Man of the people

Last week, Senate Republicans blocked the Lilly Leadbetter Equal Pay Act, a bill to reverse a terrible Supreme Court decision last year that erected very high barriers to enforcing the Equal Pay Act. Sen. McCain was not there for the vote (Obama and Clinton voted for the bill), but he announced his opposition. "I am all in favor of pay equity for women," the Senator proclaimed, "but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what's being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems." Someone should tell the Senator, who does not--so far as I know--have a law degree--that lawsuits are intended so that people can enforce legal rights.

So he's in favor of equal pay, he just doesn't believe that women should have the opportunity to force employers to give it to them. Memo to Sen. McCain: talk is cheap.

You may remember that last fall, Sen. McCain supported Bush's veto of expanding children's health insurance, a measure that had been backed by a huge majority of the members of Congress in both parties.

And McCain--despite loud and repeated proclamations that he opposes torture--voted against a bill that would have banned waterboarding. Memo to the Senator: Actions speak louder than words.

So let's see, the presumptive Republican nominee is against enforcing equal pay for women, against expanding health insurance coverage for children and in favor of torture. And the media think he has a chance of winning in November?