John McCain throws his daughter under the bus

[marmar]

from Crooks and Liars:



John McCain throws his daughter under the bus
By John Amato Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 3:00pm


You would think that John McCain would stick up for his own daughter against the right-wing kook fringe like Coulter and Ingraham after she was attacked not over her ideas, but her body composition, right? I mean any father would say to knock that off. It's out of line. The Limbaugh National Committee already hates him. And he still couldn't do the fatherly thing. What a guy. What a dad.

Digby explains.

Today, in his “Twitterview” with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) shied away from condemning Ingraham’s gratuitous attacks on his daughter. Stephanopoulos asked McCain, “What do you think of Meghan’s feud with Coulter and Ingraham?” McCain first said, “I’m proud of my daughter and she has a right to her opinions.” When asked if he agrees with his daughter, McCain did not say, simply stating, “like any family we agree on some things and disagree on others.”

What kind of a man is this that he can't even defend his daughter against personal insults from the likes of Laura Ingraham? He doesn't even have a political motivation, as low and cynical as that might be. He won't be running for president again. He's never been a favorite of the right wing and has no reason to curry favor with them now. Everything we know about him would suggest that he thinks right-wingers like Coulter are political poison. They sure aren't friends of his.

I think he believes that Megan deserves to be spoken to like that because he probably speaks to her that way himself. Although she's quite lovely, she's not physically a perfect Barbie like her mother or Sarah Palin -- or Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham -- which is what he thinks is important in a woman. So he can't bring himself to defend her. She asked for it.

Whenever I find myself getting down about something the Obama administration is doing, all I have to do is picture that man occupying the White House in my head and I immediately bring myself back from the brink. Imagine...read on

I know families can be complicated, I have to deal with my 82 year old father who just pulled a not-so-smart move that I'm not happy about, but who doesn't have a "family issue?" I wouldn't stand for a character attack on him, though. So I'm kinda shocked that John McCain used Twitter to comment about his daughter, and it's kinda disturbed that he hung her out to dry.


http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/john-mccain-throws-his-daughter-under-b

[rurallib]

1. Maybe he's not really her dad

Just sayin' :shrug:

[bullwinkle428]

2. His pathetic "joke" about Chelsea Clinton years ago gave

us all the insight we needed as to what kind of "man" he is.

[BlooInBloo]

3. And calling his wife a cunt, too.

[valerief]

4. He's a POS thieving asshole. What do you expect? nt

[Mind_your_head]

5. She's a "girl".....so no loss

:sarcasm:

Speaking as the daughter of 'one of these guys'.....that's REALLY how they think.

It's a man's world. PERIOD.

[Incitatus]

6. compassionate conservatives and their family values nt

[Turbineguy]

7. Was the bus one of those

articulated hybrid numbers?

Gotta show yer green.

[mitchum]

8. I imagine that the North Vietnamese finally had to tell him to shut up...

once again we are seeing the "loyalty" of John McCain

[MadMaddie]

9. Remember this is the same man who wouldn't stand up to

Rove and * who slandered his wife and his adopted daughter. Why would anyone be surprised that he wouldn't defend his daughter.

To think this man wanted to be President, if he won't defend his family how the hell would he defend American citizens?

[mascarax]

10. Glad you're not my Dad, John!

Sheesh. I haven't really been following this story, but his response is disgusting. Gee, is Ann Coulter SO important to you, John, that you'd demean your own daughter?

[ErinBerin84]

11. what a loser

Like others have said, what the hell does he have to lose? He's not running for president again. People like Ingraham and Malkin don't like him anyway. Maybe he really got off on the rabid RW really accepting him after he chose Palin that he doesn't want to rock the boat. Coward. Kiss MY ASS, "maverick".

[Daxxie]

12. Why should we be surprised......

he basically stood back once before when the Republicans trashed his family......he even gave Junior a big old sloppy hug. He's a far cry from Harry Truman who threatened physical mayhem on a critic who said that his daughters singing was flat.

[tularetom]

13. He let the Bush campaign trash his wife and daughter in 2000 and never said boo

I don't think John McCain is much of a man.

[Mike 03]

14. He behaves like a man who is suffering from frontotemporal dementia. NT

[Oldtimeralso]

16. No, Crainiumenrectumitis Since Birth! n/t

[Jackpine Radical]

19. Think you could elicit a palmomental reflex out of him?

Yeesh--Remember this?:

[sohndrsmith]

15. Maybe he doesn't want to get involved because it will then be about him - and maybe he has

enough confidence in his daughter in being able to handle this on her own.

Maybe he isn't really aware of the whole story (would not be a surprise). I'm not ready to assume that he is wrong at this point. Far as I can tell, Megan is perfectly capable of handling this herself, and her dad injecting himself into the issue would do nothing positive...

I don't think this is fair to Ms. McCain. She seems to be the most lucid Republican I've heard speak in... a LONG time... : )

[ErinBerin84]

17. Maybe he could have just said

"As she's been demonstrating, Meghan is more than able to defend herself. I'm proud that I have an opinionated daughter who is not afraid to stand up for herself". The "we disagree on things" caveat just seems kind of weak. Plus, this whole twitter interview thing was weak. Whatever, McCain.

I get your point, but even when asked about really horrible things Rush says, he ALWAYS cops to the passive "Hmmm, people have their opinion. I would have to hear it in context." And he's done this whole routine with not defending his family before too. Meghan also said that her dad wasn't encouraging of her having the public fight with Coulter.

[sohndrsmith]

23. very well said - you make a far better point. But I'm a little

confused, still: seems like J. McCain's responses are consistent if nothing else... no? I'm certainly not approving his response but it does seem predictable. Maybe he doesn't know how to relate to his daughter any other way. That would be sad, but not surprising...

I don't know - I am heartened,though, that someone who actually seems to have the ability to think without evilness or narrow-minded blinders AND calls herself a Republican - actually exists. The GOP would better serve themselves if more of them were as questioningly introspective rather than mindlessly and politically hostile...

I'm not a Republican, never will be, and don't agree with the ideology they've taken up in recent history. That said, I think their demise hurts all of us, and if they could re-invent themselves ethically and positively, we'd all be better off because we rely on a two party system. Such a system doesn't work well when one side spins itself into a frenzy of hateful insanity - and that seems to have happened to a large extent.

Megan McCain shows some promise for what her party could start working towards - even become. The fact that she herself has been skeptical and questioning of what the GOP is (and does) is a great sign, in my view. It's no wonder the numbskulls are so threatened that they say idiotic things against her...

The Republican party did not start out as an evil, greedy, self-absorbed, secretive entity... I hope they figure out a way to stop being that - because it's what they've turned into. When I hear things like Chuck Hagel's interview on Maddow's show the other day, it reminds me that there is maybe one or two who refuse to lower themselves to just playing "attack and damage", and thus a glimmer of hope for them.

I'm not holding my breath on a real turn around, though, because that glimmer is SO, so small....

[Buzz Clik]

18. When are McCain's balls going to drop?

[Me.]

20. Now Maybe She'll Become A Dem

Her ties to the party are probably because of him. I like her confidence and fearlessness

[Poiuyt]

21. If he supported his daughter, he'd just have to apologize to Ingraham tomorrow

No Repub politician can disagree with anything a hate radio personality says. It's against the bylaws.

[last_texas_dem]

22. McCain appears to care more about sucking up to the right-wing

than defending his own daughter from their garbage. Apparently he hasn't learned his lesson from his '08 campaign: no matter how much he twists his own views around and tries to be something he's not, he will never truly be accepted by those crazies.