McCain

There are so many angles to approach an item on John McCain today, I can't settle on a title for the post. Memorandum has a round up. I'm thinking the media is miffed he released his medical records on a holiday weekend. That might explain the latest anger management attack.

John Hawkins of Right Wing News says he's done with McCain based upon McCain's immigration BS. Face it, the man said he "got it." Now he's singing his same old comprehensive reform tune.

My guess? Between polling and his, "I'm right, you're wrong" elitist, without the intellect to support it, mindset, McCain is determined to cobble together enough votes to win by pushing to some alleged center. And he's also banking on conservative's distaste for liberalism and perhaps even some American racism to prevent Obama from getting enough votes to beat him. If so, look for them to seriously demonize Obama in the Fall ... as one recent opposition research hire suggests.

I've been relatively quiet on McCain. Frankly, I don't like blogging about him. What's the point in slamming him when there's no alternative? I suspect my own feelings are representative of many right-leaning folks. The real question is, will that ambivalence result in too many people staying home for McCain to win?

I have never quite been able to put my finger on it with McCain. It goes back years. Frankly, I have never liked the man as a political figure. Call it a feeling, instinct, whatever; I just never warmed to him even when he was a media darling. Something about him strikes me as, excepting for his POW experience, someone few people would really appreciate. If not for Vietnam, I doubt he'd ever have a shot at the Presidency.

He seems to believe solely in his own council and I just don't find him to be that smart, or insightful. I suspect he'd be a better military line officer, than president, or even general, or admiral. And he might not even have made a truly exceptional military man for all we know. I wish I could explain it, but I can't. The last politician I felt this way about was Bill Clinton. And what a fiasco he turned out to be.

Couple the above with my belief that he has his head up his butt on mostly everything besides the war and I simply can't get excited enough about the man to care.

Comments

[IslamoLlama]

Ouch. The Clinton comparison. That used to be the kiss of death for a Republican candidate. Of course, it kinda begs the question: how was the Clinton Presidency a disaster?

I mean, by progressive standards, he passed minimum wage increases while downsizing a bloated transcontinental military and protecting the environment. All this while working with Gingrich to balance the budget, reform welfare, and grow the economy.

By conservative standards, he was a political train wreck. His DLC cost the party Congress in '94 and weakened the Senate time and time again. His Republican-Lite political stance validated neo-con warmongering and reckless tax cutting. And his wang splatter left Al Gore as a weakened contender going into the race in 2000, which resulted in a Bush Presidency and a Republican Congress by 2002.

As an administrator, he performed admirably. As a politician, he performed terribly. Its everything the Democrats ask for and everything the Republicans need to get elected. What are you complaining about? If McCain is the Republican Clinton, you should be lining up to get this man elected. He'll pull an eight year term easy.

[ajacksonian]

I've gone over the man's record and can't find a reason to vote for him beyond Iraq. I don't like his views across a wide swath of topics from defense policy to media ownership to first amendment rights to putting politics ahead of good engineering. While he has done some good things, like keeping taxation out of the internet for purchases, that really doesn't do much to address his other areas where the intervention of the federal government is seen as a good thing - like not wanting to grant low power FM licenses, mandate federal control over local right-of-ways, support Big Media Diversity via legislation, and the mid-1990's view of only needing 1/3 of the armed forces ready to be used at any one time.

The concept of 'Nannystate' comes to mind, actually. For me defense starts at hearth, home and the borders and goes out from there to support our allies in democracy and liberty and address the foes of same. I have problems with his foreign policy outlook that still has that frigid Cold War glacial view to it.

Mind you the others are no better in these directions, either. I can't even get up to the Reaganesque 80% friend... McCain hits about 15% with me and the others 5-10% on good days.

[seekeronos]

I think he will be worse than Bill Clinton.

McCain is a very evil and selfish man, who thirsts for his turn at the throne every bit as much as the Hildabeast does. Unfortunately for the GOP, its sense of extreme party loyalty (party over principle, it seems) denies qualified or principled candidates from being seated before the establishment's long-established pecking order. McCain gave up his 2000 bid for Bush knowing full well that he'd have the prime shot (establishment backing) at it in 2008.

