Newsweek’s Alter: ‘McCain should stop lying about his opponent’
Two weeks ago, it seemed Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter had just about had it with John McCain. The columnist said he’s “misread McCain,” who, it turns out, is “a surprisingly immature politician” who may not be “ready to lead.” Alter’s piece concluded that McCain had “mortgaged his precious personal honor.”
But underlying Alter’s argument is that McCain is still a good guy who’s been led astray by irresponsible advisors who’ve led him astray. McCain’s ugly campaign is “out of sync with the real guy
,” Alter said.
In his new column, Alter takes McCain to task for “making stuff up about Barack Obama,” and this time, Alter doesn’t make excuses for the Republican nominee.
As usual, news organizations are deeply afraid to say that one side is more negative than the other. Doing so sounds “unfair.” It’s much easier, and less controversial, to say that “both candidates” are being negative. That would be “balanced”, but also untrue. […]
[O]verall, and to his credit, Obama has not engaged in anywhere near the number of falsehoods as McCain.
For about a month, McCain’s campaign has been resorting to charges that are patently false. When Obama traveled abroad in July, to positive reviews, McCain decided he had to make attack ads that went far beyond the norm. In the past, plainly deceptive ads were the province of the Republican National Committee or the Democratic National Committee or independent committees free to fling mud that didn’t bear the fingerprints of candidates. But not this time. These smears come directly from the candidate.
The litany is no doubt familiar to those watching the campaign closely. McCain lied about Obama being responsible for gas prices. Then about Obama’s treatment of wounded U.S. troops in Germany. And then again about Obama’s tax policies.
[W]hen he resorts to these kinds of falsehoods, and casts such aspersions on his opponent’s patriotism, John McCain is no longer putting his country first. If he were, he would recognize that the interests of the nation require a relatively truthful campaign. To fulfill his image of himself, McCain should stop lying about his opponent. For a man with his claims to honor and integrity, that’s not too much to ask.
I think McCain has lost Jonathan Alter.
I’d just add that his column reminded me of the discussion we had a couple of weeks ago about what Obama can and should do about this. McCain has not only given up on a sense of decency, he’s given up on telling the truth altogether. He just doesn’t respect Americans enough to be straight with them, and doesn’t have the character to run an honorable race.
But for one candidate to call another a liar, regardless of merit, would be a very big deal. Jonathan Chait recently argued that Obama should do it anyway.
Thinking more about this McCain tire gauge lie, I’m wondering why Barack Obama doesn’t just outright call McCain a liar. All politicians spin
, some more aggressively than others, but McCain’s claim that Obama’s energy policy consists of urging people to inflate their tires is way beyond spin. can’t Obama flat-out say, “John McCain is lying. He’ll obviously say anything to get elected president. American can’t afford another president who has no regard for truth or the facts.”
McCain is only hanging in close in the polls because he’s seen as a straight-talking maverick. But he’s just lying about Obama’s energy plan every single day. He did it again today. Doesn’t this say something important about McCain’s character? Don’t the last eight years show us what happens when you campaign in the Rove style and then try to govern?
I certainly share Chait’s frustrations. It’s more than a little painful to watch a candidate lie
, repeatedly and without shame, even after having been corrected. Indeed, it’s not at all an exaggeration to argue that McCain’s entire campaign has been based almost entirely on a series of egregious falsehoods — about Iraq, energy policy, tax policy, Obama’s character, his own voting record, etc.
But Kevin argued, persuasively, against it.
Sure, Obama could say this. And considering both the depth and reach of Obama’s energy plan, which has been available for months, McCain’s lie is an especially egregious one. But would the press report it that way? Or would McCain claim that, come on, my friends, he was just joshing, and can’t that Obama guy ever take a joke? Perhaps, given the realities of today’s media environment, Obama’s choice of a more tempered response is the better approach after all.
Bob Somerby agrees that Obama is better off sticking to his current strategy.
