McCain Booed trying to apologize for MLK vote

[motivez]

I don't think it makes you a bigot automatically

That said, I believe McCain when he says, that like Goldwater's regret against his vote against the Civil Rights Act, his views have 'evolved' and he's grown

His actual statement:

"I believe that Barry Goldwater, to start with, regretted his vote on the 1964 Civil Rights Act," he said. "I think that Barry grew, like all of us grow and evolve. In 1983, when I was brand-new in the Congress, I voted against the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King. That was a mistake, OK? And later I had the chance to...help fight for...the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King as a holiday in my state."

That, in combination with this statement:

WILLIAMS: Today here you apologized for once voting against the MLK holiday.
McCAIN: Yes.

WILLIAMS: What was your justification then and what changed your position?

McCAIN: The justification was the expense and another federal holiday.
It was not a good excuse.

I think is pretty much a tacit admission that his reasoning about it being a federal holiday was bullshit, and has to make one wonder what his real motivation was back then.. I think the only other reason is pretty obvious for all of us to draw a simple conclusion about.

I take him at his word that his views have evolved and he's grown since then, and I think the fact that he has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh pretty much proves that.

[Thorgrim]

Some people are acting like this was right after he was shot or something...this was in the 1980s when historians and the media around the country had documentaries playing all over cable/PBS about how amazing the non-violent movement was in the US for civil rights

When I was in elementary school I saw pieces on him that are identical to the ones they produce today...as I've said before there are two historical main groups in America, whites and blacks, to not give ONE holiday to the man who exemplifies not only the best in the African American experience, but one of the greatest Americans of all time...something is wrong with you AS A POLITICIAN, and there was something wrong with him

There still is...

[Thorgrim]

Taking a daughter from poor country of Bangladesh and acknowledging a hero of an African American community you've seen in America all your life

I've seen whites who like Latinos and hate blacks and vice versa

[kinggovernor]

the question you need to ask yourself is this:
Would you support a Fredrick Douglas national holiday?

By some definitions you would be a bigot if you didn't

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by motivez

I think is pretty much a tacit admission that his reasoning about it being a federal holiday was bullshit, and has to make one wonder what his real motivation was back then.. I think the only other reason is pretty obvious for all of us to draw a simple conclusion about.

I take him at his word that his views have evolved and he's grown since then, and I think the fact that he has an adopted daughter from Bangladesh pretty much proves that.

I agree.

The man is no Saint, but to dimiss everything as calculated is going way overboard. To be fair I don't have that perception of Obama either. I hope that when the Clinton dust clears the two parties can have a real policy debate that does not get drawn into all out personal attacks from either side.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

yes

McCain is a bigot, but voting against a national holiday is not bigoted, in and of itself.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

Some people are acting like this was right after he was shot or something...this was in the 1980s when historians and the media around the country had documentaries playing all over cable/PBS about how amazing the non-violent movement was in the US for civil rights

When I was in elementary school I saw pieces on him that are identical to the ones they produce today...as I've said before there are two historical main groups in America, whites and blacks, to not give ONE holiday to the man who exemplifies not only the best in the African American experience, but one of the greatest Americans of all time...something is wrong with you AS A POLITICIAN, and there was something wrong with him

There still is...

So, we should create holidays for all "great" Americans?

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by lew

McCain is a bigot, but voting against a national holiday is not bigoted, in and of itself.

He is not against national holidays, he was only against MLK day...and not for anti-federal holiday reasons...in the 1980s when he was already an old man, he still didn't see anything particular special...thats a rough paraphrase of his "reasoning"

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by lew

So, we should create holidays for all "great" Americans?

How about one holiday for the one great American who was the black person most responsible for freeing the most prominent American minority (and all "colored" peoples) from segregation

there is a good argument that he was the greatest American...ever

but we have to celebrate slave-driving whites and the holidays they brought from then fanatical Europe

If there is no MLK day, there shouldn't be one holiday

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

He is not against national holidays, he was only against MLK day...and not for anti-federal holiday reasons...in the 1980s when he was already an old man, he still didn't see anything particular special...thats a rough paraphrase of his "reasoning"

You may very well be correct that McCain was bigoted for voting against the Holiday, my only point is that voting against legislation that only has to do with a black person isn't bigoted in and of itself.


For example, although you may, I wouldn't consider Goldwater's voting against the Civil Rights Act bigoted nor Paul's voting against the Congressional Medal of Honor for Rosa Parks bigoted.

