I think this is idiotic father should have his sanity called into question. This is right up there with tattooing a profanity on this young girl’s forehead. This act as a “sign of support for the McCain campaign” is beyond moronic.
I just hope that as the girl grows up and realized how awkward the name is, that she is allowed to rip off his eyebrows with Duct Tape on her birthday.
Now I could really go off on Sean Hannity and his inability to even remotely pretend that he was a real journalist, but I think this extremely pathetic attempt at an interview speaks volumes for FoxNews and demographic McCain/Palin want to reach.
My first reaction was at amazing revalation, that many of us suspected, in which John McCain admits in so many words that he and Sarah Palin aren’t very good at communicating. When asked if they critique each other, he says no. His strategy is “two words–have fun.” To that I say, I hope they are having their fun now, because while they polish their one liners and time those winks for more effective wpm (winks per minute) the American people are cringing in fear for their futures. Strapped citizens are trying to kill themselves because they aren’t finding an answer from their representatives, and McCain/Palin just want to have fun.
The next point was even more amazing to me. John McCain brings up a point that many special needs children, many of who are autistic, come to the debates and speeches. McCain wants to give Sarah Palin the task of “finding the cause and cure” for autism, to which he states she is “uniquely qualified.” Excuse me!?! How is Sarah Palin qualified to find the cure for autism? Is her expertise in neurological science now? I thought it was energy? I guess if you think you can tackle all the worlds problems at once, why can’t your VP with a journalism degree be one of the experts in finding a cure for autism? There has been much research to suggest a connection between stem cell mutation and autism, so since Sarah Palin objects to stem cell research, does that mean we are back to looking for a cure that she approves of?
Next point energy. To explain their past differences, Palin states that we need an “all of the above” solution to our energy future. The funny thing is that Palin and the GOP have often resisted the need for alternative fuels. What I love is how they can easily cherry pick international examples for societies that have made great strives in energy efficiency. But didn’t their answer still seem rather vague and more about “drilling” for buzz words and not providing a strategy.
Ugh. Moose hunting is fun.
Part 2, nothing new here. McCain continues making the same slips on Obama and foreign policy. Remember Kosovo? McCain criticized the air raids ordered by the Bush regime for bombing from high altitudes and hitting non-combat targets. Palin then adds that Obama has a “gross misunderstanding” of Afghanistan. I have the feeling Palin still doesn’t know they aren’t our neighbors. McCain then twists his no vote against funding to be against withdrawal and not against the troops, but that logic is flawed. A vote against is a vote against. I don’t want to talk about their broken record of economic policies and their critique of Obama. Palin goes off on not understanding where Obama plans to get the money for his new spending plans. I hate to tell them but you can find it on the “Internets.” McCain then lies again about Obama’s record.
Part 3, almost Ayers.
Once again the lap dog asks the attack dog what more they need to know about the Ayers/Obama relationship. The truth is that their relationship is no more influential than many of the more atrocious relationships of McCain and Palin. If this is about judgment and being candid, aren’t the GOP guilty of their own sins?
Palin needed to look McCain in the eye, but since he hasn’t been in Alaska in years, how did she do that in accepting his choice for VP? More stories from the north. I wonder what letters she saw in his eyes? FTL?
Hannity spews some poll numbers that are horribly underrepresented. By Hannity’s count they are only down by 2 or 3 points. The fact is that they were down by nearly double digits in most of the polls. I guess math isn’t their strong suit either. Of course Hannity has an honorary degree given to him by Jerry Fallwell, seeing as how Hannity has always been described as an “indifferent student.” Learning makes my brain parts hurt!
All I can say that for Hannity to stage this “infomercial” for the McCain campaign is a show of a lack of professionalism and just how inauthentic Hannity truly is. There were no real questions asked. Hannity set the questions up on a silver platter for McCain/Palin to hit out of the park like a coach prepping the Tee-ball team. Granted most of the people who watch this “show” are already sold on the GOP and will buy any line that comes out of the conservative right’s mouth. If you haven’t seen Hannity get his lies thrown back at him, You Tube it. How many days left until Nov. 4?
CNN reported that Cindy McCain went on the offensive calling Obama’s support for the troops into question. Cindy cites Obama’s 2007 vote against a bill for support for the troops in Iraq. It is true that Obama didn’t support that particular bill but John McCain wasn’t even present for that vote. Obama and many others wanted a timetable for an exit plan.
When another bill came forth with a timetable and similar funding, McCain voted against it.