As for Bill Clinton... for all his faults, he did balance the budget or come reasonably closer to balancing it than many occupants of the Oval Office have come in many years.

Of course, he was a moral goblin, and even though he downsized the military whilst engaging in military adventurism in Africa and in the Balkans, and maintained a quasi-legal air blockade over Iraq at government expense whilst making our soldiers to become UN mercenaries...

... he did balance the budget and preside over the DotCom boom. Some of his objectives were questionable like Don't Ask/Don't Tell (LGBTs should have every right to serve and to die for their country along with the rest of us, so long as they keep their pants zipped up on duty hours and their sexual activities behind closed doors) or HillaryCare.

Or Bill Clinton's incessant kissing of Red Chinese rear ends in exchange for campaign funds, not to mention disappearing technology into the hands of those Reds.

I do not see McCain having even the sense to THINK about balancing the budget, much less helping the economy.

Likewise, Obama will be a disaster for this nation, albeit in the ideological opposite direction.

Hillary, in the now increasingly extremely unlikely chance she pulls the 'nom from under Obamessiah's feet, would also spend much time cozying up to the ChiComs, and would likely orchestrate an even bigger expansion of federal government and control over even more aspects of our lives, not to mention taxing the remaining bits of American enterprise offshore or out of existence.

Either way you look at it, our "mainstream" choices leave us completely and utterly screwed for the next 4-8 years... unless we start looking at folks like Bob Barr or Chuck Baldwin.

[Scrapiron]

Save your money and stay home on election day. With a Democrat U.S. Senator (Maxine Waters (American Communist Party aka Democrat) openly proposing a 'Communist' style government takeover of the oil industry, (and still in congress), we are cooked to a well done state. She should have been shipped home as excess baggage yesterday, that is if there is an American democrat left in congress. I say the non-objections, non media reporting, on her statement says the entire party supports the Communist style takeover.

[Ask this]

McCain isn't the nominee yet, so if people actually worked at maybe someone else would be selected. The best way to do that is to ask him the questions the MSM won't, then upload his response to video sharing sites. For instance, press him on the issue at my name's link.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- I say the non-objections, non media reporting, on her statement says the entire party supports the Communist style takeover. --"

I thought the Mississippi election a week or so back indicated that the Democratic Party was being taken over by faux-liberal Blue Dogs? I'm confused. Is the entire nation turning into Soviet Russia or is America on the verge of another Republican Revolution with a groundswell of conservative-minded citizens getting ready to elect the next wave of Gingrich-era American Contractors?

The political forecasting on this site is absolutely dizzying.

[Lala]

I read yesterday, somewhere, that two congressmen had changed their minds on drilling in Anwar, they are now in favor of it. One from Md. and one from Syracuse, NY. Maybe their constituents are calling them on it.

[Fred Beloit]

Jeff Emanuel brings us "The Rare Breed", an honest Congressman (D. PA).

http://jeffemanuel.net/paul-kanjorski-pa-11-admits-democrats-lied-about-being-able-to-end-war-in-iraq

Learn to love it, Trolls.

[Fred Beloit]

Obama is now on TV promising to bring democracy to Cuba. It seems he, not McCain, is going to be the second George Bush. This is hysterically funny. Laugh, trools, laugh. All this time I thought Franken was the only Dem comic running for office.

[dm60462]

The only thing that could possibly get me to the polling place is voting for Steve Sauerberg to take Dick Durbin's Senate seat. Since a win there is pretty much hopeless, I'm most likely staying home.

[seekeronos]

"--- Laugh, trools, laugh ---"

Before anyone dings Fred on his spelling, remember that a trool is a combination of a tool and a troll.

