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Anti-War Protesters Heckle McCain at Hispanic Conference
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ShareJuly 14, 2008 5:46 PM
ABC News' Jennifer Duck Reports: Sen. John McCain addressed a conference of the National Council of La Raza in San Diego a day after his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama appeared before the nation's largest Latino civil rights group.
Less than a minute into his speech protesters shouted repeatedly, “Bring our sons home.”
Watch part of McCain's speech HERE.
McCain was in the middle of a sentence talking about respect for Hispanic heritage when the small protest in the back of the room caused him to stop abruptly and say, “this happens every once in a while.”
After the disruption ceased, McCain went off script saying, “You know my friends, the one thing I say in all of these town hall meetings that I have been having -- hundreds and hundreds across America. The one thing Americans want us to do is stop yelling at each other.”
McCain then attacked Obama for not participating in a town hall discussion at the conference. The McCain campaign offers up town halls weekly to the Obama campaign.
However, the Latino crowd applauded every time the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s name was mentioned.
“I know many of you are Democrats -- regrettably -- and many of you would usually vote for the presidential candidate of that party,” McCain said as the crowd erupted in cheers and applause before he could finish his sentence meant to rally Hispanic voters to his campaign.
After the applause died down, McCain continued with a smile, “I know I must work hard to win your votes, but you have always given me a respectful hearing, and I appreciate it.”
McCain said he won 75 percent of the Hispanic vote in his last Arizona Senate seat re-election and talked about a leadership award he received from the group before mentioning his Democratic rivals again.
“Senator Obama is a fine man, and an inspiring public figure. All Americans should be proud of his success,” McCain said to an Obama-friendly crowd. “I also greatly admire Senator Hillary Clinton, and value her friendship,” he added as the crowd exploded into cheers and applause. “She, too, would have been a very worthy opponent. But I intend to compete for your votes by continuing to earn your trust.”
McCain also slammed Obama for not agreeing to debate with him in more town-hall style debates.
"You know my friends this is the third [Latino] organization Sen. Obama and I appeared before. And a lot of Americans have expressed their frustrations with the sound bites, the charges back and forth, the cable monster that has to have a new story every hour," he said. "I asked sen Obama to have a town hall meeting. To come here with me and share the same stage. The same stage to respond to your questions and comments, you hopes dreams and aspirations and yet he refused to do that."
McCain fired back at Obama who accused the Arizona senator Sunday of abandoning his effort toward comprehensive immigration reform during the Republican primaries to appeal to the conservative wing of the GOP.
"I feel I must, as they say, correct the record," McCain said. "I took my lumps for it without complaint. My campaign was written off as a lost cause. I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans. It was the right thing to do for all Americans. That’s why I did it."
Blasting Obama for his votes on various amendments to the failed comprehensive immigration reform legislation, McCain said, "Sen. Obama declined to cast some of those tough votes. He voted for and even sponsored amendments that were intended to kill the legislation, amendments that Sen. Kennedy and I voted against. I never ask for any special privileges from anyone just for having done the right thing. Doing my duty to my country is its own reward. But I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it. I mean it."
Read more about McCain and Obama's attempt to woo Latino voters HERE.
July 14, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (42)
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It really is unfortunate that a number or Obama supporters seek to disrupt the presentation of any candidate other than their own. If they are following the candidate whose soundbites speak of change, unity and hope, they make his words more mockery of the democratic process than it already is. Where is Obama? Is he afraid to have town hall meetings to actually debate the records and platforms? It appears so. John McCain is an honorable man, a real war heroe, and someone with wisom and experience to lead. He is not a soundbite candidate. He really does talk straight, says what he thinks, and means it.
Courage, Wisdom, and Experience to make the hard decisions!
McCain '08
Posted by: georgia | Jul 14, 2008 5:59:45 PM
I am not an Obama fan, but come on McCain it seems the only way he can get applauses is by mentioning he is a friend of Hillary's.
Posted by: rachel | Jul 14, 2008 6:00:26 PM
poor mccain when is he gonna learn
Posted by: angie | Jul 14, 2008 6:03:29 PM
georgia
how do you know the hecklers were obama supporters maybe they were hillary supporters jeeeex does obama have to be blamed for everything??????????
Posted by: angie | Jul 14, 2008 6:04:44 PM
The fact that La Raza members cheer for Hillary & Obama speaks volumes. They're the leftwing radical group who wants to take back America and have no borders whatsoever.
The fact that they're not fawning all over McCain is a good sign.
President McCain - La Raza better get use to it.
Posted by: Jo | Jul 14, 2008 6:05:24 PM
Rachel, that must mean he is in good company! He knows and understands how poorly Hillary has been treated, by the Obama camp, as well as the DNC. It is too bad that it is not Hillary debating McCain. She certainly would have not been afraid to join him in town hall meetings. And she certianly would have demanded respect for John McCain from her supporters.
Hillary/McCain '08?
