John McCain: The Wrong Choice on The Economy, Immigration and Iraq

WASHINGTON (DNC/Hispanic News) July 16, 2008 ― John McCain was in New Mexico yesterday, a state that has suffered under the Bush economy and would continue to suffer under those Bush Administration economic policies which John McCain has pledged to continue. With household income down, inflation and bankruptcies up, and over 419,000 people in New Mexico lacking health insurance, the last thing New Mexicans want is four more years of the same disastrous policies of President Bush that they would get from John McCain. Not only does John McCain support Bush-sponsored trade deals which have cost Americans millions of jobs, and not only has he pledged to make permanent President Bush's tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires and oil companies ― he has gone further and called for even more tax giveaways to corporate America.

New Mexico is also home to a large, politically active and influential block of Hispanic voters. Yesterday, John McCain's failed leadership on issues of importance to the Hispanic community, particularly immigration, was on display at the National Council of La Raza's annual conference, where McCain's propensity to say whatever the audience he is in front of wants to hear on the issue continued.

Once again, McCain misrepresented his position on immigration reform, refusing to acknowledge he has said he would vote against the comprehensive immigration legislation he touts in front of Hispanic audiences as well as the Dream Act that would open the doors of a college education to children who have earned it.

If all this wasn't bad enough, John McCain and his campaign are now trying to rewrite the history of Senator McCain's longstanding support for the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration's conduct of it.

On Meet the Press this weekend, McCain Victory 08 Chair Carly Fiorina made the outrageous claim that McCain did not march in lockstep with President Bush on Iraq: "But to say John McCain was aligned with President Bush on the prosecution of the war in Iraq is to change history." Really? As McCain himself said, "no one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have."

To set the record straight, the Democratic National Committee today released a new web video, "Rewriting History," that highlights McCain's real record of marching in lockstep with President Bush on the war in Iraq.

On the economy, immigration, Iraq and just about every issue, John McCain's leadership has failed America.

Income Down. Median household income in New Mexico has decreased from $40,243 in 2000 to $40,126 in 2006, a decrease of $117.

Highest Inflation In 17 Years. "Consumer prices rose by 4.1% for all of 2007, up sharply from a 2.5% increase in 2006, the Labor Department said." The Consumer Price Index for food rose 5% last year, the highest increase "in two decades." The price of a gallon of milk rose 27% since March of 2007 and the price of a dozen eggs rose 38%.

Bankruptcies Up 23%. Bankruptcy filings in New Mexico have increased by 23% from 806 in the first quarter of 2007 to 992 in the first quarter of 2008.

New Mexico Has Over 419,000 People Uninsured. 419,227 people have no health insurance. That's 22 percent of New Mexicans living without any health insurance.

McCain Now: "As you know, I and many other colleagues twice attempted to pass comprehensive immigration legislation to fix our broken borders; ensure respect for the laws of this country; recognize the important economic contribution of immigrant laborers; apprehend those who came here illegally to commit crimes; and deal practically and humanely with those who came here, as my distant ancestors did, to build a better, safer life for their families, without excusing the fact they came here illegally or granting them privileges before those who have been waiting their turn outside the country."

January 2008: McCain Said He Would Vote Against His Own Legislation. When asked at the January 2008 Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, California whether he would vote for the immigration legislation he previously sponsored, McCain eventually replied, "No, I would not."

March 2008: McCain Embraced Enforcement-Only Legislation. According to the Washington Times, McCain's campaign "signed off" on an enforcement-only immigration bill in the House. The bill was described by the LA Times as "the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet -- one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies."

April 2007: McCain Backed Out of Leadership Role on Immigration Reform. The New York Times reported in April 2007 that McCain "who until recently joined Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in pushing for a compromise in overhauling immigration, has moved away from a lead role on the issue in the Senate."

McCain Abandoned Immigration Reform with Ted Kennedy Because of Conservative Pressure. According to the Boston Globe, "McCain's hesitancy about joining [Senator] Kennedy on the same issue they worked together on in the previous Congress," the Boston Globe reported, "speaks to an emerging dynamic in the Republican presidential race. McCain has encountered anger from hard-line immigration foes on the campaign trail, particularly over an aspect in last year's bill that would have allowed most undocumented immigrants to work toward citizenship."

After Closed Door Town Hall, Hispanic Conservative Says McCain Changes Views On Immigration Depending On Audience. Hispanic conservative Rosanna Pulido, who heads the Illinois Minuteman Project, said McCain was "pandering to the audience" when he held a closed-door meeting with Hispanics in Illinois. "He's one John McCain in front of white Republicans. And he's a different John McCain in front of Hispanics... He's having his private meetings to rally Hispanics and to tell them what they want to hear... I'm outraged that he would reach out to me as a Hispanic but not as a conservative," she said.

McCain Now: Told a young questioner he would support the DREAM Act. When asked at La Raza if he would support the DREAM Act, McCain replied "Yes. Yes."