Barbecue Bummer
For all of John McCain's increasingly evident flaws, there's one word I never would have used to describe him before last night's debate: Jerk. (There's actually a more anatomically-specific word that comes to mind, but this is a family blog.) Many months ago there was a short-lived, 2000/2004-redux attempt to frame him as "the candidate you'd most want to invite to a cookout." If asked the question now, I think most voters would see McCain as the crotchety old recluse next door who yells at the barbecuers -- led by a Bud-chugging Obama -- to keep it down just before calling the cops. How the Backslapping Craps Player managed to lose the likeability factor to the Bookish Poker Player is something that political strategists will debate for years.
Prediction: immediately after McCain's concession speech, those same supporters who begged him to "take the gloves off" and who praised his performance in last night's debate will note his magnanimity and eloquent introspection in defeat and wonder wistfully "where that John McCain was during the campaign." Of course that's assuming McCain still has those qualities somewhere inside him, which at this point is not clear.
Prediction: immediately after McCain's concession speech, those same supporters who begged him to "take the gloves off" and who praised his performance in last night's debate will note his magnanimity and eloquent introspection in defeat and wonder wistfully "where that John McCain was during the campaign." Of course that's assuming McCain still has those qualities somewhere inside him, which at this point is not clear.
posted by The Cunning Realist at Thursday, October 16, 2008
19 Comments:
assuming McCain still has those qualities somewhere inside him
Assuming McCain ever really had those qualities in the first place, you mean. An unsentimental look at his record suggests that he's pulled off the second best snow job of the age (the guy he'd like to replace remains the uncontested master).
A person's true personality is always revealed when he is put under great stress.
Along those same lines, something I noticed after the debate: the right-leaning commentators (the ones that don't work for McCain) are already starting to write the post-election analysis, including hints that he wasn't the best choice for Republicans, etc.
Watch McCain's stock tumble while Palin's stock builds momentum.
jw
Please...please...please don't let Palin's stock rise. It's like a really bad Legally Blonde 3, but with a brunette. And, the first two were terrible.
"Prediction: immediately after McCain's concession speech, those same supporters who begged him to "take the gloves off" and who praised his performance in last night's debate will note his magnanimity and eloquent introspection in defeat and wonder wistfully "where that John McCain was during the campaign.""
Oh God so true and this is why I can't bear to watch cable news.
I was amazed when the Repub pundits said McCain had a good first part of the debate. The thing that struck me immediately was that he looked so angry.. I actually thought he did better the last third when he was talking about subjects he found more intersting.
Angry, angry. Stumbling over words. Particularly scary was his response to the question about his VP taking over if something happened. He didn't mention anything that show why she could be qualified to take over in an emergency.
JWC
Ben Stein on Tavis Smiley show, said McCain isn't a smart man and that he should have gotten Karl Rove, a smart man, to run his campaign.
Karl Rove. Ug! I hope it is true that everyone gets their comeuppance.
But people like the old McCain, nothing to do with age, but character. But perhaps it is the Republican party, and what you bring with you. I wonder who thought Palin was a good choice for VP?
Country first.
I didn't watch any of the first two debates and don't watch tv "news" so I had no idea until last night just how awful McCaine looked and sounded. I'm thinking PTSD compounded with a series of mini-strokes. And no, I'm not an MD because a real one would never diagnose someone over the airwaves (or at least one wouldn't post the diagnosis to a web site).
Obama just came off as more intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant than McCain. It seemed like McCain's answer to everything was that Obama is gonna raise your taxes. Seriously, can we please move past the tax demagoguery? I get it. Democrats will raise my taxes and give the money to the undeserving. Ok? I get it. So what else have you got, John?
Reasonable people can disagree with Obama's positions. I know I disagree with a few. Maybe he just delivers his lines better. But he seemed much more sober, smart and in control than McCain. He seemed to have some good ideas, but also a willingness to listen to others and change his position if it is warranted. That is really refreshing after 8 years of Mr. Certainty.
Banktron. LOL
http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2959
Having worked (peripherally) with Sen. McCain on and off since 2003, "jerk" is the FIRST word I'd use to describe him. And that goes double for his majordomo, Mark Salter.
-JB
Citigroup's CFO says in his conference call today that he things the $25 billion from US taxpayers allows for the opportunistic acquisition of another bank... and the Financial Times reports that supporting the financial industry is raising the cost of mortgages, perhaps leading to a decline in home values.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6476853a-9bc7-11dd-ae76-000077b07658.html
Huzzah
What's up with the McCain's Campaign and the name "Joe"? Are they trying to do some psychobabble mind trick because the Democratic VP is Senator Joe Biden :-)
Remember Palin, asking Senator Joe Biden if she could call him just Joe. Some say it was a setup, so she could snakily use the phrase later, "Say it ain't so Joe". I heard the explanation, but it had something to do with baseball, la, la, la - went over my head, and I just thought she came across as smug.
