McCain Begins Tour Of Poor Communities

In Selma, Presumptive GOP Nominee Praises Civil Rights Marchers Like John Lewis

(AP)  Republican John McCain on Monday recalled the bloody beatings of civil rights marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge as he began a weeklong tour of communities he said suffer from poverty and inattention from presidential candidates.

McCain described in vivid detail the clubbing that fractured the skull of John Lewis, now a Democratic congressman from Georgia. McCain, who speaks often of courage shown by military veterans, said he never saw greater courage than Lewis and the marchers showed that day, March 7, 1965.

"There must be no forgotten places in America, whether they have been ignored for long years by the sins of indifference and injustice, or have been left behind as the world grew smaller and more economically interdependent," McCain said outside the St. James Hotel, several hundred yards away from the historic bridge.

"In America, we have always believed that if the day was a disappointment, we would win tomorrow. That's what John Lewis believed when he marched across this bridge," McCain said.

The crowd of about 100 people was mostly white although, as the campaign noted, Selma's population is 70 percent black.

Asked about the makeup of the crowd, McCain said: "I am aware the African American vote has been very small in favor of the Republican Party. I am aware of the challenges, and I am aware of the fact that there will be many people who will not vote for me, but I'm going to be the president of all the people."

Part of Alabama's Black Belt - named for its soil, although the region itself also is two-thirds black - Selma hardly has been forgotten by the Democrats in the 2008 presidential campaign. Last year, Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton visited Selma to mark the anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" march.

But the area remains desperately poor, which is why McCain chose it for his "It's Time for Action" tour.

The Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting is still trying to fend off criticism that he has been indifferent to the housing crisis and the market upheaval it spawned. Last month, McCain said he opposed aggressive government intervention. Since then, however, he has proposed aid for struggling homeowners, a summer holiday from federal gas taxes and other measures.

"I'm not going to tell anybody about how government can make their choices for them, but how we can help grow our economy so that people have better choices to make for themselves," McCain said.

The Arizona senator arrived Sunday in Selma, and shared a fried chicken dinner with GOP Gov. Bob Riley at the Downtowner Restaurant with members of the Tuesday Club, a racially mixed, low-profile group of Selma professionals who meet monthly for drinks and dinner, according to the campaign.

On Monday, McCain planned to follow his Selma speech with a ferry ride from the remote Alabama town of Gee's Bend. The ferry had been closed for 44 years, until 2006, by county leaders to keep black residents from crossing the river to the county seat to push for civil rights. The trip is 80 miles without the ferry.

His tour then goes to Youngstown, Ohio, eastern Kentucky and New Orleans' Ninth Ward, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

McCain is competing for attention with Clinton and Obama, who were battling for votes in Tuesday's hotly contested primary in Pennsylvania.

Then his tour goes to Youngstown, Ohio, eastern Kentucky and New Orleans' Ninth Ward, an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

McCain is competing for attention with Clinton and Obama, who were battling for votes in Tuesday's hotly contested primary in Pennsylvania.

[david1737]

tuffone3

What have the repubs been doing lately?

Let''s take a look:

1. $117 a barrel for oil, up from $38 dollars per barrel (under the previous Democratic Admin.)

2. Approaching $10 trillion dollars in debt. By the way before the republicans took power we were looking at a budget surplus of $5.5 trillion dollars.

3. Tax cuts which favor the top 10%, 1% and especially the top 1/100th%.

4. An "endless" war in Iraq which has already cost us an enormous price in both blood and treasure.

5. Sub prime debacle.

And that''s just the economy

In real term the repubs are toast on Katrina alone.

Oh, then there''s the 935 lies which they told leading up to the Iraq war.

Don''t forget the outing of a CIA operative. That''s Treason.

Umm, I don''t have to think very hard to remember Alberto Gonzales.

Ohh gee, I''m running out of time so I''ll just leave it at this:

No WMD

No opperative conection

No Yellow Cake

Secret prisons/Gitmo/Torture

Bush lying during the State of the Union Address (about Yellow Cake)

Wire taping

Data mining

Foley

Hagarty

Abromoff

Walter Reed

The National Debt

Haliburton

Wow that is a mouth full!

[david1737]

1. $117 a barrel for oil, up from $38 dollars per barrel (under the previous Democratic Admin.)

2. Approaching $10 trillion dollars in debt. By the way before the republicans took power we were looking at a budget surplus of $5.5 trillion dollars.

3. Tax cuts which favor the top 10%, 1% and especially the top 1/100th%.

4. An "endless" war in Iraq which has already cost us an enormous price in both blood and treasure.

5. Sub prime debacle.

Enough is enough!

