Maybe I was watching through biased glasses (we all do) but I couldn’t agree more with John Podhoretz when he wrote of the Rick Warren/Saddleback event last night: “If John McCain can perform during the three debates the way he is performing tonight with Rick Warren, he will win this election.”
No kidding.
And it wasn’t just because McCain was good and Barack Obama was ineffectual and ill-informed. (Others have said Barack is infected by reactionary post-modernism. I’m not so sure I would give him that much intellectual credit. It might simply be expedient political vacillation.)
No, it was something more extreme and I think more important: John McCain is the single most prepared person to be President in my lifetime – and I ain’t young. [Didn't you vote for JFK?-ed. I'm not that old. But you did go to college when he was in office. Okay, okay. Don't rub it in.] Last night McCain exhibited a grasp of the issues and an ability to communicate them extempore in a concise manner that were exceptional. Unlike the frequently bumbling Bush and the evasive Obama, he knew precisely what to say on the big issues – Georgia, radical Islam, energy. He puts to mind the legendary Presidents of a more distant past – Teddy Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower – and carries with him a pride to be American that surpasses even Reagan for me, because it is fraught with that personal history we all know.
And, of course, if you care about the ability to cross party lines or about the courage to stick with your opinions when they are unpopular, McCain has demonstrated that more than any politician of recent memory. It was ironic that the only example Obama could cite of when he had done such a thing was when he had worked with John McCain on ethics reform (in an instance when Obama apparently crumped out).
But this is not about Obama. What happened last night is this: An election that the pundits had told us was about whether the public was ready for Barack Obama suddenly became about acknowledging John McCain.
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65 Comments
1. Mike_K:I voted for Nixon three times for president and think he was just as well prepared but he was a poor speaker. I supported McCain in 2000 and have been disappointed by him a few times in recent years (immigration and campaign finance reform-both personal issues for him) but I think we would all be better off if he had been elected in 2000.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:48 am 2. NRA Life Member:Senator Obama was given an opportunity to describe and justify his taxation plans for people he considers to be “rich”. Keeping in mind his profession of faith as a Christian, I would like to know how he justifies a progressive rate of taxation instead of flat tax.
Why do I ask this? We are instructed by God (in the Pentateuch, by the word of various prophets such as Ezra and Nehemiah, and by the Apostle Paul) that we are to give a tenth. There is no distinction between “rich” and “poor” in regard to the rate of our tithe. Why would a Christian not extend this belief to income or corporate tax rates. Why are the rich, by some politician’s definition, subject to different treatment under the law? Who is his God, Jesus or Marx?
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:50 am 3. ic:An election that the pundits had told us was about whether the public was ready for Barack Obama suddenly became an election about whether Barack Obama was ready for the presidency.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:18 am 4. ZEITGEIST:[...] Some related thoughts from Roger Simon. “John McCain is the single most prepared person to be President in my lifetime – and I ain’t [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:29 am 5. Charlie (Colorado):Prediction: Obama is now looking frantically for a reason not to debate McCain.
Aug 17, 2008 - 11:54 am 6. Rob Mandel:as much as this libertarian/former republican is in disagreement with McCain on many issues, at least I can feel pretty much assured of two things:
1) spending won’t skyrocket under his watch as it has under Bush’s
2) our enemies will tread very lightly
as for the polls, though they are close, I would presume what they really reveal is how scared people are to say they are not voting for obama out of fear of racism charges. if they are this close, I’d wager 8-10% of obama’s number are outright lying while the undecideds are simply making up their minds on mccain. perhaps the russian bear gave us the greatest gift possible by reminding americans that no, we don’t live in the post-modern world where soft power, better diplomacy, and international agreements can make the world utopia.
just ask the Poles (God bless them, for they truly have seen evil, no need for equivocating obama-style) and the Ukrainians why they have aligned themselves with the US. and ask why obama didn’t give a speech in Gdansk or Kiev.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:04 pm 7. Dick Stanley:The format was the only thing that saved Barry. To the extent that it did save him.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:06 pm 8. Tantor:I share your enthusiasm for McCain over Obama and hate to pick nits but I think the best-prepared candidate for president since the Civil War was the elder Bush. Bush Sr started out as a war hero Navy pilot in WWII, was in business, served as congressman, was ambassador to China, head of the CIA, and VP for two terms before he became president. That’s about perfect preparation to be President.
