McCain adopted a child from the 3rd world!

[nebula]

I bet this story will get huge airplay in the GE. I can see it now. The touching story of how the McCain family came to adopt a needy child from Bangladesh! It could potentially be a great public relations boost for him in the 08 race. And would make it harder for certain people to portray him as being insensitive or indifferent to the plight of minorities, for example.



McCain talks about his adopted daughter from Bangladesh.
---------------------------------------------------


Dadmag: What are the up and downs of fatherhood?

McCain: There are too many joys to name the ups. The only sad part about it is that children grow up. I watch my daughter turn fifteen and my son turn fourteen and I see them getting ready to leave the nest, and I see their interest in me diminishing rather dramatically. (Laughs).

Dadmag: Your youngest daughter Bridget is adopted. Why did you decide to adopt Bridget?

McCain: Well it was primarily my wife's Cindy's idea. She was in Bangladesh and she and some of the medical personnel visited Mother Theresa's orphanage to try and help the children there. There were two little baby girls there. One had a heart problem the other a severe cleft palate. Cindy was very concerned about their ability to survive and their need for medical treatment, so she decided to bring them here for medical treatment. She fell in love with both of them. We decided to adopt Bridget. Two close friends of ours, adopted Mickey, the other child.

Dadmag: You knew about your wife's decision before hand?

McCain: (laughs) No. She arrived and said "Say hello to your new little daughter."

Dadmag: A bit of a shock?

McCain: Yes indeed.

Dadmag: And how has it worked out? Are you happy with the decision to adopt Bridget?

McCain: Oh yes! She has enriched our lives. She's a wonderful child, a complete part of our family and we love her.

Dadmag: Your other children accepted her well?

McCain: Oh yeah sure. She's the toughest of the four. The youngest always has to be the toughest.

[ruby slippers]

1. of course, Cindy McCain will get a free ride when

the Media FORGETs about her drug use during the time she was raising these children......

[ossman]

11. and she stole the vicoden from a charity she worked for. Google it. Pretty crazy.

[anigbrowl]

19. Yep, but she's not running for office

And I see no point in bring up a 20 year old personal failing of someone else.

[ruby slippers]

26. I hope the Repugs remember that when they bring up Michelle's...

"patriotism" issue again and again then......

double standard, you watch and see....

[Zynx]

60. If Democrats are seen attacking her on her personal problems, we will lose the election.

Stay the fuck away.

[rwheeler31]

2. Go to celeb adoption.com

[napi21]

3. How old is that picture? I thought I heard one of his boys was in the

military now? The two boys in that pic aren't even close to enlistment age.

I admire Cindy for adopting that little girl. And I guess I admire John for accepting her and loving her as his own child. That doesn't make him a good President! I would love to find out the real inside story of their life though. Some of the recent things I've heard about his uncontrollable temper tells me life in that house is not what they want you to believe!

[alphafemale]

31. I'd guess the pic to be about 8yrs old.

I think all the kids are about grown now. I do admire the adoption though.

Not much else I admire about them but I've gotta give a nod when it's due.

[Muttocracy]

33. yes, it's an old picture; his daughter is working on his campaign and son was/is in Iraq. nt

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JI7]

5. i wonder how much his daughter had to do with him not being a racist anymore

[Jamastiene]

6. It's old news.

That was brought up during his run in the primaries in SC against Bush. The Bush campaign was atrocious about it too, as usual. It's old news.

My biggest question is: What of it? It is an admirable thing to do; to adopt a kid into a loving home. Who cares what his political affiliation is. He's that child's father and he loves her. So fucking what. Big deal. What does it have to do with politics? Leave the children out of it.

[nebula]

8. Depends on how its framed

the media can easily reframe it into something else, turning it into a human interest story that shows McCain's personal life in a positive light.

[Jamastiene]

10. I hope he puts his foot down and keeps the children's privacy,

as best he can. I hope all the candidates do.

