From the AR Democrat:
Volunteers making telephone calls for John McCain last weekend noticed something odd: Four people contacted said in remarkably similar language that they opposed McCain for president because of his 1980 divorce from his first wife, Carol, who raised the couple’s three children while McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
This week, a group called Common Sense Issues is making what it says will be 1 million automated calls to households in South Carolina, telling voters, according to one of the calls, that McCain “has voted to use unborn babies in medical research.”
Common Sense Issues is a nonprofit group “dedicated to educating and informing our fellow citizens in an in-depth manner about public policy issues,” according to its Web site. Its executive director, Patrick Davis of Colorado Springs, Colo., is a veteran Republican political operative.
I’m going to wait until after South Carolina I get home this evening before I really comment on this group. However, I was suprised to find out that a large portion of the funding for these calls came from someone that I have met on a couple of occasions. It’s being funded by someone from the same county that I live in and have met him on more than one occasion. This is a huge Thompson area, so I’m sure this isn’t go to go over well with the local GOP. I’ve got more to say about this at a later date, but for now, all I will say is that this is ridiculous. I’m not a McCain supporter, but this goes well beyond the bounds of what I am comfortable with.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:17 am
The anti-McCain machine within the GOP party still has no line of decency. I think if he gets out of the GOP as the winner, there is no way he faces from democrats the kind of slander he faces from us. What a shame.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Tommy. . . Forgive my ignorance on this group, but this is the first I’ve heard of Common Sense Issues. You catagorized your post under McCain and Huck. Does Huck have a connection to this group?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Eric,
It’s not just McCain these guys are after. This one just made my blood boil. They’ve gone after all the candidates, and are also probably involved in the Mormon push polls.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Eric. . . You can say the exact same thing about the anti-Romney groups as well.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Alaska Jake,
This is the same group that push polled McCain, Romney and Thompson in other states. This is the pro Huckabee group.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Let me rephrase #3, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were involved in the Mormon push poll.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:23 am
That much for the positive Huck.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:23 am
A voice from r408 past is pleased with the work the TrustHuckabee and Common Sense Issues is doing with these push polls
http://retthatcher.com/2008/01/16/trust-huckabee/
January 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Its really hardball in SC Tommy. I just wish they would aim some of their fire at the real enemy of free peoples everywhere, Hillary.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
We at Huck’s Army denounce this type of activity.
Common Sense Issues has been contacted and repeatedly has been requested to stop doing this – they refuse to.
Rollins adamantly denies any role:
“We have told them over and over not to do the pushpolling. I absolutely have nothing to do with it.There is absolutely no connection between me and this group. I have met Patrick Davis only once and that was years ago. There is absolutely no coordination coming from me.â€
January 18th, 2008 at 10:26 am
That’s not a very Christian thing to do Huck.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Divorce is a mark against McCain and Thompson — just like it was a mark against Reagan. In the case of McCain, adultery says something about a man’s character — perhaps something we can forgive, but never excuse.
McCain’s Divorce
Before John McCain’s tour of duty in Vietnam, he married Carol Shepp, a model from Philadelphia. On his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam in 1967, McCain was shot down and captured.
While he was imprisoned, Carol was in an auto wreck (1969), thrown through her car’s windshield and left seriously injured. Despite her injures, she refused to allow her POW husband to be notified about her condition, fearing that such news would not be good for him while he was being held prisoner.
When McCain returned to the United States in 1973 after more than five years as a prisoner of war, he found his wife was a different person. The accident “left her 4 inches shorter and on crutches, and she had gained a good deal of weight.”
In 1979 at a military reception in Honolulu, McCain met Cindy Hensley, an attractive 25-year-old woman from a very wealthy politically-connected Arizona family. Cindy’s father, Jim, founded the Hensley and Company, the nation’s third-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor.
McCain described their first meeting, “She was lovely, intelligent and charming, 17 years my junior but poised and confident. I monopolized her attention the entire time, taking care to prevent anyone else from intruding on our conversation. When it came time to leave the party, I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. By the evening’s end, I was in love.”
While still married to Carol, McCain began an adulterous relationship with Cindy. He married Cindy in May 1980 — just a month after dumping Carol and securing a divorce. The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii.
McCain followed his young, millionairess wife back to Arizona where her father helped catapult McCain into politics,
Today, Cindy Hensley McCain is chairwoman of Hensley’s board of directors. Hensley and Company financial reports show assets worth a minimum of $28 million for the McCains
McCain Divorce Settlement Outlined
By BILL KACZOR
Associated Press Writer
February 24, 2000
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) – John McCain gave up his interest in two homes and agreed to pay $1,625 a month in alimony and child support when he divorced his first wife 20 years ago, court records show.
