McCain's Dismal MLK Record Proves He Didn't Believe in King's Dream or Civil Rights

Posted by Pam Spaulding, Pam's House Blend at 6:52 AM on April 4, 2008.

The fact of the matter is that McCain brought this on himself, with his paper trail of cozying up to racists and his voting record.

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John McCain is going to appear in Memphis today, on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. That's worthy of a brass balls award as the Arizona senator has a long history of opposing civil rights legislation, including the federal MLK holiday, something he voted against as a Congressman in 1983. He now says he "evolved" and regrets that vote.

In 1983, when I was brand-new in the Congress, I voted against the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King. That was a mistake, OK? And later I had the chance to ... help fight for ... the recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King as a holiday in my state."

The good folks at Color of Change have a fact sheet up on McCain's civil rights record. It's questionable whether his evolution is occurring at even a glacial pace. Decide for yourself as you read the items below.

Arizona Governor Rescinded Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 1987, One of newly elected Governor Evan Mecham's first acts in office was to rescind Arizona's recognition of the Martin Luther King Holiday. "Mecham strikes many voters as a simpleminded ideologue who is giving a bad name to the nation's second-fastest-growing state. After rescinding the Jan. 19 holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Mecham defended the use of the term "pickaninnies" for blacks." Time 11/9/87]

McCain Said He Thought Governor Was Correct in His Decision According to the Huffington Post, "In 1983, McCain voted against passing a bill to designate the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of King. Four years later, then-Arizona Governor Evan Mecham rescinded Martin Luther King Day as a state holiday, saying it had been established through an illegal executive order by his Democratic predecessor. McCain said he thought Mecham was correct in his decision." [Sam Stein, Huffington Post, 4/1/08]

McCain Consistently Voted Against The Civil Rights Act Of 1990. In 1990, McCain voted against a bill designed to address employer discrimination at least 4 times. According to the Washington Post, the "Civil Rights Act of 1990 is designed to overturn several recent Supreme Court rulings that made it much more difficult for individual employees to prove discrimination. The legislation, being fought by business, also would impose new penalties on employers convicted of job discrimination." [S 2104, Vote #304, 10/24/90; Vote #276, Vote #275, 10/16/90; Vote #161, 7/18/90; Washington Post, 7/9/90

McCain Defended Controversial Spokesman Richard Quinn, McCain's who called the MLK Holiday "Vitriolic and Profane." Richard Quinn, was a South Carolina "strategist" for McCain in the 2000 campaign. In a Partisan View column, Richard Quinn wrote, "King Day should have been rejected because its purpose is vitriolic and profane. By celebrating King as the incarnation of all they admire, they [black leaders] have chosen to glorify the histrionic rather than the heroic and by inference they spurned the brightest and the best among their own race. Ignoring the real heroes in our nation's life, the blacks have chosen a man who represents not their emancipation, not their sacrifices and bravery in service to their country; rather, they have chosen a man whose role in history was to lead his people into a perpetual dependence on the welfare state, a terrible bondage of body and soul."

Quinn has also advocated electing David Duke, and sold T-Shirts through his magazine celebrating Abraham Lincoln's assassination. [Partisan View, Southern Partisan, Fall, 1983; Partisan View, Southern Partisan, Winter, 1989, PFAW Release, 2/17/00] [Spartanburg Herald-Journal, 12/23/05; Vanity Fair, 11/04]

McCain Defended Quinn as 'Respected' and a 'Fine Man." Despite Mr. Quinn's writings and history of racial insensitivity, McCain defended him as a 'respected' and 'fine man' and refused to fire him. [Associated Press, 2/18/00; New York Times, 2/8/00]

The fact of the matter is that McCain brought this on himself, with his paper trail of cozying up to racists and his voting record. And to think it continues to this day as he courts religious (Hagee, Parsley) and homophobic bigots (the entire professional "Christian" set) for personal political gain.

Tagged as: racism, civil rights, mccain, martin luther king

Pam Spaulding blogs at Pam's House Blend.

