McCain: Obama Socialist? "I Don't Know"

In an interview with the Kansas City Star, John McCain says Barack Obama was labeled as having the "most extreme" record in the Senate.

"Extreme? You really think hes an extremist? I mean, he's clearly a liberal," interviewer Dave Helling asks.

"That's his voting record," McCain responds. "All I said was his voting record, and that is more to the left than the announced Socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont."

"Do you think hes a socialist, Barack Obama?" Helling asks.

McCain responds with a with a shrug, "I don't know."

Watch the video.

Comments

[PATina]

I think the real problem is that "Socialist" , in America, has a negative connotation. As if somehow it's "un American" to be or even have socialist tendencies. I personally think capitalism works better w/ a socialist base. And the irony is... that's pretty much the system we have (or had before Reagan began to erode our socialist base). Anyway... if we'd learn to appreciate and expand some of the more effective socialist type programs we have (i.e public edcuation, minimum wage)... as a country we'd be better off.

[KBAR]

f we'd learn to appreciate and expand some of the more effective socialist type programs we have (i.e public edcuation, minimum wage)... as a country we'd be better off.

Name one 'socialist ' country that can match the USA?

[MajorKong]

Match us in what? Certainly not in military power, but military power won't pay my mortgage or my health insurance.

[Grunty1]

You need to get out more, KBAR.

[Nardwilly]

Match the USA in what? Health Care

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America

[Nardwilly]

Peace


Global Peace Index Rankings
Peace

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/rankings.php


Thee table below provides the GPI rankings for the 140 countries analysed in 2008 and the 121 countries analysed in 2007, as well as year-on-year comparison. Countries most at peace are ranked first. A lower score indicates a more peaceful country. You can click on a country to see the detail of its peace indicators and drivers.

Global Peace Index 2008 Country Rank
1 Iceland
2 Denmark
3 Norway
4 New Zealand
5 Japan
6 Ireland
7 Portugal
8 Finland
9 Luxembourg
10 Austria
11 Canada
12 Switzerland1
13 Sweden
14 Germany

97 United States

[PATina]

In education.­.. most of the industrial countries far exceed us in education.

[onemorevoice]

There's some truth to that Patina. Tempering the services that the government provide is very important though. If you go to far then you end up with immigration laws where people who live in the country for a generation or two still aren't citizens. Not that we have decent immigration laws here either, at least people can be natural born citizens.

[Relax08]

For all you a holes that got mad at Obama over FISA, etc. this is what he was preparing to fight.
If you haven't sent money to Obama recently it's time to step it up. THIS IS THE ATTACK THAT COULD WORK! This is way the New Yorker ad was not funny idiots- yes you Jon Stewart of questionable values- and why there is such a fuss being made over the European trip. Watch what the Rovian Republican's do when European's embrace Obama. They'll say it's going to make us like Europe.

McCain learned about gutter politics a long time ago and while hardly a master at anything other than being a POW, this is his tack and it could work.

[buckygreen]

Another a hole idiot defending the evisceration of the Constitution.

[Relax08]

Yeah, it takes a a hole to think that by eliminating civil lawsuits for past violations initiated at the direction of the President you do away with the Fourth Amendment. Maybe you should read the constitution, read the real FISA bill, and think about your absurd suggestion that FISA's civil immunity waiver of past violationswas an evisceration of the Constitution. Just plain stupid.

If you are so concerned about doing something about the FISA violations why don't you get on the impeachment bandwagon. Or better yet, when McCain is President- because you a holes abandoned Obama- you can see if he'll have his Attorney General investigate those violations. Ridiculous.

[jbeach]

Hey man - there's hundreds of fires burning right now, and FISA is just one of them.

I wish Obama had done differently on FISA - but we still have at least 199 other fires to put out. And McCain's gonna pour gasoline on those fires instead.

It's a grim choice to make, but that's the choice before us - and imagining that somehow we are NOT facing this stark choice does not change our options.

[neneburge]

There goes the campaign solely based on the issues, one of class and respect!! I knew the gloves would eventually come off with Mc Bush. He is sad!!! This is who half of this country wants as Commander In Chief...wh­at a joke!!! BTW Obama is NOT the most liberal senator by any means but how would grandpa know...he cannot even remember his own votes!!!