When you compare that stellar resume to Obama’s half year as a senator and experience as a “community organizer” teaching Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” in local workshops, Obama comes up very short in experience and credentials.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:17 pm 9. Bob_R:I think McCain helped himself with people like me who were planning to hold their nose and pull the lever for him anyway. I voted for him in the primaries in 2000. I had a lot of quarrels with him then and I have some more now, but I’m happier with the choice than I was before yesterday. He showed all the qualities that I find good in him and hid those I find bad. Maybe he can do that for four years.
I don’t think Obama did anything that would hurt him with anyone who was strongly in favor of him before last night. He reinforced the good and the bad memes about his character: he seemed bright and thoughtful but seemed cautious and timid. From my perspective, he’s someone who could fill the empty suit, but he’s too worried about spoiling the drape of the expensive fabric. But I can see how those on the other side read it differently.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:17 pm 10. Al Reasin:Mr. McCain was not my candidate because of his age, temperament and too many horrid compromises with Democrats. But I’ll have to admit he has contained his supposed temper when I would have exploded, he manages to appear to able to handle the campaign schedule better than Mr. Obama (if he wasn’t the MSM would have told us by now) and he seems to be able to learn from his mistakes and can communicate that to our citizens. I was pleased to see him talk about the adoption of his daughter and his treatment in captivity; subjects that make him more appealing but he has stayed away from. Nice though to not hear, me, me, all the time.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:27 pm 11. Lem:That story of the cross at his prison camp had me at hello.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:50 pm 12. swift boater:I agree with Tantor, the best man for the job at his election was the first Pres Bush. I think he showed why in the build up to the first Gulf War (should have finished it then tho).
Umm, errr, umm, the worst, err,umm, public speaker, ahhhh, errrr, is, ummm, ahhh, Barry Obama.
Aug 17, 2008 - 12:56 pm 13. David:Just an aside, I campaigned for JFK in 1960. I then found out that my parents were going to vote for Nixon. After much anguish and consideration (ie the time it took me to make a Nixon for President sign) I changed my mind. Then I found out that 7 year olds can’t vote.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:15 pm 14. Johnh:Well, I would have said Richard Nixon was the most prepared president since 1960. He was a VP to Eisenhower for two terms, spent his time after losing the 1960 election and his attempt to become governor of CA on an international trip where he visited foreign leaders.
That said, John McCain is clearly very prepared to be president as compared to, say, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and, obviously, Obama.
Commenter Tantor reminded me that George H.W. Bush was also well prepared as compared to the presidents since 1960. (Nice catch, Tantor.) Somehow I failed to think of him.
Reagan was well prepared but he was also a ‘natural’; he set a standard that hasn’t been touched yet.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:18 pm 15. Terrye:I think people have always underestimated McCain and over estimated Obama.
But I don’t think of Bush as bumbling. I have always understood what he was saying. As for spending and issues like that, a lot has happened in recent years to drive up that spending. It is not just about Bush. In fact the deficit has doubled since the Democrats took over in 2006. It is not all been Democrats ofcourse, when Bush vetoed the bloated farm bill Republicans crossed the aisle to over ride the veto. And McCain supported that veto.
I think McCain is more conservative than some on the right are willing to give him credit for because they dislike his independence.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:45 pm 16. Terrye:Johnh:
I don’t think Reagan would be that popular with conservatives today. They have made him into something he never was. Reagan believed in compromise, he was not a hardliner on most things. He did raise social security taxes rather than reform the system. I am sure he felt he had no choice. The farm crisis was at its worst during his tenure and while there might not have been a lot he could do about the farm economy, it was not morning in America in rural America. It was in fact the final straw for the family farm. Reagan managed to escape a lot of blame for Iran/Contra but several people in his administration faced legal problems because of it. He did not deal with militant Islam and in fact left Afghanistan to its fate after the Soviets left. He supported an amnesty bill because he was more about tearing walls down than building them up.
