An almost Bush-like tolerance for dissent

May 22, 2006

As you probably heard, Sen. [tag]John McCain[/tag] delivered the commencement address at [tag]New School[/tag]’s graduation ceremony in NYC over the weekend. He was not well received. And while the audience made its displeasure with McCain clear, the key moment during the event was when undergraduate keynote speaker [tag]Jean Sara Rohe[/tag], who decide to forgo her prepared remarks to comment on [tag]McCain[/tag].

She paraphrased McCain’s words on the folly of youthful stubbornness and ignorance. “I am young, but I do know that pre-emptive war is dangerous and wrong,” she said. “Osama bin Laden has not been found, nor those weapons of mass destruction.” The vast majority of the crowd gave her a standing [tag]ovation[/tag].

[tag]Rohe[/tag] later posted her perspective to the Huffington Post, which wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy except [tag]Mark Salter[/tag], McCain’s chief of staff felt compelled to weigh in on the matter. Or, more accurately, go on a lengthy tirade in the HuffPo comments section about what he saw as Rohe’s cowardly “act of vanity.”

“McCain…has, over and over again, risked personal ambitions for what he believes, rightly or wrongly, are in the best interests of the country. What, pray tell, have you risked? The only person you have succeeded in making look like an idiot is yourself. […]

“So, let me leave you with this. Should you grow up and ever get down to the hard business of making a living and finding a purpose for your lives beyond self-indulgence some of you might then know a happiness far more sublime than the fleeting pleasure of living in an echo chamber. And if you are that fortunate, you might look back on the day of your graduation and your discourtesy to a good and honest man with a little shame and the certain knowledge that it very unlikely any of you will ever posses the one small fraction of the character of John McCain.”

What a terribly odd reaction.

I can appreciate the notion that McCain and his aides believe Rohe was [tag]rude[/tag] for her substantive criticism of the senator. She skipped her speech and spoke about what she believed, to the delight of her fellow students. Surely this isn’t the first time McCain has heard critical comments from a young college student.

So what’s with the pushback? [tag]Salter[/tag], who made it clear that he is a top McCain staffer who helped write the senator’s speech for the event, didn’t just comment on what he felt was rude disapproval; he attacked her rather personally, questioning her courage, maturity, patriotism, and character.

The implication is anyone who has the gall to disparage McCain directly deserves to confronted and smacked down. Jason Zengerle noted that this isn’t a new approach for Team McCain.

When I was in high school, I landed a summer internship with Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini. (One of my Hebrew School teachers was his office manager. It really is all about who you know.) A big perk for the interns was getting to have lunch with famous Arizonans–including John McCain. It was 1990 and one of the big issues on the Hill that summer was a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw burning the American flag. McCain was a staunch supporter of the proposed amendment and so, during the lunch, I asked him why he supported it. I guess McCain figured I didn’t support the amendment (I didn’t), because his jaw clenched, his face turned red, and he launched into a tirade.

This all happened 16 years ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy on the specifics of what he said, but the gist of it was that he had served his country, I hadn’t, and therefore I could never understand what the flag meant and I had no right to question him about it. I think I tried to interject something about how I was just 16 and therefore not yet eligible to serve in the military, but there was no stopping McCain, and he continued to browbeat me for my lack of service and patriotism.

It’d be unfair to hold McCain personally responsible for what his top aide wrote at HuffPo, but the senator has, for years, shown little tolerance or respect for those who disagree with him. By comparison, Bush is almost open to criticism.

Update: Rohe responds to Salter. (thanks to Colin for the tip)

Wow! No wonder McCain felt he could go off on Jerry Fawell in 2000. He clearly has never been slapped down for his stupid tirades. An amazing thing to discover from a man who is the son of an admiral. You’d think dad would have straightened him out on some occasion.

Maybe the lesson just didn’t stick.

  • It wasn’t that long ago that McCain savaged Barak Obama when the Illinois senator had the temerity to indicate a procedural disagreement with the ex-POW-in-chief. I honor McCain’s naval service and his sacrifices in Vietnam; not so much his political persona.

  • Check out the Hufington Post. Jean Rohe responds to Mark Salter’s vitriolic attack with poise, intelligence, and maturity.

    The classy kid versus the sleazy politician… How refreshing!

  • When was the last time McCain risked personal ambitions for the best interests of the country? I can’t think of one thing in the past 10 years. In fact everything he has done this past 2 years has been the exact opposite, putting his party ahead of country and putting his personal ambitions ahead of country. I wonder how being a part of the keating 5 was inthe best interests of the country.

  • Hadn’t heard that before.

