I came across these interesting news articles on McCain and Obama... not necessarily having to do with their politics or the upcoming election, more on their pasts and who they are as people (and I suppose, candidates). While I haven't really done any research on issues and such to know whom I want to support in the election, after reading these articles I feel that I could support either, which just reiterates my stance of apathy as far as voting. I know that each possible outcome of the election could move America in vastly different directions as far as policy and such goes, so maybe I'm not totally free from the burden of responsibility of being politically literate and active. But didn't someone once assert that democracy was the safest type of government because it has the least potential for good or evil (i.e. it doens't do squat)? Plato, maybe? One of the many quotes/tidbits of information from Corey that I 'sorta' remember...
Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the news articles or otherwise.
4 comments:
I read the articles. The NY times one was really interesting (long, though!). I only scanned the McCain article, though...I didn't like the writing. It just seemed biased, unlike the NY times article that showed both sides.
I just saw this, which I didn't know about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_Five This is a article and the Savings and Loan Scandal. Be sure to read the "Corruption allegations" section.
I was thinking the same thing...that the writing on the Obama article was much more balanced and the McCain one seemed a bit slanted. I'm not so into McCain worship myself, but regardless of the writing I learned a bit more about him. Needless to say, neither of those articles really plummeted the depths of either candidate. I'll take a look at that wiki article you posted as well...
The regulators then revealed that Lincoln was under criminal investigation on a variety of serious charges, at which point McCain severed all relations with Keating.
Makes it sound like McCain didn't realize the extent of what was going on, and when he did, got out as fast as he could.
further in the article:
Keating's relationship with McCain came under particularly intense press scrutiny.[citation needed] McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981.[7] Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in lawful[12] political contributions from Keating and his associates.[13] In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln
McCain sounds pretty guilty there, or perhaps just gullible. It kinda makes it sound like he was completely duped by Keating into thinking they were friends when Keating was just trying to get McCain in his debt. What do you think? Either way, I don't know how you could get that much in debt to someone without having a clue about it...gives a whole new meaning to 'turning a blind eye'
Yeah, it's the part about the nine trips and the investments in Keating's other businesses that sounds really shady to me. It was proven that McCain didn't do anything legally wrong....but there are some ethical issues there.
But it's also the kind of ethical issues you expect to hear about from politicians. Perhaps, they are all like that, to varying degrees. I don't know.
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