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

How about one holiday for the one great American who was the black person most responsible for freeing the most prominent American minority (and all "colored" peoples) from segregation

there is a good argument that he was the greatest American...ever

but we have to celebrate slave-driving whites and the holidays they brought from then fanatical Europe

If there is no MLK day, there shouldn't be one holiday

And there is good argument that he is nowhere near the greatest American ever.


Regardless, I'd rather have a MLK day than a Lincoln day, and truth be told, the Feds shouldn't be regulating holidays anyway. So, I'm all for no federally mandated holidays.

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by lew

You may very well be correct that McCain was bigoted for voting against the Holiday, my only point is that voting against legislation that only has to do with a black person isn't bigoted in and of itself.


For example, although you may, I wouldn't consider Goldwater's voting against the Civil Rights Act bigoted nor Paul's voting against the Congressional Medal of Honor for Rosa Parks bigoted.

Yes yes, we all know Ron Paul votes "No" on basically everything he can, yes we all know that doesn't mean he hates the Florida Gators

However, it was made clear in the news from the start of this story, that he gave his "reasoning" for voting no, it's like listening to Archie Bunker talk about how he's not a bigot

[lew]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

Yes yes, we all know Ron Paul votes "No" on basically everything he can, yes we all know that doesn't mean he hates the Florida Gators

However, it was made clear in the news from the start of this story, that he gave his "reasoning" for voting no, it's like listening to Archie Bunker talk about how he's not a bigot

In my first post in the thread, I agreed that McCain was a bigot, so then if you agree that solely voting against certain legislation doesn't make one a bigot, then I'm not sure why we're arguing.

[7960]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

I believe it was pretty accurate

You believe it's accurate to say that merely voting against MLK day makes a person a bigot?

[7960]

Originally Posted by kombayn

...... voting against the MLK holiday is not only a mistake but kind of a scratch your head "what?" kind of moment. You're delusional.

Not at all. I'd be all for a Civil Rights day, but having MLK day as a federal holiday is kind of dumb. We celebrate one president's birthday, the guy who led the way for colonizing and establishing our country, and then every other federal holiday is for a group of people, not an individual. You believe MLK did as much for this country as washington and columbus?

MLK is one of the most important figures in American history

no he's not

... and a very important man to the black community.

I'm sure he is. And so are Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, the people who sat at the Greensboro lunch counter, Malcolm X ........ where are their days?

If we honor Columbus Day (and he was a rat-bastard who raped and pillaged many Indian villages) and not MLK Day, that's wrong.

Columbus raped blah blah blah....if you can spin yours that way then I'll spin MLK as someone who promoted a movement that resulted in violence against whites....that rat-bastard led a movement that killed people for nothing other than the color of their skin.

[kombayn]

^To say MLK is not one of the important American figures of our history... Wow man... I like your strong headed opinion but I cannot agree with you on this. Washington & Lincoln have holidays for their leadership and the other for the end of slavery. If you want to change MLK Day to Civil Rights Day, I'm all for that. But I completely disagree that MLK wasn't important to our history. I don't know what else to really say to you, I'm shocked you would say he isn't important to our history. If we put a poll up I think you would be the only one to vote no.

[7960]

Originally Posted by kombayn

^To say MLK is not one of the important American figures of our history... Wow man... I like your strong headed opinion but I cannot agree with you on this.

He did some important stuff, sure. But enough to warrant a day for him? Nope. I'm all for a civil rights day, even have it on his birthday...that's fine. But a day for him? Washington & Lincoln have holidays

Lincoln does not.

2008 Federal Holidays

You're saying MLK was more important than Lincoln?

But I completely disagree that MLK wasn't important to our history.

I didn't say he wasn't important. I said he wasn't one of the most important.........not deserving of a federal holiday dedicated to him.

If we put a poll up I think you would be the only one to vote no.

A poll asking if he was important, or a poll asking if he was important enough to deserve a federal holiday?

[Dumpy Dooby]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

We should get rid of the 4th of july as a holiday, a bunch of racist clowns in whigs being total cowards about slavery, and we celebrate that?

John Adams was in charge of the draft committee of the Declaration of Independence. He did not own any slaves. You lose.

[David Octavius]

Originally Posted by lew

McCain is a bigot, but voting against a national holiday is not bigoted, in and of itself.

How is McCain a bigot?