So let’s see if the argument holds any water from Cindy.
Obama/Biden don’t think or care about the troops. Well Biden’s son is there and Obama has been trying to find a solution for better funding and a realistic strategy for withdrawal from the start of this illegal war.
Obama/Biden are running the “dirtiest” campaign in American history. Well some would say that honor should be given to the 2000 Bush campaign, who skewered John McCain with lies and smear tactics. But this more recent “soft” attack on Obama’s patriotism and race-baiting is perhaps a bit dirtier. When someone comes right out and throws mud in your face, you can wipe it off and fight back. When a campaign twists facts and incites an angry public into near violence, by writing “hate me” on the backs of the Obama campaign; something is afoul. Where did McCain’s honor go? The same place that his hopes to pull this one out went.
In the 2nd presidential debate John McCain chided Obama for supporting earmarks in support of a “overhead projector” for a planetarium in Chicago. Well upon looking into this matter, we can easily see that the “overhead projector” is actually a quite complex projection system for displaying star systems and planets during educational presentations.
I suppose understanding space is worthless to a campaign constantly looking down at everyone.
Sarah are you afraid of what you might see if you look into space and don’t see Jesus smiling back? Then again McCain was for the dissolution of the Department of Education. Let’s face it, educational underachievers can’t see the value of learning, no matter how many things they read.
The thing that makes me laugh the most is that this point is first on a list of earmarks reported by Obama. I guess picking the first one and sticking to it is enough work for the campaign strategists? I thought we were after making this earmark process transparent and stop those behind closed doors deals that are icky. So is publishing your proposals on the web hiding something? I guess if you only use the internet to watch FoxNews you probably didn’t use the “Googles” in the right way.
The second presidential debate is over and there weren’t any shockers. There were some minor irritating moments on both sides, but for someone who has been characterized as not understanding tactics and strategy, Obama stuck to his mission and executed his amazing skills of public oration.
The early polls showed Obama still above McCain, but not overwhelmingly with undecided voters. The most surprising reports were found on FoxNews, where their analysts and usually far right commentators were calling the debate an Obama victory almost completely across the boards. Almost all the comments I have read are pro-Obama and the ones that aren’t spout more hate laden lies and increasingly pathetic attempts at smear tactics.
A FoxNews analyst said it simply that this is going to be the last debate most undecided voters watch. That being said, Obama will most likely carry the toss-up states without much difficulty. Frankly, I agree with the FiveThirtyEight.com claim that Obama will win with a final total in the mid-300 range. I think we are in for a surprise this November when the newly registered young voters take the time to come out and show that they have the power to make change.
The moments that bothered me were more about performance on the Obama side but were more substantive on the McCain side. Obama spent way too much time encircling the questions. Many of those answers should have been much simpler and direct. He was lucky that McCain also spent too much time rambling or this could have been Kerry vs. Bush all over again. Obama also allowed his confidence to nearly cause a fuss over responding to McCain and breaking format. But McCain showed his rash immaturity but immediately demanding equal time and posturing himself in a very offensive way.
The points Obama did well, were first on his well thought answers that laced together several points without truly losing sight of a conclusive response. Secondly, he threw just enough jabs to catch McCain with his hands down and land sound bytes that will be YouTube fodder within minutes. Lastly, he just felt like a president. That may sound as coy as the right side fawning, lustfully so in some cases, over Sarah Palin, but there was a supremely eloquent air about Obama tonight.
McCain made several claims that were blatantly false. Some on taxes, healt care reform, and voting tendencies. His overall demeanor seemed to shift from gentle monologes into curmudgeonlike rants against just how bad Obama would be as president. There were three moments that really made me realize that McCain has no more ammo left in his armory. First he may have just cut loose the fiscal conservatives from his support loop by announcing that he supported the government intervention in morgatge restitutions. Second, he explained his musical nubmer “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” as a joke between him and another veteran. Not funny. Lastly, there was a moment where John McCain made a point against Obama by referring to the Senator, who was not more than 5 feet away, as “that one.” If that didn’t curl your toes with bitterness and cold-hearted anger, you have been watching way too much O’Reilly Factor.
McCain appeared nervous and rather uncomfortable. His firm stances on conservative issues seem to bleed over into his inability to bend to the common social demeanors needed to interact with other nations. Tonight was another long night in the final season of John McCain’s presidential career. I just hope his jersey can be hung in the stadium with honor and not with the venomous finale it seems he has planned from here on out.
