WORST CAMPAIGN EVER.
by Will Durst
I don’t know which is scarier: The American landscape the next President of the United States is destined to inherit, the people who will make that decision (us), or the fact that these two guys seem to want it so bad. Or do they? Did you ever think of that? Maybe John McCain is deliberately trying to throw the election. “Let me get this straight. Ten trillion in debt? Losing two wars? Tampa Bay in the World Series? Not what I envisioned when I gave this country the best five years of my life. Barack, my man. This one is all yours.”
It would explain a lot. Like why he and his people are running the worst campaign EVER. And that includes New Coke and Penn Jillette’s appearance on Dancing With the Stars. Or for you older folks: France in 39. Have you seen him lately? The GOP nominee is running around the country like an ornery troll with irritable bowel syndrome. Stamping his feet and shaking his fists and spitting and shouting and whose playbook is that a page out of? Rumplestilskin, Ross Perot or Naomi Campbell?
Loses all three debates; standing, sitting and strolling. His brother, Joe, the Brother, calls up 911 to complain about Beltway traffic. Gets asked how many houses he has and doesn’t know? Then again, who among us hasn’t made that same mistake? “Let’s see, how many houses do I have? Unh. There’s one and… no, just the one. Wait, wait, wait. Nope, my mistake, only one. Oh, I know, that doesn’t include the… oh yeah. It does. Sorry, still one.”
Recently, the Arizona Senator addressed a rally with a hearty “My fellow prisoners” instead of “my fellow citizens.” Very Manchurian Candidate. Do not flash the Queen of Diamonds at him between now and Election Day. Then, in one of his fifty most crucial states, he said, “Senator Obama’s supporters have been saying some pretty nasty things about Western Pennsylvania lately, and you know, I couldn’t agree with them more.” Close, but no cigar.
The nascent Dump Palin movement has morphed into a Dump McCain groundswell. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, it’s obvious that this is the worst case of political suicide since Walter Mondale bragged in his 84 acceptance speech that he was going to raise taxes. Although Michael Dukakis dressing up at a tank commander for Halloween has to rank right up there. And oh yeah, let’s not forget John Kerry wind surfing in spandex. A visual that still makes Howard Dean shiver like a hairless Chihuahua on a BlackDiamond ski run.
But it’s way too early to talk about this election in the past tense. There’s a veritable plethora of ways this thing could still turn around. A Lee Atwater Special: Serious October surprise or November startlement. The Bradley Effect exponential factor fourteen. Convincing all first- time voters that the polls aren’t available to them until Wednesday. Keep Joe, the Biden, talking. A giant monster hand comes out of the sky and smashes Northern California. Lots of ways.
Interestingly enough, the former Navy pilot did experience a brief pop in the polls when he jumped off the campaign trail for a few days during the financial crisis. Well, there’s your answer boys. Clear the decks and let Sarah, the Palin, assume lead dog. Let the old man take a nap. His best shot at winning this thing may be to slip into a coma for the next week. Some might argue that’s a done deal.
#13 – Hey, if it were up to me I’d vote for Caspar Weinberger for President – push the button and lets get it over with!
I’m glad I can at least make you chuckle.
All Obama ever does is preach how you must accept him as your Savior in order to get to Heaven on American Soil and be saved.
McCain/Palin is real leadership that is extremely well grounded in strength and they are the only ones with the ability to manage the complex issues at hand.
#17 How about globalization, you stupid shit.
You are going to have a puppet government soon. The big money donors are going to pull the strings and watch the prez dance on the stage. You’ll be in the bread or soup lines in California saying how’d it happen. They’re building a bigger morgue here.
#23 Globalization is old cenruty, not new.
Re #14
I agree with you the Vietnam War was a mistake from the time John Kennedy got us into it, Johnson vastly expanded it, and Nixon final got us out of it. I also agree that any citizen has the right to criticise their government and strive to change it’s policy, however, the manner in which they do it is important as well. My point was that to the military men and women who agreed with what the Swift Boat Vets were saying the manner in which Kerry attacked his fellow soldiers in his protest was dishonorable.
My original point was that the Democrats can not understand that what the people that supported the Swift Boat Vet argument that John Kerry was unfit for command was not just rhetoric and smear, it was what these military experienced people believed to be true, as do I.
My 2 cents:
McCain lost me when he changed his core values. He is not this maverick he has made himself out to be. Anybody as rich as he is is simply looking to be president to satisfy ego, one-up his dad, or to pay off old debts, none of which is a good reason to be elected president.
When he started pandering to the religious right the writing was on the wall. When his campaign selected Palin I knew he was no longer qualified to be president.
None of this has anything to do with Democratic liberal bias.