The senator and Republican presidential candidate divorced his wife Carol in 1980 when he was a Navy captain with a home of record in Orange Park, Fla., about 12 miles south of Jacksonville.
McCain, 63, gave her his interest in homes in Alexandria, Va., and South Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., according to records of the divorce settlement obtained by The Associated Press and other newspapers.
The Arizona senator agreed to give her their furnishings, $1,325 a month in alimony, $300 in child support. He also agreed to pay an additional $500 monthly if she couldn’t find a job.
She was subsequently employed in the Reagan White House, according to George “Bud” Day, McCain’s attorney during the divorce. Day also was one McCain’s cellmates when they were prisoners of war in Vietnam.
Carol McCain, who has remained friendly with her former husband, did not immediately return a phone call to her Virginia home Thursday seeking comment.
McCain filed for the divorce, stating in court records that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.”
Under the settlement, McCain maintained insurance policies worth $64,000 with their children as beneficiaries, agreed to pay for their daughter’s college education and paid $3,005 in joint debts. Carol McCain got the family’s Audi, while McCain was allowed to keep a Datsun 810 and his personal belongings, the records show.
A month after the divorce, McCain married Cindy Lou Hensley, heiress to Phoenix-based Hensley & Co., the nation’s second-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor.
Carol McCain was seriously injured in a traffic accident on Christmas Eve 1969, but her husband did not find out about it until he was released from Vietnam, Day said.
In the settlement, McCain agreed to provide insurance or pay medical bills for additional treatment she was expected to require.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Brett,
We at Huck’s Army denounce this type of activity.
Common Sense Issues has been contacted and repeatedly has been requested to stop doing this – they refuse to.
Rollins adamantly denies any role:
We have told them over and over not to do the pushpolling. I absolutely have nothing to do with it.There is absolutely no connection between me and this group. I have met Patrick Davis only once and that was years ago. There is absolutely no coordination coming from me.
If Huck REALLY wanted to impress he would call a press conference and denounce this type of activity.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:30 am
12-what does that have to do with the phone calls in SC?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:31 am
13-Forget impressing us. If he really didn’t like them doing this, he would call a press conference and demand that they stop.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am
News Release: Huckabee Campaign Denounces Push Polling Calls — Again
January 16, 2008
South Carolina, and any state in the country. “As I’ve said before, our campaign has nothing to do with push polling and I wish they would stop. We don’t want this kind of campaigning because it violates the spirit of our campaign. I want to become President because I am the best candidate, not because I attacked the other candidate,” said Huckabee from the campaign trail in South Carolina.
National Campaign Manager Chip Saltsman agreed: “Anyone who has the slightest understanding of the race ahead and the mindset of voters would know this sort of activity is extremely counterproductive. It takes the campaign off message at a time when Governor Huckabee is resonating with voters here in South Carolina.”
“We have enthusiastic, overflow crowds at each of our events. It loses votes rather than gains them. It’s an underhanded way of doing business that is not welcomed by the campaign and it flies in the face of what Governor Huckabee stands for: integrity and clean politics. On behalf of Governor Huckabee and his campaign, I ask once again that these calls be stopped immediately,” said Saltsman.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Sounds a lot like the Clinton campaign, attack the opponent personally and then say we had nothing to do with it. Who would have thought that a southern preacher would have so much in common with the Clinton’s? Politically and ethically.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:37 am
News Release: Huckabee Campaign Asks For Investigation Into Push Polling Calls In New Hampshire
December 17, 2007
Little Rock, AR – The Huckabee for President Campaign today called for an investigation of media reports regarding recorded phone calls involving negative attacks against several presidential candidates who are campaigning in New Hampshire.
“It has recently come to our attention that a group known as ‘Common Sense Issues’ has made recorded calls to voters in New Hampshire,” wrote Campaign Manager John “Chip” Saltsman in a December 17, 2007 letter to Secretary of State William M. Gardner requesting an investigation.
“We were not aware of such a program nor do we condone such tactics,” Saltsman said, noting that it is campaign policy to “oppose any deceptive campaign tactics.”
“For this reason, we ask that you have your office investigate these calls further. We welcome the opportunity to assist your investigation and look forward to your findings,” wrote Saltsman.
Saltsman said the Huckabee campaign issued a similar letter to the Iowa Attorney General requesting for an investigation into alleged push polling calls being made in that state.
Last week, Saltsman and Huckabee denounced push polling activities activities in Iowa, New Hampshire, and any state in the country.
“As I’ve said before, our campaign has nothing to do with push polling and I wish they would stop. We don’t want this kind of campaigning because it violates the spirit of our campaign. I want to become President because I am the best candidate, not because I disabled the other candidates,” said Huckabee during a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Saturday.