(Further thoughts) I didn’t qualify my title line when crafting this post, so let me take a crack at it. I was very irritated by McCain’s insistence on addressing everyone as “my friends.” Not only is this a transparent oratory method of including and calming an audience, it seems to be contradictory to his tone and message. In truth, I personally find this sort of “put on” insulting, much like when someone calls me “brother, dude, or buddy.” If we were all friends, we wouldn’t have to resort to the kinds of attacks and subversions shown in the last few weeks. If this is how you treat your friends, it may be a lonely walk from here on out.
There is a quote that I was reminded of in Christopher Hitchens book Gos is Not Great. Lucretius said:
“Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.”
To such heights of evil men are driven by religion. Lucretius, De Rerum Natura
This latest string of hate inciting campaign rhetoric is beyond the honorable character McCain has crafted from himself in the eyes of Washington. So what is the temptation that has driven him this far?
To me it is McCain’s quest for the presidency that has driven him to such lengths. In his personal political “religion” there is no greater crusade than to achieve the office of president. Now that this dream has been nearly ripped from his hands, he has no recourse left but to sell his soul on the altar of the political strategist. Instead of winning with courage and truth, McCain has chosen poison and deceit.
I only hope that his inflammatory moves won’t put the country in greater peril than any he can dream himself.
Not that I actually watch the View on a daily basis, but I find the arguments rather entertaining. In this segment the topic of whether the latests political smears, by both campaigns, have any place in a fair and issue-based election.
Once again we see Elisabeth Hasselbeck making a right fool of herself and being none the wiser when called to task for her ignorance. Even Sherri Shepard stepped off of her Republican pedestal to admit that William Ayers is a non-issue for an attack on Obama. It is this sort of blind ignorance that really makes me ashamed of our culture.
My favorite part of this You Tube clip was found in the comments. There a user named utubeyonkers made the statement, “Patriotism is the new racism.” I must admit the statement seems to ring true. For those cowards who still harbor racist sentiments and can’t come out and say that they don’t want to support Obama because he is black, need only to call him a terrorist or unpatriotic. By doing so they show their prejudice and exhibit just how low we can sink as a culture.
When someone in the crowd yelled “terrorist” in response to McCain asking the question of who the “real” Obama is; we sunk another fathom deeper. Here is the footage, listen closely at 3:14.
Why didn’t McCain correct the racist zombie in the audience? His facial expression seemed to indicate that he heard it and didn’t know what to say in response. Well silence and inaction are on the same level as condoning such ignorant hate speech.
At the Sarah Palin rally in Clearwater, FL a man in the audience yelled out “Kill Him” in response to the connection between once terrorist Bill Ayers and Barrack Obama. Funny enough, Palin was quick to douse the flames of a heckler speaking ill of the Iraq war, but when someone suggests killing either a Senator or a respected college educator; well that’s just American. Gosh darn it.
This latest call and response hate mongering rally tactics are below McCain and are truly anti-American. I guess history and social issues weren’t strong subjects for John McCain and Sarah Palin. And Gov. Palin, just because you took time to read the New York Times article, doesn’t mean you comprehended it. It seems like you highlighted a few buzz words to use in your speeches and forgot to do any research or real thought on the issues.
In the latest twisting of facts for the fueling of a political ad, the McCain campaign released an ad entitled Dangerous. In this ad the campaign cites a statement made by Obama in which he says we need to do more in Afghanistan than air raid villages and kill civilians. Mind you this statement cam in August of 2007 and was in reaction to numerous bombings that left more civilians dead than insurgents. In fact an AP factcheck showed that more civilians have been killed in Afghanistan by American led forces than have been killed by the insurgents we are targeting. That is really dangerous. The UN is investigating such incidents with the utmost concern.
They then go on to blame Congressional Liberals for voting against funding for the troops. Funny, I think McCain voted against funding the troops and veterans just as much, if not more so, than those “dangerous” liberals.
It’s one thing to attack your opponent on character faults, but to misquote and cast stones from your own glass house, may leave your campaign alone and adrift in a sea of lies.
John McCain where is that new form of politics you promised the American people? Is it something you hope to get to once elected? If so, I wouldn’t worry about it because the seeds of deceit and fear-mongering you sow now, will only reap a bitter harvest of defeat.
The media circus is abuzz with the latests RNC sponsored attack on the Democratic ticket. That attack would be the claim of influential associations between Bill Ayers and Barack Obama. As I have previously stated, the connection has been previously disproved as having any real significance on the qualities of judgment and character for Barack Obama. So why continue to dredge up misrepresented ties. One word. Fear.