We'll see. I can see it framed in a positive light, but when it comes to politics, I still don't think it affects his positions as being too Bush-like.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Catherina]

9. Shhhh. It's a meme killer n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

53. Why? I don't understand.

[GoldieAZ49]

57. It undermines the

racism/racist charge most effectively

The race card was played against McCain by Bush in 2000 in South Carolina

Phone calls were made asking if they would still vote for McCain if they knew he had a child with a black hooker.

McCain has always been private about his kids, no one knew they had adopted a sick child.

[ruby slippers]

12. hmmm. think about this possible strategy then....

Obama - biracial

McCain - adopted racial child

Clintons - exploits racism against both of them and wins those rural PA voters in GE after all....

Disgusting!!!!

[anonymous171]

13. Using HRC supporter logic,

Means that if Obama gets the nom, PA will go for Nader. After all, they won't vote for two RACE MIXERS will they?

[jackson_dem]

51. Obama is losing whites for the same reasons Richardson and Dodd did

Notice how Richardson didn't blame racism for losing?

[Jamastiene]

14. I've known about it for years now.

It's old news. Are you implying that just because we support Hillary, we are automatically racists in your view? Welcome to ignore for that bit of broadbrush slander.

[anonymous171]

20. Well, according to some here, HRC supporters in PA just won't vote for Obama

The implication here is that it is Obama's race that is the deciding factor in their descision. I'm not saying Hillary supporters are all like that. That would be stupid.

[Clintonista2]

25. Link?

Link to one single statement which claims that Clinton supporters in PA won't vote for Obama due to his race. One single relevant link please.


Didn't think so.

[anonymous171]

27. "implication" key word.

[Clintonista2]

29. Still waiting for that link

Didn't think so. Don't make claims you can't back up, sport.

[anonymous171]

30. lol. Someone already provided for you.

[Clintonista2]

32. They provided a huffington post article

Your claim was that "some here" had said it. "Here" is DU, not the HP. By the way, I've already stated that Rendell should have kept his mouth shut.

[anonymous171]

34. What I said was HRC supporters said that PA voters just won't vote for Obama

They then list statistics about how dreadfully he performed among white working class voters. Over. And over. And over again.

[Clintonista2]

37. No, what you said was:

"Well, according to some here, HRC supporters in PA just won't vote for Obama"

I asked you to provide a link proving that Clinton supporters on DU have claimed that white HRC voters won't vote for Obama primarily based on his race (which is what you claimed in the post), and I have yet to recieve one example, even though I've asked for one three times now.

[cliffordu]

43. Hair splitting is the final refuge of the fatuous argument

:headbang:

[jackson_dem]

52. The white working class didn't vote for Chris Dodd either. He got 0%. Is Dodd no longer white?

[tammywammy]

28. ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/12/rendell-some-whites-won_n_86246.html

[Clintonista2]

16. Unlike you, many of us were fighting for Dem causes back in 2000

It's hard to be a political activist and NOT know what Bush did to Mccain regarding his daughter. We didn't just decide we were a Dem when the rock star candidate entered the field.

[anonymous171]

21. I knew about his adopted child and of Rove's smear campaign

But remember, Clinton's base isn't activists.

[Clintonista2]

23. Clinton's "base" is made up of life-long dems

As every single state exit poll has proven. These people were fighting for Liberal causes when you were still having your diapers changed (which, as far as I know, was yesterday).

[anonymous171]

24. Life-long dems don't vote for McCain. Fighters for Liberal Causes don't vote for McCain

[Clintonista2]

35. Show me where life-long dems are planning on voting for Mccain?

Clinton's support is made up of blue-collar workers who will vote for Mccain if Obama is nominated, as well as life long 60+ dems, who will vote for the nominee. If you're suggesting that Obama can't hold on to party loyalists, then he's in even more trouble than I first imagined.

[anonymous171]

36. That's the point. They aren't "loyalists" in ANY sense if they vote for Bush III

[Clintonista2]

38. Your problem is that you view Clinton's supporters in one big group

Which I've already stated is a false premise.

