March 14, 2008
Posted: March 14th, 2008 03:23 PM ET
McCain campaigned in Pennsylvania Friday.
McCain campaigned in Pennsylvania Friday.

SPRINGFIELD, Pennsylvania (CNN) – Sen. John McCain charged Friday that the Senate was ignoring the will of the people when it rejected a one-year moratorium on earmarks that he had co-sponsored.

The Senate voted 71-29 against the ban late Thursday night.

“There’s only one place left in America that they don’t get it,” McCain told a town hall gathering outside Philadelphia, referring to Washington. “Pork-barrel spending is out of control and Americans want it stopped.”

He added that the result “is an interesting commentary on how the Congress and the Senate [are] disconnected from the American people.”

McCain returned to the Senate for the first time in a month to cast his ballot for an issue that is one of his central themes on the campaign trail.

Of the 29 votes in favor of the measure, six were from Democrats, including rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. McCain accused both Democrats of wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars in earmarks.

“The first thing they can do if they’re against the earmarks is ask that the money that they’ve gotten, the hundreds of millions they’ve gotten in pork-barrel projects not be spent. A lot of that money’s not spent [yet],” said McCain.

The Arizona senator prides himself on having never requested an earmark for his state.


Filed under: Uncategorized


Willy   March 14th, 2008 8:20 pm ET

I agree. Congress has been out of tune with America for the past 30 years.

CHICANO ART, ARIZONA   March 14th, 2008 5:15 pm ET

McCain is a good man. He is a leader on these issues and this is well known. I support Hillary but I do respect Sen. McCains integrity and his experience.

Confused   March 14th, 2008 5:14 pm ET

Pork barrel spending! Why do the republicans always say that it's the Democrats that always spending money on things that the american people don't need. We didn't need the war for one thing.

Since 1980 we have had three presidents 3 republicans and 1 democrat. When the republicans are at the helm we run record deficits. When president Clinton was in office we had a surplus. You do the math.

Now we had 8 years of an administration gone mad and senator Mccain wants to pickup where George Bush left off. Vote him in as president and your kids will be fighting in Iraq when we reintroduce the draft.

Bruce   March 14th, 2008 5:13 pm ET

That measure was just a small part of the overall bill which also included making the Bush tax cuts permanent. For McCain to claim that they voted againt the moratorium on earmarks is disingenuous and misleading. Nice try Mr Straight-talk.

Greg Lansing,Mi   March 14th, 2008 4:43 pm ET

I think the media and maybe the clinton campaign tryng to mess with obama's chance of winning the nominatee to become president for november's and t just to use that as a tactics to rub it in his face and make all the white votes turn against him because he went to a church that's negative and that man is retire and no longer preaching anymore, what is the problem with you people? you media,reporters,news medias thats for clinton are trying to break his chance to win a nominatee! i think its wrong to do something like that, and he's a faithful,trustworthy,and smart man that knows what he's doing and he wil make that clear to all the people around this country and the world that he's not that type of person he is! he wants to be the president of the united states of the america and make the changes around this country and the world, and he can be enough to be a chief in commander! so don't be throw stuff at him so you m people can get their way to go clinton's way! all of you are to negative to prove it!

RealityKing   March 14th, 2008 4:42 pm ET

CNN please name those 71 taxpayer traitors!!

dave in calgary   March 14th, 2008 4:41 pm ET

So, what's next from "America's favorite Old-Fart?"... Stigmata?! Really, I mean, I like the guy, generally, but speaking down to us like little children being read to while we sit on his lap looking up in awe is where HE is at a disconnect with people today.

Charlotte   March 14th, 2008 4:35 pm ET

One of the jobs of a state represenative is to bring money back to their states. I guess he has failed at that as well as missing 60% of the Senate votes. I'm glad he is not my Senator. I sure don't want him as my President.

zina   March 14th, 2008 4:32 pm ET

It is clear that his platform will be to usurp Obama's of CHANGE. I hope that the American people will not fall for it. When I think McCain, I think more wars...

Dave   March 14th, 2008 4:31 pm ET

Even W isn't as unpopular as Congress.

Approval ratings are in the teens and this vote won't help.

Darth Vadik, CA   March 14th, 2008 4:30 pm ET

The only discconected one is McCain.
A lifetime of experience without a shred of wisdom.

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