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Convicted felon joins McCain in Pennsylvania

Posted by Sasha Issenberg March 14, 2008 10:20 AM

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. -- Among the local dignitaries saluted prior to John McCain's town-hall meeting here: Robert Asher, a Republican National Committeeman from Pennsylvania -- and a felon convicted on public-corruption charges.

Asher, a local power broker who runs a family candy business in nearby Montgomery County, was convicted in 1986 for his involvement in a scheme to bribe public officials to win a no-bid state contract. Asher had raised money for Rudy Giuliani before his withdrawal from the race in late January, and signed on to McCain's campaign in February.

19 comments so far...
  1. That the best you have? Buh Bye barack!!!

    Posted by Bob March 14, 08 10:18 PM
  1. Why does it seem that all the candidates, regardless of party affiliation just seem to be getting dumber as this process drags out? That's it! I'm voting for Nader!

    Posted by Joshua Loy March 15, 08 01:00 AM
  1. Shhhhh...

    Don't protest this 'fine' addition to the McCain (rabid) pack.

    Wait until the general (election) to make it the issue it REALLY is.

    Pass it on, shhhhh.

    Posted by Kenneth E. Tucker March 15, 08 10:37 AM

  1. You need to vote for Mr Nader, with your mind model, why is it in this country
    a person can not live down the stigma of being a convicted felon. I would
    like to see a back ground check on the hypocrite's screaming the most.

    Posted by Doctor FELON April 10, 08 11:08 AM
  1. We are going to mercilessly STONE the Republicans on Election Day for what they did to this country. Then we are going to prosecute every corporate criminal conspirator including Cheney and take back all our f@c%ing money.

    Posted by Barney Kilarney October 6, 08 10:52 PM
  1. You don't need an apostrophe to make a noun plural

    40 years of the GOP dumbing down our schools and this is what we get.

    Posted by Slideguy October 6, 08 11:42 PM
  1. Great Joshua - vote for Nader. He is the same idiot who kept saying there was no difference between Gore and Bush. Nader lied and because of that Bush got elected and over 4,000 of our young men and women have died in an unnecessary war in Iraq. Our economy is shot, Bush turned a suplus into a record deficit and McCain will follow all of the Bush policies.
    So go vote for Nader and screw the country for the next eight years. I will get to continue to blame every Nader voter for the problems. Nader is washed up and you are wasting your vote if you vote for Nader. Obama will stop the republican lie machine and end the disasterous bush policies - McCain will not.

    Posted by Jeff October 7, 08 12:32 AM
  1. Bob

    Your comment was from March 14th, 2008. A lot has changed since then.

    Bob will never read this, but I find it funny that his prediction is now 100% inaccurate. Barack leads in every swing state, by huge margins. And this convicted felon, is back in the news, calling Obama a "terrorists best friend" and is about to get raked over the coals for it.

    Wow, how times have changed.

    Posted by Volumptuous October 7, 08 12:50 AM
  1. Quiet. Do not tell about all McCain's criminal friends. McCain has been palling around with people who planned political operations to kill enemies of the Republican party. G. Gordon Liddy! Read his book! He was AOK with killing people. McCain pals around with G. Gordon Liddy to this day.

    Posted by Norman S October 7, 08 01:11 AM
  1. McCain is surrounded by many convicted felons, among which are lobbyists for international terrorism. Google up McCain and con men G. Gordon Liddy, Raffaello Follieri, Doug Goodyear, Doug Davenport, Charlie Black, Tom Loeffler, and Peter Madigan, Carl H. Lindner Jr, etc. The list goes on.

    Posted by Whiteneck October 7, 08 02:22 AM
  1. Doctor FELON,
    As with most republicans, you miss the freakin' point; which is - people who live in glass houses should NOT throw stones. It's not a matter of convicted felons not having the ability to rehabilitate; it's that it is hypocritical for a CONVICTED felon to smear another person; NOT A CONVICTED FELON - Barack Obama, with "information" that has been continuously discredited, geeez. I thought the republican party was the party with the "intelligent" people - where are you all?!?!?!?!?!

    Posted by Island Gyal October 7, 08 09:53 AM
  1. I find it amazing how those in the GOP (quick question - why did the GOP outsource their mascot?) wring their hands and cry so loud when someone responds to one of their attacks?? Let me see - Ayers was in the 60's, and not convicted (I agree he was guilty as sin, but got off due to a technicality - just like Ollie North) and McCain's co-chair was convicted of a crime in 1986, like 20 years ago not 40 years ago but his conviction should be off-limits? Neither Obama or
    McCain should be held responsible for the actions of people they know or knew, and neither of these two men past acts are relevant.

    Posted by Charles Beard October 7, 08 10:05 AM
  1. This just adds to the common wisdom that the Republican party has become the political party of hatred and lies. It also feeds the narrative that out of desperation John McCain is gambling his honor for the presidency. John McCain is putting John McCain first, Country Last.

    Posted by Randy October 7, 08 10:15 AM
  1. Honestly I do not understand as to why any one in McCains party could claim that Obama is or was best friends with a terrorist when clearly McCain has convicted felons in his own circle. Not to cut down or sling mud at McCain’s name, but just to have the balls to do something like that is unbelievable. If anything would it be wrong if somebody said that McCain was a person with bad judgement as well as character to vote to go to war with Iraq? Knowing that there was no immediate threat and that the only reason we went was for the oil that they had. And the kicker in all this is that, we invaded Iraq about 5 years ago when our economy was fine but now we are in debt to our eye balls and now Iraq has a 25 billion dollar surplus. There were no weapons in Iraq, we went there just because Bush wanted Saddam out because he tried to kill his father during his Presidency. Which is enough to get anybody upset, but to completely invade a country for no reason and then put the lives of American Soldiers on the line as well as Iraqi Civilians is just rediculous.

    Posted by Randy Watson October 7, 08 10:45 AM
  1. I'm voting stoopid this year! Go McPain!

    Posted by Rory October 7, 08 11:08 AM
  1. McCain and felons? So what else is new.

    Posted by ken October 7, 08 11:36 AM
  1. If you make less than $250,000 a year and vote republican, it's just like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders

    Posted by bill October 7, 08 12:04 PM
  1. I like chicken, but not Col. Sanders or Col. McCain

    Posted by Hennt penny October 7, 08 12:46 PM
  1. After reading all these comments so thoughtfully presented, I have come to the conclusion that the liberals must have gone to better schools. The only other possible reason the Republicans sound so much duller is that they honestly have more trouble thinking clearly. Why do the loudest, most obnoxious posters sound like hillbillies reciting ultra right wing conspiracy theory talk radio? Maybe the government will institute some kind of re-hillbilly-tation for our dumber brothers and sisters. Git 'em thankin' strait. or at leest strater.

    Posted by Den Gran October 8, 08 12:38 AM
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About political intelligence Field reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors covering the 2008 presidential campaign and the national maneuvering of Bay State politicians.

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