Cindy's "Drug Addiction" on MSNBC

[DemocracyInaction]

I'm surprised none of you picked this up. About an hour ago they started inserting little bits about "Cindy McCain's 90's drug addiction". I don't know if it is a premptive strike by McCain camp knowing that attacks on Michelle will now bring Cindy front and center; or if the attacks on Cindy have begun (good---we can't run defense this whole campaign; we have to run offense - and if this is the turf they want to fight on, then so be it. We could also start going back and digging up Johnny's Savings and Loan corruption that would make senior citizens livid to have that revisited. And, of course, the "courtship" of John and Cindy is also now fair game). Anyway, there certainly is an attempt to bury this in the Friday "dump off" news. We must make sure they never stick a picture of Michelle up on the screen and start their "innocent" crap trying to plant seeds in everyone's mind without making them stick up Cindy's pic and asking questions about her.

[eleny]

1. Was this on the web site or a tv report?

[bunnies]

2. Yeah it was that and...

"things between the McCains that they dont want brought up".
They've also previously talked about her shoplifting (on msnbc).

Just little tiny bits like the one today though. I spose they felt obligated since they were talking about the whitey tape.

[DemocracyInaction]

4. 'scuse me.......

..when the hell is illicit drug use and shoplifiting just "things between the McCains". So, if I kill someone, it's something just between me and my husband!! These people are such shit. I'm sick of Repukes who break laws and do crap always being poor, pitiful people who are not to blame and how it's always a "personal matter". Well, Cindy, tell me, how many people did what you did and have to "tell it to the judge"..in PUBLIC.

[KittyWampus]

15. thanks for highlighting the absurd lengths Mediawhores go to protect McCain.

[1Hippiechick]

37. Mediawhores.....LOVE IT!

[bunnies]

21. The way it came off to me was that there were OTHER things

between the McCains that they didnt want brought to light. Other things in addition to the shoplifting and drug use. The c*nt comment comes to mind... as does the adultery.

[blondeatlast]

3. It wasn't the drug addiction, it was stealing the drugs from her own charity.

and using her powerful political connections to cover it up--and destroying the life of the whistleblower.

Here's a handy article on it from a respected local weekly: http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs/

If we bring this up, we need to keep this in mind. It's not the illness, it's corruption.

[City Lights]

5. Bingo!

:thumbsup:, blondeatlast.

[DemocracyInaction]

9. I'd say it's time to roll

seriously...it's time to make them wish they had never rolled out the slime machine. The general population doesn't like to see rich bastards break the law and walk. Johnny has rolled out his wife as fair game with his slime machine tactics. We can't just play defense. We have to make them paranoid of what they are going to face in retaliation. In fact, as they attack Obama for patriotism, etc., then let's start with McCain's S/L dealings and run the gammit of all the dealings of the 100's of lobbiests on his staff.

[SOS]

14. Exactly

Why is a poor addict arrested, jailed and forced into a jail cell detox while Cindy gets a luxury rehab and no arrest?
It's not the illness, it's the grotesque injustice.

[PBS Poll-435]

6. The bigger story is the drugs while pregnant

That should be the October surprise that makes this a 62-38 kind of landslide.

[DemocracyInaction]

7. Wait--I want to add something

to my original post. The McSame slime machine can throw out names like Rich, etc. which mean utterly nothing to 99% of the population. BUT, given the popularity of things like "lock up" shows, etc., EVERYBODY knows "drugs", "shoplifting", etc. Throw those out and see just what sticks to what candidate!!!

[davidpdx]

23. Lock'em up doesn't apply if you or your family is rich

Poor Cindy....dear god!

:sarcasm:

[NatBurner]

8. friday news dump

just like the release of their taxes and medical records

[JimGinPA]

10. They Just Brought It Up Again - Almost Whispering...

And then quickly bringing up her "great" charity work. It's so transparent that it's laughable. They spend five minutes dissing Michele "politely" and mock a blogger who referred to McCindy as a "Barbie Doll".

[blondeatlast]

13. Her charity work is how she got the drugs; did they mention that?

Like I don't know, but I'm ever optimistic... :shrug:

[niceypoo]

24. Do you believe that candidates spouses are fair game?

[SwampG8r]

32. i believe if one candidate or his supporters

goes that route he better have the virgin mary for a bride
its like evidence in court if its in its examinable
if he (mccain)brings up families then his is also fair game

[1Hippiechick]

38. I think candidates wives are NOT fair game UNTIL someone draws the first blood...then it's on!

dammit - I forgot spellcheck......

