McCain thinks ‘bitch’ inquiry is an ‘excellent question’

November 13, 2007

Obviously, presidential candidates aren’t responsible for comments made by their supporters. Candidates are, however, responsible for showing a little class. It’s apparently something that John McCain has forgotten.

At a campaign event in South Carolina, a McCain backer stood up to ask the senator, “How do we beat the bitch?”

In response, McCain said, “We have our differences with our Democratic rivals, but I believe in treating people with respect. It’s why I don’t refer to women as ‘bitches,’ even when I disagree with them. I’m sure all of us believe we can debate the serious issues of the day without name-calling and degrading language.”

No, no, I’m just kidding. He actually responded, “That’s an excellent question.”

Just this morning, the NYT’s David Brooks wrote a gushing love-letter to McCain, praising him as an honorable man of character. If there wasn’t so much evidence to the contrary, it might be persuasive.

For readers who can’t watch clips online, here’s a transcript:

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: How do we beat the bitch? (Laughter)

Mccain: May I give the translation? (Laughter) That’s an excellent question.

You might know that there was a poll yesterday — a Rasmussen poll, to identify it — that shows me three points ahead of Sen. Clinton is a head-to-head match-up. (Applause)

I respect Sen. Clinton; I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat [sic] Party….

Yes, McCain couldn’t even be gracious about his political opponents without using the grammatically wrong “Democrat Party.”

I suppose the natural response from McCain backers is that he didn’t want to repudiate a campaign supporter during an event. But just a few days ago, McCain repudiated his own mother, on national television, when she made anti-Mormon comments about Mitt Romney. He went out of his way to make clear — twice — that he didn’t agree with his mother’s remarks.

But when confronted with a supporter who calls Hillary Clinton a “bitch,” McCain thinks that’s “excellent.”

Stay classy, John McCain.

Wouldn’t Jkap agree with McCain?

  • yes, such an honorable man of character.

    hmmmm, what was that funny joke st john the honorable told about chelsea clinton.

  • and this is part of why when people argue that HRC has trouble winning because she so motivates Das Base, i think they are mistaken. she actually overstimulates Das Base to where they become total knuckle-dragging, foaming-at-the-mouth, nutjobs. they will make this kind of mistake that drives moderates, independents, and suburban moms away in droves. and they will make this mistake day in and day out.

  • Oh, boy – that one’s going to dog McCain – and if it doesn’t, it should. We’ll see. One thing’s for sure, Hillary is going to land on this with both feet. Hard.

    McCain has sold or shed every last principle he ever had, or he’s managed to reveal exactly how and why he managed to get caught up in the S & L scandal years ago. Whether the media can bear to revise the “straight-shooting maverick” label it pasted on him in 2000, remains to be seen.

    This is all starting to make my head hurt.

  • That’s transparently ridiculous, Joshua.

    Because I am concerned with Hillary’s Senate record and disagree with her on important votes such as (sing along) the Patriot Act, AUMF in Iraq, and Kyl-Lieberman and her rhetoric on the “war on terror”, you equate my attitudes and opinions with that of someone who personally, verbally attacks Ms. Clinton with vulgarity?

    Pardon me but that’s bullshit.

  • A lack of class is not surprising when you consider the man has repeatedly shown he has no shame. Grovelling before his fellow GOPers doesn’t count.

    But this makes me wonder how McC would have responded if the questioner had asked a similar question about Obama. I’m sure he would have rebuked her, right?

    If I thought any of those schmucks had a chance at the White House I’d be drinking 24/7.

  • McCain’s insane. He’s passed it and just can’t let go. What would make the guy think he’s got a chance in hell of ever becoming president is a tribute to his tremendous ego.
    But to laugh and go along with the demeaning and vile name calling demonstrates the true nature of his character. It shows a lack of integrity. I don’t tolerate people referring to women in that demeaning manner in private and yet McCain allowed it and even joined in by laughing in public.

    “…beat the bitch”? This is what the electoral process has become? A boxing match. Maybe Dobbs is correct. Maybe there should only be one party…Independents…then the focus would be on the issues and not the people. Beat the bitch at what…on what. Sounds like the issues and policies don’t matter, it’s just a hatred of the person. These are not rational people but emotionally challenged and disturbed and so are their enablers like McCain. Would he laugh if you referred to his wife in that manner. “How can we keep that “bitch” from becoming 1st lady?” Excellent question.

  • I love the follow-up, “John, she’s talking about my ex-wife!”

    ROTFLMAO! That might even be construed as spousal abuse! Hysterical!

    Somehow I don’t think the next Rasmussen poll will have you up three points, Senator. Put a fork in him.