In our view , Obama did a good job this week, batting aside that “childish” tire gauge stuff and turning the foolishness back on McCain. Getting people to inflate their tires isn’t Obama’s energy plan — but the McCain campaign had been pushing such notions. Though Dowd and Collins were puzzled by this, it was classic GOP politics — the politics of clownish ridicule. In response, Obama employed some ridicule of his own — and made some accurate statements:
“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant…. You know, they think it is funny that they are making fun of something that is actually true. They need to do their homework. Because this is serious business. Instead of running ads about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, they should go talk to some energy experts and actually make a difference.”
It’s dangerous for Obama to make claims about “lying.” (Under current rules of the game, Republicans are permitted to make that claim; Democrats not so much.)
There’s certainly nothing wrong with Chait’s recommendation. McCain is lying. McCain keeps lying. McCain’s sense of honor has been tossed aside
, leaving a compulsive liar who’ll say anything to win in its place. But were Obama to say so, I suspect the media would go berserk, insisting that Obama had “lost his cool,” let his “emotions get the best of him,” and maybe even “cracked under pressure.”
howard
says:there is a middle ground: obama could say “of course john mccain is lying about my record. he’s a republican, isn’t he?” and then go on to make whatever actual point he wants to make.
wvng
says:IOKIFYAR
zoe from pittsburgh
says:Not only does McCain lie about Obama, he lies about his own damn record.
Obama (or a 527) needs to run an ad with a clip from McCain’s speech to the VFW’s the other day where he BRAZENLY and BOLDLY LIES about his (lack of) support for the new GI Bill. McCain takes credit for a bill that he OPPOSED and VOTED AGAINST. Then take his quotes about why he opposed it and let folks know how poor his voting record is overall when it comes to vet issues. McCain can’t be trusted if he LIES TO OUR VETERANS.
This is just too easy– someone needs to get on it NOW. It’s an opening to expose him for the total fraud that he truly is when it comes to vets. Not to mention it’ll totally piss him off and he’ll likely make it worse.
Walt
says:If you really want to make someone mad, make fun of them in public. The Obama statement about the underinflated tires struck the perfect tone: “These guys seem to revel in their ignorance!”
Laugh at them. Call them idiots. Just don’t get mad at them. Calling them liars would have to be done in a very calculated way or else the focus is on Obama as the one who lost his cool. Steve/Kevin are absolutely right.
TR
says:I’m not so sure. As I see it, calling out McCain as a liar would have a number of benefits.
First, as you mention, it strikes directly at McCain’s perceived strength as a “straight-talker” in an almost Rovian fashion. For people who are only casually paying attention to the race at this point — and most would fall here — they don’t see the nuances more obsessed folks like us see. Calling McCain a liar would pierce through that.
Even though the media’s beholden to McCain, all but the most sycophantic of them would be forced to follow up Obama’s charge with the question of well, is McCain lying? Sure, they’d likely pull punches — calling it a misstatement or a mischaracterization — but the issue would be out there. Just like the whole “Is Obama patriotic?” nonsense, the key issue isn’t the answer but the question. Just asking it sows doubt in McCain’s strength, but the answer is pretty clear-cut and that would do more.
Also, because the focus would be on the energy issue, it would help push back against McCain’s practical strength on that cause. Drilling is polling well, largely because most people don’t know Obama’s plan. This would force the press to give some additional attention to that.
And lastly, if Obama smacks McCain down and calls him a liar, it reinforces his image as a fighter. The public sees Democrats as wishy-washy and unable to stand up for themselves and, by extension, unable or unwilling to protect the country too. This would show that Obama won’t take any shit from enemies foreign or domestic, and that he has the balls to fight back.
Alter’s right. He needs to denounce McCain and soon. Maybe he’s waiting for the VP pick to pick up the bat and do the dirty work, but I think this should come straight from the top.
Mick
says:Reported on Reuters:
McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama’s solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.
Maybe 50% of voting Americans don’t want to hear straight talk? Truth can be such a burden.
