES:

In 2005, in the face of continued Democratic filibusters of 10 Bush judicial appointments denying the appointees an up-or-down vote, McCain conspired with a handful of Democrat and liberal Republican Senators in a cabal known as the 'Gang of 14.'  The Gang of 14 agreed that up-or-down votes would be held on only 3 of Bush's appointments and the remainder would not go forward.  McCain's activities completely short-circuited the negotiations taking place to conduct up-or-down votes on all of the judicial appointees. (SOURCE) (SOURCE)

Via Michelle Malkin, who dubs them the "Bend over Republicans":

Alexander (R-TN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Chambliss (R-Ga)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Sessions (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Well, there's a surprise--NOT:

The photo-op after his meeting with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham was yet another bipartisan boon for President-elect Barack Obama.

And the man who stole the show was none other than Graham – one of John McCain’s closest friends in the U.S. Senate.

Seated next to the South Carolina Republican, Obama nodded pensively as Graham explained that he looks forward to working with Obama to win the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – even if he would have preferred a different outcome in November.

Graham then offered support for the president-elect’s beleaguered Treasury pick and even gave an unsolicited glowing review of Obama's popularity abroad.

"I’m not sure what Senator McCain is referring to when he talks about ‘Republican ideals’ but if it’s along the lines of McCain-Feingold, amnesty for Illegal immigrants, carbon caps, ‘gun show loopholes’ or trillion-dollar Wall Street bailouts, I think he meant to say ‘Big Government ideals’."

Via Matt Lewis:

In other news, I am hearing rumors coming out of Ohio that Senator Voinovich is seriously considering making an announcement next week that he won't be running for re-election. According to my sources, Rob Portman would likely be the Republican to replace him. This also opens up the GOP gubernatorial nomination for former Republican Congressman John Kasich.

For the record, Voinovich is a hard-core RINO.

Posted at Human Events:

Most importantly, 2008 was the Year of the RINO.  Conservatives went from early February through November 4th with a low-grade headache and acid indigestion, and not even Dr. House could have diagnosed the cause. It wasn’t until November 5, when we recovered suddenly, that we knew.

The affliction was caused by mental equivalent of conflicting medications. We did our best to follow Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment (to not speak ill of a fellow Republican).  But with John McCain on the ticket, it wasn’t what the liberals call “cognitive dissonance”: we all suddenly became politically bipolar.  Yes, we voted for McCain anyway, knowing Obama would be worse.  And, if only in that, Obama will not disappoint.

Ouch:

Remember when President Bush nominated the politically moderate Harriett Miers for Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 and then, under withering pressure from conservatives, reversed course and nominated Samuel Alito instead? Florida Governor Charlie Crist did just the opposite on January 2, 2009, when he gave in to media pressure and turned his back on known conservative Frank Jimenez, then appointed Appellate Justice Jorge LaBarga for the Florida Supreme Court.

 

It looks like we’ve bagged our first RINO of 2009.

A partial list of top conservative leaders backing Ken Blackwell for RNC Chairman:

Pat Toomey, President, Club for Growth

 

Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com

 

Morton C. Blackwell, Virginia Republican National Committeeman

 

L. Brent Bozell, Founder and President, Media Research Center

 

Steve Forbes, Chairman & CEO, Forbes Media

 

David Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union

 

Ed Meese, Former Reagan Adviser

 

Phyllis Schlafly, President, Eagle Forum

If Ken Blackwell is good enough for the likes of those folks, I'm thinking Ken Blackwell is good enough for me.

Via WSJ:

A recent Research 2000 poll of likely voters put [Reid's] approval rating at 38% and his disapproval rating at 54%, a possible reflection of voters' displeasure with gridlock and partisanship in Washington. And while Nevada broke for President-elect Barack Obama by 12 percentage points in November, the state voted for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

From SteeleforChairman.com:

Elected Position:

Former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland

Policy Organizations:

Chairman, GOPAC

 

Member, Republican National Committee

 

Member, National Federal Election Reform Commission

 

Member, NAACP Blue Ribbon Commission on Election Reform

Awards:

2005 Aspen Institute–Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership

 

2005 Bethune-DuBois Institute Award

Via KenBlackwell.com:

Elected Positions:

Former Ohio State Treasurer

 

Former Ohio Secretary of State

 

Former Mayor of Cincinnati

Policy Organizations:

Member, Board of Directors, National Rifle Association

 

Member, Board of Directors, Club for Growth

 

Member, Board of Directors, National Taxpayers Union

 

Chairman, Coalition for a Conservative Majority

 

Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow for Public Policy, Buckeye Institute

 

Senior Fellow, Family Research Council

 

Former Fellow, Heritage Foundation

 

Visiting Fellow, American Civil Rights Union

 

Visiting Fellow, Texas Public Policy Foundation

Writings:

Co-Author (with Jack Kemp) IRS v. The People: Time for Real Tax Reform

 

Co-Author (with Jerome Corsi) Rebuilding America: A Prescription for Creating Strong Families, Building the Wealth of Working People, and Ending Welfare

Quote:

The RNC needs a more basic and more comprehensive change of course than my competitors have thus far presented or, frankly, envisioned.

It is time to completely remake the Republican Party by returning to our core philosophy (limited government, traditional values and a strong defense), reaching voters more effectively (by better utilization of technology, targeting and voter identification and turnout), and reorganizing the RNC itself (spending smarter, replacing staff and consultants and modernizing our fundraising infrastructure).

In short, the old promise that you've received from candidates for chairman every two years that you will have "more input" ... just isn't going to cut it anymore. You must demand specifics.

"I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system." - George W. Bush

h/t: Michelle, who pleads, "Stop me before I hurl a shoe."

The following House Republicans have stood up publicly against the UAW Bailout and deserve our thanks:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

 

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX)

 

Rep. John Culberson (R-TX)

 

Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY)

 

Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK)

 

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

  

Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)

  

RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

 

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)

 

Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH)

 

Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL)

 

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC)

  

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA)

 

Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK)

  

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

h/t : the Republican Study Committee

Via Ace of Spades:

In a letter sent to the White House on Monday, the Republican governor says Bush would be committing a "very great mistake" that would "open the floodgates to federal monies for every distressed industry across this country -- and there will be many in this economic slowdown."

 

Sanford, a potential 2012 contender for the GOP nomination, is siding with the anti-bailout wing of his party that is furious with Bush for trying to prop up the Detroit automakers and help distressed banks. He also is siding with his fellow Southern politicians who have sparred with Northern Republicans who hail from manufacturing states that are heavily unionized and have a significant Big Three presence.

Kudos to Gov. Sanford.  Let's hope this move will inspire other Republicans to stand up for the free market.

With a reelection race looming on the horizon, you'd think an incumbent Senator would be careful about unnecessarily offending one of his state's largest ethnic groups. Guess not:

Specter let loose with a stream of Polish jokes. The Post said he recounted the old one about a person who tells another person that he knows a good Polish joke. The man responds, "Hey careful, I'm Polish!" Specter delivered the punchline: "That's OK, I'll tell it more slowly."

I'm not big on political correctness, myself, but a whole lot of folks make their voting decisions on items of even less consequence than a politician's fondness for ethnic jokes.

Not that Pennsylvanians don't already have PLENTY of reasons to vote against Arlen Specter in 2010.