Is John McCain trying to lose?
When it comes to political campaigns, a lot of effort goes into making sure the candidate is presented well, but it seems like the McCain campaign is asleep at the wheel. For example, take a look at this photo of Barack Obama appearing before a crowd of 200,000 today in Germany :
It’s a striking image that really captures the enthusiasm Obama has generated not only here in America, but throughout the world. John McCain, on the other hand, chose to make an appearance today on the sidewalk in front of a German restaurant, beneath a sign that reads “Fudge Haus”.
Equally embarrassing was when McCain canceled his press availability yesterday (lest he answer questions about being a total dick) only to pop up in the “Dairy Delights” section of a local grocery store :
As an Obama supporter, I couldn’t dream of a better contrast. Barack Obama addressed the world today from Berlin, echoing speeches by Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy. Yesterday, John McCain stood between the cheese and the orange juice and tried to explain why he couldn’t remember when the surge happened. If things continue like this until November, I might be laughing too hard to make it to the polls.
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McCain is a patsy. The GOP doesn’t want to win, they want Obama to fix up all the shit they’ve caused. In the meantime they’ll transfer their new assets to the Bahamas, then they and the press will get ready to install the next Dubya and start the cycle al over again.
Comment by waldo — July 24, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
” I might be laughing too hard to make it to the polls.”
And there you have your strategy.
Comment by David Grenier — July 24, 2008 @ 6:46 pm
It’s funny how small minds are never able to grasp the simplest thing. McCain strategy is brilliant!!!!!! Some people like to solve simple problems with difficult solutions and others like to conquer difficult problems with simple solutions. McCain is doing exactly what he needs to do. You may not see the wisdom of him showing up at a German restaurant, but most people laughed and that my friends is the strategy.
Obama has labeled himself humor challenged. McCain saw this opening and took it. Obama just spend a whole week in Europe and he is going to come home and lost a lot of ground and will be wondering what the F happened. As an Obama supporter was jokingly mocking on the NYT blog “McCain shows up in the cheese isle and goes up 15 points in Minnesota.” That’s is why McCain will win this election and most of you will be left wondering what just happened. Whatever McCain is doing it’s working. Keep incorporating humor in his campaign strategy and he can’t go wrong. Guaranteed.
Comment by coolrepublica — July 24, 2008 @ 10:19 pm
And yet, somehow, McCain is hovering just in and out of the margin of error in most polls. How is it?
Can you imagine if the Republicans had pulled someone out of their asses who isn’t as unbelievably bad as McCain? They would win the White House once again despite crashing and burning more spectacularly than anyone could have imagined.
What a pathetic, mindless, tribally-driven country America has become it seems.
Comment by regnad kcin — July 25, 2008 @ 1:52 am
Its easy to dismiss McCain as an imbecile,but have you not noticed Obama’s willingness to grant immunity to big brother beuracrats and their corporate conspirators?Obama’s popularity with the people of Germany is spectacular,a fine speech,obviously well recieved.Now maybe Obama could speak to the Americain people,concerning his thoughts on equal justice for his fellow “public servants”,and how he intends to restore the Bill of Rights after he inherits the current police state.You can stay home laughing on election day,many others will do the same,finding the freedom to choose between entrenched fascism,or proto fascist sympathizers,a really bad joke.
“It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”
Joseph Stalin
Comment by pogo — July 25, 2008 @ 7:50 am
McCain needs a table in front of him that says ‘Free Samples!’
“Would you like to try our new hickory smoked flavor?”
Comment by Enoch Root — July 26, 2008 @ 10:54 am
I was thinking along the same lines as regnad and coolrepublica; McCain’s strength or weakness as a candidate doesn’t matter. All that matters is that the right wing media keep telling us that up is down and black is white: It’s a bad thing that our allies might like the US again. You should be afraid that Obama has the ability to inspire people. Anything positive about Obama or negative about McCain is not reality but merely proof of “liberal bias,” probably orchestrated by George Soros.
Your contrast shows that as long as O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Hannity, the WSJ, Fox News, etc etc etc have such a firm grip on 20-30% of the population, McCain’s actual performance is irrelevant, and Obama’s is guaranteed to be assessed harshly and with excruciating attention to the trivial and the ridiculous.
Comment by Whistler Blue — July 29, 2008 @ 10:14 am
I looked at this initially the same way. Obama is addressing the world and beginning to actually DO things with meaning, while McCain’s packing fudge or something.
My mind changed on that today though, as I was in Frankenmuth,MI over the weekend with my son. Frankenmuth is “Michigan’s Little Bavaria”, or so they claim, with faux-German decor everywhere, overpriced enormous chicken dinners (don’t know the German aspect of that), and gift shops galore. It’s the uber tourist trap, and is constantly filled with visitors, comprised primary by the absolute personification of small town Americans. The same “type” of folks who put Bush in office. The same ones who think Iraq was responsible for 9/11. The same people who McCain views as the people who will put him in office, as well as the biggest block of voters.
To them, McCain in a small town tourist looking spot is endearing. It makes him one of them, speaking to them. While “that guy that’s black but isn’t one of the bad blacks and has that suspicious name Obama”, is in Germany. Speaking to Germans, who those voters don’t feel a real connection to, and could likely -to those voters – make no sense, given we’re at war in Iraq, not Germany. Shopping for fudge though, that makes sense.
Whether McCain was at Fudgeland because of incompetant planning or to appeal to small town America is irrelevant.
It paints Obama as elitist, and McCain as the one who cares about “real people”.
Comment by Danko Ramone — July 29, 2008 @ 6:35 pm