[Black Redneck]

I frequently say that "men don't have to lie to women because women are too busy lying to themselves." Since I started following politics (post 9/11), I realized that my observation about women also applies to voters. Dogs bark, that's what they do. Getting upset about it changes nothing. Likewise, McCain is McCain, he hasn't changed since the primary. The ONLY thing that changed was some people's willingness to lie to themselves about what McCain REALLY meant when he said (fill in the blank). So if anyone is shocked that McCain favors amnesty after the McCain-Kennedy Shamnesty bill, that says more about them than McCain. This election is about picking a Prez, not a BFF. Between McCain and Hilary, I would stay at home because if Hilary won she would fight the GWOT and it would be amusing to watch her get revenge on all the democrats who opposed her. Between McCain and Stanky Feet Obama, I will vote for McCain because Stanky Feet will seek to destroy our military and belly crawl to our enemies. Even if you don't vote for McCain, and he's given conservatives plenty of reasons NOT to vote for him, we should all be Bundy conservatives. Show up uninvited, eat his food, and push our agenda (not his). I expect that McCain will attack conservatives at every opportunity. The goal should be to have enough conservatives in the house and senate to block his play. And frankly, if you hate him, so much the better. That way, there is no reason to feign politeness and it will make it a lot easier to shaft him when necessary. McCain isn't Mr. Right, he's Mr. RightNow, the in-between boyfriend or girlfriend that you hang out with but would never marry. My slogan, "Frack McCain '08- My country is more important than that idiot!"

[bobInStamford]

You patriots are a sad bunch these days. All that's left to do is rejoice that the $4 a gallon you are paying to fill up your shitty pickup truck is being used to WIN in Iraq.

Semper fi, heroes!!

[ck]

If republicans in general were as anti-mexican as Malkin and Hawkins, Tancredo would be the nominee.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- You patriots are a sad bunch these days. All that's left to do is rejoice that the $4 a gallon you are paying to fill up your shitty pickup truck is being used to WIN in Iraq. --"

We all fill our cars at the same gas station, Bob. That said, if anyone ever find himself wondering why McCain isn't billing himself as the 3rd Bush Term, but the Democrats are, you really just need to check your bill. Another $300 in annual tax cuts really doesn't hold a candle to 300% increases in fuel prices.

[Sara]

And just who do Hawkins and Malkin and the rest of you RINOs intend to support? Are they/you going to vote for either Hillary or Barack? Good luck with that. And frankly, I don't get what is soooooooo bad about COMPREHENSIVE REFORM, except that it isn't what they want, but screw everyone else. I blame Michelle Malkin and her minions for the 2006 loss with her stupid and very childish shamnesty line. And I sure don't like either of their "all or nothing" attitudes. It is stupid and short-sighted and shows what small and vindictive minds they have. And this business about teaching the GOP a lesson is so much crap, it makes me want to throw up. Of course, neither of them are old enough to really remember the havoc only 4 years of Carter brought down upon us. We don't need more lessons like that, once was good enough. We're still trying to clean up the Middle East mess that he left us with.

I'm no big McCain cheerleader, but I'll take him over the other current choices and I'm not about to add to the left's talking points by badmouthing him on a daily basis. The Anchoress says, "Take back the narrative," and I agree. Much of the negativity on McCain is a direct result of the left controlling the narrative with lots of help from their friends like Hawkins and Malkin. Gotta play the game, doncha know, there are those high paid media jobs out there.

As far as oil prices, there is only one place to lay the blame ... the Democrats in Congress.

[Sara]

And just who do Hawkins and Malkin and the rest of you RINOs intend to support? Are they/you going to vote for either Hillary or Barack? Good luck with that. And frankly, I don't get what is soooooooo bad about COMPREHENSIVE REFORM, except that it isn't what they want, but screw everyone else. I blame Michelle Malkin and her minions for the 2006 loss with her stupid and very childish shamnesty line. And I sure don't like either of their "all or nothing" attitudes. It is stupid and short-sighted and shows what small and vindictive minds they have. And this business about teaching the GOP a lesson is so much crap, it makes me want to throw up. Of course, neither of them are old enough to really remember the havoc only 4 years of Carter brought down upon us. We don't need more lessons like that, once was good enough. We're still trying to clean up the Middle East mess that he left us with.

I'm no big McCain cheerleader, but I'll take him over the other current choices and I'm not about to add to the left's talking points by badmouthing him on a daily basis. The Anchoress says, "Take back the narrative," and I agree. Much of the negativity on McCain is a direct result of the left controlling the narrative with lots of help from their friends like Hawkins and Malkin. Gotta play the game, doncha know, there are those high paid media jobs out there.

