McCain event canceled over fundraiser's rape 'joke'

[patriotsblade]

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/14/mccain-cancels-fundraiser-over-oilmans-rape-comments/#more-7877

WASHINGTON (AP) — Questions from the media prompted Republican John McCain to cancel a fundraiser at the home of a Texas oilman who once joked that women should give in while being raped.

The Texan, Republican Clayton "Claytie" Williams, made the joke during his failed 1990 campaign for governor against Democrat Ann Richards. Williams compared rape to the weather, saying, "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."

He also compared Richards to the cattle on his ranch, saying he would "head her and hoof her and drag her through the dirt."

Williams' comments made national news at the time and remain easy to find on the Internet. Even so, McCain's campaign said it hadn't known about the remarks.

"These were obviously incredibly offensive remarks that the campaign was unaware of at the time it was scheduled," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said. "It's positive that he did apologize at the time, but the comments are nonetheless offensive."

The campaign said it would not return money Williams had raised for McCain because the contributions came from other individuals supporting McCain and not from Williams. Williams told his hometown newspaper, the Midland Reporter-Telegram, that he had raised more than $300,000 for McCain.


The Washington Post said the campaign, when it initially was contacted by the Post and ABC News, questioned why the story was newsworthy; later in the day, the campaign canceled the fundraiser,
which had been scheduled for Monday.

The flap comes as McCain's campaign reaches out to women and to backers of Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton. McCain began a women-focused outreach effort in recent days, sending a well-known female supporter, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, to campaign in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

And Republicans have criticized McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, for failing to vet an adviser, Jim Johnson, who resigned when questions about his home mortgage deals involving
Countrywide Financial Corp. became a distraction for Obama. McCain had accused Obama of hypocrisy for speaking out against Countrywide's role in the subprime mortgage crisis.

Richards defeated Williams to serve one term as Texas governor; she lost re-election in 1994 to George W. Bush. Richards died in 2006 after a battle with esophageal cancer.

:no

[Yellowdogtexan]

I miss Ann Richards. She was a great lady. I remember that comment made by Claytie. He was a fool

[Yellowdogtexan]

Here is an oldie but goodie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY3mWJ1Cd0Y

[Yellowdogtexan]

mc :cane is not really cancelling this fund raiser http://rawstory.com/news08/2008/06/16/obama-camp-dems-hit-mccain-for-keeping-cash-from-rape-jokester/John McCain is facing fire over his decision to reschedule a fundraiser that was supposed to be hosted by a Texas oilman who made an off-color joke about rape in the early 1990s.

After initially cancelling a Midland, TX, fundraiser that was to be hosted by Clatyton Williams, the cash-strapped Republican nominee has apparently decided to hold the event later this summer with all the same donors except Williams.

The decision brought McCain a fourth day of condemnation from the Democratic Party and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, who say McCain should be ashamed to be associated with Williams, who once quipped that rape was like bad weather — “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it,” he said within earshot of a reporter.

“The only thing more insulting than John McCain’s willingness to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash raised by Claytie Williams is his attempt to get away with it by simply changing the venue of his fundraiser,” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said Monday in a lengthy e-mail outlining the controversy. “It’s clear that John McCain is more concerned with dealing with a ‘perception problem’ than in condemning these despicable remarks or in living up to the straight talk reputation he brags about.”

Williams raised more than $300,000 for McCain’s White House bid through the fundraiser. Since entering the presidential race, McCain has brought in less than $100 million in donations, compared to more than $265 million Obama raised.....

Earlier Monday, Obama spokesman Bill Burton noted that McCain’s refusal to give up the money raised by Williams comes as the GOP nominee attempts to court female voters, especially former supporters of Hillary Clinton’s abandoned presidential campaign.

“The McCain campaign has refused to return the money Williams raised—and despite initially telling press they were cancelling the event, the campaign has rescheduled it for later this summer,” Burton wrote in a daily e-mail to reporters. “That’s an interesting stand to take as they ramp up their efforts to win over women voters.”

