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 US lawmaker slams McCain camp for stoking hatred

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and veteran of the civil rights movement, says the negative tone of the Republican presidential campaign reminds him of the hateful atmosphere that segregationist Gov. George Wallace fostered in Alabama in the 1960s.

Republican candidate John McCain on Saturday called Lewis' remarks "shocking and beyond the pale."

The Obama campaign said the Illinois senator doesn't believe McCain or his policy criticism is at all comparable to Wallace and his segregationist policies.

In a statement issued Saturday, Lewis said McCain and running mate Sarah Palin were "sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse." He noted that Wallace also ran for president.

"George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights," said Lewis, who is black.

Lewis' remarks follow widely reported examples of anger at McCain rallies that has been aimed at Obama, the first black man to be a major party's nominee for president. McCain himself drew boos at a town-hall meeting Friday in Minnesota when he defended Obama after a supporter said he feared what would happen if Obama were elected president. He also cut short a woman who said Obama was an Arab, and he called his rival "a decent, family man."

Did you know---

McCain has earned an F from the NAACP for every grading period during his 25 years in the U.S. House and Senate. His record has only gotten worse over the years – from a career high of voting in agreement with the NAACP 50% of the time in 1985-86 to his all-time low of 7% in 2005-2006.

McCain voted AGAINST 1983 legislation establishing the federal holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Back home in Arizona, he supported Gov. Evan Mecham's decision in 1987 to rescind an executive order in which Mecham’s predecessor created a state holiday for King. [HR 3706, Vote 289, 8/2/83; CQ 1983]

McCain called the Confederate Flag a symbol of heritage: 'Some view it as a symbol of slavery...others view it as a symbol of heritage. Personally, I see the battle flag as a symbol of heritage,'" McCain said. [New York Times, 4/20/00, San Diego Union Tribune, 1/18/00]

McCain Consistently Voted AGAINST The Civil Rights Act Of 1990. In 1990, McCain voted against a bill designed to address employer discrimination at least 4 times. [S 2104, Vote #304, 10/24/90; Vote #276, Vote #275, 10/16/90; Vote #161, 7/18/90; Washington Post, 7/9/90]

In 1985, McCain Voted AGAINST Imposing Sanctions Against South Africa. [HR 1460, Vote 130, 6/5/85]

McCain Voted AGAINST Addressing The Disproportionate Number Of Minority Children In Prison. In 1999, McCain voted to table an amendment that required States to address juvenile delinquency prevention efforts and system improvement efforts designed to reduce the disproportionate number of juvenile members of 'racial minority groups' who come in contact with juvenile justice system. [S 254, Vote #130, 5/19/99]

McCain Repeatedly Voted AGAINST Raising The Minimum Wage. In the senate, John McCain voted at least eight times against measures to increase the minimum wage. [HR 2, Vote #23, 1/24/07; S.Amdt. 44 to S. 256, Vote #26, 3/07/05; S.Amdt. 128 to S. 256, Vote #27, 3/07/05; S.Amdt. 3079 to S.Amdt. 2951 to S.Con.Res. 101, Vote #76, 4/07/00; S.Amdt. 1383 to S. 1429, Vote #239, 7/30/99; S. 96, Vote #94, 4/28/99; S .Amdt. 3540 to S.Amdt. 3559 to S. 1301, Vote S.Amdt. 4272 to H.R. 3448, Vote #183, 7/06/96]