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  <title>Right Wing Watch</title>
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  <updated>2008-08-07T16:00:43-05:00</updated>
  <entry>
    <title>McCain Wins By   Losing</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/mccain-wins-losing" />
    <id>http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/mccain-wins-losing</id>
    <published>2008-04-24T15:21:58-05:00</published>
    <updated>2008-08-07T16:00:43-05:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name>Kyle</name>
    </author>
    <category term="John McCain" />
    <category term="Judiciary" />
    <category term="Politics" />
    <category term="Religious Right" />
    <category term="Reproductive Health" />
    <category term="Wisconsin Right to Life" />
    <summary type="html"><![CDATA[<p>Suffice it to say that John McCain   and Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) have had something of a rocky relationship in   the past, engaging in extensive <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901119_pf.html">litigation</a> over the   senator&rsquo;s flagship McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation ever   since WRTL ran ads back in 2004 targeting WI senators Herb Kohl and Russ   Feingold <A href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/556qurfs.asp">despite   a provision</a> in the law &ldquo;banning ads that mention the names of candidates for   public office within certain &lsquo;blackout periods&rsquo; ranging from 30 to 60 days   before an election--if funds from corporations or unions are used to pay for the   ads.&rdquo;</p>
<p>As the Weekly Standard <A href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/556qurfs.asp?pg=2'">explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote><p>McCain has thrown himself into the   McCain-Feingold litigation with unusual fervor, personally intervening in   Wisconsin Right to Life's lawsuit rather than relying solely on the lawyers for   the Federal Election Commission and Justice Department who are charged with   defending the constitutionality of federal election laws. "It is not a common,   ordinary occurrence" for sponsors of federal legislation to become involved in   litigation over their handiwork, notes Bradley A. Smith, a law professor at   Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, who served as FEC chairman during Bush's   first term and is a vocal opponent of McCain-Feingold as well as most other   regulation of elections. "How rare it is I can't tell you, but it's more common   just to file an amicus [friend-of-the-court]   brief."</p></blockquote>
<p>The case ended up going all the way   to the Supreme Court and McCain even filed <A href="http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2006/2006_06_969/briefs/petitioner/Brief%20for%20Petitioner%20Senator%20John%20McCain,%20Representative%20Tammy%20Baldwin,%20Representative%20Christopher%20Shays,%20and%20Representative%20Martin%20Meehan.pdf">a   brief</a> in which he argued that WRTL&rsquo;s actions were &ldquo;a classic case of   business corporations funneling unregulated monies to an advocacy group to pay   for ads that will influence a federal election&rdquo; in violation of the law.&nbsp;   &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Unfortunately for McCain, he ended   up <A href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200706/NAT20070625d.html">losing   the case</a> on a decision <A href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/06-969.pdf">written</a> by   Chief Justice Roberts and joined by Justice Alito and and others whom he <A href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00245">voted</a> to <A href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00002">confirm</a> to the Court. &nbsp;</p>
<p>But it looks like WRTL isn&rsquo;t one to   hold a grudge, because they have <A href="http://christiannewswire.com/news/582906373.html">now endorsed him</a> and   are citing his pledge to appoint <em>more</em> justices like Roberts and Alito to   the Supreme Court as one of the key reasons: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Wisconsin Right to Life   Political Action Committee today announced its endorsement of Sen. John McCain   in the 2008 presidential race.</p>
<p>Senator McCain has a stellar 100%   voting record on protecting unborn children from abortion.&nbsp; He opposes the 1973   Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand in the   United   States and he voted to ban the gruesome   partial-birth abortion procedure. He opposes taxpayer funding of abortion and   supports legislation that would require parental notification prior to a minor's   abortion.</p>
<p>Senator McCain opposes human cloning   and the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes.&nbsp; He has   stated that he would nominate U.S. Supreme Court justices in the mold of   Justices Roberts and Scalia.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Presumably, all McCain needs to do to rack up support from his former Religious Right foes is to keep pledging to appoint the type of judges they demand, even if that means ones who will strike down legislation and views he otherwise champions.</p>
    ]]></summary>
    <content type="html"><![CDATA[<p>Suffice it to say that John McCain   and Wisconsin Right to Life (WRTL) have had something of a rocky relationship in   the past, engaging in extensive <A href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011901119_pf.html">litigation</a> over the   senator&rsquo;s flagship McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform legislation ever   since WRTL ran ads back in 2004 targeting WI senators Herb Kohl and Russ   Feingold <A href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/556qurfs.asp">despite   a provision</a> in the law &ldquo;banning ads that mention the names of candidates for   public office within certain &lsquo;blackout periods&rsquo; ranging from 30 to 60 days   before an election--if funds from corporations or unions are used to pay for the   ads.&rdquo;</p>
<p>As the Weekly Standard <A href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/556qurfs.asp?pg=2'">explained</a>: </p>
<blockquote><p>McCain has thrown himself into the   McCain-Feingold litigation with unusual fervor, personally intervening in   Wisconsin Right to Life's lawsuit rather than relying solely on the lawyers for   the Federal Election Commission and Justice Department who are charged with   defending the constitutionality of federal election laws. "It is not a common,   ordinary occurrence" for sponsors of federal legislation to become involved in   litigation over their handiwork, notes Bradley A. Smith, a law professor at   Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, who served as FEC chairman during Bush's   first term and is a vocal opponent of McCain-Feingold as well as most other   regulation of elections. "How rare it is I can't tell you, but it's more common   just to file an amicus [friend-of-the-court]   brief."</p></blockquote>
<p>The case ended up going all the way   to the Supreme Court and McCain even filed <A href="http://www.oyez.org/cases/2000-2009/2006/2006_06_969/briefs/petitioner/Brief%20for%20Petitioner%20Senator%20John%20McCain,%20Representative%20Tammy%20Baldwin,%20Representative%20Christopher%20Shays,%20and%20Representative%20Martin%20Meehan.pdf">a   brief</a> in which he argued that WRTL&rsquo;s actions were &ldquo;a classic case of   business corporations funneling unregulated monies to an advocacy group to pay   for ads that will influence a federal election&rdquo; in violation of the law.&nbsp;   &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Unfortunately for McCain, he ended   up <A href="http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200706/NAT20070625d.html">losing   the case</a> on a decision <A href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/06-969.pdf">written</a> by   Chief Justice Roberts and joined by Justice Alito and and others whom he <A href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00245">voted</a> to <A href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00002">confirm</a> to the Court. &nbsp;</p>
<p>But it looks like WRTL isn&rsquo;t one to   hold a grudge, because they have <A href="http://christiannewswire.com/news/582906373.html">now endorsed him</a> and   are citing his pledge to appoint <em>more</em> justices like Roberts and Alito to   the Supreme Court as one of the key reasons: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Wisconsin Right to Life   Political Action Committee today announced its endorsement of Sen. John McCain   in the 2008 presidential race.</p>
<p>Senator McCain has a stellar 100%   voting record on protecting unborn children from abortion.&nbsp; He opposes the 1973   Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand in the   United   States and he voted to ban the gruesome   partial-birth abortion procedure. He opposes taxpayer funding of abortion and   supports legislation that would require parental notification prior to a minor's   abortion.</p>
<p>Senator McCain opposes human cloning   and the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes.&nbsp; He has   stated that he would nominate U.S. Supreme Court justices in the mold of   Justices Roberts and Scalia.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Presumably, all McCain needs to do to rack up support from his former Religious Right foes is to keep pledging to appoint the type of judges they demand, even if that means ones who will strike down legislation and views he otherwise champions.</p>
    ]]></content>
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