  • Well, at least he didn’t answer the question, “With a baseball bat,” or “the same ugly stick they beat Chelsea with.” Shows some class on McCain’s part.

    I have no problem with those, like Jkap #6, who object to Hillary for her record, but the mindless, vicious Hillary hatred in this country is as baffling to me as it is despicable. I simply don’t understand it, and never will. And it’s from the left as well.

    I am really concerned because the top two candidates both have problems – Hillary’s is mostly out in the open, but not completely – there’s a hate-the-Clintons component to it, but also a hate-a-woman-as-president element, and some of that doesn’t show up in the polls, because the respondents are ashamed to expose themselves. Similarly, there’s an unknown racial bias against Barack that won’t show up until the election. If he’s ahead in the polls by only 2-4% next November, I fear he’d lose.

    This election is by no means a slam dunk.

  • Wouldn’t Jkap agree with McCain? -Joshua

    JKap has already responded, and certainly doesn’t need anyone else to fight his battles, but that was just pathetic, bona fide trolling, Joshua.

  • If Hillary wins the nomination, the “b” word will be some of the mildest of the campaign rhetoric we will be hearing. The Hillary-haters aren’t as “classy” as McCain. They’re thugs.

  • This should surprise absolutely no one, because the press has known for a very long time That McCain is an asshole. They should be ashamed of themselves for helping him cover it up, but of course they never are…

    The fact that McCain had made the tasteless joke was reported in major newspapers, as was the vain attempt by his press secretary to initially deny what McCain had done. But in several major newspapers, the joke itself was kept a secret. When McCain subsequently apologized to President Clinton, the Washington Post, in its personality section, noted the apology but said the joke “was too vicious to print.”…

    […]

    …the joke revealed more than a mean streak in a man who would be president. It also exposed how the Washington Post, New York Times and Los Angeles Times play favorites when reporting the foibles of our leading politicians.

    http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html

  • Most reasonable people think that a woman who publicly refers to another woman as a bitch is by definition a bitch herself.

    However, most GOP tribe members sincerely believe that they and their fellow tribe members are all good people, and they think that anyone who opposes their tribe is by defintion a bad person. They believe it’s just fine for a good person to denigrate a bad person (because saying a bad thing about a bad person is essentially true, and every bad person deserves to be denigrated). But they believe it’s really totally outrageous for a bad person to denigrate a good person (because saying a bad thing about a good person is a lie that hurts the feelings and good reputation of an innocent, undeserving, good-hearted victim).

    In short: IOKIYAAR.

  • Can anyone be sure that a member of McCain’s staff did not plant the question with this woman? This could be the his Southern Strategy with a mysogynist twist, sure to revive his struggling campaign

  • Wow, the rest of his answer was quite unconvincing. I don’t think he even believed it himself. The correct answer (beyond correcting the name-calling) would have been to insist that Hillary is too liberal and the American people will reject her, particularly when facing such an awesome war-mongering he-man patriot like McCain. Instead, he gave some mealy something about a poll showing him beating her. Weak! Hillary would trounce McCain and he knows it.

  • Man of character? Check out his role in the Keating Five, and the reasons for the break up of his first marriage.

  • “That’s an excellent question.”

    And with that, the quasi-senator who might show up for work a couple times per month demonstrates the after-effects of flying a naval aircraft INTO the ass-end of a flat-top—instead of ONTO it. Chalk up another “ass-sans-class”* for RampStrikeMan….

    *I dare anyone to say that ten times really fast!

  • Since I’ve read so many disparaging comments about Hillary from both Jkap and doubtful, some mixed with colorful language, I think that my comment is accurate. If I’m wrong and you both regard her with some measure of respect, I withdraw my comment.

  • and this is part of why when people argue that HRC has trouble winning because she so motivates Das Base, i think they are mistaken. she actually overstimulates Das Base to where they become total knuckle-dragging, foaming-at-the-mouth, nutjobs. they will make this kind of mistake that drives moderates, independents, and suburban moms away in droves. and they will make this mistake day in and day out.

    Except that those who have that reaction to The Empress include “moderates, independents and suburban moms.” (And, yes, even progressives who comment on good blogs like this one. Good on you, Sen. Edwards; I won’t commit to supporting InevitaBillary either.)

    If it were limited to Das Base, you wouldn’t have polls indicating that half the electorate won’t vote for her under any circumstances.

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  • but dajafi, i don’t believe moderates, independents or commenters on progressive blogs have “that” (i.e. overstimulated) reaction.

    not once have i referred to you, doubtful or JKap as a “total knuckle-dragging, foaming-at-the-mouth, nutjob.” 🙂

    i save that for folks who only visit when the words “Ron” and “Paul” or “Fred” and “Thompson” show up in the feed.