SaintZak
says:And today John McCain has moved ahead in the polls forthe first time. His tactics work, that’s the problem. When John McCain aired that first commericial accusing Obama of ignoring the wounded troups in Germany Obama should have kicked John McCain in his teeth so hard that he’d be shitting fillings for a week. If McCain aired another patently false commercial or launched another dishonest smear, kick him in the teeth again,only harder. Playing nice doesn’t work,and it doesn’t win elections. Barack Obama doesn’t need to resort to McCain’s deceitfull tactics, but he dooes need to hit back beyond hard. This is no game, and he’s rapidly losing it. John McCain has been alloyed todefine the race and Barack Obama. That never should have been allowed to happen and Obama and the Deomcrats have themselves to blame. There is plenty about John McCain and the REpublicans to honestly evicerate them. The Democrats and Obama need to b grow the balls to do it.
Stevio
says:Liar liar pants on fire…Obama shouldn’t go there BUT the MSM needs to. Alter’s “conversion to reality” is a good beginning. Olbermann’s been doing it forever, and MSNBC launched a pseudo journalist program regular (Can’t remember his name offhand) for outright lying about the context of an Obama speech. Jack Rafferty is catching on and , who knows, maybe, just maybe more journalist with integrity will be close behind. I think we may be seeing this happening because recently McAce’s people have been keeping the MSM out of arms-reach because of repeated miscues by McAce. Did anyone see the oil platform “speech” Ace gave? He was reading it from a piece of paper and sounded like he hadn’t even rehearsed or read it beforehand, once quoting from it that, “this rig produces (long pause) lots and lots of oil and natural gas”. Lots and lots? What a buffoon. This guy is a big faker. I’m beginning to think he’s as bad, if not worse, than Bushit. Definitely in the same category of not being intellectually curious. Come on guys. Lock and load. Expose McAce for what he really is before it’s too late.
petorado
says:It’s not just that McCain is lying his butt off on the campaign trail — he most certainly is — it’s that the genie isn’t going to get put back in the bottle if he got elected. This is the biggest indication that McCain would be a third Bush term: abuse of power and trust aren’t just useful tools periodically, they are simply the ways things are done.
The Answer is Orange
says:I second Walt. The GOP is a bunch of bullies and short of a jab to the nose, they hate and fear being a laughing stock. We’ve seen Camp McCain’s response to slight pressure: Hilton and Spears, “Hot Chicks,” pressure gauges, blatant lies to the god damned VFW of all people and screams of BUT I WAS A POW!!
All this while the country is in deep shit and people really want to hear … well they want to hear some straight talk. Too bad McMaverickety* doesn’t have any.
Obama should just keep the magnifying glass on the McShortFuse and then enjoy the pretty lights.
stevem
says:In order for Obama to accuse McCain of being a liar or a dishonorable person, he’d have to lay a lot of groundwork — the problem is, people think McCain’s Hanoi experiences give him a lifetime free pass on questions like that, as if anyone who’s ever been courageous or tough at any one moment in life is incapable for the rest of his life of doing anything low or cheap or dishonest. I don’t know how you overcome that. (Give examples of honorable people throughout history who’ve turned dishonorable? Benedict Arnold? Who?)
danimal
says:It seems that there is a pretty massive blowback building up in the press rooms. McCain has not only lost his base, he is about to get pummeled by the MSM. About #$%#%% time, too.
The press wants a horse race and they seem to be getting one at the expense of the civic discourse and the truth. Again. But the rumblings are getting louder and the MSM will likely turn on McCain and call him on his campaign bs directly and loudly.
ROTFLMLiberalAO
says:Alter:
[W]hen he resorts to these kinds of falsehoods, and casts such aspersions on his opponent’s patriotism, John McCain is no longer putting his country first. If he were, he would recognize that the interests of the nation require a relatively truthful campaign.
That’s the crux of the catastrophe that is the McCain campaign. Destroying Barack’s character has two purposes:
1) Make victory slightly more possible for McCain in November.
2) Undermine Barack’s ability to govern after November.