[anonymous171]

41. I'm talking about the 42% that won't vote for Obama in the GE should he get the nom.

[Clintonista2]

46. Actually the number is more like 33% of Clinton supporters to 24% Obama supporters

But that's beside the point. Our argument began by you claiming that Clinton DUers have stated that Clinton's voters won't vote for Obama primarily because of his race. This is the fifth time I've asked you for a link to prove that, am I to assume that you just pulled it out of your ass?

[cliffordu]

47. That's right. In spite of throwing up in the voting booth, I'll vote

for 'she whose name will not be spoken' because the supreme court and the downstream legislators need to be helped out.

I dunno if that will help them or not, they could be dead to her along with everyone else, but I CAN'T let McCain have my vote either on purpose or through omission.

[Arkansas Granny]

56. This is something that most people have known about for years.

To insinuate that Hillary's supporters are racist because they don't support Obama is patently unfair and untrue.

Grow up!

[ruby slippers]

15. thanks....forgot the viocodin from the Charity was

what she stole when she was Mommy dearest to her children....

From Wikipedia: In 1989, Cindy McCain became addicted to opioid painkillers such as Percocet and Vicodin, which she initially took to alleviate pain following two spinal surgeries for ruptured discs and to ease emotional stress during the Keating Five scandal, which involved her as a bookkeeper who had difficulty finding receipts. The addiction progressed to where she resorted to stealing drugs from her own AVMT.

[pansypoo53219]

17. but but but

they named her BRIDGIT! that is so wrong.

[emilyg]

18. He did something good.

Why poke fub?

[anigbrowl]

22. Just because I wouldn't vote for him doesn't mean McCain is the spawn of Satan. I quite like him.

It's one thing to criticize someone over their policies, but I don't like the tone of a lot of attacks on McCain eg 'senile...doddering..old fool'. Do I want him as President? No fucking way. Do I think he's a fairly decent human being? Sure.

A lot of people here need to learn to disagree with disrespecting, both Obama and Clinton supporters. I don't even like seeing people refer to 'rethugs' for the same reason I don't like to hear conservatives talking about 'dimocrats'. It's childish, superficial, and alienates a lot of independent voters.

[question everything]

39. Of course, the Bush campaign, in 2000, was trying to smear him

with a "love child."

[Muttocracy]

40. Here's info on the ages of his kids; I hope the media leaves the younger ones alone. nt

from his campaign website:

Doug
Doug McCain has been a pilot with American Airlines since 1990. He currently flies as a First Officer on the Boeing 777 out of JFK International Airport. Prior to American Airlines, he flew the A6-E Intruder in The United States Navy. While in the Navy, he deployed twice to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS America CV-66 and aboard the USS Eisenhower CVN-69. He made 256 carrier landings including 88 at night. He received a B.S. degree from the University of Virginia in Systems Engineering in 1982. He married his wife Ashley, who also holds a B.S. from the University of Virginia in Systems Engineering, in 1986. They reside with their two children in Virginia where they are members of the Episcopal Church. In addition to watching his children's activities, he enjoys surfing, golfing and skiing.
Andrew
Andrew McCain is Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Hensley & Company in Arizona where he oversees and manages the finance, treasury, strategic planning, information technology and marketing functions of the company. He serves on the Board of The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Choice Bank, and is a Board member and coach for RAMMS, a youth sports association in Phoenix. He is a Patrons Committee member of United Methodist Outreach Ministries' New Day Centers. He attends Camelback Bible Church. Andy received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, 1984 and a Masters in Business Administration, 1986 both from Vanderbilt University. He is married with two children and enjoys coaching and watching his children compete in sports. He also enjoys playing golf and following the Valley's sports teams.
Sidney
Sidney McCain resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has had a long and successful career in the music industry, most recently as General Manager of V2 Records, Canada. She loves baseball and enjoys making an annual trek to spring training to cheer on the Yankees and Blue Jays.
Meghan
Meghan is 22 and recently graduated from Columbia University in New York. Meghan was born and raised in Arizona and attended Phoenix Country Day Elementary School and Xavier High School. She has an avid interest in journalism and has enjoyed internships with Newsweek and Saturday Night Live. She is currently working hard on the McCain 2008 campaign to help elect her Dad!
Jack
Jack is 21 and currently attending his third year at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He hopes to become a helicopter pilot. He was born and raised in Arizona and attended Phoenix Country Day Elementary and Brophy College Preparatory High School. He enjoys amateur car racing and has built his own race car. He competes in Drift racing and recently took his Mom with him in the passenger seat during a race.
Jim
Jim is 19 and a Private First Class in the Marine Corps. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Christ Lutheran Elementary School and Brophy College Preparatory High School. His lifelong dream was to become a Marine. He is an avid reader and often shares books with his father.
Bridget
Bridget is 16 and is currently attending high school in Arizona. She attended Christ Lutheran Elementary School. Bridget was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Cindy met her in an orphanage when she was 10 weeks old and brought her to Arizona where she was then adopted by the McCains. She loves music and movies and is looking forward to getting her driver's permit soon.

