McCain Lies about his voting record for veterans

Well, here is something you won’t here a lot about on the cable news shows unless you watch Countdown on MSNBC. But, it all started at a townhall meeting where McCain was asked a question by a fellow veteran, here's the testy exchange.


http://sensico.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/mccain-lies-about-his-voting-record-for-veterans/

This article has links to go to that shows McCain's voting record. Not very believable that senate.gov would have altered his voting records to make it look like he voted differently than what he says he did!

More:
When it comes to his voting record and him claiming to be supported by all veterans groups is obviously false. This would be obvious because even back in 2000 veterans groups have been the most critical of McCain’s voting record.

1. The IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America) has given McCain a D and Obama a B+ when it comes to their veteran voting record. I should also mention that Obama is on the veteran affairs committee.
2. He definitely isn’t getting any support from VoteVets.org.
3. The Vietnam Veterans of America says McCain has voted against them in 15 key votes. I should also note that Obama only voted against them once.
4. The Disabled Veterans of America gave McCain a 20% rating while Obama got an 80% rating on their voting records from this organization.

On the Issue of veterans health care

1. McCain voted Nay on a bill that would “To increase Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.” (click here).
2. Also a bill that would, “To provide an additional $500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010, to be used for readjustment counseling, related mental health services, and treatment and rehabilitative services for veterans with mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use disorder.” McCain voted against, see here.
3. In 2006 McCain voted against a bill that would, “To support the health needs of our veterans and military personnel and reduce the deficit by making tax rates fairer for all Americans.” (click here).

Trust me there’s much more he voted against when it came to veterans issues. If you want to see his voting record on a whole host of issues then go to ProJect Vote Smart.

I wish the media would cover stuff like this more, and I don’t expect FOX News to do this but at least CNN. People should stop being so sensitive to the fact that he's a veteran and look at what he has actually done to help his fellow veterans. For a guy who claims to have a lot of experience, maybe a lot of experience voting against veterans issues. Apparently, the dismissive nature of McCain’s response to the veteran at the towhall meeting should prove that McCain is on the defensive and has something to hide when he talks about these issues. Lets just hope that the American people can see past the rhetoric and look at the candidates record.

his non support of Veteran benefits is widly known.

John McBush didn't even show up for this one, both Times! AARP has been supporting this bill since introduction, I'm sure that they will have something to say about Little Johnny McBush not showing up!
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Senate passes Medicare Bill; Docs avoid payment cuts


The Senate avoided a planned cut in Medicare payments to doctors today when Democrats secured enough votes to pass a controversial Medicare bill.

And in a perfect bit of stagecraft, the vote marked the first appearance on the Senate floor of Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts since he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Kennedy, greeted by cheers and applause from both sides of the aisle, has been a longtime champion of the elderly health insurance program. He missed the initial attempt to pass the bill last month, which failed by a single vote.

"I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens, and that’s to protect Medicare," Kennedy, a familiar presence in the Senate chamber for half a century, said in a statement. "Win, lose or draw, I wasn’t going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference."

But the measure passed with a comfortable cushion of nine, 69-30, including the votes of Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, a Democrat, and Pat Roberts of Kansas, a Republican.

GOP Sens. Kit Bond of Missouri and Sam Brownback of Kansas opposed it.

"With a strong bipartisan vote, which has a veto-proof majority, I now urge President Bush to sign this bill immediately so that our seniors can continue to get the care that they need and deserve," Roberts said.

!""Of the presidential candidates, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama voted for the bill, but Republican Sen. John McCain didn’t show up to vote. He missed the first vote, too!""

Physician payments under Medicare faced a more than 10 percent cut. So did fees paid to doctors under Tricare, the military’s health care program, which follows the same payment schedule.

The Medicare pay cuts were due to go into effect July 1, but the Senate extended the deadline for two weeks after the June vote in hopes of reaching a settlement. The proposed Tricare cut was put off longer

The bill also included measures to expand preventive care coverage, more quickly reimburse pharmacies and improve rural health programs.

The White House and many Republicans opposed some of the offsets in the bill that would help pay for it. Among them was a cut in payments to private, taxpayer-subsidized Medicare plans, known as Medicare Advantage, which are operated through HMOs.

Republicans complained that the Democrats, who control the chamber, wouldn’t allow any amendments. Some of lawmakers who opposed the bill last month ended up backing it this time.

Election year politics was also a factor.

Supporters believe they have enough votes to override a threatened presidential veto.