Who's more unethical? McCain or Miller?

[bain_sidhe]

With all the "McCain for VP...or not" threads, and all the complaints about Zell Miller supporting bushco and trashing Kerry, I think it's time for this question. (Disclaimer: I previously considered McCain to be an ethical person, although I don't agree with most of his positions. I had no opinion on Miller until recently, not being familiar with his work until he started voting so consistently with the repubs.)

McCain is clearly unhappy with the direction his party is taking, and most of this unhappiness is tied directly to bush's policies and actions. Yet he continues to stump for bush, and, at least publically, says he supports the dim son's election in 2004. Score one for loyalty. He also refuses to leave the party, even though by doing so he could take the majority power out of the hands of the neo-con "spending like drunken sailors" repugs that so clearly control the party. Does his loyalty to his party - even to the extreme of stumping for a person he clearly despises - make him ethical or unethical?

Miller is also clearly unhappy with the direction his party is taking, and misses no opportuninty to trash the nominee of HIS (supposedly) party, and to support the opposition party's nominee. There would seem to be NO loyalty there. Yet with all that unhappiness, he also refuses to leave the party he so clearly despises, even though if he did, he would then be part of the majority party in the senate and could certainly get some gratitude-perks out the pubs... but if he did switch, he'd at least make *some* trouble - maybe a lot - for the Dem nominee running for his seat. (He's retiring after winning the special election in 2000 to serve the last two years of Coverdell's term. Coverdell's term would have been up in 2004. The primary is in July.) Does his "loyalty" to his party, at least to the extent of his refusal to "cash in" on his displeasure with Democrats, make him ethical or unethical?

I think they're both sort of unethical - and maybe both sort of ethical, too) - but I can't decide which one is the MOST unethical or the MOST ethical. What do you think?

[Hippo_Tron]

1. Bad comparison

The difference is that McCain is a politician who is still loyal to his party. Zell Miller is a guy who wants to sell a book. Zell had big hopes of becoming a national leader of the democratic party but made it to washington way too late in his life. What he's doing is actually rather brilliant on his part. He figures that since he'll never make it big in politics, he'll just spend the rest of his political career getting attention. He gets his face on TV much more frequently than he would as just the senior senator from Georgia. Not to mention that he gets to make an assload of money by selling his book to all of the freepers. The guy stands for absolutely nothing and just wants attention.

[azmesa207]

2. Who unethical McCain or Miller

What has McCain done that unethical he a republican and has alway supported the republican party he has done nothing that would make people think he a democrat except in there own little minds He is a Republican and will back Bush all the way

[bain_sidhe]

4. So, I'm guessing your vote would be

Miller is more unethical, right? ;-)

[Hippo_Tron]

5. I'm saying that you can't really answer that question...

They are both at fault in certain ways.

[RiffRandell]

3. Today I would have to say Miller

He spoke down here yesterday and said "Kerry is so out of touch with the average American it would be comical if it were not so dangerous." He is a disgrace. Link:


http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/0504/16miller.html

[Lefty Pragmatist]

6. Neither is unethical

If Miller were the mirror image: a left-leaning sole survivor in the GOP delegation, we'd all be applauding his courage for trying to wrest control of the party from the neocons and PNAC.

Zell and his Zealotry think the Democratic party is being held hostage by crazy wooly-headed disloyal liberals, and he thinks he can do some good (and get headlines) by fighting the fight within the ranks. Yeah, I know, he's wrong (if anything the Democratic Party is currently to the right of Nixon), but hey good bless 'im for taking the "big tent" at its word and peeing on his enemy. Obviously it's hard to stomach because we don't agree with him and don't wanna hear it, but it's actually probably pretty ethical behavior, by politico standards.

[bain_sidhe]

8. good point

If Miller were the mirror image: a left-leaning sole survivor in the GOP delegation, we'd all be applauding his courage for trying to wrest control of the party from the neocons and PNAC.

Imagine what we'd think of, say, Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins (the two most moderate pubbies I can think of, at least in terms of their rhetoric) if they stood up to the neocons instead of buckling under (almost) every time, and started denouncing bush? We'd call them paragons of virtue, we would.

[mitchum]

7. McCain is a good German, Miller is a bad Democrat

[bain_sidhe]

9. Well, I guess you get the last word

and the fact that saying so kicks this thread up is entirely coincidental! Really. :D

[Leilani]

10. I think Miller is a snake

He is hitting Kerry below the belt.

McCain is a loyal Repub who is outspoken, & points out when he thinks his party is wrong.

Also, McCain & Kerry are friends, so when the Repubs lie about Kerry, McCain defends him.

McCain is loyal to his party & his friends.

I heard him say, if he cannot have friends on the Dem side, then just TOUGH LUCK.

Zell is going to REPUBLICAN functions & bashing Kerry; that rots.