McCain Calls Obama a Baseball Flip-Flopper

By: John Bentley
Topics: John McCain

(CBS)

From CBS News' John Bentley:

(BENSALEM, PA.) - Few things are trickier to navigate in presidential politics than World Series baseball, especially when the two teams are from swing states that both candidates need to win.

A year ago, Rudy Giuliani was ridiculed for trying to claim he was an "American League fan" when the former mayor of New York City rooted for the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 playoffs (Rudy, as you may recall, did not win the Republican nomination, nor did he win the New Hampshire primary).

This time around, the candidates are confronted by one team from Florida – the Tampa Bay Rays – and another from Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Phillies. "I heard, maybe you did too, that Sen. Obama was showing some love to the Rays down in Tampa Bay yesterday," McCain said at his rally here in the Philadelphia suburbs here today, which elicited a loud chorus of boos from the crowd.

"Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between swing states, but I think I may have detected a little pattern with Sen. Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he shows love to the Rays. It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he's elected."

Obama was endorsed by several members of the Rays yesterday, and while he said he was a Chicago White Sox fan said only "showing love" to the Rays, he also said he would root for the Phillies in the Series because his campaign manager David Plouffe is a die-hard Phillies fan.

"I guess these are the kinds of attacks you make when your campaign has conceded that if you talk about the economy, you'll lose," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "Sen. Obama said he's rooting for the Phillies. Yesterday he said nice things about the members of the team who came out to support him, but that doesn't change the fact that Tampa Bay bounced his White Sox out of the playoffs."

McCain, for the record, is an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, and has yet to try and parlay that into being a "National League fan" to root for the Phillies. But he needs to win Pennsylvania, and there are still two weeks left before Election Day, so there's plenty of time left to start "showing some love" to the Phillies.

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by majthj October 22, 2008 5:39 PM EDT: misha128; If you don''t have a problem with Rev. Wright, Ayers, Resko, Fraahkann, Castro backing Obama you need some serious help..
You still don''t get re Joe the Plumber - it''s not about Joe - it''s about the question he ask Obama and Obama''s response: "Spread the Wealth" - I hope to God you have some now because the only change will be what you might have left in your pocket when Obama tries to rape the hard working people of this country..; Reply to this comment


by majthj October 22, 2008 5:34 PM EDT: Element51: Again, the point being made was Obama is a kiss ***, depending on where he is and who he''s talking to..; Reply to this comment


by majthj October 22, 2008 5:31 PM EDT: Hello: The point trying to be made is: Obama kisses a-- depending on where he''s at. Dame are you that dense?? Remember the rich folks in S.F. he was getting donations from telling them people cling to their guns and bibles, etc..; Reply to this comment


by majthj October 22, 2008 5:28 PM EDT: sherminata: I''d rather be considered an idiot than a racist or bigot..
Sarah Palin is a Governor - your guy is a Community Organizer that never has had a job that wasn''t funded by tax payers dollars or private foundations. If that''s real experience in your book I can see how you''ve been sucked in.. He speaks well and so did Hilter - Germany''s economy was in the tank and just like Americans - they dismissed everything about the guy
other than he was going to improve their quality of life - he sure did, reduced the population by at least 6,000,000 .Obama came out from nowhere just like Hilter - Obama was groomed by Chicago insiders and it''s as if those voting for him think he has all the answers. Sarah Palin''s husband is not running for President or Vice President - get a clue. You need to do some hard core research re your guy.
My choice is McCain and Palin and has been since Rev. Wright screamed God Dame America and Obama said he''s my mentor and just like an Uncle and after 20 years never heard sermons like that - if you believe that you need serious help..
I''ve been in Iraq for several months and what we see and hear from afar is: Lack of financial responsibility on the part of those that bought homes and cars they couldn''t afford and used credit cards as if it was play money and the democrats lack of oversight re Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac
is what has caused the melt down of the economy. Don''t you have a clue??; Reply to this comment


by luvienne October 22, 2008 12:35 PM EDT: No substance Mccain, just throw anything out there. ERRATIC John Mccain.; Reply to this comment


by misha128-2009 October 21, 2008 9:24 PM EDT: Posted by USA-No1

Still suffering from the major problem of the McCain Campaign -- no real issue worth discussing - only more of the same old personal attacks.; Reply to this comment


by o_o_rly October 21, 2008 6:46 PM EDT: How about some outrage over RELEVANT flip-flops there, McCain?

* McCain criticized Jerry Falwell as %u201Can agent of intolerance%u201D in ''02, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans %u201Cdeserved%u201D the 9/11 attacks. McCain has now hired Falwell%u2019s debate coach.

* McCain used to oppose Bush%u2019s tax cuts for the very wealthy but he reversed course in Feb.

* In ''00 McCain accused Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending %u201Cdirty money%u201D to help finance Bush%u2019s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June, he abandoned his own legislation.

* McCain said Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.

* McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.

* McCain gave up on his signature policy issue, campaign-finance reform, and won%u2019t back the same provision he sponsored just a couple of years ago.

* McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he%u2019s pro-ethanol.

* McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

* Now he%u2019s both for and against overturning Roe v. Wade.; Reply to this comment


by misha128-2009 October 21, 2008 5:17 PM EDT: Since Sarah Palin, Joe the Plumber and William Ayers are all losers for McCain in the polls; why not try baseball -- for McCain any non-issue is better than any real issue facing the voters.; Reply to this comment


by sherminata October 21, 2008 5:03 PM EDT: Think about the real danger the McCain-Palin team would bring to the nation.. erratic and old McCain and the little to no experience Sarah Palin has. I watched the interview of the current mayor of Wasilla last night... When asked, she indicated as a mayor she is not reponsible for the fire department, schools, and social services in her town!!! I guess that was another lie from Palin about her expereince. One more thing, she is married to a separratist who was an active member of a group who believes that the US governemnt should not interfere with Alaska, and that Americans are a bunch of idiots (I watched the interview last night).; Reply to this comment


by dzemog1 October 21, 2008 4:48 PM EDT: OH NO!!! A baseball flip-flopper? Phew, good thing I already voted for him, otherwise this is just the thing that might make me change my vote. Oh brother. Give me a break, McCain. Go out with some dignity, because right now you''re just looking like an old washed-up fool.; Reply to this comment