NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday February 15, 2008

Arizona Democrats' statement on Romney's endorsement

“McCain’s status as a maverick is undermined more and more every day as the conservative, ideological Republican establishment lines up behind him,” said Emily Bittner, spokeswoman for the Arizona Democratic Party. “What’s next for him? Embracing Jerry Falwell? Oh, wait…”

“John McCain has remade himself as an ideological conservative, casting aside principle to show that he will do anything to win,” Bittner said. “Voters see that: In Arizona, he got less than half of Republican voters to support his candidacy – and these are the people who know him best. They’re realizing that McCain would bring four more years of Bush.”

Among the key areas where McCain sees eye-to-eye with Bush:

• McCain supports a 100-year Iraq war (“http://youtube.com/watch?v=VFknKVjuyNk”:http://youtube.com/watch?v=VFknKVjuyNk);
• McCain supports Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and providing insurance for millions of uninsured kids (Senate Vote #307, 8/2/07);
• McCain flip-flopped on Bush tax cuts, and misrepresented his change of heart, calling his objection to the original bill a “gimmick” (Senate vote #10, H.R. 4297, 2/2/06; New York Times, 2/21/06; Washington Times, 3/6/06; NBC News, 4/2/06);
• McCain backed down on comprehensive immigration reform, despite supporting it (“http://youtube.com/watch?v=PgvFkICnRoo”:http://youtube.com/watch?v=PgvFkICnRoo);
• McCain hired the “Swift Boat” advertising firm to attack veterans (“link”:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/us/politics/04mccain.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1170651600&en=9735c92d5a1afa11&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin);
• McCain reversed his position on water-boarding, a method of torture (“link”:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/washington/13cnd-cong.html?hp).