McCain's New Ad Belies Pork Record

While John McCain is claiming he'll "stop wasteful spending" and "restore trust in government" in a new TV ad running in New Hampshire, the one-time maverick continues to ignore key questions about his own record. In the United States Senate McCain sponsored pork projects that included steering $10 million to launch an academic center in his home state, and to add $14.3 million to a bill that had already been completed for an Air Force base that never even requested the money. Proving how far he was willing to go to shed his former image as a maverick, McCain even elevated a well known pork lobbyist to head his campaign's fundraising earlier this year.

"It's time for a little 'straight talk' from John McCain," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "Having herded his own pork projects through the Senate and having put a well known lobbyist in charge of fundraising for his campaign, why should New Hampshire voters trust that he'll really stop wasteful spending? "

JOHN MCCAIN'S LOVE /HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH PORK

McCain Fights Other's Pork, Pushes His Own. "Arizona Sen. John McCain is sponsoring two interesting pieces of legislation. One mounts a direct assault on congressional earmarks, those little morsels of home district pork that lawmakers slip into unrelated spending bills. The other steers $10 million to the University of Arizona to launch an academic center honoring the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Yes, McCain does seem to be saying to himself: Stop me before I sin again. McCain and co-sponsor Jon Kyl, Arizona's other GOP senator, insist their pork proposal isn't hypocritical because they aren't trying to hide anything. It is set out in stand-alone legislation to be vetted on its own merits. In Congress, it seems, the only bad pork projects are those sponsored by somebody else." [Chicago Tribune, 3/4/06]

McCain Broke His Own Pork-Barrel Spending Rules. "After years of crusading against 'pork-barrel' spending projects in Congressional appropriations bills, Senator McCain may be breaking his own rules. McCain pushed for, and got, $14.3 million for Arizona's Luke Air Force Base inserted into the just-completed fiscal 2004 military construction appropriations conference report. The only problem is the project to acquire more land near the base was not requested. [Roll Call, 11/6/03]

McCain's Chief Fundraiser Earned $3.9 Million for Creating $40 Million in Federal Pork. McCain's new Presidential campaign consigliere, and chief fundraising strategist, Tom Loeffler, founder of Loeffler Group has spent much of the last decade as a lobbyist. According to documents filed with the Secretary of the Senate, Loeffler and his associates have collected $3,920,000 over the years lobbying for the Texas cities of San Antonio, Houston, Pharr, Donna and Mercedes. In return, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, the cities received $40 Million and possibly more in Federal Government pork. [Politico, 4/4/07; Washington Post, 4/4/07; Lobbyist Disclosure Documents Filled with Secretary of the Senate, Citizens Against Government Waste Pig Book 2003-06]