PALIN: "...And
John McCain has been the consummate maverick in the Senate over all these years..."
BIDEN: I'll be very brief. Can I respond to that?
Look, the maverick -- let's talk about the maverick John McCain is. And, again, I love him. He's been a maverick on some issues, but he has been no maverick on the things that matter to people's lives.
He voted
four out of five times for George
Bush's budget, which put us a half a trillion dollars in debt this year and over $3 trillion in debt since he's got there.
He has not been a maverick in providing health care for people. He has voted against -- he voted including another 3.6 million children in coverage of the existing health care plan, when he voted in the United States Senate.
He's not been a maverick when it comes to education. He has not supported
tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college.
He's not been a maverick on the
war. He's not been a maverick on virtually anything that genuinely affects the things that people really talk about around their kitchen
table.
Can we send -- can we get
Mom's MRI? Can we send Mary back to school next semester? We can't -- we can't make it. How are we going to heat the -- heat the house this winter?
He voted against even providing for what they call LIHEAP, for assistance to people, with
oil prices going through the roof in the winter.
So maverick he is not on the important, critical issues that affect people at that kitchen
table.