As far as oil prices, there is only one place to lay the blame ... the Democrats in Congress.

[seekeronos]

Immigration is the evil.

Lack of control over who gets in and stays in, and inherent "jus solis" citizenship are.

But R's and D's both - the majority - seem to have no issue w/ the Aztlan agenda, or fail to see it as a serious issue.

We shall see what fruit it bears in the next 5, 10, 20 years as our Anglo-Saxon-Celtic culture is subjugated under the socialist, patronist Latin American culture as untold tens of millions of Mexicans and OTMs flood across our borders.

Viva el Imperio de NAFTA.

[IslamoLlama]

"-- But R's and D's both - the majority - seem to have no issue w/ the Aztlan agenda, or fail to see it as a serious issue. --"

You know, there is another phrase for "native born dark skinned Mexican". Some people refer to them as "Native Americans". Basically, you're bitching about Native Americans conquering America. I find that highly amusing.

If you're such a big fan of white people, move back to Europe. Why you've got to throw a hissy-fit over immigration when your forefathers got issued a blank check just a few generations back continues to baffle me. They had screaming fits about the Irish and the Germans and the French before. They'll have screaming fits about the Chinese in 30 or 40 years. How you can complain about a race of people that descended from this continent to begin with confuses that hell out of me.

[Typical Whte Person]

Who'd want a loose cannon for a Junior Officer?
Anyone that would be friends and do deals with "suds" Kennedy has to be a little odd. He has Senator Graham from South Carolina following him around like a lost puppy dog. McCain could not pass a camera without choosing to stand in front of it and all his buddies in the liberal press are now doing Obamasectomies on him.

For my money, Juan Mc Cain is the best Democrat out there!

[seekeronos]

Funny how you are parroting the MECHa party line there, Lame-O.

I wonder why you hate America s much that you want to see it partitioned or the Southwest ceded away?

"--- You know, there is another phrase for "native born dark skinned Mexican". Some people refer to them as "Native Americans". Basically, you're bitching about Native Americans conquering America. I find that highly amusing.

If you're such a big fan of white people, move back to Europe. Why you've got to throw a hissy-fit over immigration when your forefathers got issued a blank check just a few generations back continues to baffle me. ---"

You've got your facts mixed up once again, Lame-O.

Mexicans no longer have a claim to any land north of the Rio Grande (River). That was settled at the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on 26 May 1848, and also with the Gadsden Purchase for a total of $15M.

Understandably, there is much aggravation over this on the Mexican side, just as much as the Southern States aren't too happy with how the War for Confederate Independence turned out.

Victors write the history books and hold the whip and when dictating peace terms.

For that matter, the Mexican government wasn't a sainted institution that dealth kindly with the aboriginal inhabitants of this continent either, nor the regime that preceded it as part of the Spanish Empire.

Lastly, the bulk of Mexicans are neither 100% pureblood Spaniards nor are they entirely pure-blood Mayans, Aztecs, Zapotecs, or whatever other aboriginal tribes that populated the area of the SW United States or most of Mexico.

They are called "mestizo" and "criollo" depending upon the degree of mixture.

In the likely case that you weren't paying attention, understand that I have no gripe with Latinos/Mexicans/OTMs/anybody else who comes to the USA and wants to work here and eventually become a citizen...

...nor am I entirely opposed to developing the Mexican labour pool and bringing it up to a standard on a par with what we have, to the degree Mexico is willing to play ball.

What I do oppose is people who come here, who refuse to assimilate, who add to our crime problems, and play identity politics and try to sneak in their socialistic ideals and undermine the country.

To whatever degree these invaders come here and seek to undermine this Republic, I oppose them.

And no, I won't be going back to Europe; parts of my family have lived here for nearly 400 years, others having come more recently.

And besides, the Euros have an invasion of Muzzies overrunning them.

