McCain campaign reverses course (again), re-embraces right-wing Texan

June 16, 2008

I’m beginning to wonder if the McCain campaign is trying to appear extra incompetent now, in order to lull Democrats into some false sense of security or something. Because by any reasonable measure, Republican presidential campaigns just aren’t supposed to operate this way.

Take Clayton “Claytie” Williams, for example. Williams, a prominent Texas Republican, said during his 1990 gubernatorial campaign that rape is like the weather: “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” More recently, Williams has helped raise more than $300,000 for McCain and was scheduled to host a fundraiser for him this week.

When reporters asked if McCain had any qualms about attending a fundraiser hosted by a clown like Williams, the event was “abruptly cancelled.” McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers cited Williams’ comments about rape as an explanation for the cancellation.

That made sense. It was hard to imagine why the campaign never Googled Williams to begin with, but after being confronted with his background, the McCain campaign realized it’s tough to reach out to women and other Democrats who support Hillary Clinton while associating with someone who equates rape with the weather.

McCain’s team made clear to reporters that it had “cancelled” the event. Except, it hadn’t.

McCain’s campaign late Friday said it had pulled the plug on a fundraising event scheduled for Monday at Williams’ Midland home after reporters contacted the campaign asking about remarks made by the Texas Republican during his 1990 race against Democrat Ann Richards.

But Saturday afternoon, the McCain campaign told the Houston Chronicle that the Midland event had been postponed until this summer and would be held in a public venue…. Late Saturday afternoon, a McCain aide confirmed to the Chronicle that the Midland event had been postponed but had not been taken off the calendar. The compromise allowed McCain to say he had not held a fundraiser at Williams’ house; it gave Williams an opportunity to say that the event he organized had not been canceled.

“The only thing more insulting than John McCain’s willingness to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash raised by Claytie Williams is his attempt to get away with it by simply changing the venue of his fundraiser. It’s clear that John McCain is more concerned with dealing with a ‘perception problem’ than in condemning these despicable remarks or in living up to the straight talk reputation he brags about,” said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan.

I heard from a few readers over the weekend that Williams’ disgusting remarks were a long time ago, and if he wants to help McCain raise campaign funds, it’s not too big a deal. I disagree, but even if we put that aside, could the campaign have handled this any worse?

McCain’s team never thought to check Williams out, then cancelled the event, then un-cancelled the event in a way as to maximize the campaign’s spin options. All the while, McCain went from being unaware to being offended to being accommodating of Williams’ “joke” about rape.

These guys do realize they’re in the middle of a competitive presidential campaign, right?

And as long as we’re talking about McCain’s associations, Ben Smith has an interesting item today, Paulie Abeles, a woman helping organize Clinton supporters for McCain, who has a provocative background.

A key organizer of John McCain’s meeting Saturday with former supporters of Hillary Clinton is best known for her role in another bitter American fight: The effort by some white descendants of Thomas Jefferson to keep his possible African-American descendants out of family gatherings.

Paula Abeles emailed Politico yesterday to complain that her group had gotten short shrift in a blog item, writing, “I initiated the teleconference with McCain on Saturday and was solely responsible for the guest list.” Another Clinton backer at the event, Will Bower, confirmed that she was “integral” to assembling the group.

Abeles is best known for having masqueraded as a 67-year-old black woman online in order to argue against Sally Hemings’ African-American descendants being welcome at family gatherings. Abeles said her deception was necessary to make sure family reunions were “calm and civilized.”

It’s quite a team the McCain campaign has put together.

I think it indicates that McCain is low on dough and needs any scraps he can get and that his fiscal position isn’t as good as he tells the MSM.

  • I think the GOP has gotten so used to spinning they become disoriented when they aren’t pulling political doughnuts in the parking lot.

    As for Claymore’s comment, I hope the RePukes remember his sage advice on November 4th so they can lay back and enjoy the inevitable destruction of the GOP.

  • Oy. This guy made a couple of rough jokes 18 YEARS ago and we’re supposed to hate him forever?? Sorry CB, but you need to be slapped right in the monocle!

    But yeah, McCain has managed to handle this is a way that looks bad no matter WHAT your position is. I guess he thinks that’s being a moderate.

  • If nothing else, this does show once again that McCain doesn’t take principled stands. In a just world that will make it much more difficult to justify his position on Iraq, as well as his multiple flip-flops. I think that hurts him far more than embracing or disavowing Williams in the first place.

  • I heard from a few readers over the weekend that Williams’ disgusting remarks were a long time ago, and if he wants to help McCain raise campaign funds, it’s not too big a deal. I disagree

    Would you vote for Al Franken?

  • If I were to spin this for MCCain, I would say this just indicates that he is “flexible”.

  • Danp,

    Yes I would vote for Al Franken, and it is nowhere near the same. Franken was a satirist and parodist for a living.

