McCain's real issue doesn't seem to be his being weak on children. It looks more like he was hesitant to take a stand on anything involving economic, or tax policy during a year he's been running for President.
Based upon a HotAir headline leading to a Weekly Standard item: McCain Hates Children and Puppies - I decided to actually dig down into the documentation behind McCain receiving such a low rating, allegedly, regarding votes for children. It's worth concisely noting how that rating came to be.
Today, the Children’s Defense Fund Action Council released its 2007 Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard. CDF reports some positive news, particularly that average scores for members of Congress “improved from the previous three years with more Members scoring 100 percent than in 2004, 2005 or 2006.”
Many, however, did not fare so well. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) received a 10 percent rating — the worst in the U.S. Senate.
These votes were mostly more about taxes and economic policy, than they were directly about children. The CFDAC ratings are obviously a liberal scam. Scan the vote descriptions below to confirm that. But McCain's real problem comes from his being MIA - present for only 2 of the 10 votes. See page 18 of 49 here. McCain voted Yea on item 1- raising the minimum wage; and Nay on item 5 - SCHIP and a tax increase - actually a 50/50 split on the liberal rating scale.
Yes, he was running for President - but Hillary made 70% and Obama made 60% of the votes to McCain's 20. Maybe a politician missing 80% of a series of votes should consider giving back 80% of his annual salary if he or she wants to really help start to cut government costs. McCain certainly wasn't there to vote either for or against issues he should have been had he really been doing his job.
McCain - Yea (1 Vote Description: This bill raised the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years, the first increase in the minimum wage in 10 years.
McCain - A (2 Vote Description: The amendment would have restored the top marginal tax rate on taxable income in excess of $1 million to pre-2001 levels and used the additional revenue to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
McCain - A (3 Vote Description: This bill would revise and extend Food and Drug Administration (FDA) programs to ensure the safety of prescription drugs and medical devices and expand the FDA’s ability to review the safety of prescription drugs and track problems after they have been approved and marketed.
McCain - A (4 Vote Description: The Conference Report on the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Resolution allowed up to $954.1 billion in discretionary spending, plus $145.2 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It reinstated pay-as-you-go PAYGO) rules in the Senate and set up a mechanism in the House to block tax cuts if the projected surplus in fiscal year 2012 does not materialize.
McCain - Nay (5 Vote Description: The bill would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for five years and increase federal funding for child health coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid by nearly $35 billion over five years. The cost of the expansion would be funded by a 61 cent per pack federal cigarette tax increase.
McCain - A (6 Vote Description: This Conference Report redirected federal funding from student loan firms to aid for students and college graduates. It also increased Pell grant awards and improved debt forgiveness provisions for certain public-sector workers.
McCain - A (7 Vote Description: The Senate voted a second time on this legislation because the House made changes when it passed the bill. The bill would reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for five years and increase federal funding for child health coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid by nearly $35 billion over five years. It would be funded by a 61 cent per pack federal cigarette tax increase.
McCain - A (8 Vote Description: The Senate rejected a motion to allow a vote on a bill that would have permitted children of illegal immigrants who entered the United States before age 16 and who have lived here at least five years to gain conditional legal status and eventual citizenship if they graduate from high school and attend college or join the military for at least two years.
McCain - A (9 Vote Description: This bill would provide $150.7 billion in fiscal year 2008 for specific programs in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies.
McCain - A (10 Vote Description: This Conference Report expanded access to Head Start for more children, prioritized expansion of the Early Head Start Program, and made other improvements for the youngest children in the program. It also required quality improvements, including new associate and bachelor degree requirements for teachers and increased annual in-service training, and improved coordination between Head Start and other programs for young children.
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