OVER HERE - JOHNNY WE HARDLY KNOW YE
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 12:00PM John McCain is starting to lose it. The pressure of the long campaign is clearly showing, and he seems three bricks shy of a load. The stress of running a national campaign are tough on anyone. Sort of an 18 month proctology examination, in front of cameras. For an older gentleman like Senator McCain, it has to be physically exhausting.
The side of McCain that has long been admired by many Americans (his wit, his independent streak and his honor) has faded as he presses with ever greater desperation for the elusive goal of his life, the oval office. He's gone from a modest hero to mentioning prison camp in Vietnam more times than Rudy Guliani mentions 9/11. His straight talk express ran off the tracks around the time he selected a preposterous running mate. His suspension of his campaign to solve the economic crisis was as wise as it was helpful, in other words, neither. And now, he apparently is giving up trying to present a message of what he will do to right the ship of state, and will focus on the character of the opposition. Taking a page out of the losing book of Bob Dole and George Bush I.
McCain could reach out to many Americans if he tired to run on the issues. There are many things he believes in that he has suppressed to placate the so called base of his party. Where were they going to go anyway? He has misread the nation and the nation's mood. As a Johnny come lately to the idea of economic crisis he has shown he is out of touch. And his advocacy of the Surge is all well and good, but it is like asking for praise in putting out a fire you helped start . A fire that is still smouldering by the way, whatever the temporary success. He has embraced the worst of his Party instead of the best, he has done nothing to counter the charge that he would continue the failed policies of the incumbant, and in doing so he has sacrificed his reputation at the altar of political ambition.
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Reader Comments (40)
"And now, he apparently is giving up trying to present a message of what he will do to right the ship of state, and will focus on the character of the opposition. "
There the Obama camp were focusing on issues like whether Join McCain is foul tempered psycho who doesn't even know how many houses he owns, and whether Sarah Palin is a baby faking, book banning halfwit who forced her daughter into a shotgun wedding. Then the evil Republicans had to go and get personal!
Ross- don't confuse blogs with campaigns.
There have been plenty of smears emanating directly from the campaign, Obama's spokeman sent out an email to supporters saying:
""Palin was a supporter of Pat Buchanan, a right-winger or as many Jews call him: a Nazi sympathizer,''
McCain is going to regret the day he turned this Campaign dirty.
The recoil from raising the Ayres connections has now hit him in the chops with the exposure of his links to the U.S. Council for World Freedom, which was linked to (wait for it) Nazi collaborators, Far-Right death squads in Latin America and Iran-Contra.
His sucker-punch on the financial crisis blame-game has wilted with a re-raise on the S&L "Keating 5" scandals.
Bless the old codger for trying. Obviously the Obama campaign was waiting in the long grass.
For the record look how the rightworlders are rushing to defend Palin and letting this post on McCain go by. I love it.
Mahons, do you consider Obama to be eloquent?
When did you start saying "rightworlders"?
Allan - I do, but he is clearly better with a prepared speech than off the cuff remarks to an audience. He's stumbled at times during the campaign and this has been caught on video, some of which has available on Youtube.
Charles - when I had to deal with people who bypass the truth or valid debate in favor of robotic attacks and pronouncements. I don't apply the term to you. Johnny Reb perhaps, but not rightworlder.
Allan, do you consider McCain to be eloquent? Palin?
Johnny Reb I wear proudly! ;)
Now that the Texas corner of rightworld has finished boosting the economy, I'm more than happy to whack away at McCain.
First, I don't think Palin is his problem. Quite the opposite actually, a large segment of the base was going to stay home until he picked her and the others were only giving grudging support. His campaign contributions have soared too. She was the best move he could make. I think he'd be 10-15 points down in the polls without her, as it stands he has a small chance of winning and won't suffer a massively humiliating defeat if he loses. Palin was the only thing the man's done right in this entire campaign.
I don't admire McCain. I actively dislike the man. From his creepy giggle to nearly every one of his policy objectives on his campaign website. I appreciate his service to the country and he appears to be a good family man, but that doesn't cut it for me. I believe his domestic policies are going to be as bad, if not worse than Bush's. I don't trust him to make good decisions in appointments, hell he wanted either Grahmm or Leiberman for VP!! He's lousy on a whole host of core conservative issues and I have yet to hear him condemn this "Nation Building" nonsense.
He doesn't get a pass on this financial mess either. Anyone in Congress for the past 16 years should be held to account for this unholy mess we're dealing with today. He never minded using his bully pulpit on issues he wanted the American people to get worked up about and support - can I get an Amen on all his crappy legislation and (hello - illegal aliens!) initiatives?
The next four years are going to be God awful with either of these nincompoops.