    Though I don’t think you’ve got the evidence to make the claim that by comparison Bush is almost open to criticism.

  • Amazing where the heroes are coming from, isn’t it? Conspicuous by their silence are the Democratic leaders.

    This young lady deserves a medal for valor and courage, and her response to the sliming and Swiftboating was just as Devil’s Advocate above describes. As one Huffpo commenter observed, even her name is anagram for “hero.”

    Stephen Colbert, Neil Young, Dixie Chicks, Jean Rohe, a few columnists like Rich and Krugman – come on Democrats, where the hell are you?

  • How much longer is this bum going to get off the hook for his many shortcomings because of “his sacrifices in Viet Nam”? That was 35 years ago. What’s he done lately besides turn into an asshole? The continued reverence for this piece of shit despite the evidence of their own eyes and ears from people who ought to know better is nothing short of incomprehensible.

  • Not at all.

    McCain should fire him for his arrogance and uncontrolled outburst. McCain should have a level of expectation, and this should clearly be out of bounds.

    Not firing him is to accept, encourage, and promote this childish behavior.

    He should, at least, make him sit in the naughty corner.

  • I think the burr under Salter’s saddle (to use a Western metaphor he might appreciate) or the pain in his ass (to use one appreciated by the rest of us) is that Rohe didn’t just give a college senior’s dis to his boss and the speech Salter helped write. She decimated both. She knew that McCain was to give the same boilerplate speech to three audiences Falwell U, The New School and NYU (?) so that he could later claim how he speaks “truth” the same way to disparate audiences. She took that speech already given at Falwell’s, BEFORE McCain delivered it to the New School audience, and refuted it point by point–“The Senator will tell you…”. It was masterful. Perhaps our country will be in better hands if Rohe is indicative of the courage of some of our youth and the cogency of their arguments. Of course, the only thing left for McCain et al to sputter is “children should be seen and not heard.” Again, the thrilling conclusion of the Emperor’s New Clothes story. How rude for her to point that out, indeed.

  • Hmmm, the quote seems to have vanished like McCain’s Presidential prospects. My above post is in reference to this quote from CB:

    “It’d be unfair to hold McCain personally responsible for what his top aide wrote at HuffPo…”

  • I’d love to hear Salter try to explain how McCain’s character enables him to fight against torture (which he was previously, personally a victim of during war) and then let Bush sabotage his anti-torture amendment – way to stand up for what you believe in, Senator! Way to speak truth to power! Keep fighting the good, um, well, whatever it is when you make a show of fighting and then throw the battle to the enemy, because, well, I’m not sure you can still call that a “fight.” Isn’t there some cute jibe McCain can make about legislation to complete the sale of his principles, like “Some people say legislative compromises involve arm-twisting. I was in Viet Nam, and *this* isn’t arm-twisting! Ow, dammit, Karl, this is *just* a photo op!”

    I’d also love to hear Salter (or McCain, though I would keep the pointy objects away from Senator Holier-than-thou (R-Anger Management) if I were able to ask him about this personally) explain how McCain’s values include sucking up to the guy whose campaign accused his daughter of being an out-of-wedlock black love-child (not that there’s anything wrong with that, except to racist voters, and god knows where the GOP would be without *them*), because that’s where the political power was – my question is, what would have been too much? Could the Bush campaign have tried to sell her back to a Bangladeshi orphanage? How about into service as a junior bartender at the Watergate poker parties? Would that have been “too much” for Mr. I’m-a-maverick-and-you’re-not?

    And this guy wants to lecture *US* about character? Is character one of those virtues that you only notice once you’ve sold it all? No wonder he’s such a hero to the beltway media; they can smell their own.

  • My favorite Salter comment: “So, let me leave you with this. Should you grow up and ever get down to the hard business of making a living and finding a purpose for your lives beyond self-indulgence…”

    Way to go Salter! That’ll teach that little minx for…uh…being young. I mean, uh, she’s been out of school for an entire weekend already. Why hasn’t she already started her career? Where’s HER office? Where’s HER business cards! I ask you! And she has the audacity, the sheer BALLS, to question this Administration, just because SHE lives in a country where freedom of speech is supposedly guaranteed by the Constitution.

    You’re right, what a bitch.

  • McCain was one of the so-called “Keating Five” senators. He was investigated by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in 1991 regarding the acceptance of favors from Lincoln Savings & Loan Association (Lincoln) and its owner, Charles H. Keating, Jr. Simply put, the issue was whether McCain and the other senators used their official positions to attempt to pressure Federal Home Loan Bank Board officials to go easy on the troubled institution. Eventually Lincoln went bust, costing depositors and taxpayers millions.