[david1737]

Hey tuffy,

You say that:

"...GOP stands for the Grand Ole Party."

Correction, the GOP stand for GRAND OLE PEDOPHILES.

Foley''s little Folly put a stamp on the forehead of you Party.

[david1737]

McCain is there in "poor" communities to determine how best to further exploit them with his blood sucking conservative agenda.

The thing that the repubs. don''t get is that people are hungry and a hungry man is a dangerous man.

[david1737]

Ask the average American the simple question first posed by Reagan. Are you better off today than you were before the Republicans took office?


Then consider that the vast majority of Americans believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction!

Figure it out!

Democrats will mop the floor with republicans come November!!!

[homespunlady]

Posted by likeitis5050 at 10:36 AM : Apr 22, 2008

Typical ELITIST attitude - MAKE DISPARAGING REMARKS about the POOR people that are DIFFERENT and might vote for a candidate that ISN''T IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PUPPET-MASTERS and the TOP ONE PERCENT of the WEALTH GAP.

NOT EVERYBODY has participated in "LEGAL POLYGAMY" and ACQUIRED A SECOND WIFE WORTH 100 MILLION PLUS - NICE DOWRY THERE.

[likeitis5050]

Republicans are Felons for the most part anyway. So they are hiring themselves!


Posted by watcher269

Not an exclusive club for Republicans...sorry. Democrats can match them, felon for felon. It''s not the party...dearie...it''s the profession....want integrity and ethics in politics? Get rid of the politicians.

[likeitis5050]

Unlike McCain''s suggestion and move to have taxes on gas dropped until Labor Day, Obama''s brain freeze is on getting a new National Anthem, one he can get behind and actually sing...a pop diddy with a catchy little beat and no references to patriotism or even America. You go Obama!!! (swooning at the thought)

[homespunlady]

George''s (N)o poor(C)hild a(L)lowed (B)rilliance program sure has raised the bar on PROPAGANDA REGURGITATION EDUCATION!!!!

HA - they DID SO WELL that the HOME-SCHOOLERS ARE the "PREFERRED CHOICE" for those TOP "CREATIVITY" RECRUITERS!!!

Around here the ONLY thing I''m seeing graduating from the Public High Schools are PREGNANT WALMART WORKERS and boys that have been taught that getting as many girls as they can that way WITHOUT taking RESPONSIBILITY is the American WAY! GOTTA LOVE THAT BIASED PROPAGANDA!

THE WEALTHY have "private" schools or SURPRISE - THEY HOMESCHOOL and tell the poor NOT TO!

BEING PART OF AN ELITE HOMESCHOOL GROUP has become the NEW "country club" secret status symbol.


Pretty BAD when ALL the AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS come with DAYCARE CENTERS for the STUDENT''S BABIES!!!

Why AREN''T the "outraged SOCIAL WORKERS" RAIDING the Public Schools where UNDER-AGED GIRLS are dropping babies EVERY DAY??

[homespunlady]

Nice "COVER" for when those PAPERLESS ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES in the "POOR AREAS OF THE COUNTRY" all in unison have "glitches" and MYSTERIOUSLY come up with WINNING NUMBERS for McCain.

I can hear it now - "AW ,SHUCKS FOLKS I DIDN''T KNOW THAT MY VISIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY MEANT SOOO MUCH TO YOU..."

Yeah, Right.

The residents (not the IMPORTS) of those communities have to Watch their votes AS WELL AS THEIR DWINDLING ASSETS as "WEALTH GAP McSame" (or is that WEALTH GAP/GOP McBush?) does the "PUPPET''S PROMISE" that "good ol'' George" perfected so well.

PROMISE them anything but GRAB THE WEALTH FOR THE CRONYS and KEEP THE PEASANTS STUPID!!!!

[watcher269-2009]

Strained by the demands of a long war, the Army and the Marine Corps recruited significantly more felons into their ranks in 2007 than in 2006, including people convicted of armed robbery, arson and burglary, according to data ...


YES - THE BUSHIT/CHENEY/McCAIN Strategy for winning WARS!

Let the CROOKS DO IT!

Just like the Republican Party - Hire Felons!

Republicans are Felons for the most part anyway. So they are hiring themselves!

[watcher269-2009]

Oh the McSHAME OF IT!

Our sons, daughters, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, are being kept in Iraq by a cynical policy not only with no end in sight, but also one that our forces cannot ultimately resolve, and instead depends upon the actions of Iraqi factions and political leaders. Twelve (12) billion ($12B) of our tax dollars are being spent every MONTH, just waiting and waiting for others to act.