Reagan was an inspiring man who obviously loved this country. But.. he made mistakes just like everybody else.
Aug 17, 2008 - 1:54 pm 17. Judith:“McCain carries with him a pride to be American…because it is fraught with that personal history we all know.”
Aug 17, 2008 - 2:43 pm 18. Pickerhead :: Pickings from the Webvine ::August 17, 2008:McCain also has two sons who serve in the military, one currently in Iraq, I believe. His personal sacrifice for our country is heads above admirable. In contrast, Obama, as privledged ingrate, still needs to pad his resume. His anti-Americanism is unbecoming this great country. McCain never apologizes for America’s great opportunities. Given Obama’s lack of experience, there is no way he even would be tied in the polls w/ McCain if it weren’t for the hype & unwarranted over-exposer the shallow Obama recieves from the biased media.
[...] Roger Simon too. [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:36 pm 19. Herb:Hmmmm….Prepared? Prepared for his appearance at Saddleback, perhaps. But prepared for the Oval Office? Not so sure about that.
I heard him complaining about how “Congress is supposed to be careful stewards of your tax dollars” but instead they went on vacation. Then he says, “I guarantee you, two things they ever miss, a pay raise and a vacation.”
They? They, Senator McCain? THEY?
Granted, McCain is only 1/535th of Congress, but he is still a Congressman. The “They” he condemns really should be a “We.” And this is a guy who’s been in Congress for 26 years!
At any rate, McCain missed so many votes, the National Journal couldn’t even rank him. He can’t even do his current job!
If this is any indication of how he’s going to run this country as the Chief Executive, then “prepared” isn’t the word I’d use….
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:57 pm 20. Roy Lofquist:Dear Mr. Simon,
It appears we are about the same age. You were in college when JFK was president. I was flying missions over the Black Sea.
I don’t pay much attention to policies when I vote for President. The President proposes, the Congress disposes.
I look for the man that can handle the bears and the wolves and the things that go bump in the night.
Regards,
Aug 17, 2008 - 3:59 pm 21. kcom:Roy
Why would it be necessary for the president to handle things that go bump in the night? He can just call up the “international community”. They can solve any problem, as their long track record clearly demonstrates. At least in Barack’s universe. I’m not so sure about ours.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:03 pm 22. Donnie:Well it seems that Senator McCain may have been a little too prepared. He did not even arrive at the church until a half an hour into Obama’s interview. I personally am too cynical to take McCain on a word of faith that he did not listen to or had no knowledge of the questions being asked Senator Obama. The way he resonded to the topic on education, without having been asked a set of questions, was simply bizarre.
Pastor Warren stated that McCain was sequestered away in a cone of silence to begin the evening. As it turns out, that simply was not true.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/17/warren-mccain-did-not-violate-cone-of-silence/
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:05 pm 23. Roger L Simon:Well, Donnie, I just read the link you left and it offers no evidence at all that McCain knew the questions. As for his quick answer on education, it was pretty obvious to me. Who isn’t for charter schools, etc.? In general, there wasn’t a question in the whole evening that seemed even remotely new or surprising. They were the same subject matter these guys have been dealing with for over a year now. I was astonished it took Obama so long to answer them.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:11 pm 24. Donnie:Mr. Simon, I only insinuated that McCain knew the questions because both candidates will obviously try to gain every advantage and he had the opportunity to do so. He is being praised for his quick and concise answers. Knowing the specific questions in advance would certainly help. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat this performance in the debates.
I actually thought both candidates were quite effective. I think Bob_R’s assessment is on the mark. I would add that Obama just sitting in front of Warren discussing matters of faith is a big net positive for him. He seems at ease speaking the language of the church, unlike McCain, and this should help with a few undecided voters who question his faith. However, at the end of the day, most will still vote for McCain because of his stance on abortion and judges.