Saltsman stated: “Anyone who has the slightest understanding of the race ahead and the mindset of voters would know this sort of activity is extremely counterproductive. It takes the campaign off message at a time when Governor Huckabee is resonating with voters as never before. It loses votes rather than gains them. It’s an underhanded way of doing business that is not welcomed by the campaign and it flies in the face of what Governor Huckabee stands for: integrity and clean politics. On behalf of Governor Huckabee and his campaign, I ask once again that these calls be stopped immediately.”
January 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Unless it’s proven that there is some connection at all between Huck’s campaign and this group, it’s is unfair to hold it against Huck. There is really nothing he can do to stop the push polling by an independent group. He issued strongly wordede press releases, his campaign has emphatically asked that it stop. Short of all that, I don’t see what else he could do.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Huckabee supporters are not happy with this and have echoed that many times. This Common sense issues group is a pro-huckabee group. Huckabee has nothing to do with this and has denounced it at least 5-10 times either by press release or verbal statement.
Unfortunately there are supporters from every campaign that fund misleading TV ads against other campaigns as well. This is just messy.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:42 am
McCain’s treatment of his first wife was cited by Ross Perot when he endorsed Mitt. Whatever you think of McCain’s politics, the hubris he’s demonstrated during the campaign in posturing as the candidate of the high moral ground is repulsive. I can’t help thinking about his ad, “character.” He doesn’t have any.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:43 am
#19 I agree. We need to be fair with that.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Tommy,
Grow up. Welcome to politics. McCain supports Stem Cell Research. Stem Cell Research is using unborn babies in Medical Research. McCain did not support the Bush Tax cuts, was a member of the gang of 14, McCain Feingold, and lastly tried to push Amnesty down our throats.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:45 am
This isn’t something people should be campaigning on or making calls to people about, but I think it is relevant. The key thing in a divorce is who left whom, and it looked like McCain did not keep his marital vows. I realize he is Protestant and not Catholic, so divorce is not sinful in his religion, but I do prefer candidates who are married only once. If the candidates are fairly similar on issues (such as McCain and Romney), I would put Romney a little higher because he kept his wedding vows. I know many of you will think I’m hopelessly old-fashioned for saying that, but that’s how I feel.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Shawn T. – There are most certainly Huckabee supporters that are quite pleased with Truck Huckabee and Common Sense Issues’s efforts in this campaign cycle. Whether the pleased ones represent a small minority or something else is anyone’s guess.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:47 am
* You guys are making me sound like a McCain supporter today.
24-Clarence, would you prefer a candidate who stays in a bad marriage to someone who left a bad marriage?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Eric,
Would you prefer a lying adulteror or someone who was faithful?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:50 am
In McCain’s defense (which he certainly doesn’t need, especially from a Romney guy like myself), while McCain admits he was 100% at fault for the divorce, he also provided his first wife with two houses, a luxury car, a fully-paid college education for their daughter, fully paid medical bills, fully-paid life insurance, and a fantastic alimony plan. Not bad for a guy who supposedly was the slime of the earth. He also didn’t walk out on her within days after her car accident, as has been implied. It was quite a few years later. His first wife remained on good terms with him even after the affair and divorce. If she can accept his apology, I think I can too.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Isn’t Huckabee also a divorced man?
January 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am
As a lifelong resident of Colorady Springs, Colorado, I am utterly unsuprised by the fact that this operation is headquartered here. Our congressional race last year was so dirty that it made me want to puke. Wonder if it was the same people.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:54 am
#29. . . That would be hilarious, but I think Huck and Janet have been married for like 30 years. She’s his only wife.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:56 am
#28, when you leave a woman for a US$28 million girl, you can be generous with the old lady.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Jimmy Carter is a faithful husband with just one wife, yet he was the worst president of my lifetime.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:59 am
#29 No – He got married to Janet Huckabee when he was 19 I believe. Your thinking of Thompson.
Although someone’s personal life should be considered when electing a president, I think that the focus should be more on what you have done politically and what you are going to do.
Everyone can make there own personally decisions regarding anything else but I think its wrong to do this kind of push pulling against mccain especially regarding his personal life.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
#32. . . Hey, like I said I’m a Romney guy. I’ll defend McCain but it may not be the best defense he’s gonna get!
January 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
29 DEG NO! – where did you get that Idea? Quit spreading mis-information.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:08 am
This conversation has sunk as low as the subject of the original post which started the string. For all you self-righteous Romney fans, what does the Bible say about judging others? Ronald Reagan divorced his first wife and remarried. Was he a bad president? I am an evangelical and I know that just as I been forgiven, God expects me to forgive others. Some of this pious self-righteousness is downright scary.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
36-Brett, he only asked. He didn’t state a fact or pretend to.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:10 am
#8, Why am I not suprised?