The article cited by Palin in her weekend speech lays out the reality from accusations to facts. It seems that the RNC only chose to read the first few paragraphs as they seemed to miss the substance of the article. Ayers was a domestic terrorist in a time of radical social movements, but his past is just that–his past. He is now a professor and education reform figure who has done his best to create a nation of free thinkers. The suggestion that Obama has been directly influenced to radical goals by Ayers, is nothing but supposition and hearsay.
So does social communication with past terrorists and national criminals make you unfit for duty? Then shouldn’t we also be looking at John McCain’s connections to the Keating 5 and maybe even G. Gordon Liddy? The latter individual committed countless acts against citizens while under the guise of helping to influence democratic elections. Liddy also suggested he was going to hunt down a reporter who spoke out against political figures Liddy supported. Even more disgusting was the Liddy inspired thought that when a government agent wearing an ATF vest came to take away your guns, They’ve got a big target on there, ATF. Don’t shoot at that, because they’ve got a vest on underneath that. Head shots, head shots.” To me this sounds as despicable as anything Ayers did in his past.
So what about McCain’s reluctance to support laws to punish terrorists who threatened abortion clinic doctors and patients? We shouldn’t forget that the anti-choice McCain voted against a bill to enforce strict prosecution of individuals causing harm to clinics and their operatives. The New York Times had a wonderful editorial about this issue and why it was a good idea.
In the modern political era there will be countless figures with pasts as radical or more shocking than Bill Ayers. There may come a time when communication with them will help to bring about a resolution to another problem. Though they should not be readily forgiven for their attacks against society, they should not be ostracized once they have been judged by our legal systems. They are citizens just like anyone else and should have the ability to reform themselves in a more productive and law abiding way.
To suggest that all politicians should publicly cast all individuals with a questionable past out of their presence in some sort of dramatic Biblical manner, is childish and unrealistic. If the politician is swayed in their values to adopt stances below the social norm, then their judgment should be called to task. Simply living in the same town or street as someone who once caused harm to others is not a valid argument for critical judgment. Did Obama ever make a bomb or threaten the lives of innocents? No. Do we actually believe that this is a driving force in his policies or could develop in his Presidency? No.
The Republican right should be very careful in this concentrated smear tactic of continuously repeating Ayers name and trying to fit it to Obama. Lying to the public only works so long as they are unwilling to ask for proof. Unfortunately, the proof of this relationship was already given and you are just searching for that Achilles Heel to stop the public from supporting the candidate you don’t like. I know it’s much easier to call names when things aren’t going your way, but America needs to hear answers not accusations. We need hope and not hate. Start adopting those Christian values you wear on your sleeves, and stop letting hatred lead your decisions.
Well the time has finally come for the McCain camp to throw off the last shred of decency that once defined him. In what will be the start of some of the worst campaign trail poisonous attacks, McCain has allowed Obama’s tenuous relations with Bill Ayers become the forefront of their attacks. He even let the PitBull loose to make a comment about “pallin’ around with terrorists.” I guess math wasn’t her strong subject as Ayers is a single person (maybe the “s” fooled her) and has been diavowed to any connection to Obama by numerous investigators. I suppose Palin would know about America-hating extremeists, being that she spoke at one of their conferences…
So what will the voters take from all of this? With all the negativity coming from Washington and Wall Street, is it a good idea to start maliciously calling names and attacking loosely connected associates? America needs solutions and leaders. We have enough to be angry about from the past 7 years, why does John McCain think that giving America one more political ulcer will do anything more than hurt the so-called Maverick platform of “unity” and reform? Seems to me that someone needs to tell the RNC that employing the same Rovian strategists that once cut down McCain in 2000, isn’t a mode of reform, it is actually near pathologically destructive behavior. This sort of poor judgment is conceptually on par with John McCain hiring his North Vietnamese torturers to head up his cabinet on interrogation reform.
You can’t call something reform if the form it takes is the same as before.
I am glad to see the Obama campaign calling the McCain camp on this series of attacks and hope to see them fight back with real leadership. If the world has not yet seen how unimaginably unprepared Palin is to be a part of the national government, they need to step back and look again. Now before someone lashes back at me about “her experience,” I just want to say that I wouldn’t give a pair of scissors to my infant to run around with anymore than they should have supplied Palin with cutting words such as terrorist.
Politicalamity 