  • Since I’ve read so many disparaging comments about Hillary from both Jkap and doubtful, some mixed with colorful language, I think that my comment is accurate. -Joshua

    Show me where JKap or I have ever called her anything close to a bitch and I’ll personally go watch your bridge for you. Just because I don’t respect her doesn’t mean I think she’s a bitch or that it is appropriate to call her one.

    That’s misogynistic bullshit, and I won’t tolerate it from McCain or anyone else no matter how much I disagree with her and think she’s an unworthy Presidential candidate.

    No more than I will sit idly by while you question my character and try to invalidate my reasonable concerns with Hillary by lumping me in with fascists like McCain in his supporters.

  • z, I guess the distinction as I see it has to do with detesting Hillary because, e.g., you think she killed Vince Foster before he could expose her affairs with female chimps and wants to put Bolshevik fluoride in our water supply (knuckle draggers), and opposing her because you think she’s an exceptionally cynical politician with an authoritarian temperament who thinks she’s owed power but doesn’t want to use it for anything particularly desirable.

    And please, please don’t lump me in with JKap. As his Paulite leanings suggest, he’s a lot closer to the paranoid-fluoride side of the equation than I’m really comfortable with…

  • McCain:

    An EXCELLENT question!! Do you mean my WIFE or my 95-year-old MOTHER..

    I use different techniques on EACH, you know…

    Sincerely,

    NRA Gun Nutes

  • Why should anyone be surprised by this total lack class on the part of this suckup to the BushReich? Not to mention the shriveled old bourgeois, born-with-a-platinum-spoon-in-her-mouth, granny-bun-sitting-on-top-of-her-head, country-club old hag who made the comment?

  • This is not what I want to hear from the Republican party and especially not from a potential next president of the United States. There are issues that need to be addressed in this country and some of the biggest issues are why we went to war in Iraq when the real threat was Bin Laden and Al Queda group that he leads Neither of these two things were anywhere near or in Iraq but we still spend billions of dollars fighting a never ending war that does not serve the best interests of the American people. While the Republicans party looks us in the eye when stating they are the best at fighting terror when they were the ones who put us in this Iraq war that is not doing a thing to win the war on terror. and why was it so easy to find Saddam but so difficult to find Bin Laden? While our soldiers are fighting and risk losing their lives and limbs to bring democracy to Iraq when I thought protecting ourselves from terrorists was the whole point behind this war.

  • When an obvious misogynistic/sexist incident occurs and ugly names and comments are directed at Hillary, a *click* goes on in my head and I’m prompted to rush to the computer and send the Hillary campaign another donation. Most women hear the *clicks* and take it personally….

  • Pingback: JABbering Stooge :: Behind the Times: Only Liberals are Vulgar, Indeed. :: November :: 2007

  • SINCE WHEN IN THIS COUNTRY DO WE HAVE A 2 FAMILY SYSTEM, AS OPPOSED TO A 2 PARTY SYSTEM!

    She’s had 8 years in the big house already. She wants MORE!
    Meanwhile she’s RUBBERSTAMPED everything coming out of the Bushies.

    SO: How DO we beat the bitch?

  • I’m not here to bash McCain, but I do think it says something about the media, politicians and this country as a whole that McCain’s reaction to Clinton’s being called a bitch, wasn’t nearly as covered as when Bill Cunningham repeatedly called Obama by his full name. It upsets me to know that people find one insult acceptable and the other had to be apologized for OVER 3 TIMES?!?!

    It’s amazing to me that when I imply to people that this country has MAJOR underlying misogyny and sexism that is implicitly accepted as culturally normative, they wholly disagree, and oftentimes accuse me of being a “man-hating, angry feminist”. I think that not only McCain’s laughter at this supporter’s comment and then his begging for forgiveness after Cunningham’s speech defends my point of view oh so clearly and swiftly. Frankly, whether you support Hillary or not, this kind of thing should make you feel disappointed, if not expressly saddened.

  • Thank you Michelle – just what I was looking for tonight after I heard the profuse apologies from McCain about the Obama remarks from another of his lovely supporters. I had respect for McCain until that incident, but now that is gone. It has been ok for way to long to refer to women in derogatory terms – watch a comedian on cable sometime – while anything smacking of racism is slapped down ever-so-quickly.

  • So if someone asked “How do we beat that prick Obama” the word “prick” would have caused quite a sensation, because heaven forbid someone talk down about a man. How is it that sexist comments are okay if they are directed towards a woman? I am SICKENED by McCain, and I am sickened by that woman who directed that question in the first place.

  • I don’t think that he was talking about the “bitch” part but the root question of what to do with Hillary. I dont know I could be wrong, i dont supposrt him i’m just getting info.

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