[benddem]

11. I'd really like to know

WHY she had a stroke. That seems really strange for a woman her age.

[blondeatlast]

12. I survived one, I'm very young. We don't need to go there. nt

[rox63]

16. I just scoured the MSNBC web site, and couldn't find a trace of it

Perhaps we should email a few media outlets and tell them we want them to cover McCain's drug problems. If they are going after Michelle Obama, then Cindy McCain should also be fair game.

[1Hippiechick]

41. "...tell them we want them to cover McCain's drug problems." It'll never happen unless someone

hacks a broadcast. Corporate media HATE the internet BECAUSE they can't control it! I LOVE it! Obama is using the www brilliantly, IMHO.

:kick:

[Phx_Dem]

17. Exactly.

I just posted on another thread that Roland Martin (I'm pretty sure it was him) brought up Cindy's drug addiction on The Situation Room (CNN) yesterday after Cambpell Brown brought up the baby mama smear. Go Roland!

What comes around goes around. The difference is in Michelle's case it's lies and smears and in Cindy's case it's fact.

[Vinca]

18. What exactly was the shoplifting thing? I'd never heard that before.

Just what we need - a First Lady who'll lift the silverware while she's overseas at state dinners.

[grantcart]

27. I don't think it was shoplifting it was that she took the drugs from her own charity

[TexasObserver]

19. It's not the illness, it's the grotesque injustice.

She STOLE prescription drugs from a children's charity. She used fraud to do so. She was acting as a dealer to her friends.

She got off with nothing.

[FSogol]

20. and they fired the guy who uncovered her theft. n/t

[Willo]

22. AVMT didn't pay State and Federal Unemployment Taxes

to support the Unemployment Insurance Program. So employees couldn't collect unemployment benefits.
In the article linked above, it quotes that Tom Gosinski learned of this when he went to apply for UI benefits

If this is true, what happened to the other employees after AVMT closed down in 1995?

I'm searching and not finding anything on that angle so far.

Updated: Employees thus far:

Jeri Johnson - Cindy's aunt and former AVMT receptionist
Kathy Walker
Tracy Orrick
Cari Clark McCain - Jeri Johnson's granddaughter and Cindy's adopted daughter
Tom Gosinski - Director of Goverment and Internal affairs(salary $48K annually)


Not considered employees eligible for UI Benefits:
John Bircumshaw - a contract fund raiser for AVMT
doctors - John Max Johnson, Tom Moffo, Francis Fote, Dennis Everton and Daniel De La Pava.

[blondeatlast]

26. I'm a local who remembers much about the story; the McCains managed

to squelch a lot of it with the help of the old-boy betwork press (our major newspaper was then owned by the Quayle family, keep in mind).

TThe local press helped put McCain where he was so of course they protected him.

A good source to begin some research is Phoenix New Times; they were the only press that really tried to look into it:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/

Amy Sikllverman, IIRC, did most of the reporting. I believe she's still with them.

Edit: Here's a good backgrounder from NT. http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs/

[Willo]

39. Yes, I was reading that...a seven- pager. I'll look again.

Cindy is part of a large group (rich and poor), who are dealing or have dealt with a drug problem. With the exception of the less fortunate, many could empathy with her addiction and the need to lie and steal to support that habit.

How she handled the business and her employees is a different matter. Her work is touted on John McCain's website as a reason to sing her praises.

I'd like to know how many AVMT employees there were during the 7 years it existed. Of that number, how many were unrelated to the McCain family and did not need to worry about unemployment insurance. The story only mentions key players. Either AVMT was full of family-paid employees or a lot of people got screwed in a manner consistent with John McCain's record on jobs and unemployment.

http://aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_unemployment.cfm

[1Hippiechick]

42. 'Cindy is part of a large group (rich and poor), who are dealing or have dealt with a drug problem.'

If she is a member of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or Alcholoics Anonymous (AA) I would certainly hope that these groups doesn't get trashed in the expose on her!

[Willo]

45. Why would they? NA and AA provide services for addicted people

they have a great success record but many fall off the wagon and don't recover. I've never heard of a crime being committed by a drug or alcohol abuser falling back on AA or NA.

