Whatever happened to John McCain?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Will the real John McCain please stand up?
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The long-time Arizona senator, now in the toughest re-election battle of his career, is hardly recognizable these days.
We should have known something was wrong when the then-Republican presidential candidate decided Sarah Palin was a good idea for vice president.
McCain is a war hero. He endured years of torture rather than compromise with the enemy. He was a moderate lawmaker, willing to compromise and known for reaching across the aisle.
But suddenly when it looks like he might lose his cushy Senate seat, John McCain is willing to slither out of his principles much like a snake sheds its skin.
Take for example McCain's flip-flop on illegal immigration. It was only a few years ago that the senator supported a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal aliens in this country. A lot of people called that amnesty - because that's what it is.
But now that he's in danger of losing the Republican primary to a candidate who says McCain isn't conservative enough - the senator has changed his tune. He's calling for a crackdown on illegal immigrants and is supporting Arizona's tough new immigration law.
Plus - he's taken to making incomprehensible statements in defense of the measure like this one: "It's the ... drivers of cars with illegals in it that are intentionally causing accidents on the freeway." Say what?
McCain has also backed off several other issues - from gays in the military to climate change and creating a national debt panel.
To top it all off - McCain, known for years simply as a "maverick," denies he ever was one.
Here’s my question to you: Whatever happened to John McCain?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What should be done to fix Social Security?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Americans need to accept the fact that Social Security is already broke.
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That's the sobering bottom line in an article on AOL news. The piece suggests that the Social Security crisis - that's been talked about for years - is already upon us. This year Social Security will pay out more in benefits than it collects in contributions.
Experts have been warning that the annual surpluses for the trust fund would eventually shrink to zero. A deficit was inevitable - in part because of the growing number of retirees and the fact that relatively fewer workers now support them.
But, because of the nation's high unemployment rate and people retiring earlier than expected... the system is already in the red.
And things could get worse... much worse. If the economy suffers a "double dip" recession like some fear... Social Security may never be in the black again.
There's also the whole issue of the "trust fund" - which is nothing more than an accounting gimmick. Defenders of the system say there's no emergency because of this $2.5 trillion fund... they say the system will be solvent until 2037.
But that's a joke... you see this fund is filled with nothing more than IOUs... Instead of investing the money from the years of surplus, the government raided the fund and spent it elsewhere. Which means we, the taxpayers, are on the hook once again.
Of course, at the end of the day... there aren't many options. This crisis calls for our gutless politicians to make the tough decisions to either raise taxes or cut benefits. Don't hold your breath.
Here’s my question to you: What should be done to fix Social Security?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Rising level of public anger against federal govt.
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama is taking aim at the angry, anti-government rhetoric.
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In a commencement speech, the president suggested this heated language is out-of-line and could be dangerous:
"At its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response."
Just like it was for the colonists once upon a time when they got a bellyful of the English crown.
Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal that the American people feel increasingly alienated from their government in Washington, which is ignoring public unrest and refusing to address big problems.
Noonan says that alienation often leads to deep animosity... which is in turn followed by quote "the breaking up of things."
Why is the public so steamed, you ask?
- Skyrocketing debt and deficits... Nothing done - only a commission with no authority.
- Immigration reform... Nothing done - forcing states like Arizona to take matters into its own hands.
- Health care reform... Something passed, but without a public option and with almost 2/3 of Americans opposed to the bill that did pass.
- Two wars - still being fought despite promises to end them.
- Climate change – nothing done.
- Gays in the military - nothing done.
- Campaign finance reform - nothing done.
- Financial reform - nothing done.
- Tax reform - nothing done.
- No trade agreements renegotiated to bring jobs back to the U.S.
- And, overseas - nothing done about Iran's nuclear program or Middle East peace. And the list goes on...
It's not whether we're angry - it's why do we continue to tolerate it.
Here’s my question to you: How do you feel about the rising level of public anger against the federal government?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Any reason to take Iran seriously on nuclear weapons?
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the delegation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference today at the United Nations in New York City. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The circus is in town at the United Nations today. The president of Iran is here in New York for an international summit on nuclear non-proliferation.
Delegates from the U.S., England and France walked out of the general assembly... as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasted America and Israel for possessing nuclear weapons. Ahmadinejad says countries that threaten to use atomic weapons should be punished - a direct reference to the Obama administration's new nuclear strategy.
The White House calls Ahmadinejad's speech predictable and full of "wild accusations"... and the UN is blaming Ahmadinejad for the standoff over its nuclear program.
Iran continues to insist it is enriching uranium for civilian energy. The west says they're developing nuclear weapons.
Ahmadinejad comes from a country that lives in its own world... ignoring reality and science - and blaming natural disasters on promiscuous women.
A top Iranian cleric claims women who wear immodest clothing "lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity... and spread adultery" which causes earthquakes.
Another senior government official says prayers and pleas for forgiveness are the best way to "repel" earthquakes.
The latest absurdity comes from the Iranian police who say they will put women with suntans in jail. This is all part of an effort to crack down on quote "social misbehavior" that violates Islamic laws.
We should be talking to these people about the origin of fire or why wheels are round.
Here’s my question to you: Is there any reason to take Iran seriously in a discussion on nuclear weapons?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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