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WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate John McCain skipped a difficult Senate vote Wednesday on whether to make 20 million seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans eligible for rebate checks as part of a proposed economic stimulus package.
The Arizona senator's decision to miss the vote appeared to come at the last minute, after his plane had landed at Dulles International Airport outside Washington just before the proceedings opened on the Senate floor.
Asked Wednesday morning to comment on the pending vote, McCain talked about the need to pass a stimulus measure quickly. Later, on his plane, he said he was not sure he would make the vote.
"I haven't had a chance to talk about it at all, have not had the opportunity to, even," McCain said. "We've just been too busy, focused on other stuff. I don't know if I'm doing that. We've got a couple of meetings scheduled."
Whichever way McCain may have voted, it would have been a difficult choice given his status as the Republican presidential front-runner.
Senate Democrats cleverly bundled the rebates for seniors and veterans, key voting blocs, with expanded unemployment benefits and home heating subsidies for the jobless and poor.
President Bush and Republican leaders, as well as conservatives McCain was scheduled to woo on Thursday, vehemently oppose the expanded benefits and subsidies.
That put McCain in a bad political spot.
Voting "no" with Republican leaders would have offended millions of Social Security recipients and the disabled veterans not scheduled to receive rebates. Voting "yes," on the other hand, risked alienating Bush, GOP leaders and conservatives already suspicious of McCain's political leanings. McCain was speaking Thursday before a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, a group that booed him last year in absentia.
For McCain, not voting meant not going on the record either way. He has missed all eight Senate roll call votes this year.
Republicans prevailed in blocking the Democratic proposal, saying they will try again later to include seniors and veterans. GOP leaders would not say how McCain would have voted. Asked whether there was any reason to believe he would have broken with the party and voted for the Democrats' package, Republican Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona said: "I have no reason to believe that."
McCain's absence, he added, would not have changed the outcome of the vote.
There was confusion among McCain's his staff about whether he would make the vote. Campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said when he landed that she believed he was headed to the Capitol to vote, but a second spokeswoman, Brooke Buchanan, said later that he would not make it.
Democrats, including a spokesman for the presidential campaign of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, jumped on McCain's absence. Clinton voted for the measure, which failed on a 58-41 vote. Supporters needed 60 votes to prevail. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid had voted in favor, but switched it at the last moment in a parliamentary move that allows him to bring up the measure for another vote at a later date.
"By failing to stand up as the deciding vote, John McCain let our families down," said Clinton aide Phil Singer. "Tonight's events prove once again that we need a president who will be ready from Day One to act in the interests of middle-class families and turn our ailing economy around."
___
Associated Press writers Libby Quaid and Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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{"commentId":1442924,"authorDomain":"belarius"}
Mr. McCain, how many ways can you spell "roll over?"
{"commentId":1442924,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"belarius"}
#1 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 8:20 PM EST{"commentId":1443190,"authorDomain":"dreamer"}
You know- if I missed doing a part of my job- my boss would reprimand me. I think it is wrong that he is getting paid to look for another job while not even doing the one that he is getting paid to do. This is bull@!$%#.
{"commentId":1443190,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"dreamer"}
- 3 votes
#2 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:19 PM EST{"commentId":1443497,"authorDomain":"roybatty"}
Agreed. Good Point.
{"commentId":1443497,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"roybatty"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1443531,"authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
That's not just McCain, but Hillary and Obama too. Mitt is the former governor of MA, so he's got no missed responsibilities. Check out Obama's recent voting record. He barely shows up.
{"commentId":1443531,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"thevineofhob"}
{"commentId":1445828,"authorDomain":"dreamer"}
Oh- don't worry- I think they should all be ashamed of themselves. They are there to represent us. They are not representing us, therefore not doing what they are paid to do.
