Cafe Talk | Talking Points Memo | Tucker Bounds: Worst. Flack. Ever.

Tucker Bounds: Worst. Flack. Ever.

By freaktown - August 13, 2008, 4:03PM

How many anti-Obama arguments can McCain's campaign undermine with one press release?

Let's find out.

In a statement in response to Barack Obama's ad, McCain flack Tucker Bounds said the following:

<blockquote>“In the Senate, Barack Obama has voted in lockstep with President George W. Bush nearly half the time, including the Bush-Cheney Energy bill which gave close to 3 billion dollars in new giveaways to Big Oil – a terrible policy that John McCain opposed," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "The truth is Barack Obama’s plan is a job killing machine that ignores the struggling economy and raises taxes on family savings, social security and small businesses.” </blockquote>

First of all, I thought Barack Obama always put his party ahead of his country.

<a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/26/mccain-camp-obama-puts-himself-first/">Senior McCain advisor</a> Steve Schmidt said in a memo released to reporters. “We have seen Barack Obama forced choose between principle and the interests of himself and his party. He has always chosen the latter,” Schmidt wrote.

But if he votes with Bush "nearly half of the time" wouldn't that mean that he votes AGAINST his party nearly half the time?

Secondly, Obama is supposed to have the "most liberal voting record" in the Senate, even more liberal than the Senate's Socialist, Bernie Sanders.

<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/19/2308539.htm">"That's his voting record.</a> All I said was his voting record is more to the left than the announced Socialist in the United States Senate, Bernie Sanders of Vermont," Senator McCain said according to a video of the interview posted online.

But how can he vote with Bush nearly half the time, AND be the most liberal senator in history? Did GW Bush turn into a flaming liberal while no one was watching? Hmmm...

Finally, Tucker says Obama is in "lockstep" with Bush because he voted with him "nearly half the time". So wouldn't John McCain be in super-lockstep with bush? After all, McCain voted with Bush nearly 95% of the time. A number considerably larger than "nearly half".

Someone, perhaps one of our friends in the corporate media, should ask Tucker Bounds about these, ummm, inconsistencies.