Posted by: georgia | Jul 14, 2008 6:10:26 PM
JO:
NO President McCain.GET USED TO IT!!
Posted by: DANIEL | Jul 14, 2008 6:12:59 PM
Rachel,
Hillary fans do not heckle! She doesn't need hecklers to debate for her.
Posted by: georgia | Jul 14, 2008 6:15:02 PM
georgia
hillary fans didnt heckle at the dnc in may hillary fans didnt heckle at the obama and clinton funraisers please girl wake up!!! and hillary is no friend of john mccains
Posted by: angie | Jul 14, 2008 6:27:51 PM
WOW do you think maybe they are family of loved ones over in that war????Why does everyone jump to blame the other side ,goes both ways....
Posted by: indp,voter | Jul 14, 2008 6:32:42 PM
Obama would destroy McCain in any debate in my opinion.
McCain and Republicans were so wrong about so much.
McCain was wrong just on Iraq so many times......like:
"There's not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shiahs. So I think they can probably get along." [MSNBC, 4/23/03]
...uh what?......or this precious one:
"I'm confident we're on the right course." [ABC News, 3/7/04]
.................or how about the VETO proof GI bill that McCain was against?.......many Democrats and many Republicans supported that bill. CAN'T DENY THAT RIGHT?
........Why, when Congress finally comes together to agree on something, McCain stood with the Neo-con Republican tragedians of our country to stop the bill? I don't get it...........
McCain has lost his way. He supports bringing the troops home, in body bags for a hundred years...............
He wasn't tortured in Viet Nam, according to his own republican standards; he received advanced interrogation techniques, of which he approves of nowadays.
Where are the REAL Republicans?
Posted by: ApostasyUSA | Jul 14, 2008 6:48:53 PM
Good for you Georgia but you got it wrong HILLARY/HILLARY 2008
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | Jul 14, 2008 7:11:33 PM
Ron Paul should hve been the nominee. I think republicans have indeed lost their way.
Posted by: fun | Jul 14, 2008 7:14:43 PM
He deserves to be heckled. What does he expect? He backs a war that the vast majority of Americans no longer want any part of. You don't ignore the will of the people you're trying to convince to elect you their leader and expect them to stand pat. Has he learned nothing from Vietnam?
Posted by: JimmyTMac | Jul 14, 2008 7:20:33 PM
Pray tell, what should our Middle East policy be? Our energy policy? And what will you do about Afghanistan? What about the mortgage meltdown? What about borrowing so much from China? We do not get along in this world by being isolationsists. We certainly do not survive if we think we do not have major domestic problems. Writing checks on borrowed money is not the answer. We did not want war with Afghanistan, or Iraq, and not even Iran, but how are you going to deal with all of these entities at the same time?
We do need a sound energy policy that looks at everything that will make us energy independent. We do need a Middle East policy that works to defeat terrorism while protecting our friends in that region. Bush got us into Iraq by deceit, but we are there now, as well as in Afghanistan. John McCain has the knowledge and skills to get us out of those crisis situations with caution, strategic decisions, and wisdom. Obama is not ready for any crisis. He has no experience and far too little knowledge to make any decision that he can stand on. He is still trying to learn something, no matter how brazenly confident he tries to appear. Wishing something to be is foolish without the knowledge to make careful decisions. Hecklers should read about the issues a little more deeply. John McCain deserves their respect. He won't get it from ignorance. He deserves respect just the same.
FROM THE HANOI HILTON TO THE WHITE HOUSE!
McCain '08
Posted by: georgia | Jul 14, 2008 8:29:03 PM
You dont need experience to know treason when you see it. McCain went along with Bush and Cheney.
Posted by: bruce becker | Jul 14, 2008 8:31:38 PM
We dont need McCain's plan for 50 years of occupation of Iraq, like in Germany.
The Iraqi's rejected Bush's demands to 'allow' us to build 30 bases over there.
The Iraqi's have chosen Obama's plan.
Posted by: bruce becker | Jul 14, 2008 8:33:09 PM
Thank you Rose, I needed a laugh.
Posted by: bruce becker | Jul 14, 2008 8:33:56 PM
It is sad that if Obama is elected the change Obama keeps referring to will destroy much of this country's positives and hurt the most, those people who are craving for betterment. Liberals who read this post will no doubt say that my statement is vague and ambiguous. It IS to them, but conservative bloggers will understand EXACTLY what I mean with all of its ramifications. That too is sad.
Posted by: Manitu | Jul 14, 2008 8:44:30 PM
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.
I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars."
Barack Obama Oct. 2, 2002
Here's how John McCain called it:
"But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." [MSNBC, 1/22/03]
"It's clear that the end is very much in sight." [ABC, 4/9/03]
Do Republicans still think John McCain was closer to the mark on Iraq?
RUSSERT: The fact is you are different than George Bush.
SEN. McCAIN: No. No. The fact is that I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed. And on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I've been totally in agreement and support of President Bush
Posted by: ApostasyUSA | Jul 14, 2008 9:01:27 PM
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