It is number 2 that ought to irk anybody who claims to care about the future of this country and this planet.
jhm
says:stevem: I was thinking the same thing, and have come to the conclusion that Hon. Sen. Obama should save up a short (but not too short) list of well documented (YouTubed) instances of outright fabrications on the part of Hon. Sen. McCain and unload on him during a debate. This would both get the MSM talking (at a minimum) and as a bonus, offer the possibility of a McCain meltdown on national television.
beep52
says:“[W]hen he resorts to these kinds of falsehoods, and casts such aspersions on his opponent’s patriotism, John McCain is no longer putting his country first. If he were, he would recognize that the interests of the nation require a relatively truthful campaign.” — Alter
Exactly. He’s plays the country for fools in one last, desperate effort to get his name on that rarefied list of presidents (beats Admiral, you know). As CB (I think) noted a while back, in politics, bald-faced lying is cheating.
amy
says:Don’t call McCain a liar. Point out the many, many times he was “confused.”
John R
says:Like Olberman pointed out last night, a quote right from MCain’s 2002 book where he states It was “ambition” that made him go after the presidency. , the same thing he accuses Obama of -even has it on audio. That shit drives me crazy. Noun Verb POW….=free pass. I can’t take it anymore
Goldilocks
says:He’s not lying, he’s just using the means necessary to defeat his opponent, as any good Stalinist would.
Lance
says:Jonathan Alter wrote: [W]hen he resorts to these kinds of falsehoods, and casts such aspersions on his opponent’s patriotism, John McCain is no longer putting his country first. If he were, he would recognize that the interests of the nation require a relatively truthful campaign.”
That’s just the problem. Republican’ts are convinced, down to the slime at the bottom of their souls, that Democrats in power is never good for this country. Thus, any amount of lying and cheating if fully justified in their sick little minds to prevent the Democrats from again gaining control of the White House.
And you might wonder how Republican’ts came to this incrediable conclusion. Well, it turns out that having a President who reforms Welfare, reduces the Deficit (actually creates a cosmetic surplus with Social Security funds), wins his wars and shows that Government can be competent just makes Republican’ts look bad.
And how can it be good for America for Republican’ts to look bad?
Crust
says:Mocking McCain and his bogus claims is way more effective — and less risky — than calling him a liar IMHO. Pundits can and should call out McCain on lies as such; Obama personally should use a lighter touch.
Diogenes
says:People already think that liberals take everything too seriously. I think Obama has the exact strategy here. He mocks them. He calls them ignorant and laughs. The right wing noise machine is fueled by liberal outrage. When we get mad, they say “Look at how dangerously angry those guys are.” When you laugh, they crumble. All their scripts fall apart.
Mick
says:Exactly. He’s plays the country for fools in one last, desperate effort to get his name on that rarefied list of presidents (beats Admiral, you know). As CB (I think) noted a while back, in politics, bald-faced lying is cheating.
This brings up a point: Does playing by the rules win games, when the game change and your tactics do not? How can you “cheat” when the rules clearly show that the American voting public does not punish those who do “cheat”. And when you tell it as it is, you’re on a high horse or some kind of alarmist.
If the voting public wanted truth, it would not have to go far to find it. In fact, it takes zero effort. It’s called reading.
I think those who lie, are just playing the game within the new definition of the game. It’s not cheating per se, just taking advantage of a ‘human/voting loophole’. It’s what people do to get a head on the competition.
Tom Cleaver
says:Looks like “the media” is indeed getting it – even CNN:
Commentary: Is McCain another George W. Bush?’
http://www.cnn. com/2008/ POLITICS/ 08/18/cafferty. mccain/index. html
By Jack Cafferty
NEW YORK (CNN) — Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.
His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11,
when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and
the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.
Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one
a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at
Saddleback Church in Southern California.
I think he made a big mistake. When he was invited last spring to attend a
discussion of the role of faith in his life with Sens. Barack Obama and
Hillary Clinton, at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, McCain didn’t bother
to show up. Now I know why.
It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our
current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his
answer was a one-liner. “It means I’m saved and forgiven.” Great scholars
have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold
a story we’ve all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a
cross in the sand.
Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which
ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he
offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?
Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump
speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived
71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond
canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.
He was asked “if evil exists.” His response was to repeat for the
umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to
“the gates of hell.” That was it.
He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question — his
wife is worth a reported $100 million — he finally said he thought an
income of $5 million was rich.