Aug 17, 2008 - 5:53 pm 25. Gary Rosen:Herb, how prepared is Obama for the Oval Office? Or to organize a two-car funeral?
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:00 pm 26. promoguy:Hey Donnie, even an idiot like me would have been able to come up with an answer to the questions without having to defer to a higher pay grade. Do you honestly believe that Obama being given a 1/2 hour head start would have done any better? I don’t.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:16 pm 27. Donnie:promoguy, I agree that was a pretty dumb statement. But McCain saying $5 million is the line at which somebody becomes rich was a bit of a gaffe too. I believe youtube is full of videos of both these guys looking dumb and saying some pretty idiotic stuff. When you talk for a living it is inevitable. I thought Obama did pretty well for being in a room full of people who are hostile to his positions on abortion, civil unions, and stem cell research. He was obviously trying maintain his positions without pissing off the crowd.
McCain had the opportunity to reassure evangelical Christians of his stances while Obama had the opportunity to discuss faith so he could show he is not a Muslim. The bottom line on last night’s forum is issues. McCain is point for point more in line with this demographic than Obama.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:34 pm 28. chuck:Well, Donnie, I just read the link you left and it offers no evidence at all that McCain knew the questions.
Measuring the brain capacity of Republicans compared to Democrats is an academic industry. No doubt it came as a shock to many that McCain wasn’t a drooling idiot. That fact alone will be accounted evidence of cheating by some.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:45 pm 29. Donnie:1) We were told that “we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence.”
2) This was false because McCain did not arrive until 30 minutes later.
3) The McCain campaign “confirmed that McCain did not hear or see any of the broadcast” in the motorcade or after he arrived.
Draw your own conclusions. Would it be the same if Obama were the one late and the pastor/moderator presented a falsehood? I personally would not trust any politician.
Aug 17, 2008 - 6:54 pm 30. Promoguy:“I personally would not trust any politician.”
Which I’m sure includes these two. But reach a bit and just let me know, isn’t there just one you “like” or “trust” a bit more thank the other?
Now if you’ll excuse me, but my ribs must come off the smoker.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:01 pm 31. Donnie:Only because you asked nicely. I do support Obama, but I am no Democrat. I do not think Obama is perfect or “The One”. I just think he will make a good Head of State. In my perfect world, Obama would win and the Republicans would take back the Senate with some good economic conservatives.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:22 pm 32. Ravalli County News » Blog Archive » Reaction to the Rick Warren Saddleback Faith Forum:[...] Roger L. Simon: “John McCain is the single most prepared person to be President in my lifetime – and I ain’t young… Last night McCain exhibited a grasp of the issues and an ability to communicate them extempore in a concise manner that were exceptional. Unlike the frequently bumbling Bush and the evasive Obama, he knew precisely what to say on the big issues – Georgia, radical Islam, energy. He puts to mind the legendary Presidents of a more distant past – Teddy Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower – and carries with him a pride to be American that surpasses even Reagan for me, because it is fraught with that personal history we all know.” [...]
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:23 pm 33. Roy Lofquist:Trust? God damned right we can trust McCain. There are precious few in our history who have demonstrated such devotion to “Duty, Honor, Country”. Grow up you silly twits. You haven’t been there. I have. When it’s tits up he’s the man I follow.
Aug 17, 2008 - 7:33 pm 34. Lem:I would advice Obama to avoid setting foot anywhere McCain and microphones might be present.
McCain has been running for president for over a decade. If he looses to an amateur like Obama it will be his fault.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:06 pm 35. Paul M Hupf:Why all the chatter? What has Senator Obama done to warrant anyone’s vote? He can tell you what he thinks is wrong and hope that you agree with him. But what does he stand for? Try and the best you can do is guess! Hardly a qualification for the office of President of the United State of America. We need better leadership at this moment. What he has revealed is that he is a Marxist, but he is unwilling to make this a public issue.