Cindy got cleaned up quickly and with her husband's help, went about hurting people to cover her tracks. That's the story.

[1Hippiechick]

46. AA and NA are wonderful organizations, IMHO, but I have problems with exactly HOW McLame helped her

If she was addicted, I don't see how he could have had any role in helping her....which then might lead to a program such as AA or NA..that's all.....

[Willo]

49. I see. The how, when and where of her treatment seems sketchy.

Where John helped her was in covering up the crime of how she got the drugs. She didn't just steal them from a cabinet. For one, Cindy used other people's DEA credentials without their knowledge or permission to obtain drugs for herself. And, in a sense, used her organization as a front.


A bit from the article on her treatment:

On August 19--just three days before the records are to be made public--Smith parades your wife before a select group of journalist friends. She tells a tale of pain and triumph, and, incredibly, all the reporters agree to sit on the story until August 22. When Cindy McCain says her confession is intended to quell rumors and to inspire other druggies to turn their lives around, the journalists lap it up. They write about her "bravery." The first round of stories is one-sided. There is no mention of Tom Gosinski or Romley's extortion investigation.

But after a week, there is no glossing over huge gaps in the image that has been spun for the public:

• Cindy McCain lied about drug treatment she claims to have undergone. Although she told reporters she went into a residential drug treatment program earlier this year, she told investigators she had treatment during 1991 and 1992. Whom did she lie to--investigators or reporters?

• If Cindy McCain did undergo treatment before 1994, as she told investigators, the senator's claim that he didn't learn of his wife's addiction until this January simply defies credibility.

• Cindy McCain and Jay Smith lied about her status with federal prosecutors. She told a Tucson reporter she had already completed a pretrial diversion program. Smith told another reporter that the case had come to "resolution." In fact, Cindy McCain hasn't even been accepted into a diversion program.

• Jay Smith misled the Arizona Republic when he said that Gosinski had, in an act of retribution, tipped federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents after failing to get a cash settlement. In fact, Gosinski was talking to the DEA 11 months before he ever filed his wrongful termination claim

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs

[Willo]

50. The crimes:

July 20, 1992: Well, this morning I received a call from Francis Fote, a doctor who traveled to El Salvador with AVMT. Fote called to inform me that he had visited with Cindy on Friday regarding the use of his DEA number. He asked that I tell Cindy his number could only be used in the state of New York as that is where he is licensed. I do not know what Cindy is up to but it appears as though she is trying to use several doctors' DEA #'s so that she can acquire drugs for personal use. Kathy Walker has stated several times in the past that this has been going on for quite some time and that the DEA has questioned large acquisitions of drugs such as percocet. We know that 300 percocet have been missing from AVMT's inventory and that Cindy says they are locked up at her home. I really don't know what is going on but I certainly hope that Cindy does not get herself or AVMT in trouble. I also hope that if it is necessary, Cindy is able to get help before she does herself harm. . . .

July 22, 1992: We haven't heard from Cindy today. Who knows what she might be up to. Kathy did find a DEA number from Doctor Everton on Cindy's desk this morning. . . . To date, Tracy, Kathy and I know that on Friday of last week she requested or received DEA numbers from Drs. Tom Moffo, Francis Fote . . . Max Johnson, De La Pava and Everton. I certainly hope that she does not get all of these guys in a lot of trouble.

(Everton says New Times' inquiry marked the first time anyone had asked him about his DEA number--a federally assigned code that allows doctors to dispense drugs internationally--despite his being interviewed by two DEA agents about a year ago. Everton says he doesn't recall giving AVMT his DEA number, although the organization might have had it. Everton adds that he found it odd that months after he went on his one and only AVMT mission, a staff member tracked him down on vacation and asked him to prescribe Tylenol 3--a drug similar to Vicodin--for an upcoming AVMT trip. Everton says he prescribed the drug anyway. He doesn't recall that the prescription was in any individual's name.)

Later in the article:

Hurt turned to disbelief, he says, when he learned he was not eligible for unemployment benefits because AVMT, as a nonprofit organization, has the luxury of opting not to pay into the kitty.

Gosinski suspected that prescriptions had been filled in his name without his knowledge. So in February 1993, a month after his termination, Gosinski met with a representative from the DEA whose name he refuses to reveal. A DEA official confirms that Gosinski first contacted the agency in "early 1993."