[BOHICA06]

45. Sound like a family to be proud of .... hope he is.

God's speed to Jim and Jack.

[davidpdx]

42. In my opinion I think that issue as well as his military service

is going to be off limits in terms of attacks. Doing so will help him gain sympathy. The best way to deal with him is hit him on his record in Congress, his ties to Bush and his support of the war. There are so many other weaknesses to challange him on that are legitimate concerns.

Adoption is a very selfless act, so regardless of what I think of them personally they should be commended for doing so. My wife and I are considering adopting (we haven't decided but both of us are in our late 30's) a child from Korea (where my wife is from).

[Muttocracy]

48. I agree, leave his kids and adoption out of it. Didn't Jesse Helms adopt?

I'm trying to remember a quote on that - maybe it was Biden talking about Jesse Helms adopting some special needs kids. I think someone was asking him about bi-partisanship and he mentioned that as a case where you could totally disagree with the person on policy but respect something about them as a person.

I know someone who adopted a child from Korea - this video was filmed at a weekend school they attend:
http://www.syracuse.com/slideshows/080412_KoreanSchool.ssf

[SoCalDem]

44. So did Angelina Jolie..Let's make HER president

The guys would surely pay attention when she had press conferences :)

[cliffordu]

49. I am SOOOOO there......!

[MidwestTransplant]

50. I thought there was an older daughter too? Why isn't she included in the "4"

[MethuenProgressive]

54. I wonder if the BO followers who won't support Clinton know about this?

[ErinBerin84]

55. Cindy McCain's autobiography is coming out this Fall

It was announced this week. She got at least one million dollars for it.

You know...if it was her actual autobiography, uncensored, it would be AMAZING (I mean..she has had an interesting life and is obviously a very strong person who has not had an easy life, but I'm sure the autobiography is just going to be a tool to pander for votes. Not to be disrespectful, but her actual book would be better than valley of the dolls..not because of the drugs, but just so many aspects of her life are kind of right out of a romance novel. Rodeo queen/beer heiress? I feel like she would be a fun person to have a drink with). That being said, I bet all of the candidates', and their spouses', autobiographies would be much better if they were uncensored, but they would of course be used against them.

It is great that they adopted. But on the other hand, I remember Cindy McCain saying "This is an adopted child..but John loves her like one of our own, because he has great character!" I understand what she is trying to say, but should he really get extra points for loving their adopted child? Still can't fucking believe that ASSHOLE ROVE tried to exploit this poor child and use it against the McCains.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

58. Sounds Like A Great Thing To Do

Dan and Claire Marino have adopted two young girls from China...

[Lucinda]

59. I'm guessing a lot of you in this thread are new to politics...

Bush spun the fact to attack McCain in 2000. Bridget has been part of their family since 1991.

[EffieBlack]

61. You just saved the McCain campaign a lot of money

Now they don't have to pay for any consultants to come up with an ad - you laid it out so perfectly, they can just use your post as is!

[NNN0LHI]

62. Actually in the beginning there were 2 children so they had an extra they gave away to a friend

No one talks about that much.

Don