Politics – Former New York City Mayor Edward Koch, one of the country's most prominent Democrats, says he may cross over and back Republican Sen. John McCain for president.
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"In an exclusive Newsmax interview, Koch says McCain "has no equal" when it comes to opposing Islamic terrorism. Though Koch says he disagrees with most of McCain's positions on domestic issues, he could support him because of his strong national security credentials.
Koch carries significant weight with many Jewish Democrats in New York and across the country. He also has a history of playing the maverick and crossing party lines."
Just to be clear, the statement of "Koch MAY back McCain" is FAR from an endorsement of McCain by Koch.
Koch:
"At this moment in the Democratic primary I believe the best candidate for the United States is Hillary. When and if that option is removed, and I have to decide between McCain and Obama because they have become the federal candidates, I'll make that decision at that time and not before."
I heard someone say that it MAY rain today.
Well, as others before me have already stated, the article does NOT say that Ed Koch will be backing McCain. Koch only says that he is currently a Hillary Clinton supporter and that he will have to make up his mind between McCain and Obama if Obama wins the Democratic nomination.
Even then, Ed Koch's influence unsurprisingly is exaggerated by this article. After all, he is a RETIRED mayor. Koch hasn't been in public office in nearly 2 DECADES. This is the big endorsement Republicans are trumpeting? Frankly, Joe Lieberman's support for McCain is bigger news than this. At least Lieberman is still in office.
Considering how much is wrong domestically - economy, crumbling infrastructure, massive debt - I'm surprised that Koch would go for the hawkishness when he disagrees with most of McCains domestic platform
What effects our lives more each day - posturing with Iran or a falling dollar.
geez. voting against his own interests, and he knows it
Do some reading on what Koch did when he was the mayor of NYC
Placed the City on a budget balanced according to generally accepted accounting principles
Established a merit selection system for Criminal and Family Court judges
In 1980, he successfully broke a strike by the city's subway and bus operators
He invited Ronald Reagan to Gracie Mansion shortly before that year's Presidential election, in which Reagan defeated Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter รข;; a move widely seen as a tacit endorsement of Reagan on the part of Koch.
Koch often deviated from the conventional liberal line, strongly supporting the death penalty and taking a hard line on "quality of life" issues, such as giving police broader powers in dealing with the homeless and signing legislation banning the playing of radios on subways and buses
He backed up the NYC Health Department's decision to shut down the city's gay bathhouses in response to concerns over the spread of AIDS.
Just because Koch did those things doesn't mean McCain will do sh!t for us domestically.
It sounds like Koch is more conserned with Israel than with us here at home.
I also find it interesting Ed Koch would praise McCain's foreign policy strategy, while Chuck Hagel (an Army veteran and CURRENT REPUBLICAN senator on the Foreign Relations Committee) would criticize the very same McCain strategy. Personally, I think Hagel's criticism is more authoritative.
http://politics.propeller.com/story/2008/05/21/...
"Chuck Hagel repeatedly lavished praise on Barack Obama and levied major foreign policy criticisms at McCain and the Republican Party. Hagel said in April he is open to the possibility of endorsing Obama's candidacy.
Hagel took umbrage with McCain's criticism of Obama for pledging to engage with Iran. Engagement is not, and should not be confused for, capitulation, he argued.
And when asked to respond to rumors circulating within political circles that the Bush administration was ginning up the possibility of war with Iran, the Senator even raised the specter of impeachment."
....And we MAY get out of Iraq in 100 years.
100 years is what McCain suggested--before he set a four-year time table (which I thought we weren't supposed to do because the enemy would just wait us out). ;-(
It's ok for the GOP to set time tables now. That was only wrong when democrats were calling for it to be done. Now that it's in the GOP best interest to do so, its now ok...
Just like 'appeasement' is wrong if Obama does it, but the patron saint of Republicans, Ronald Reagan, was right to do so with the Soviets... And how Mclame was right to say it was ok to negotiate with Iran just 2 years back...
The only thing the GOP actually sticks to its guns with is abortion, gay marriage, and guns.. Beyond those 3 things, they will flip flop on a yearly basis.
add religion and clingy bitterness, and you can count me in..
THose three things are the issues that bring out the base. They will never ban abortion because it will only bring out the left and the right will stay home
"I also find it interesting Ed Koch would praise McCain's foreign policy strategy, while Chuck Hagel (an Army veteran and CURRENT REPUBLICAN senator on the Foreign Relations Committee) would criticize the very same McCain strategy. Personally, I think Hagel's criticism is more authoritative."
