Thoughts on McCain vs. Obama
Since the race is all but decided on both the Democratic and Republican sides, here’s a few random things that have been going through my mind :
- It’s funny how quickly conservatives are so quick to jump on Michelle Obama for a relatively innocuous statement. If the right-wing really wants to drag the candidates’ wives into the mud-slinging, let’s start a conversation about how John McCain’s wife is a former drug-addict who was investigated by the DEA for stealing drugs from a non-profit organization. Do they really want to go there?
- This business about Obama’s “pledge” to opt for public matching funds is silly. If he opts out, it’ll be a story for 2-3 days and then die. If he opts-in, he kneecaps himself for the general election at a time when he’s sure to raise millions of dollars more than McCain. What Obama needs to do is publicly criticize McCain’s smarmy plan to use public funds to bail out his campaign in case he didn’t get the nomination and insist that when it comes to the spirit of the law, Obama’s the one on the side of the angels here. John McCain is self-righteously trying to take the moral high ground by seeking taxpayer money to match the contributions of his lobbyist and corporate pals while Barack Obama raked in the cash by getting small dollar donations from more than a half a million ordinary Americans. So which campaign has a claim to the mantle of “publicly funded”?
- In 1992, the Clinton campaign’s mantra was “It’s the economy, stupid”. This year, I think the Obama campaign’s should be “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. It’s hard to listen to McCain speak in the future tense and take it seriously when the man has no new ideas. Even worse for McCain, when late-night talkshows are already joking about him like he’s Mr. Magoo, you know he’s in for a rough nine months.
- Finally, is it just me or does McCain’s candidacy lack a coherent raison d’être? Hillary Clinton is the hyper-ambitious former first lady who wants to continue where her husband left off. Mike Huckabee is the conservative regular fella who wants to do save our nation from moral decay. Barack Obama is the inspirational guy who wants to bring people together to Change™ the nation. John McCain? He seems to be this year’s “I’ve been around Washington forever and it’s my turn to run for President” guy. Maybe he’ll have more luck with “Vote for me, I’m really old.” than Bob Dole did, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
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Digging into someone’s past like that is not the same as making a blatantly stupid and unnecessary comment then having apologists rush out to call it “innocuous”. I hope the Obama campaign can screen any such statements out in the future. This is giving the Repubs a silver platter gift that can set the Obamas up to look like America-hating race-baiters. The battle will be cut-throat - don’t cut your own throat.
Comment by Fred Ferndale — February 20, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
Just because a person’s enemies interpret a remark stupidly doesn’t make it a stupid remark. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows she wasn’t implying that she has never been proud of her country before. And while phrasing a remark in that way does leave her open to criticism by right-wing idiots (and general media idiots) using willfully stupid logic to manufacture outrage, I give Obama tremendous credit for not playing through the incredibly phony cycle the media has created for situations like this. (The cycle goes like so:
1. Person makes remark that can be misconstrued in some way as offensive.
2. Political opposition and media stenographers broadcast outrage at said comment.
3. Person makes a big show of expressing how they never in a million years would dream of saying anything offensive, thereby drawing further attention to the manufactured scandal and detracting from substantive issues, not that said substantive issues would be getting much media coverage to begin with.
By dismissing out of hand the obviously silly contention that his wife has never been proud of her country until recently, Obama (who I would hesitate to call an “apologist”) is repudiating the whole vacuous cycle, and refusing to waste people’s time by restating what any halfwit can see is obvious. I have nothing but respect for that.
Comment by briantologist — February 21, 2008 @ 8:46 am
Your description of Senator McCain is clearly correct,the man is a terrible speaker on the cusp of senility.
Even though Senator Obama has not addressed many of the issues on my mind,he is obviously an inteligent speaker,who carries himself with dignity.After two terms of embarrassment everytime George Bush appoaches a podium and opens his mouth,I could’nt bare the shame Senator McCain would bring to the country as president.If the general election is close in november,I will vote for Senator Obama for those reasons alone…….
Comment by pogo — February 21, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
[…] Thanks to The Talent Show for clueing me in on […]
Pingback by John McCain’s wife is a thieving drug addict! « Nuclear Rays From My Halogen Haze — February 22, 2008 @ 10:30 am
No wonder Limbaugh hates McCain, McCain’s wife won’t share.
Comment by kamachanda — February 23, 2008 @ 3:56 am