Aug 17, 2008 - 8:11 pm 36. Sally:I think I must be missing something. How would it help McCain’s performance to know what Obama had said first? The most it would do is encourage McCain to provide some sort of different answer so he didn’t sound as if he were parroting Obama, unless the point is that Obama unfairly had to stumble around trying to figure out who he thinks his wisest advisors might be or what his greatest moral failing has been or what his stance is on abortion or evil or marriage, all questions I could answer fairly quickly and decisively and I’m just an ordinary tax-paying American citizen.
It doesn’t really help to know the questions 30 minutes before a big exam if you don’t already have a pretty good idea what the answers are.
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:26 pm 37. Observer:“Only because you asked nicely. I do support Obama, but I am no Democrat. I do not think Obama is perfect or “The One”. I just think he will make a good Head of State. In my perfect world, Obama would win and the Republicans would take back the Senate with some good economic conservatives.”
Are you John Edwards?
Aug 17, 2008 - 9:41 pm 38. Charlie (Colorado):Donnie, you’re suggesting that a guy whose personal sense of honor is sufficiently strong to have turned down a chance to stop being tortured, get medical help he desperately needed, and suffer for what turned out to be another three years rather than violate that sense of honor. Now you’re suggesting that he would have cheated in the relatively minor way of listening to the questions in the car (where it couldn’t possibly stay secret) instead of being well prepared because, after all Warren gave them the list of topics, and the first few question verbatim. (Note that even Obama confirmed in his answers that he had enough information beforehand to look up Warren’s ideas about adoption.)
What evidence are you offering? A link to a CNN story in which Warren explains this and in which everyone involved agrees they don’t think McCain was listening.
I hope you’ll forgive us if we find the idea that you’re making anything like a dispassionate evaluation of this to be less than convincing.
Aug 17, 2008 - 10:59 pm 39. Bernard Chapin:I was quite pleased McCain did that well. I honestly think he will win in November.
Aug 18, 2008 - 3:12 am 40. syn:Fascinating, when McCain campaigns like an Al Gore Climate Change fraudist (like he did to win the New Hampshire primaries) he is so independent and mavericky yet when he campaigns like Reagan (like he did at Saddleback Church in sunny California) he is the perfect President.
I would say this contradiction is a reflection of just how muddled, mixed up and confusing is the Moderate American.
I’ll wait to hear what he says before a ‘moderate’ audience before I can believe he is all that perfect.
In any case, since Obama is such an illusion of grandeur how could McCain possibly lose to Obama in a debate.
McCain will win, that’s the easy part. We will find out whether McCain will take on the State Department, the CIA, and his very own corrupt Congress. Will McCain take on Madam Pelosi and Harry Reid or will he continue to reach across the aisle, shake their hands and praise their accomplishments?
Finally, I’m looking forward to 2010 when Bush’s tax cuts expire. Everyone in this room will whine like jelly-spined females who won’t be getting any of sugar daddy’s money.
Remember, if you choose to vote Big Government into power you must be held accountable for the misery you cause.
Aug 18, 2008 - 4:13 am 41. syn:One more very important point, superdelegates.
Hillary Clinton is going to get the Democratic Party nomination.
Aug 18, 2008 - 4:19 am 42. Promoguy:syn: your last comment might not be so far off the mark.
Aug 18, 2008 - 7:07 am 43. Teplost:Syn is right. I have a gut feeling. She has been far too quiet lately. This promises to be a very interesting election.
Aug 18, 2008 - 8:05 am 44. Herb:To Gary Rosen…
Not sure what you mean by your reference to “a two-car funeral.” Whose funeral? Why only 2 cars?
Non sequiturs aside, it’s one thing to argue that McCain is more prepared than Obama. It’s another to argue that Obama isn’t prepared AT ALL.
Disagree with his policies if you must, but don’t convince yourself that he’s a stuffed shirt. The man beat the Clintons, for Pete’s sake.
Name a single Republican who can boast of that.
