07/28/2008
McCain's Family Values: Let Children Suffer, Don't Let Gays Adopt
John McCain would rather children suffer without families rather than have gay parents adopt them. In an interview with George Stephanopolous on This Week, McCain, who recently said he was against gay adoption, then backtracked on it, is now back to his original position.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
STEPHANOPOULOS: What is your position on gay adoption? You told the “New York Times" you were against it, even in cases where the children couldn’t find another home. But then your staff backtracked a bit. What is your position?
MCCAIN: My position is, it’s not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States. And I think that two parent families are best for America.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what do you mean by that, it’s not the reason you’re running for president of the United States?
MCCAIN: Because I think — well, I think that it’s — it is important for us to emphasize family values. But I think it’s very important that we understand that we have other challenges, too. I’m running for president of the United States, because I want to help with family values. And I think that family values are important, when we have two parent — families that are of parents that are the traditional family.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don’t have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what’s wrong with that?
MCCAIN: I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re against gay adoption.
MCCAIN: I am for the values and principles that two parent families represent. And I also do point out that many of these decisions are made by the states, as we all know. And I will do everything I can to encourage adoption, to encourage all of the things that keeps families together, including educational opportunities, including a better economy, job creation. And I’m running for president, because I want to help families in America. And one of my positions is that I believe that family values and family traditions are preserved.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 8:00 AM EST by Andy in Gay Adoption, John McCain, News | Permalink
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C'mon people give the guy a break. He's just being tactful and trying not to say what we all know is true...Does anyone actually know a gay couple that is stable enough to raise a child in a healthy manner???
Posted by: Jerry | Jul 28, 2008 8:10:29 AM
McCain: "Traditional values!.....two-parent families only!.... values!...tradition!...grumble grumble...."
George S: "But hundreds of thousands of kids with no homes...."
McCain, fingers firmly in ears: "I can't hear you! La la la la la la! Traditional values!! Two-parent families!! La la la la!"
George S: "But......"
McCain: "La la la la la la!"
Posted by: JeffRob | Jul 28, 2008 8:14:14 AM
So he is for "two parent families." Does that include two gay men or two lesbians? He has been a politician too long. Just say what you mean already.
Posted by: voet | Jul 28, 2008 8:17:19 AM
@ jerry - stop ur comment baiting!!!
Posted by: bading | Jul 28, 2008 8:21:54 AM
Voet - that is exactly the question that George Stephanopolous should have asked. What the hell is wrong with these American political commentators? McCain would never have got away with an ambiguous phrase like "two parent families" in a British interview - Jeremy Paxman would have forced him to clarify. Isn't there anyone in American journalism who will do that?
Posted by: Sasha | Jul 28, 2008 8:29:16 AM
All I hear is "I'm old! Can I have a pudding cup now?"
Posted by: Iko | Jul 28, 2008 8:29:59 AM
Sasha
NYT just did a study that showed the US media being much more favorable in its coverage of Mccain than Obama.
The oldster shouldn't have whined last week about coverage because people are actualy studying it now and finding it to be opposite to what he claimed.
Corporate media wants the repub tax break gravy train to continue for theiroverlords.
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Jul 28, 2008 8:41:35 AM
Mc Cain sounds like a broken record. George S. asks his a question and he parrots out an answer.
The thing that amuses me is that George S. is a Republican and Mc Cain can't even talk to him.
Posted by: PJ | Jul 28, 2008 8:43:26 AM
Does he mean like the rock solid two parent family with values that produced Timothy Mcvhee, or the one that produced Ted Bundy? I agree with Sasha. "Traditional Family Values" is neither a question nor an answer and should never be allowed to stand as such.
Posted by: Robert | Jul 28, 2008 8:51:32 AM
Stephanopoulos -- and the rest of the press -- really needs to call McCain out on his phrase "family values." What does he ACTUALLY mean by it? Fundies and the LGBT crowd, we know it means an anti-gay platform, but the non-fundy, non-LGBT folks aren't as up on the lingo and think it's actually pro-family, not anti-gay.
"He keeps using that [phrase] -- I do not think it means what [he] think[s] it means."
Posted by: tjc | Jul 28, 2008 8:52:30 AM
Why the fuck don't these media types call him on his hypocracy?
Do "traditional family values" include leaving your wife for someone else?
Seems it does for McCain.
Posted by: Wade | Jul 28, 2008 8:54:34 AM
Another simple question NOT answered by the simpleton. Does McCain really believe that this will help him in the polls?! I would hope that the performance of the simpleton currently pretending to be President would force voters to realize that a vote for McCain would simply perpetuate the dumbing down of America. Time for me to move back to Europe.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 28, 2008 8:59:54 AM
Another simple question NOT answered by the simpleton. Does McCain really believe that this will help him in the polls?! I would hope that the performance of the simpleton currently pretending to be President would force voters to realize that a vote for McCain would simply perpetuate the dumbing down of America. Time for me to move back to Europe.