    Even though McCain received the most money from Keating, he was cleared (?)…

  • He must be the “angry candidate” for 2008. You think the MSM will tag him with it they way they did to Dean?

  • My personal Salter’s favorite:

    “The only person you have succeeded in making look like an idiot is yourself.”

    Sometime, it pays to think before firing off e-mails…

  • Slappymaggoo, you forgot to add how self-indulgent it was of Rohe to get not one, but TWO degrees! These purposeless college kids are really too much.

  • The really tiresome part is the “you don’t have a fraction of the character that John McCain…”

    Oh, for Gawd’s sake. Is this where the McCain people are coming from?

    He’s a God, he’s the sacred spirit of all that we hold dear, he’s the savior of our republic, he’s so far above common folk that they should fall to their knees and praise God for his mere prescence.

    Uh, no. He may have had some connection with character 40 years ago, but he’s given it all up lately. All we’ve seeing is the abject lack of character in the guy — kissing Jerry Falwell’s fat ass.

    What a sad, pathetic little man: “I want to be President…no matter what!”

    That’s not character. That’s shallow, self-serving egomaniacal sell-your-soul-to-the-devil submission.

  • We need to form a 12-step group called “swiftboat-anon” for all these folks that are pathologically addicted to swiftboating anyone they disagree with. Jeez, can’t anyone other than Repubs have opinions?

    As for Jean Rohe, I bet she understands the benefits and repercussions of our constitutionally-protected (I still hope?) freedom of speech. Mr. mcCain and Mr. Salter seem to have forgotten this. I feel better about this country knowing that people still have the strength to stand up in front of a crowd and profess their beliefs.

  • I used to admire McCain when he seemed to have highly valued principles, but since he did a 360-degree turnaround and abandoned those principles, he’s become a regular Bushite Republican who doesn’t seem to believe in peaceful dissent.

    As petorado in comment #20 above stated, “. . . (C)an’t anyone other than the Repubs have opinions?” It seems most Republican politicians would answer, “Only if you agree with us, otherwise your opinions don’t count and are unpatriotic!!” To that we’d answer, “What happened to the Americans’ time-honored right of freedom of speech and to peacefully dissent?”

    May the coming ’06 and ’08 elections restore true democracy to our shores!!

  • “The only person you have succeeded in making look like an idiot is yourself.”

    Who needs opposition research when the other side hands you the tools to defeat them. One of McCain’s strongest suits is his likability. He is perceived as GENIAL and RESPECTFUL, even if you are from across the aisle or on the other side of an issue. We now have three clear examples of how he can be anything but: Rohe, Zengerle, and Obama. Granted, Rohe’s instance does involve his Chief-of-Staff and not McCain himself. But CoS’s are extensions of their bosses. If McCain drops Salter like a hot potato as a result of this comment reply, then I’ll cut him some slack. But I doubt that will happen. In the meantime, we have found his Achilles’ heel to his public likability persona.

    Btw, didn’t his speech comment on how people have the right and ability to disagree in America and should not be attacked? (Have to go back and take a look at that.) If so, how deliciously hypocritical. LOL

  • GREAT LEADERS OF FUTURE WON’T BE FROM AMERICA — Weak, Mediocre Men Lead the USA”
    And our mediocre dissolute leaders will act like all bankrupt aristocrats. They’ll start selling state assets for private gain.

    “A friend of mine once told a college class that nobody ever woke up in 476 A.D. (the date historians define as the fall of the Roman Empire) and said, “Gosh, I’m in the Dark Ages.” His point is plain enough. Transitions happen gradually, and the people who live through them never realize what is happening.
    So it is with Americans. We are living in the ruins of a once-great republic. Now an empire utterly devoid of moral authority, the United States has nothing left but its military power and its capacity to consume on credit.”
    Nor do I agree the people living “through them never realize what is happening.” Oswald Spengler realized what was happening. Adolf Hitler could see “what is happening” in 1919. Plenty of others in all western countries have recognized what is happening all through the 20th Century. It’s the people who don’t realize what is happening who both mock the foresighted and resist changes necessary to stop or alter “what is happening”. They serve as a ready pool of useful idiots for evil minded folks who not only realize what is happening but profit from it, assist it, and speed it along.

  • It may be strange to say this, but…

    I used to feel sorry for John McCain after what the Bush Campaign did to him in 2000. All the stuff about him fathering an illegitimate black child, his wife being on drugs, and turning his military service into an attack on his own sanity.

    But in retrospect, I don’t feel that way anymore. The more and more I learn about McCain, the more I’m glad he got that kind of treatment, because he does it to others, and he deserves it himself.

    Anyone else feel that way?

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