Personally, I don't think you know squat. Koch is a WWII veteran. McCain is a Vietnam War Veteran and the Senate's ranking member on the Armed Forces Committee.
Hagel came no closer to endorsing Obama than Koch did McCain. But, it's pretty obvious he won't support Obama.
LIBS:
"Hagel came no closer to endorsing Obama than Koch did McCain."
That's what you think. Hagel had NO objections to Obama's domestic or foreign policy. In fact, he explicity stated not only that Obama's foreign policy was better than McCain's, but that McCain was INTENTIONALLY dumbing down the debate to play on the fears of easily-scared fools such as yourself.
While Hagel had no objections to Obama's policies, Koch stated explicity stated his hatred for McCain's domestic policies, which makes it less likely that he will support McCain than Hagel will support Obama.
http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/koch_mccain_en...
"I don't agree with most of McCain's domestic policy positions. McCain is regrettably doing what President Bush has done, and basically their approach is a FAILURE - on health insurance, on the environment."
A literate person would have noticed this.
LIBS:
"Koch is a WWII veteran."
Being a veteran does not automatically confer foreign policy wisdom. Chuck Hagel is also a veteran (Army) and is a member of the Senate FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
LIBS:
"McCain is a Vietnam War Veteran and the Senate's ranking member on the Armed Forces Committee."
I respect McCain's foreign policy experience, and apparently so does Hagel. In fact, Chuck Hagel does NOT take issue with McCain's naivete; Hagel believes McCain knows better but is INTENTIONALLY dumbing down the debate to win over easily-scared Republicans.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/20/chuck-...
"I can't get into the psychoanalysis of it. But I believe that John is smarter than some of the things he is saying. I want him to get above that and maybe when he gets into the general election, and becomes the general election candidate he will have a higher-level discourse on these things."
McCain's problem is NOT his foreign policy inexperience, but rather McCain's willigness to say whatever it takes to win an election. The quote above demonstrates that Chuck Hagel believes John McCain "knows better" but that John McCain is flip flopping on his privately-held positions because McCain will say anything to win. That is why McCain flip flopped on talking to Hamas and Iraq timelines.
In fact, McCain was FOR talking to Hamas before he was against it.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/05/wh...
"McCain was in favor of talking to Hamas before he was against it. Two years ago, John McCain was in favor of dealing with Hamas. 'They're the (Palestinian) government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them,' McCain told James Rubin.
More recently, McCain has been using a comment made by a Hamas spokesman to suggest that the group is 'rooting for an Obama victory.'"
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/14/mccain.k...
"A crowd member asked McCain about a Bush statement that troops could stay in Iraq for 50 years. 'Maybe 100,' McCain replied."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/politics/1...
"John McCain declared on Thursday that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013. The remarks offered no proposals for how he would achieve that vision.
During his primary battle, Mr. McCain accused his rival Mitt Romney of setting a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, even though Mr. Romney was merely speaking generally about timetables that might be set in private discussions among Iraqi and American leaders. Since then, Mr. McCain himself has come under repeated fire for offhand comments that he could envision a United States peacekeeping presence in Iraq for 100 years."
"Just to be clear, the statement of 'Koch MAY back McCain' is FAR from an endorsement of McCain by Koch."
One thing comes through loud and clear -- he DOESN'T like Obama and WON'T back him.
You guys can have him.
There you go, he's not worth arguing over.
Zionist first, American second. Introducing Mr. Ed Koch.
Anti-American neocon first, Austrialian second. I give you Murdock.
Christopher W. Ruddy started Newsmax.com on September 16, 1998, supported by a group of conservative investors, including the family of the late CIA Director William J. Casey. Later Richard Mellon Scaife, his former employer at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and a supporter of conservative causes, invested in the fledging company.[2] One of the initial board members was author James Dale Davidson who edited a financial newsletter that had shared Ruddy's interest in the Vincent Foster case
It's an interview, but don't let fact get in the way of your bias.
Maybe they changed the interview after seeing how easy that is from NBC.
Why do you hate Jews so much, antibrain?
I just dont get it.
I give you a rare positive Goppy
I don't get why an otherwise brilliant guy jumps to such an ignorant conclusion.
You take the same track as the anti defamation league, that any criticism of Israel is anti semetic.