Aug 18, 2008 - 11:05 am 45. David Thomson:“The man beat the Clintons, for Pete’s sake.”
Nope, that’s incorrect. Barack Obama’s skin color “beat the Clintons.” He had little do with it directly. Hillary Clinton lost because a lot of guilt tripped white liberals wanted to prove that they are not racists.
Aug 18, 2008 - 11:15 am 46. Kevin Peters:Sen. Obama’s duck on the “when do the Human Rights of a baby begin” question shows he is not any different then any other politician that has run before him. His voting record clearly shows that he believes they don’t begin until after the birth of the baby but he didn’t have the guts to state the obvious. He shuck and jive answer of “above my pay grade” shows that he wants to please rather then lead. I don’t mind having an honest difference of opinion on this very delicate issue. I do have a problem with someone who tries to mask his opinions behind ” I didn’t inhale” style answers.
Aug 18, 2008 - 12:07 pm 47. belloscm:“But McCain saying $5 million is the line at which somebody becomes rich was a bit of a gaffe too.”
But that’s not what McCain really said is it? Only a tool or a fool would parrot that particular line without providing the broader context. I think that McCain was deliberately vague as to a specific metric of “rich,” in that one man’s wealth could be another man’s poverty. An honest reading of either the transcript or a viewing of the exchange on this subject would show that the ” $5 million” line was given in jest.
I really do hate it when others beat me to the Daily Kos approved talking points. But I do understand; when the facts don’t support your preferred position or candidate, just make sh@t up.
Aug 18, 2008 - 1:55 pm 48. Herb:David Thomson, Can you prove your thesis? Or are you making a rhetorical point backed up with little more than your own opinion?
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:11 pm 49. ricpic:Only one thing counts: this country will be minority white before 2050 if the Mexican invasion is not stopped. Neither candidate CARES that America will no longer be a white country and therefore no longer culturally western. Obama relishes the end of The West. McCain is indifferent. Take your poison.
Aug 18, 2008 - 2:30 pm 50. Herb:No one’s going to point out to Ricpic that Mexico is part of Western culture? No one?
To quote a famous Mexican (or was it Spaniard?)…I do not think that words means what you think it means.
Aug 18, 2008 - 3:18 pm 51. David Thomson:“David Thomson, Can you prove your thesis? ”
Well, let me put it this way. Historically speaking, someone with Barack Obama’s slim resume would have been laughed out of town. If it is not his race—then what else could it be?
Aug 18, 2008 - 5:11 pm 52. Donald Wolberg:The distinctions between Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama were amazingly evident: Mr. McCain is a candidate of substance and accomplishment and Mr. Obama is not. As a several generation De,ocrat, for some weeks I have felt growing every day a “tell me it ain’t so,” fear with regard to Mr. Obama that has convinced me that Mr. Obama is ill informed, inexperienced, simplistic and simply not Presidential material. Equally troublesome is the fact that he does not or chooses not to learn, improve his range, find out new things, or just show a glimmer of ability to grasp issues and consequences. That he has gotten so far in the candidate process is a reflection of how inadequate the selection process has become.
Aug 19, 2008 - 5:40 am 53. Michael Asher:The difference was stark. McCain embodied the America we all grew up with. Obama, as usual, embodied the Europe some want America to become.
http://penetratinginsights.blogtownhall.com/2008/08/17/mccains_saddleback_debate_performance_quintessentially_american_2.thtml
Aug 19, 2008 - 11:20 am 54. Herb:David Thomson writes: “If it is not his race—then what else could it be?”
Perhaps his elegant speaking style? Perhaps because he’s not Hillary Clinton? Maybe he just got lucky?
I find your premise dubious for the simple fact that other black politicians aren’t as elevated by their race as Obama. Surely if being black was the trump card, then Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Cynthia McKinney would have a more prominent role in Democratic politics.
At any rate, are you prepared to argue that Condoleeza Rice is Secretary of State because of her race?