Rett Hatcher promoting slander? Who would have thought.
Brett Passmore #10:
Brett Passmore has really shown me what a decent political activist should do. I think Huck is only a little higher on my list than McCain (4th instead of 5th), but I don’t feel the slanderous whisper campaign is as prominent as it once was since legitimate political media (like this website) have roundly denounced this invidious, malignant push-poll type of thing.
Good work Brett and good work Kavon.
That’s my Huckabee complement for the week.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:13 am
#37. . . Why attack Romney fans? We had nothing to do with this?
January 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
#40 *should read “We had nothing to do with this.”
January 18th, 2008 at 11:15 am
PAcon?
What?
I don’t see Romney fans doing the dirty buisness on this site? (perhaps I missed something).
January 18th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I am referring to #12, #27 and #32. If they are not Romney fans, I apologize.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am
27-Blake
Not all marriages work out. For many reasons. At that point in life you can move on or you can be miserable and hold the other person in the arrangement hostage. That serves neither party well. Again, some people are deciding for McCain’s ex-wife that she should be outraged. Regardless of what McCain did, their marriage (officially or not) was over. And NONE of this qualifies you to be president. Is Hillary in a happy marriage? I think not. Was Carter a good president because he had a faithful marriage. I know he wasn’t. Does being in a marriage make you a better chief executive? Of course not.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Tommy Oliver,
What’s so wrong with reminding the voters that McCain’s for embryonic stem-cell research?
January 18th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Peter,
It’s deceitful. It’s malicious and malignant. It’s OK to send automated calls, but don’t cloak them in the pseudo-disinterst of scientific polling.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:55 am
You know Huck supporters are such Hypocrites! Anyone saying Huck cannot stop this is fooling themselves. Candidates have control over their supporters and they can make press conferences and huge deal to stop it if they wish. That two faced preacher is soooo rotten on the inside it makes my skin crawl. I guess that is why he got the biggest FEC fine in the History of Arkansas.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I thought Mc Cain does support medical testing on a fetus.
What do you guys call eymbrionic stem cell research? Lets
be real. The attacts on McCain’s personal life is somewhat
out of bonds, but Mc Cain is not a friend of pro lifers and the
attacts on his stances on issues are fair game!
January 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
#12–that’s pretty nasty stuff, but it was also 25 years ago. I don’t think its relevant unless these rumrors about McCain having an affair recently with a lobbyist are also true, which I’ve seen no evidence of. You really shouldn’t be spreading this kind of thing around.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Well is McCain record, it is McCain character. McCain has make his personality the single issue of his campaign, he won New Hamphire based on personality not on issues, is a fair game talk about his reccord and his character.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Disclaimer… I’m a Romney fan.
Regarding McCain’s first marriage, who of us can judge a man who’s been to war, then been in a concentration camp for 5 years? People change with time. While I am sure there are marriages that have suffered more stress than McCain’s that have survived, there are plenty, plenty more marriages that have suffered vastly less stress and not survived, though.
JMac looks happy with his wife. It seems they have a good life together.
Look, divorce is a HUGE problem in our country. It’s horrible for families and especially kids. Often, divorce is a result of selfishness; people not being willing to make their partner their first priority. I know in my own marriage I have been guilty of this, and our marriage as a result has been strained on several occasions (12 1/2 years and counting). We haven’t had a five-plus year separation to widen the gulf.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
#37
look check out your facts b4 you attack us rombots. We attack RECORDS not personal lives. The Hucksters are doing the personal attacks b/c their guy cannot stand on his record.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Nobody should stay with somebody whom don’t want/love. On the other hand, facts are stubborns thing. McCain records speak for themself.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I’ll speak up for McCain here. His first wife remains on excellent terms with him, and he’s been married to his second wife for almost 30 years now. I don’t think that’s all that bad – certainly not as bad as Rudy or Newt Gingrich. And as has been mentioned, McCain didn’t immediately leave Carol. They divorced in 1980, six years after his release from prison.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I don’t believe that this isn’t their first go round. Similar calls, except that the target was Mitt Romney, happened in Iowa and Michigan. It’s also currently happening in Nevada.
Mr. Positive Christian strikes again.
January 18th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Eric, yes. I have an extremely conservative view about that. That’s why you say “for better or WORSE”. That means you should try and work things out in a marriage no matter what. If one spouse is abusive, you should leave them but never get remarried. When you say, “it’s better to get divorced than stay in a bad marriage”, that sounds more like liberal talk than conservative talk.