[DrittesReich]

C'mmon! Stop these plays! What's all these nonsense of "socialist, liberal, left and right" when we are really inching for a more pragmatic campaign?! Can't you get serious and present Americans with WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR AMERICA than just playing aroud, Sen. McBuch?! Do you have anything at all to present besides all these F~A~S~C~I~S~T comments?!

[joselopez]

I guess the Obama campaign would be in its rights to say they are not sure if McCain suffers from post traumatic syndrome, due to his time in captivity. Since there is a record of his having a short fuse and lashing out at people.

[BabsfromKS]

He said he didn't know cause he doesn't know the definition of the word.

[bosshogg]

lol

[harriscrl3]

LOL you beat me to it I was thinking the same thing perhaps they should ask as a follow up question Do you Know what a socialist means?

Carol

[Lindy222]

Me too! I was going to suggest someone oughta ask McCain what socialist means.

[KBAR]

You can bet your sweetass he knows what a COMMUNIST is! 5 years in their hands drove that message home five by five.

[serialcoma]

Shouldn't you be spending your time sharpening your pointy little head?

[joebhed]

ummmmmmm
actually those guys just hosted the Miss Universe pageant, and their economy is doing just as fine as any in the region.
so........­..........­....

[wizardofoz]

tell me krations what are your thoughts on the senator from co that tried to make the oil deal with the kurds?

[jbeach]

So McCain must be lying, then, right?

Since McCain knows exactly what a communist is from firsthand experience, and since Obama is not Viet Cong, nor has he ever been associated with any Communist or Socialist party in any way....McC­ain lying is the only option.

That, or McCain is actually divorced from reality. Which is it? It can only be one or the other - you make the call.

[helonias]

But was Jesus a socialist or liberal?

[Syco]

socialist but you won't hear christian admit that

[helonias]

Its not their cross to bear

[lexnekst]

Just like they put Reagan on a pedestal..­.but if he were running today the neo-cons would destroy him.

[jbeach]

A conservative Christian, anyway.

Believe it or not, there are many liberal Christians out there. They're starting to get pretty sick of the hijacking of religion for conservative politics and disrespect for the poor, as well.

[repearwo]

Jesus was not interested in worldly political philosophy. He was and is interested in men's souls.

He was neither left or right, but if you are honest the political philosophy that most closely aligns with his teachings is the liberal view of man.

He was a radical indiviualist, saying that each indiviual's salvation comes not through a preacher or a Church, but indiviually thought the one way, Him. With the rise of Capitalism, the Christian faith bastardised itself to rationalize the inherent confict between the Basic Christian Teaching and Capitalism. Jesus was and is not a Capitalist. He does not care about your promotion or accumulation of wealth. His concerns are the perfection of your soul. He was prestty clear that it is harder for a rich man to get into "heaven" than a camel through the eye of a needle.

Be we, alas, for now, live in the world.

[Felicty]

Sadly punching in the dark and still struggling to win.


Sad little man...

[serialcoma]

"Sadly punching in the dark"

But at least he manages to hit himself...­..

[naschkatze]

LOL

[razorblade]

Is Mc Cain a fascist?

I don't know...

[Tomlastliberalleft]

Before the primary election here in Texas I was knocking on doors in my precinct for Obama. Near the end of a long day the last house I went to turned out to be some folks who had just move to Texas from Arizona. I got to talking with the lady of the house and after some time I mentioned that I really had no strong opinion on McCain either way. She quickly said, "oh no, make no mistake, he is a terrible man, a very bad and nasty politician, has done nothing for the people of Arizona and is pretty much hated. Seriously, she had nothing positive to say about McCain at all. So he may or may not be a fascist, but he certainly is something other than the "maverick" Republican he has always portrayed himself to be. Obviously in the last few weeks he has gone complete over to the dark side, or he was always there and simply pretending to be something else.

[Grunty1]

I do! Just look at h is mentor in the White house

[JUSTME]

But we do know that he's an idiot and an abusive prick.

[KBAR]

Of course he is.Or in the words of HRC "as far as I know"

[MajorKong]

You think anyone to the left of Generalissimo Francisco Franco is a socialist.

[Grunty1]

Just look how well that half-assed statement work for her!
Mc'Cain, unable to learn from history, even recent history.

[unity08]

"as far as I know"

Thats about right. As far as Mc knows could fill the head of a pin.

[CanadianAmerican]

What a piece of scum this old man is.