{"commentId":1445828,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"dreamer"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":1443242,"authorDomain":"freedomrun-1"}
My first assumption is that McCain is afraid to vote on this one way or the other because he doesn't have any confidence in his abilities to deal with issues regarding the economy. McCain has admitted himself on the record that he needs more education and understanding of the economy. In his debates he cannot even answer economic related questions; instead he starts listing off names of people he says can help him with that. In the first place this was only an attempt to name drop. However, if these names are so reputable, when in fact it seems they haven't been very successful (considering our country is going bankrupt - sorry is bankrupt but in denial!) why would he be so silly as to try to use them as his experts. We have listened to the same roller coaster song and dance solutions for too long! Infusions! Stimulus! But it only makes things worse and worse. We need a real conservative republican who understands the simplicity of the market and economy to run sound financial policy - we don't need John McCain - he has been part of a system that doesn't work! He is a significant part of a long path that has run our country into bankruptcy. He has been too insecure on saving face (just like several others) that he chooses to operate at status quo as long as he can because he fears not having a cushy post of power at the expense of the millions of hard working honest people. What on earth is so hard to understand that a "STIMULUS" package doesn't do anything in the long run. I bet McCain will dodge as many things as he can before the convention in St. Paul at least the ones he knows he may be "graded" on.
{"commentId":1443242,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"freedomrun-1"}
#3 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:35 PM EST{"commentId":1443252,"authorDomain":"freedomrun-1"}
My first assumption is that McCain is afraid to vote on this one way or the other because he doesn't have any confidence in his abilities to deal with issues regarding the economy. McCain has admitted himself on the record that he needs more education and understanding of the economy. In his debates he cannot even answer economic related questions; instead he starts listing off names of people he says can help him with that. In the first place this was only an attempt to name drop. However, if these names are so reputable, when in fact it seems they haven't been very successful (considering our country is going bankrupt - sorry is bankrupt but in denial!) why would he be so silly as to try to use them as his experts. We have listened to the same roller coaster song and dance solutions for too long! Infusions! Stimulus! But it only makes things worse and worse. We need a real conservative republican who understands the simplicity of the market and economy to run sound financial policy - we don't need John McCain - he has been part of a system that doesn't work! He is a significant part of a long path that has run our country into bankruptcy. He has been too insecure on saving face (just like several others) that he chooses to operate at status quo as long as he can because he fears not having a cushy post of power at the expense of the millions of hard working honest people. What on earth is so hard to understand that a "STIMULUS" package doesn't do anything in the long run. I bet McCain will dodge as many things as he can before the convention in St. Paul at least the ones he knows he may be "graded" on.
{"commentId":1443252,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"freedomrun-1"}
#4 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:38 PM EST{"commentId":1443255,"authorDomain":"krishna109"}
Well-- speaking of missing things-- here's a real shocka! 'Obama Girl' Didn't Vote in Primary!
{"commentId":1443255,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"krishna109"}
- 1 vote
#5 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:39 PM EST{"commentId":1443296,"authorDomain":"fernando-bravo"}
I Should have kept my vote private. I don't like the way I feel now.
{"commentId":1443296,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"fernando-bravo"}
#6 - Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:53 PM EST{"commentId":1443639,"authorDomain":"JoulesBeef"}
He was smart
it was a political gotcha gimmick
best to not play the game.
The dems didnt want this to actually pass, that would mean going back to the house and slowing things down after things were already bipartisanly agreeded upon in the house version.
nah it was a gimmick and he dodged it.
it's been politics as usual in washington for quite some time now.
{"commentId":1443639,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"JoulesBeef"}
- 1 vote
#7 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 1:23 AM EST{"commentId":1445786,"authorDomain":"marygj"}
Sitting here listening to McCain sell his soul to the CPAC. He is pretty darn scary...no, he is a NIGHTMARE!
So this is where he is instead of doing his job.
Oh my, now the crowd who booed him are falling in line behind him. Laura Ingrahm and Limbaugh must be FUMING!!
Billary Judgement and Experience:
"She and John McCain are very close," Clinton said. "They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history, and they're afraid they'd put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other."
I don't think so...at least his speech to CPAC throws down the gauntlet. He told them what they wanted to hear...Help us please.
{"commentId":1445786,"threadId":"215028","contentId":"1283166","authorDomain":"marygj"}
- 1 vote
#8 - Thu Feb 7, 2008 3:43 PM EST{"canLink":false,"threadId":"215028","isPrivate":false}
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