    First, it was always a joke, a character – disqualifying Franken would be like disqualifying Tommy Lee Jones from a later career in politics for the sole reason that he played “Two-Face” in a Batman movie (although that may call his judgement into question). I thought Franken was nuts to apologize for his Playboy article because the apologizing will never end – his entire act, his entire career was edgy and “not family safe.” On the other hand, “Claytie” was not acting or in a comedy sketch – he was in a political race against a female and showed his own true colors.

    Second, I would agree with Tamalak in general that we shouldn’t scrutinize every word out of every associates’ mouth over an entire lifetime except that (a) the Republican party has been so freakin’ hypocritical about “values” (gotta bring “integrity” back to the White House and all), and (b) McCain allegedly is in the middle of an effort to woo pro-Clinton feminists which means, no matter your subjective views on Claytie, what he said, or the politics of associates’ comments, objectively the comments are problematic in light of the objectives.

  • Mr. Williams doesn’t seem to be knowledgeable about rape, perhaps a weekend in maximum security at Fulsom would be in order. Then we can ask him if he bent over and enjoyed it.

    I remember a weatherman Tex Antoine in New York who made that joke and he lost his job.

  • mondaze (8): I agree both with your characterization and conclusion about Franken. In William’s case though, the joke was overheard by a reporter. It wasn’t intended for public consumption. And that’s the reason I found it forgivable.

  • So it’s okay to think rape is enjoyable and it’s okay to compare a woman to a cow as long as it’s in private?

    Great.

  • perhaps a weekend in maximum security -Dale@10

    Prison rape isn’t funny either. It’s a national shame, and the fact that we joke about it instead of fixing it is a sad commentary.

  • How to get into the McCan’t campaign’s good graces.

    Say “I’ve got money”.

    There is really no other criteria.

  • …we joke about it instead of fixing it is a sad commentary. -Haik

    Out of sight, out of mind. The United States isn’t vested in rehabilitation. We demand revenge, so no one cares what inmates and guards do to other inmates.

    And you’re right, it’s a national shame.

  • doubtful said: “And you’re right, it’s a national shame.”

    That and our national incarcertion rate, based mostly on treating drug addicts as criminals rather than victums, and in doing so protecting the drug lords from product liability suits that would destroy their ‘industry’.

  • I heard from a few readers over the weekend that Williams’ disgusting remarks were a long time ago, and if he wants to help McCain raise campaign funds, it’s not too big a deal. I disagree, but even if we put that aside, could the campaign have handled this any worse?

    No, they couldn’t have handled it any worse, but if there’s one thing it seems you can count on from McCain and his team in a tough spot it’s that they will outright lie. Hence the “canceled” event that was never actually canceled. This should have been easy to deal with: have Williams apologize for his remarks 18 years ago, issue a statement from the campaign on behalf of Senator McCain condemning the sentiments of Williams’ past remarks, and go on collecting the moola. I have no idea why they chose to do it any other way, but ineptitude seems to be a theme of everything they do.

  • Oh, for fuck’s sake…
    RAPE IS NEVER FUNNY!

    … unless you’re raping a clown!

  • I don’t think anybody here thinks rape is funny, but obviously McC’s friend Williams does (I wouldn’t count on him having changed his mind over time; he was an adult when he made this “joke”). And it doesn’t matter if the “joke” was public or private; it’s the attitude that’s at issue here. He thought his attitude toward rape was as acceptable as, for example, George Allen thought a racial slur was acceptable. The point Dale made, #10, was that Williams clearly didn’t understand that the sex act could be a terrible experience, a crime of violence, that he was not “knowledgeable” on the subject. If Williams had imagination — if he could, for a moment, imagine himself forced, penetrated against his will, physically and psychologically hurt, bleeding, abused, then he would understand why rape is not something to joke about, even in passing. The only people who might find this enjoyable are bullies and sadists, neither sort the kind of person voters want to elect to make decisons that affect their lives.

  • “if he could, for a moment, imagine himself forced, penetrated against his will, physically and psychologically hurt, bleeding, abused, then he would understand why rape is not something to joke about, even in passing.”

    Wrong.
    People can and do routinely tell (very) off-color jokes
    about traumatic things they’ve experienced.

  • Steve, I think you should remove this ‘HairlessMonkey’ creep. He’s sick, false and profoundly offensive.

  • Well, if Mr. Williams has been raped, and he wants to explain his remarks in the context of that personal experience, then I think he should, so that people will understand that he is/was working through his brutalization in his own way. And, though it is theoretically possible that there are people who have been raped who joke about it, I’ve never met any, or read about them, male or female.

  • Any female Clinton supporter who vows to vote McCain in protest needs to think back to the days when rape wasn’t a crime, when barefoot, pregnant and beaten by abusive husbands was what women could look forward to. The old ones have forgotten and the young ones don’t know but I remember when not sleeping with the boss could get you fired, when rape was considered something you brought on yourself and men like Claytie Williams ran this country. Is that really what you want us to go back to?

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