The Democratic National Committee piled on Monday, after sending a handful of releases highlighting the controversy over the weekend.

“Why won’t John McCain denounce Clayton Williams’ sexist comments and return the money Williams raised for his campaign?” asked spokesman Damien LaVera in the DNC’s “Questions of the Day” e-mail. “Why did he let his campaign say he had cancelled today’s fundraiser with Williams when he has not?” Again, mc :cane needs the cash more than he needs women voters who ultimately will not support him anyway once they look at his voting record.

[Sweet Tart]

:twitch

[issac the dragon]

Clayton Williams was a big mistake. Having taken Williams out of the event was all that was necessary, unless the writer was implying that McCain holds the same views. If that was the implication, and I think it was, it is beneath contempt. I don't like McCains political views, but to imply what seems to be implied is so low, I am appalled.

[patriotsblade]

McCain's views on women are certainly questionable considering his past behavior of dumping his first wife for the newer shinier model and then calling the new one a ****.

[Cookie Parker]

Wait...if Obama is held to the standards of friends of his past....so is McCain...let's not get too way out in the Rove spin cycle here...

[Yellowdogtexan]

mc :cane got testy today when asked about this at a press conference. http://rawstory.com/news08/2008/06/16/question-about-supporters-rape-joke-agitates-mccain/Three days after rescheduling a fundraiser that had been planned at the home of a supporter who joked about rape, Republican presidential candidate John McCain continues to face questions about why he is keeping the $300,000 raised by Texas oilman Clayton Williams.

At a press conference in Arlington, Virginia, CNN’s Dana Bash asked McCain why his staff had even scheduled a fundraiser with Williams, who in 1990 joked that rape was like bad weather: “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.”

The question visibly agitated McCain. He furrowed his brow, fidgeted with his notes, blinked rapidly, scowled, squinted, scoffed and grimaced as Bash was completing her question.

Finally he said, “my people were not aware of a statement he made 16 or 18 years ago. I’ve forgotten how many years ago it was.”

McCain defended the decision to keep the money Williams raised, after Democrats hit him on the decision earlier in the day.

“The people that contributed are supporters of mine, not supporters of his, so when we found out that this was planned there, we said, ‘No, we’ll reschedule it, and do it some place else,’ and I understand that he’s not attending,” McCain said. “I don’t, that’s pretty much the sum of it all.”

The Democratic assault on McCain’s connection to Williams continued after the press conference, when the Democratic National Committee again accused him of hypocrisy.

“Instead of doing the right thing by denouncing Clayton Williams’s widely known and deeply offensive comments about women, Senator McCain once again chose to put his political ambitions ahead of his principles. Williams’ shameful history was readily available to anyone willing to do a 30-second online search,” DNC communications director Karen Finney said in an e-mail. “McCain’s silence on these comments, his willingness to keep the money Clayton Williams steered to his campaign, and the fact that McCain plans to go back and hold this fundraiser when he hopes no one is watching are all part of the reason the American people are seeing through McCain’s image as a so-called ‘maverick.’”After his display of emotion, the press again asked mc :cane about his temper issue and mc :cane dodged this question Later in the press conference, a reporter asked about McCain’s legendary temper, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested the Arizona senator does not have the “right temperament” to be president.

Although none of his specific, well documented tirades were mentioned, McCain responded as he has in the past when questioned about his sometimes excessive anger: He sidestepped the question.

“I have a very significant legislative record,” McCain said, emphasizing his “record of bipartisan work” in the Senate.

McCain did not deny an anger management problem. Instead he tried to re-frame his anger as passionate frustration at a country headed in the wrong direction that shows he’s in touch with the common man.

“Do I get angry from time to time?” McCain asked. “Americans are angry when we waste billions of dollars in wasteful pork-barrel spending. I was not elected Miss Congeniality in the United States Senate.”
At least the press is asking the right questions and it is amusing to see mc :cane dodge these questions