That''s a surrender of our national sovereignty.

And, here''s something the rest of us know, but may be a surprise for the McCainaanites: Iraqi political leaders do what they perceive to be in THEIR own interests, not because it may help the US. Our so-called political leaders live in a parallel universe, seeing events in Iraq from a US prism, and keep our brave troops in harms'' way to serve their own vanity, and for McCain, his Presidential ambitions.

[watcher269-2009]

This is in Beverly Hills, mind you.

Expensive Taste
$2,546.56
That%u2019s how much cashola John McCain%u2019s campaign spent March 2 at Barney%u2019s New York in Beverly Hills. (That%u2019s 90212, in case anyone was wondering.)
According to McCain%u2019s latest FEC report, the charges were %u201Ccredited back%u201D April 2.

Oh, my. What are they doing in such an elitist establishment? And who was doing the shopping? We need a name for this one people. Prada-gate%u2014Barney-Gate%u2014McCain-90212%u2026

[samthetvcat]

---"McCain, who speaks often of courage shown by military veterans, said he never saw greater courage than Lewis and the marchers showed that day, March 7, 1965"---

****, I just read on Huffington Post that McRovepuppet didn''t even invite Rep. Lewis to hear him speak, didn''t call him to let him know he was going to talk about him (and given that Rep. Lewis has endorsed Clinton/Obama, doesn''t RESPECT dictate that one ought to at least let the person know that you''re going to try and USE THEM for political advantage?) The two aren''t apparently even close in any way.

Just another triangulating Rove-puppet GOPig... apparently what he''s offering to ppl on this tour is ''listening''. Everybody knows that when you want to use ppl you keep your lips shut and let them talk, only opening your mouth to mirror back their sentiments but not any other concessions.

Let me guess that at the end of the tour, McCain will ''find'' that the stories of bravery and courage, celebration of America, etc etc that he bore witness to are the qualities and characteristics he believes makes America great and that all the great Americans he met he believes if they join with him can together make America great once again. Translation - eat cake! And don''t you dare question McSame''s claim of bringing a different kind of politics when he plays the black/''unpatriotic'' cards 24/7 through the fall! Blech!

[obama8years]

canadafreepress.com/index.php/ article/2462

If Barack Obama didn%u2019t know about Abunimah%u2019s writings (and Abunimah says he did), the same as his claims of being unaware of Reverend Wright%u2019s remarks after 20 years, then Obama is not competent to be our President. Abunimah likes to lie and claim Al Awda has nothing to do with the ISM or Electronic Intifada, though plenty of evidence exists on the website the homepage at www.StoptheISM.com showing the contrary.

But Obama%u2019s association with the ISM through his church and lobbying in Chicago goes even deeper than just his past links to Al Awda and Ali Abunimah. His pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, are both equally involved with the ISM.

[libh8er]

This reminds me of Kerry walking in to the store saying, "Hey, can I get me a huntin'' license here?" What a joke. McCain cares about the poor as much as Ted Kennedy cares about water safety for women.

[samthetvcat]

PPS Apparently the Chinese government subsidizes their steel industry with "financing, tax holidays and subsidies" . . .

[samthetvcat]

PS Didn''t Pennsylvania alone lose something like 200,000 jobs?

[samthetvcat]

-----"So the question is: Where is the Social Justice and when will the Democrats who have have 100% control and responsibility for these "Social Injustcies" finally do something to help the poor people, under their direct control? I''m talking about TODAY...RIGHT NOW..."-----
Posted by perceptions5

perception, this is from the Mississippi Business Journal, Monday, January 1 2007:

---"The Bush Administration has announced it is revoking tariffs on foreign-made steel 16 months ahead of schedule. But it was sobering news in the areas of the country where the most steel making is concentrated such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. Large steel companies said there is still a massive oversupply on the world market caused by foreign subsidies. And the United Steelworkers Union called the action "a sorry betrayal of American steelworkers and steel communities." The government is evidently expecting a large number of layoffs of American workers as a result of the action."---

Maybe Barack could just pledge to reverse all the damage Shrub has done during his 8 years . . . that alone ought to do some good (?)

[loveamerica3]

Thanks McCain. You are obviously the only choice. Thanks for your competency. Thanks for your decency. Thanks for your intelligence, capability. Thanks for being the only one capable of filtering out the garbage, and the only one with a history that indicates eligibility to even be in this process. Thank you for living a life that clearly demonstrates your loyalty to our country. Most of all, more than any "candidate" can provide, thank you for your PROVEN RECORD. We certainly don''t have to "hope" with you. You are the only choice.