Maybe race just isn’t the factor that you think it is…
Aug 19, 2008 - 11:22 am 55. David Thomson:“I find your premise dubious for the simple fact that other black politicians aren’t as elevated by their race as Obama.”
Barack Obama is superb race manipulator. He offers guilt tripped white voters forgiveness and redemption for their past sins. The bottom line is this: Obama may possess the slimmest resume of any major presidential candidate in the last one hundred years. Normally, such an individual would have never been taken seriously.
Aug 19, 2008 - 11:50 am 56. Barry Dauphin:Also, since when did “elegant speaking style” count for so much? What about substance? Obama is a very shallow and poorly read individual. He is not even half as prepared as John McCain.
Somewhat OT
Wouldn’t it be a hoot if Obama picked Biden for VP. It would be great fun to keep count of the stupid things he’ll say and to have a Biden bombast meter going. Oh, the Republicans can only hope and pray that Obama picks Biden.
Aug 19, 2008 - 4:12 pm 57. Barry Dauphin:Now, I have read that Biden says, “I’m not the guy”, thus illustrating why he could never be the guy.
Aug 19, 2008 - 4:47 pm 58. AlanC:Herb, the thing that you’re missing is that all the other people you mention had real accomplishments to run on. Obama has nothing except race. Geraldine Ferraro was correct.
Obama did get very lucky in that the Democretins never really understood how disliked Hillary Clinton is. She had 49% very negative ratings so that opened the window for the Nutroots favorite alternative. As pointed out, in this case race, and the massaging of guilty white liberals feelings, were all he had going. Enough for the primaries maybe but he’ll be dead meat by October if Hillary doesn’t come back and steal the nomination.
Aug 20, 2008 - 8:24 am 59. Charlie (Colorado):But McCain saying $5 million is the line at which somebody becomes rich was a bit of a gaffe too.
Only because McCain should be aware that any statement which can be used against a Republican, even when ripped bleeding from its context, will be so used.
Actually, I take that back — since McCain’s very next statement confirms that he’s aware of it.
Maybe it’s just more evidence that McCain is being completely manipulated by his handlers and will say anything to get elected.
Aug 20, 2008 - 10:26 am 60. Charlie (Colorado):Not sure what you mean by your reference to “a two-car funeral.” Whose funeral? Why only 2 cars?
Herb, that’s one of those colorful Southernisms. “That guy’s so addlepated he couldn’t organize a two car funeral.” A “two car funeral” being one that is extremely small and relatively simple.
Aug 20, 2008 - 10:29 am 61. Charlie (Colorado):Only one thing counts: this country will be minority white before 2050 if the Mexican invasion is not stopped.
You know what, pendejo? Some of us don’t actually care what the majority race is.
…America will no longer be a white country and therefore no longer culturally western.
This will surprise the bejeezus out of Cervantes, Columbus, Isabella and Ferdinand, and Jorge Luis Borges.
But then since G’ma Julia always called me Carlos, I suppose I’m just not culturally western either.
Aug 20, 2008 - 10:36 am 62. Charlie (Colorado):No one’s going to point out to Ricpic that Mexico is part of Western culture? No one?
Sorry, Herb, I got behind on comments.
Aug 20, 2008 - 10:37 am 63. ricpic:So your a stinking halfbreed, Charlie? Figgers.
Aug 20, 2008 - 4:46 pm 64. Gary Rosen:“that’s one of those colorful Southernisms. “That guy’s so addlepated he couldn’t organize a two car funeral.” ”
Jeez, and I’m not even Southern. I must have fallen for one of McCain’s coded racist appeals to da redneck Jooos…
Aug 21, 2008 - 12:37 am 65. Herb:Not to pick a fight with David Thomson, but there can be no intelligent argument with a person who parades their opinions as empirical facts.
“Obama may possess the slimmest resume of any major presidential candidate in the last one hundred years.”
Please show me the details of your exhaustive comparative study of a century’s worth of presidential candidates. Or just say, “I think…” before you open your mouth.
Aug 23, 2008 - 9:05 am