Posted by: Alex | Jul 28, 2008 9:01:05 AM
I'm convinced now that John McCain is an idiot (he ranked 894/899 in his class at the Naval Academy). Obama can run intellectural circles around McCain. (Obama ranked first in his graduating Harvard Law class.) Do you want the top student or the bottom student as President? We already know the disaster that the latter brings. Why would we do it again?
Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 28, 2008 9:01:13 AM
Any homo who would vote for McCain is a fool.
Posted by: Strepsi | Jul 28, 2008 9:02:54 AM
McCain's "traditional family values" included fucking Cindy while married to his first wife. No thank you.
Posted by: homer | Jul 28, 2008 9:26:39 AM
Does he really buy what he is saying or is he just pandering to the right? Obama is against gay marriage or basically that he wants to stay out of it. I suspect he is for it but wants the moderate vote. I wish they would just say what they mean.
Posted by: Jen | Jul 28, 2008 9:30:38 AM
"Does he really buy what he is saying or is he just pandering to the right?"
Why is there an assumption that he isn't from the right and is simply pandering? It's not like he's actually a moderate. The guys a hard-core conservative. Sure, he may not be Pat Robertson or John Hagee crazy, but the man does not occupy the middle. He's consistently voted against gay folks HIS ENTIRE CAREER. He has consistently voted against the rights of women HIS ENTIRE CAREER. He has consistently voted against the rights of people of color HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Same for the not rich.
And war? There's never enough!
This guy is not some kind of well-meaning moderate nice guy who's just pandering. He's hard right and always has been.
Posted by: MAJeff | Jul 28, 2008 9:41:47 AM
Yeah, Jerry, I do. It's me, my partner of 14 years, and his wonderful 4 year old boy. We're plenty stable, and I'm an awesome influence on him if I do say so myself.
McCain's a douchebag and a pussy. I don't like bigots, but if he's gonna be one, I'd prefer it if he were able to at least own his own opinions.
Posted by: The Milkman | Jul 28, 2008 9:49:46 AM
Amazing! My question would have been, "Did somebody tell you to repeat the words 'two parent family' and 'family values' and 'traditional family' and never say the words 'gay' or 'lesbian'?"
He's obviously been coached, and he's following the script, but it really makes him sound like a broken record. Is there a human in there? If this is how he answers a simple question, can you imagine him making important policy decisions as President? Scary.
Posted by: Kevinvt | Jul 28, 2008 9:53:03 AM
I am MojoJojo because MojoJojo I am...
Posted by: J.P. | Jul 28, 2008 10:04:28 AM
"Does anyone actually know a gay couple that is stable enough to raise a child in a healthy manner???"
Yes, I do, Jerry. Some of them even comment on Towleroad. You're an idiot.
As is McCain. His scripted evasiveness is so incompetent it would be funny if it weren't so scary. 14% people: do you really want this man as your President? He is truly pathetic.
Posted by: Ernie | Jul 28, 2008 10:07:49 AM
Jerry-I'm not sure what kind of life you have or where you live, but lots of gay and lesbian couples are raising children. I not only know several, my partner and I are raising a healthy child who otherwise would have been in foster care.
This is a reprehensible comment. And for those gays who can overlook this because of they are Republicans "fiscally", I say you might want to reconsider that position.
Posted by: Brian | Jul 28, 2008 10:15:55 AM
PJ, since when has Stephanopolous been a Republican? He's been a Democrat his whole political life. He supported Dukakis, Gephardt and Clinton during his political life.
Posted by: what | Jul 28, 2008 10:28:44 AM
McCain is using "family values" as a code word for heterosexual couples. He's a Republican with a LONG history of opposing gay rights. Period.
The gay repugs try to repackage McSame as experienced, blah, blah, blah. But what it comes down to is that many of them just don't care about other gay people. They have money or live in liberal states where there are laws that protect them. Others are just kinda racist and either feel more comfortable with McCain's white skin or repulsed by Obama's brown skin.
The modern Republican Party is about selfishness, greed, and Social Darwinism disguised as individualism with a healthy dose of theocracy with a healthy injection of disdain for the Rule of Law.
Face facts. There is no excuse for voting for John McCain, whose alleged superior knowledge of international affairs leads him to believe that Iraq borders Pakistan and Czechoslovakia still exists.
So, this is where some idiot comes out and says to blather about just because he's gay that doesn't mean that he has to vote for the other guy. No sh@t, Sherlock. But, that is not an excuse to vote for someone who acts against the interest of GLBT people as a whole.
(P.S. I don't agree with the ageist slams against McCain. It's not about age, it's about keeping up with the times and willingness to learn. McCain just stopped caring to understand the world. Other seniors embrace change; they actually understand it's "Google" and not "the Google."
Being 70 years old does not mean that someone suffers from dementia, like Reagan who had Alzheimer's and should not have served a second term. Many of us have grandparents or parents who are older and are just as mentally agile as ever. They also learn to let go of old prejudices unlike McCain.)
Posted by: Noah | Jul 28, 2008 10:37:32 AM