Daphne,
Amen to that. I agree with much of what you say. My only caveat is that I don't believe a McCain-Palin win will devastate the US. I do believe that four years of Obama-Biden will set the nation back tremendously - who knows, permanently?
Daphne - some fair points.
I'm not fair, just opinionated. ;-)
David, I would have wholeheartedly agreed with your last statement a few weeks ago. The One is going to have a hard time increasing the government to the levels he hoped for since our little financial crisis - I say both candidates are running about even-steven for ruining the country at least somewhat at this point.
Mahons, Obama's train crash when his teleprompter went down was a shocker because he didn't actually know what he was talking about when he was reading from the teleprompter. If he had known what he wanted to say, he would have been able to say it, with or without the teleprompter. Nul points for eloquence - he might as well just read the news:
There's an article in the Times yesterday saying Obama could be the new Roosevelt. Anyone else agree. ?
God yes, that's the horror of Obama, Colm.
Big, huge, massive new government programs. An awful specter for small gov conservatives.
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
Colm -
Yes, Obama could be just as damaging to the American economy as FDR, whose interventionism prolonged the misery of the American people.
Then again, if McCain would be less disastrous economically than Obama, it wouldn't be by much.
I agree with Daphne.
I read a good book recently that summed up the ineptitude of Roosevelt's response to the Depression which deepened and prolonged it, "FDR's Folly" by Jim Powell, it's well worth reading.
Well , shows how much I know. I always thought the 'new deal' had virtual unanimous backing by historians of all shades as a good thing which worked well to drag the US out of the depression.
"I always thought the 'new deal' had virtual unanimous backing by historians of all shades as a good thing"
It does, it's just economists that the economists tend to disagree with the historians.
Only fools dismiss FDR.
Colm, a few smart historian/economists think his policies actually prolonged the depression, but FDR was a great populist and sold his bucketful of crap like fresh baked donuts. You're lucky to hang out with a few conservatives here who actually like to read a wide variety of takes on historical issues and the lasting impact presidential policies can have on society.
Mahons, you're right - the man had a huge impact on America.
"it's just economists that the economists tend to disagree with the historians."
Er meant to say "It's just that the economists tend to disagree with the historians".
Daphne - I'd elect his wheelchair befoe I 'd elect Obama or McCain. But these are the choices we have.
Who's dismissing FDR?
This is a good article on FDR's policies and their actual effects (rather than the myths), by the author I mentioned earlier.
I hear you, Mahons, at least he had an intelligent and imaginative brain. His outsized personality didn't hurt either.
We are dealing with fleas.
Ross - Any background on the author before a slog through it? Like to know where he is coming from.
Daphne - even his failures were products of intellect, charisma and will. And he failed at times no doubt.
He's a libertarian, member of the Cato Institute. He's also written books highly critical of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. He is also a critic of the current administration.
His FDR book has been praised by a lot of people who know what they are talking about, including a couple of Nobel winning economists.
I agree Mahons, he was a brilliantly wonderful man. I remember choosing him for my sixth grade report on presidents, even at that age you couldn't help but be impressed by the man's sheer exuberance to live life to the fullest and impose his visionary ideas on the American scene. He was wrong with so many of his policies because he couldn't project the huge powerhouse we would become and population increase we've seen. Back then people died in their sixties - he just couldn't see the long, terrible effects of his beneficial policies. It was a different world back then. I think he was a great and fascinating man who can withstand contemporary criticism.
I think McCain and Obama are both Big Government disasters.
The one critical difference between them is defense of the country.
McCain believes in strong defense, and has shown remarkably good judgement in this regard. (the Surge for one)
Obama believes in appeasement of our enemies and has shown remarkable poor judgement in this regard (the Surge again)
A vote for McCain is a vote for strong defense.
A vote for Obama is a vote for possible defeat in Iraq, if he pulls out according to his set timetable, instead of according to conditions on the ground. Also, America's enemies wait for his election so that they can show their hands and force Obama's appeasement policies to kick in.
Daphne
I admire McCain greatly.
Anyone who survives what he went through in Hanoi, and comes out with his head on straight is OK in my books.
That's separate and apart from the politics. I could disagree with him on nearly all political things, but I would still admire him more than any living American politician
Phantom, I agree with you on his service to America. He went through unimaginable suffering and came out the other side with his dignity and mind intact.
He deserves our utmost respect and admiration for this aspect of his life.
Patty, they don't really differ all that much. Go peruse their campaign sites.
For those who have not seen it, these are photos I took inside whats left of the Hanoi Hilton and some comments I made when traveling in Vietnam.
They claim that they were nice to McCain, so I guess that's how it was.
Check the ATW archives my children, I stood up for McCain's military service throughout the libelous assault of various rightworlders (who now embrace him like a West Virginia cousin).