Defining a Maverick

Merriam-Webster Dictonary defines a "maverick" as "an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party." How does this apply when you've voted with your party 90% of the time?

In the VP debate, Sarah Palin claimed that Barack Obama is "partisan" because he voted with his party 96 percent of the time. But when the party you have opposed (in this case the Republicans) have catastrophically toxic policies that have damaged our country and our reputation worldwide, that partisan label only goes so far. It means that Obama was voting against the failed policies of the Bush administration, which have led us into the fiscal disaster we are now fully entrenched in. On the other side, the "partisan" voting of John McCain has sided with- and thereby approved of- the last 8 years of Bush/Cheney policies and all they have wrought. If you somehow feel that we are better off as a country after 8 years of Bush/Cheney, you are in a severely dwindling minority.

So the real question is this: If both candidates have voted overwhelmingly with their party- making them both "partisan" voters- do you want the one who voted with Bush 90% of the time or the one who voted against Bush 96% of the time? To the over 80% of our population who feels our country has gone in the wrong direction, there is only one choice in this election. GObama!

Comments

[spartanmom]

Great piece on the REAL Mavericks in today's NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05schwartz.html?ref=opinion

[janfin]

That was great--simple and to the point. I can't get how McCain, et al, use Obama's voting record against him; in my estimation it makes the argument to vote for him!

[amerifun]

Maverick was an old black and white television show about gambling cowboys.
It's time for Mav McCain to get out of Dodge and take Calamity Jane with him !!!

[Diplomacy]

A 'Maverick' is an old Ford motor product produced in the '70s. They're all in the boneyard now!

As for Sarah 'Baracuda', well I like to go fishing alot, most weekends here in the South Atlantic. 'Baracudas' are always thrown overboard unwanted. Baracudas are NOT considered a very good catch as they stink & have ciguatera poisioning.

[bobbuck]

Honestly people, if you look at it from a maverilogical point of view, you will understand the quantity of maver that both McCain and palin have. You may see a maverick now and then, or even someone mavericker, but these two are the maverickest!


I want to vomit...

[normathumb]

It would be one thing if someone else were calling them 'maverick'. When they call themselves maverick, ten times an appearence, it is totally unbecoming. Akin to constantly refering to ones self as smart or pretty. Okay, your a, (self proclaimed), maverick, albeit one who voted party line 90% of the time. Can we please talk about something else? And, I bet, your amps go up to eleven.

[BARRISTER]

Being a " maverick " is in fact, NOT a good thing! It means, amongst other things, that you are different from 99.999% of the American population! You would therefore NOT do what is best for the 99.999% of the Country, but you would do that which you think is best for YOU!!

Isn't that what McCain has been doing throughout his life??

[GiggidyGeshmoygen]

how maverickey is it for john mccain to relinquish the selection of a vice president to bush, cheney and rove ? -

it was only out of mean-spirited, disdainful and gloaty snarkiness that he even got a phone call from Palin before having to announce her

[lorien i]

I'm so surprised that no-one has brought up the obvious reference to one of the most well-loved... ok, well-known American patriotic movies: "Top Gun." C'mon -- fighter pilot (nudge nudge) named Maverick -- can anyone else see the connection?

[OsamaBushLadin]

I want the candidate that has the b@lls not vote FISA and rewarding the rich and powerful with 700 billion dollars. I guess that means anybody but these two phonies.

[DenverJuggler]

With apologies to Mandy Patinkin:

Hmm...Maverick, I do not think it means what you think it means.

BTW: James Garner actually sued the McCain campaign for its use of the word Maverick.

[mattamorr]

I wonder who James Garner is voting for?

[KenGirard]

Does anyone have a list of everything McCain and Obama have voted on in the US Senate? Something where we can see exactly when they agreed, and when they disagreed, and if it passed? Throw in what Bush wanted as a bonus.

Seems like that would help answer a lot of questions.

[maverick2008]

HE IS THE REAL MAVERICK. HE DOESN'T LISTEN TO THE OTHERS. HE BREAKS THE RULES. I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU WHY.

maverick2008.com

[XME]

Obama: http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=9490
McCain: http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=53270