He says he did not go to the DEA intending to blow the whistle, but was concerned that his name might become embroiled in a future investigation. He posed what he calls a "what if" scenario: "If a person knows that prescriptions have been written in their name, and they never met with the doctor and they don't know the whereabouts of the drugs, what is their responsibility? And I was told it was my responsibility to turn it in. So at that moment I began to cooperate with the DEA."

Gosinski says he told the DEA of his suspicions, and an agent called Gosinski back to show him copies of two prescriptions written in his name, by Dr. Max Johnson at Cindy McCain's behest. Gosinski says he told the DEA he had no knowledge of the prescriptions. Gosinski says he went to Lahr Pharmacy in north-central Phoenix and asked if any prescriptions had been filled in his name. Indeed, two had; the pharmacist gave him copies, he says.

It had been months since his departure from AVMT, and he couldn't find a job. After sending out hundreds of résumés for positions in government relations and personnel, he took a part-time job at a gift shop owned by friends. He was humiliated and broke.

[Evergreen Emerald]

25. I do not think any candidate's spouse should be attacked.

I remember what they did to Hillary Clinton and Theresa Heines Kerry. Very ugly and not in the least relevant.

[blondeatlast]

28. In this case, McCain used his influence to squelch the story and ruined a whistleblower's life.

Educate yourself before you spout off--this is not an "attack" on the spouse--it's a legitimate concern as to the ethics of a presidential candidate.

Nice try--but FAIL.

[Evergreen Emerald]

30. Knock it off.

Your snotty response, of course, ignores the title thread completely. This is not about McCain. This is about dirty politics.

I thought "we" were about a change in the type of politics of distruction. Indeed, Cindy AND Michelle should be off limits.

[blondeatlast]

31. Read my other responses on this thread, I most assuredly did pay attention.

And you don't get to decide what I can and can't say. Don't like what I say, alert on me.

[Evergreen Emerald]

35. right back at cha.

[SwampG8r]

33. not ever coming fully aboard are you?

[Evergreen Emerald]

34. It appears that you are not coming fully aboard

"Change" = new kind of politics. Not "attack the spouses," at least that is what I got last week when Michelle was being attacked.

[SwampG8r]

36. apples and oranges

mccain used his power to cover the criminal drug dealing of his wife who stole medications from a childrens charity
he used his power to ruin the whistleblower

i fail to see this as an attack on his wife at all but an example of his ethics

this is the very abuse of power that the "new politics" you seem to have so much trouble with are trying to remove from our system

[Bluerthanblue]

48. there is importance to the issue- the "Mccain'SSS" used

-or attempted to use- their connections and $ to avoid the consequences of Cindy's crime.

And they attempt to paint her experience as 'noble' and 'admirable', in the process.

There is a very big difference between seeking out dirt on a candidate and their immediate family (which IS relevant, a candidates spouse has influence and impact on the office that no other person does) and looking closely at the 'experiences.. the resume.. that a candidate offers as to their particular worthy-ness for the job.

Obama isn't running on a platform of slurring his opponent- He discusses the issues, and his ideas about how we as a country need to move forward, far more than he does the deficiencies of Mccain- THAT in itself is change- but to ignore the deception and abuse of power that his Mccain has used to position himself where he is, is like ignoring a child who found a loaded gun, because you don't like violence-
:shrug:
peace~

[Willo]

44. Neither do I. But, Michell has been attacked repeatedly.

Cindy felt the need to jump aboard the I'm-proud-to-be-an-american" bandwagon, but she nor her hubby have yet to open their mouths against the terrorist fist jab and baby's mama attacks.

So in spite of trying to cover up The Sins of Cindy, his wife's dirt is revealed. John would do best to advise his meal ticket to keep her mouth shut, smile and go shopping, because, people are ready to have this fight, whether they are voting for Obama or not.

[my3boyz]

47. If they go after Michelle, I hope they go after Cindy especially

when she called herself getting all high and mighty trying to stir shit up when people were going after Michelle's comment. I heard the other day someone introduced her as someone who loves their country (trying again to snip at Michelle).

[Colobo]

29. I think Obama should stay away from that. He needs to look above the fray.

[comrade snarky]

40. He should

I wont :evilgrin:

[1Hippiechick]

43. "He should. I won't." Right on!