Gee, goppy, why do you spend your entire life attacking the christians that kicked you out of bible college?
Why do you hate christians so much?
Koch is on the right track with his assessments. Exactly my feelings!
False.
Play it again, Sam..
As many times as it takes to comprehend what he actually said, which was nothing about not LIKING Obama.
Koch was not exactly the greatest example of a Mayor either, btw. Crack madness and Yuppie madness ruled NY and he was 100% ineffectual in regard to protecting the streets from either gang!
"At this moment in the Democratic primary I believe the best candidate for the United States is Hillary. When and if that option is removed, and I have to decide between McCain and Obama because they have become the federal candidates, I'll make that decision at that time and not before."
It is 100% logical that he won't make a commitment to EITHER Obama or McCain while his #1 choice is in the race.
But he's NOT endorsing McCain either.
An HONEST title for this story in terms of what Mr Koch said would be:
I may Back McCain or Obama.
But I suppose for some people there's not enough spin in that title to turn the propeller blades.
FTA; In 2004 he endorsed his first Republican for president, George W. Bush. Koch actively campaigned in several states, including Florida and Ohio.
Look where this backing of his has left us. The guy's a moron.
Sorry Alpha but I just can't support anyone who want to continue down the road we have been traveling.
Mr. Koch is entitled to his opinion.....and his vote.
heheheheh haw hahahahahah oh my Ed Koch hasn't been a DEM since he got elected Mayor of NY. I am not shocked that he wouldn't vote fro an African American. If this is the best you can do...I have feel for paining.Ed Koch hahahahaha HAHAHAHAH HEHEHEHEHE
koch no longer matters in politics. He has voter republican since Clinton's second election who is he trying to fool!I live in NY i know Ed Koch, he voted and endorsed Ppataki, he voted for and endorsed Rudy, he voted for and endorsed Bush, he voted for and endorsed Bloomburg. They are all Republicans, hehehe i didn't know Ed was still a DEM
I actually like Koch because he is one of the more intelligent and progressive mayors to run NYC. That's why it saddens me to read comments like the ones he's making here about Obama. I want to believe his remarks have been taken out of context but I have to confess that I didn't know he was such a war cheerleader until recently. ;-(
Likeable but ineffectual in my experience.
The police of the era were unwilling to leave their station houses.
Cash machines in bank lobbies were unsafe.
Not a good time in NYC.
I seem to remember that Koch was a Republican before he switched & became a Democrat - I also seem to remember a time when he wasn't senile
now that's bipartisanship, bipolitician even
AlphaGnosis----A possible backing is newsworthy? You're grasping at straws and further cementing your credibility among only the dunces.
It was newsworthy to me. Endorsements or backings, possible or otherwise are always newsworthy, especially if it comes from someone of an opposing party. I thought the interview was very insightful and I thought it interesting to see what a Democrat like Ed Koch thought.
And I guess we'll see if it's newsworthy or not by the end of the day. I'll let you know if you see it end up on the front page. ; )
AlphaGnosis----"And I guess we'll see if it's newsworthy or not by the end of the day. I'll let you know if you see it end up on the front page. ; )"
It could end up on the front page (one of your big goals) and still not be newsworthy. Only mildly controversial.
Actually, I was just teasing you about the last part. Note the wink. ; )
"I thought the interview was very insightful and I thought it interesting to see what a Democrat like Ed Koch thought."
--You would...It's not like the interviewer has any kind of agenda, right? Why wasn't Koch asked how he felt about McCain's ignorance regarding Martin Luther King? Why wasn't he asked some stupid racist question alleging that John McCain has an illegitimate black love child? This story is a total piece of CRAP, AG, and you know it.
Actually, I was thinking that your comment was.
Ha! Well, that's 'cause *you* are a big doody head! So there! LOL AG, you think *every* story or comment you post (and every agreeable response to them) are "insightful" or "interesting." What's remarkable about this story? Seriously... LMAO.
I don't know but you seem to like it quite a bit, meso! :D
I'm not surprised someone who loves to see, read and hear their own words as much as you obviously do would be flattered by my reaction but it's just that your "insightful" and "interesting" stories about Bush and the GOP are ubiquitous, AG. ;-P
The truth is it's really you that gets me hot and bothered, AG. Responding to your posts is just a ruse to capture your affection. I *heart* you, you misguided lil right wing temptress. ;-P
AlphaGnosis has always said that nobody really reads the stories, and apparently she was counting on just that for this one.