Another myth bites the dust
One of the most destructive elements of our political system is the power of candidate mythology. Locally, Joe Robach is lauded for bringing money to the district; “Joe cares about Rochester,”we are told again and again. The reality of course is that he gets the money not because of his big heart but because of Joe Bruno’s corrupt member items slush fund. Moreover, many of the projects he funds are essentially boondoggles, as we saw earlier today with the St. John Fisher law school.
Another myth that is potentially much more destructive is the myth that John McCain is both a straight-talker and a regular guy. These two myths often merge into one, such as when McCain tells reporters about he flies coach:
* McCain went on to laugh about flying coach over the summer when his campaign faltered. (link)
* LETTERMAN: You got into financial trouble, and all of that changed, turned around. What did you do—did you ever consider getting out?
MCCAIN: Well, I was riding on a well-known airline in group D, you know, that’s the one where you get to sit in the center seat between two heavyset Americans… I was carrying my own bags, which was good training, good experience. (Link; YouTube)
Here’s the reality:
…over a seven-month period beginning last summer, Mr. McCain’s cash-short campaign gave itself an advantage by using a corporate jet owned by a company headed by his wife, Cindy McCain, according to public records. For five of those months, the plane was used almost exclusively for campaign-related purposes, those records show.
[...]
The senator was able to fly so inexpensively because the law specifically exempts aircraft owned by a candidate or his family or by a privately held company they control. The Federal Election Commission adopted rules in December to close the loophole — rules that would have required substantial payments by candidates using family-owned planes — but the agency soon lost the requisite number of commissioners needed to complete the rule making.
[...]
“This amounts to a subsidy for his campaign, which is notable given how badly they were struggling last year,†said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that collects and analyzes campaign data.
[...] of vapor - exile and ladkiddo reduce McCain’s larger than life itself myths to nothing more than what they are [...]