Of course, on the 65% chance that you are white, or 12% chance you are black, or the 3% chance you are Asian, or the 20% chance you are of majority Spanish descent, you are always welcome to take your own advice and depart this Republic for Chavez's socialist worker's paradise, or Europe, or Red China, or some other African hellhole.

[Lala]

I love Mark Steyn

"Rep. Wasserman Schultz believes in "alternative energy," which means not nuclear (like the French) but solar and wind power. At the moment, solar energy accounts for approximately 0.1 percent of U.S. electricity production, most of which is for devices that heat swimming pools. So if there was a tenfold increase in swimming pool construction you might be able to get it up to 1 percent, but the only way all those homeowners would be able to afford to build their new swimming pools is through the kinds of economic activity that depend on oil, gas and other forms of federally prohibited energy.

So, instead, Congress hauls Big Oil execs in for the dinner-theatre version of a Soviet show trial and then passes irrelevant poseur legislation like the NOPEC bill. The NOPEC bill is really the NO PECS bill – a waste of photocopier paper passed by what C.S. Lewis called "men without chests."
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/oil-change-nopec-2050717-government-production

[Spartan112]

"his, "I'm right, you're wrong" elitist, without the intellect to support it, mindset,"

For a moment I blanked and thought you were talking about 'W'.

[bobInStamford]

Who knew that LI housewives could provide so much VALUABLE information! Links AND analysis. The demonrats are on the run now! Keep up the good work! Don't go off to the sales at Roosevelt Field until you post some more!

[Fred Beloit]

Well, Lala, you seem to have gotten to one of the most uncreative Trools:

"Who knew that LI housewives could provide so much VALUABLE information! Links AND analysis. The demonrats are on the run now! Keep up the good work! Don't go off to the sales at Roosevelt Field until you post some more!"

Be proud, even though he is only the lamest of the worst. The others are probably just as unhappy, but they are so occupied with biting themselves in the back of the neck in envy and spite, that they don't have time to attack you.

[Fred Beloit]

Here is a "thought" from Moe: "If you're such a big fan of white people, move back to Europe. Why you've got to throw a hissy-fit over immigration when your forefathers got issued a blank check just a few generations back continues to baffle me."

I especially like "...got handed a blank check..." (Excuse this little sidebar , but isn't it interesting that Moe uses the term "your forefathers". Did Moe just descend from heaven, leaving his virgins alone up there? I doubt this. It is more likely that Moe doesn't know who his forefathers were and that he has a Barre Sinistre in his coat of arms. Probably more than you want to know about this term can be found here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=xSeEWjQCTIAC&pg=PA508&lpg=PA508&dq=bar+sinistre&source=web&ots=GxvL3yBTI5&sig=BnFw_dveYv_vlfh_MaquXkEh280&hl=en#PPA511,M1)

[Fred Beloit]

Yes, Moe Barre-Sinistre says our forefathers got a blank check. Moe also uses the term immigration in the flabbiest way possible to muddy up this issue. After all that is the mission of the Lefty trools. Nobody here has any problem with immigration but only with illegal immigration. seek has thoroughly pummeled Moe's stupidity below and there is not much left to say. However, what could this drooling trool, Moe, mean by this statement:

"...your forefathers got issued a blank check just a few generations back continues to baffle me. They had screaming fits about the Irish and the Germans and the French before."

In the catacombs of Moe's spooky, fevered, labyrinthian brain one imagines we would find this scene:

Hans, Padraig, and Jacques, I am from the Royal Office of Overeseas Wildernesses. I hereby recognize you as the winners of our monthly lottery and present you with this blank check for all the goodies you ever wanted. All you have to do to collect is get on board the Queen Mary where, as first-class passengers, you will be treated to a luxurious cruise to the Americas. Once there you should report to our local office where you will receive charters to demonsrtate your ownership of mansions and vast tracts of land. Congratulations.

There is only one thing the King asks of you. Please ensure your progeny throws hissy-fits about future non-Americans who illegally enter the country. Bon voyage.

[Lala]

Fred,
Imagine if only Boob/Moe/Harpie etal were the only ones to comment on this board.
Boob - surge on
Harpie - 40 million without insurance
Moe - obscure references to non-events

Poor Dan