I no longer respect the Dem or Rep parties because I feel that they have been corrupted by special interest groups, corporations, and western religion. I consider myself a libertarian/fiscal conservative and have for several years now.
Obama should win by default. I hope he doesn’t disappoint us.
The irresistible pull of self delusion went on Meet The Press and predicted an 11PM, Nov. 4 Victory for itself.
“We have defeated the enemy of democracy through hard work and sheer negativity,” it said, “and we will be applying the power of the negative unilaterally from now until the end of civilization as we know it.”
“From now forward, the soft, compliant America is a thing of the past,” it went on, “and we will be seeking to revitalize our Honor through bullets, blood and unspeakable horrors throughout the world. They can’t put me in a box and throw away the key forever. We will have Victory!”
#26–robin==in actual effect, you support criticism of the USA/Vietnam War/Veterans as long as it is so politically correct/milktoast/non-confrontational/nice/gutless/unemotional/ as to be ineffectual.
Like most flag waivers, you don’t really understand or appreciate what free speech is. FREE SPEECH IS IN YOUR FACE!!!!! If not, its not free.
LOL!!! Welcome to the Seven stages of Grief;)
Welcome to stage one: Denial.
#12, Ed,
#2, #7 and #9 – Robin said, “blah, blah, blah, McBush, blah, blah, Palin, blah, blah, bias.
Man, you know I worship the ground you stay off of, but geeze, let’s get it right for once. What the idiot said was more like “blah, blah,(farpppaapprt) blah, McBush, (buuuurp) blah, blah, Palin, (faapptpptaaaarppt) blah, blah, (buuuuurp) bias.
Not that I blame you for not getting it right.
All you have to do is look at the polls
http://tinyurl.com/4bs8mg
Read it and weep, McBushites.
#32 Actually Mustard, Obama better start paying attention to the polls as well. Good news for him, he’s going to win. Bad news for him, Pelosi will have a massive majority in the house.
My fearless prediction, she will drive him crazy.
#26;; Actually Kennedy was just following Eisenhower’s previous Policy in Viet Nam. In 1950 we pleged $15 million to support the French. By 1954 we had spent over $1 billion supporting the French failing efforts in Viet Nam. Eisenhower’s was a big believer in the Domino theory… once Viet Nam goes Communist, all of Asia will soon follow… We sent advisers in 1955 and the first active US service men died in 8 July 1959 when Major Dale R. Ruis and Master Sergeant Chester M. Ovnand were killed when guerrillas struck a Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) compound in Bien Hoa, 20 miles northeast of Saigon.
I will not go into the lessons we did not learn there and are only repeating today…
That’s because Pelosi is as much of a neo-con as Wolfowitz is. She’s pro-torture, pro-endless war, pro-wiretapping, and pro-unaccountable emperor like power for anyone supporting the first three positions.
Down with Pelosi! Down with Neo-conservatives and neo-liberals, because they are both really neo-Nazis at heart.
#34;; In 1950 Harry Truman was President, but your point about lessons not learned about protracted conflicts is valid.
#19 Improbus said,
1) Climate Change
2) Peak Oil
Peak Oil won’t be an issue during the next 4 Presidential terms.
Climate change is not something Obama has an effective plan for unless you count putting a bullet in the head of a weak economy by increasing tax burden.
So, Dallas, what were you talking about.
#37, Cow-Paddy Shit Talker,
Once again you weigh in on something you know nothing about. Alternative energy WILL be a major issue for some time to come until it has replaced imported energy and dirty energy sources.
Just because you disagree with any specific plan does not make it weak or ineffective. Obama has said repeatedly it can’t be done overnight and will take several years to implement the infrastructure for alternative energy supply. Any solution requires those first steps and encouragement.
So Cow-Paddy Shit Talker, what are you talking about. McCain has no solution except on outfitting Palin in high fashion.
#38 “Just because you disagree with any specific plan does not make it weak or ineffective. Obama has said repeatedly it can’t be done overnight and will take several years to implement the infrastructure for alternative energy supply.”
His plan won’t result in getting off of foreign period.
#22. “McCain/Palin is real leadership that is extremely well grounded in strength and they are the only ones with the ability to manage the complex issues at hand.”
In 2000, I would have said McCain had real leadership. But then he hitched his wagon to the Bushies and became everything he had professed to hate.
and no sane person would say that Sarah Palin could “manage the complex issues at hand.” If you can’t
(1) name a news source you read;
(2) name more than one Supreme Court case you disagree with (perhaps one involving an oil company that dumped crude all over the state you govern);
(3) accurately list the (minimal) duties of the job you are campaigning for;
(4) correctly pronounce the name of the world-ending weapons that (god forbid) you could one day have control of; or
(5) match the talking point given to the question asked;
… you can’t manage squat.