But here we are again with Joe. But now it's "Joe the Plumber". Have you been following this story. It's everywhere, on all media. Distraction or just poor judgment on McCain's part?
The guy isn't a plumber because he doesn't have the appropriate license (which may result in a fine to his current employer) in Toledo, the profits were gross not net, and they maybe more like $100k and not $250k. And there's more... It'll be less than $100k if people can't afford to hire a plumber, and if people aren't working, there isn't tax revenue, so no state contracts either.
So what did we learn from Mccain. 305 million people in the United States and McCain can name one that has a job. Yippy. That's as bad as people joking about Reagan creating jobs. The response was "Yeh, and I'm working two of them".
My neighbor is "Joe the Construction Worker". McCain you want to hear his story?
ALOHA !!
YEAH ... lets talk BBQs!!! All I know is I'VE BEEN TO THIS BBQ BEFORE!!
Here is a reminder ...
In 1999, a $300 million lobbying effort by banks and insurance companies had overturned the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act, an act specifically designed to prevent another Great Depression.
Now, because of its repeal, banks and insurance companies were again allowed to bet the savings of Americans in their drive for profit without regard for consequence; and not surprisingly, in less than a decade after its repeal, America is again on the verge of another depression.
By their repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, the Democrats and Republicans sold out America; and, now in three weeks, on November 4th, Americans will again go to the polls and again vote for the same parties and politicians that sold them out.
And ... what party that starts with a "D" voted to fund the Iraq War?
SAME FRAUD DIFFERENT FACES ...
Amazing ... We have two members from CONgress running on their platforms and performance and what is the US CONgress approval rating at? 12% is it? In other words we as US Citizens disapprove of the current politicians more than at any other time in US history but we're going to promote one of them to President in November! Which loser do we elect? That's called stacking the deck!
$850bil buys one and a half DOW rallies and $150bil of pork! Unreal ...
ALL OUR BEST THINKING GOT US HERE!
It may be true that Mr. McCain has had some age-related impairment of his abilities; I don't have anything to compare his present state to, though. Watching him these last few times in the "debates" I was struck by his inflexibility, his extreme discomfort (mental vs physical? I don't know) and, especially in the last one, his apparent desperation. Overall, he increasingly strikes me as a man who sold himself 8 years ago expecting to get the Presidency this year, and is frustrated and furious that his due is being taken from him by some unworthy punk kid. Look back at his record - what I see at every turn is arrogance, determination, recklessness and a powerful ability to act like somebody he thinks he ought to be. Words like 'honor' and 'honesty' are part of Mr. McCain's picture of himself, but there's little obvious sign that he actually lives them now, if he ever did.
ALOHA !!
Here is what I was struck by ...
From what I heard on my radio neither future President even mentioned the DOW was down 800 points the same day they were debating! They talked about hippy bombers and autism and their fabulous voting record and CHANGE WE NEED ... yeah ... CHANGE ... that'll fix it!! Imagine how that would work with your wife?
Wife: Honey can you fix the kitchen sink its clogged up?
Me: I sure can hun ... CHANGE! I offer you CHANGE!
Wife: What? CHANGE? What are you talking about?
Me: C-H-A-N-G-E !!
Wife: CHANGE my ass!!! Get in there and fix the damn sink NOW!
Me: CHANGE ... its fixed ...
Wife: ITS NOT FIXED YOU IDIOT!!! CHANGE? OKAY I'LL GIVE YOU CHANGE!! (noise of Glock40 reloading)
OBAMA said he would balance the budget by cutting one item for every spending item(old idea I have heard many times). I thought to myself, 'I would vote for OBAMA if he would have proposed cutting one Senator for every spending line item!' That would be a very effective way of ending BIG GOVERNMENT spending ...
The entire GANG OF 545 needs to go ... America loves to reward failures!!
"Say it ain't so Joe".
It's a reference to the Black Sox Scandal of 1919-20, more specifically to Shoeless Joe Jackson. Supposedly some child asked Jackson to tell him it wasn't true he and several other players were paid to throw the World Series.
In the 2000 GOP primaries, John McCain made me stand up and cheer when he gobsmacked Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as "agents of intolerance" who were "corrupting influences on religion and politics" and said parts of the religious right were divisive and even un-American. (http://www.iht.com/articles/2000/02/29/bush.2.t_9.php)
I would call the 2008 version of John McCain a whole lot worse than a jerk. He is a man who is the ultimate panderer to those agents of intolerance and corrupting influences. His pick of Sarah Palin proves that McCain will say and do anything to win, and put the country last. John McCain is a man who has lost all integrity. And, he insults my intelligence to no end.
Whatever honor and decency the man once had is gone in a neocon cloud of dust.
once the election is over, I hope McCain and his supporters go off to sulk for a few years, so serious people can get some useful work done. There's a lot of fixin' up and maintenance that needs seeing to.
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