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When may we expect [Report this comment] Posted by: JSquercia on Apr 4, 2008 6:21 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] when may we expect to see Non Stop covereage of the Rantings of Richard Quinn on race similar to that provided of Rev Wright . My guess would be NEVER . You gotta love the guy selling T shirts in admiration of the assiniation of Lincoln right JOHN . Hell he's only the founder of your Party . Of course it probably is a BIG seller in South Carolina . [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Republicans hate the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [Report this comment] Posted by: joeunix on Apr 4, 2008 8:04 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] So McCain's attitude toward The New Deal and The Civil Rights Act of 1964 should not come as a surprise to anyone. The Republican Party is best defined as reactionary because they mistakenly believe that America was a better place (for conservative white people) before Roosevelt and Johnson gave us this progressive legislation. It's a shame that to this day a certain section of the American people--Republicans--wish to preserve a perceived privilege for themselves at the expense of others. In fact, of all the defining characteristics that best describe Republicans, reaction is usually the common thread that binds them. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: epublicans hate the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Posted by: desidid Half the citations over at color of change have to do with federal/state holidays. [Report this comment] Posted by: ABetterFuture on Apr 4, 2008 8:30 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Which is odd, because if there is anything MLK stood for, it was definitely keeping kids from school in his honor. Personally, I think using his birthday to drill in the finer points of the compound interest formula for sixth-to-twelfth graders (before the "payday lenders", credit card companies, and shady car dealers come in) would do a whole lot more toward King's idea of empowerment. More education breeds less ignorance, less ignorance leads to better informed decisions, better informed decisions tend to have a positive impact on people's lives over the long haul, with special regard to the time value of money. So there you have my proposal, use MLK day to fight ignorance. I think that's closer to what he stood for than having to hire a babysitter one day a year so junior can sit at home and play nintendo. But that's all a matter of opinion over how and why to celebrate the legacy of a civil rights leader--federal/state holidays are not civil rights issues in and of themselves, any more than I think President's Day is a civil rights event. Or flag day for that matter. The rest of his positions amount largely to consistently opposing institutionalizing discriminatory practices, in favor of equal opportunity under the law. He weighed the implied social good that results from institutionalizing discrimination in the form of so-called affirmative action, and the damage that might be done by supporting discrimination. That's not an unreasonable position to take, as long as it's done so in good faith, with the purpose to "raise the tide for all the ships". Many states and also the supreme court have deliberated and split on this very issue, for seemingly contrived purposes: Univ. Mich was forced to revise it's selection criteria, while its Law School was found to have compelling enough interest to allow for racial favoritism amongst it's applicants. I do, however, tend to find McCain's "good faith" somewhat lacking... [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Mccain attitude should be publicized [Report this comment] Posted by: whealeydj on Apr 4, 2008 12:52 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] lest either Clinton supporters or Obama supporters think he other than another reactionar right winger. maybe someone can ask Mccain when he had a change of mind about MLK [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] McCain and Clinton [Report this comment] Posted by: desidid on Apr 4, 2008 5:48 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] hope their rhetoric will bamboozle the African-American voter. Unfortunately there will be some who will hear a soundbite from the MLK day events, and be hoodwinked into believing either will give two shits after election day. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Uh huh. [Report this comment] Posted by: Longdream on Apr 5, 2008 5:10 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Looks like the Botox(R) is wearing off. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] I watched for ANY of the News Networks ...... [Report this comment] Posted by: MadCox on Apr 7, 2008 12:02 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] .... to press him on his vote …….& NOTHING. They could broadcast 2 weeks str8 about Rev. Write, but NOT one reporter had the BALLS to ask McCan’t why he voted the way he did not only in 1983, but until the 1990’s on getting the MLK day honored (P.E.’s “…By the Time I Get to Arizona” was for McCain & wasn’t made in ‘83). I see people on here blasting Obama, but not anyone asking why the Press let McCain get a free walk on this. He voted against it, not his Pastor(who lets be honest, was vilified the way MLK was in his day. FOX would lead of the News of MLK’s death like it was a great day of relief for the U.S.) Life wasn’t like the Huxtable’s when I lived though the 80’s & to think that this guy who thought he was standing up for something then & being a real American; I want to know why he thought that way then & why the press acts so scared to piss off the dude. THAT’S WHY YOU HAVE PEOPLE HECKLING ……BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WILL ASK WHAT THE PRESS WON’T!!! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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» RE: epublicans hate the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Posted by: desidid