I’ve been trying to get a better sense of why John McCain’s relentless attacks irk me so much. It’s not that I expected McCain to run a substantive campaign, and it’s not that I expected McCain to be an honorable candidate.
Mark Kleiman wrote something the other day that rings true for me, and touches on why I find the McCain campaign so offensive: “In politics, lying is cheating.”
I think that’s exactly right. There are degrees of cheating, of course. When the Bush administration uses the Justice Department to bring criminal charges against Democratic candidates (or go easy on Republican candidates) shortly before an election, that’s obviously and literally cheating. When the Nixon White House orchestrates the Watergate scandal, that’s obviously and literally cheating.
But in a more principled/philosophical sense, lying is cheating, too. Voters look to the candidates for information. The media passes along this information, but has largely abdicated its role as a “referee.” If a candidate deliberately deceives as many voters as possible, it is, in effect, playing fast and loose with the rules.
McCain’s brief interview with ABC helps highlight all of his least honest tendencies.
“Those ads really were focused on two things. They were focused on the fact that Sen. Obama wants to raise taxes, and I’m opposed of it. And he opposes an energy policy which would work, including offshore drilling. So the message there is there’re stark differences between myself and Sen. Obama.” […]
“We’re not gonna allow racism to come into this campaign in any form,” McCain said. “And so I’m gonna respond if it comes up again.” […]
“Well, the fact is he still opposes offshore drilling,” McCain said. “He opposes nuclear power. He opposes most every measure, incentives to build a battery-driven car. So, I’m not surprised that he’s hedging on this issue. But the fact is he still opposes offshore drilling…. Sen. Obama is still opposed to a comprehensive energy plan,” McCain claimed. “It seems to me the only thing he wants us to do is inflate tires” to improve gas mileage.
As Digby put it, “I am really starting to hate this unctuous, double-talking creep.”
I mean, really. It’s tough to keep up, but just try to count the lies:
“Sen. Obama wants to raise taxes.” Ideally, this would be the point at which the ABC interviewer would step in and say something like, “Well, Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthy, and has actually proposed bigger middle-class tax cuts than you have, Sen. McCain.” But because reality has a well-known liberal bias, the truth is left out of the broadcast.
“[H]e opposes an energy policy which would work, including offshore drilling.” And this would be a good point for the interviewer to note that no one, not even the Bush administration, believes additional coastal drilling would “work” at reducing energy costs.
“We’re not gonna allow racism to come into this campaign in any form.” That would be less ridiculous, if McCain weren’t so deeply engaged in racial politics.
“He opposes most every [energy policy] measure.” Well, actually, Obama only opposes the dumb measures.
“I’m not surprised that he’s hedging on [coastal drilling].” Actually, Obama’s not “hedging” at all — he knew increased coastal drilling was wrong before, and he knows the same thing now. He’s willing to compromise, though, in order to get a comprehensive package through Congress.
“Sen. Obama is still opposed to a comprehensive energy plan.” In our reality, the opposite is true.
It’s mildly interesting that McCain gave his word to the nation that he would run a substantive, honest campaign, and then completely abandoned his promise when he saw some poll results he didn’t like. But it’s far more interesting that McCain’s campaign strategy is based on little more than a massive con job. I care that McCain is relentlessly negative, but I really care that he’s relentlessly dishonest.
Digby concluded, “At this point I don’t care if Obama flips on every single issue, I will do everything I can to see this jackass defeated.”
I think that’s precisely the right attitude.