One after another, McCain’s answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite.
He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has —
virtually none.
Where are John McCain’s writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our
time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful
consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America’s
moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?
John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at
Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy.
Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being
admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again
whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.
He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the
“Straight Talk Express” for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes.
Unless he’s reciting talking points or reading from notes or a
TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley
or diner — short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that
McCain gets in over his head very quickly.
I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me.
The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose
idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to
tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and see into his soul.
George Bush’s record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of
the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me
most is he seems content with himself.
He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two
wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in
secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of
broken laws and promises, our citizens’ faith in our own country ripped to
shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-
liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.
I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.
chrenson
says:Hey, yo, McCain. You better rub yourself with some Coppertone. Cause you just got burned!
Meanwhile, I think there’s a difference between saying McCain is a liar and identifying the specific statements as lies while distinguishing the Republican Party as the Party of Lies.
So, instead of saying, “My friends, John McCain is a liar,” which is pretty harsh and could be overly abrasive, it might be better for Obama to say, “When John McCain says I want to raise taxes on the middle class he is lying. When he says I am to blame for the high cost of gas he is lying. And this should surprise no one. After all, John McCain belongs to the Party of Lies.” This way we can identify the lies and expose them AND group the entire Republican Party together calling them all liars without naming anyone specifically. There’s a good chance that it could stick, and McCain might get some pressure from the congressional candidates to clean up his rhetoric for the sake of the party.
We were headed in the right direction with “Culture of Corruption” but I think it’s time to call them what they are: “The Party of Lies.” Then you can recite the “litany of lies” [which has pretty good alliteration!] like you’re calling roll.
Just thinkin’.
sparrow
says:Alter may be disillusioned, but McCain still can always count on David Brooks. It’s pathetic to see so many still claim that McCain is being lead astray as if taking personal responsibility for his own actions is meaningless.
Maria
says:Didn’t we have an almost identical discussion a week or two ago? I feel like this post is deja vu, down to many of the same quotes and phrases.
Obama has called McCain and his campaign out on lying, using that very word. He did it first in his lighthearted “they take pride in ignorance” speech and if I’m not mistaken, he’s done it since. It works because a) he keeps the tone amused rather than screechy and b) he says “they’re lying” rather than “they’re liars.” For some reason, identifying a lie is acceptable to the MSM, but calling its perpetrator a liar isn’t. Whatever–Obama seems to have found the right tone in this.
Final Notice
says:“John McCain is no longer putting his country first. If he were, he would recognize that the interests of the nation require a relatively truthful campaign….McCain has not only given up on a sense of decency, he’s given up on telling the truth altogether. He just doesn’t respect Americans enough to be straight with them, and doesn’t have the character to run an honorable race.”
***********************************
Yes, McKKKain is a liar. But let his own words speak for themselves without actually calling him a “liar”. Show him lying, play clips of him lying, play clips of others calling him out for his lies, read short quotes of others who have documented his lies. (then show pics of Bush and McKKKain hugging) Then have the voice over say, “McCain. More of the same. More government that you can’t trust. More politicians that don’t respect you enough to tell you the truth. That’s not what this great nation needs.” (Cut to footage of Obama) Choose Respect. Choose Truth. Choose Change That Puts the People First. That’s Change You Can Believe In. That’s Barack Obama! ”
Let McKKKain’s own words drown him in a river of deceit. And tie his love affair w/ the Bush Admin around his neck to help hold him at the bottom.
Bernard HP Gilroy
says:I’m with those who say that Senator Obama’s touch has been just about right. I’ll admit that the poll numbers are beginning to get worrying and there’s always a fear that the campaign will wait too long to strike back. But an out-and-out assault on Sen. McCain’s untruthiness would backfire. It feeds into “angry black man”; it undermines claims to calm rational judgment; it still lets McCain define the narrative.
Also, with a 20+ year headstart on defining himself, McCain possesses a public image that’s a tough nut to crack. People — including journalists — are invested in seeing him as the good, moderate, maverick Republican. It will take time to undermine that image. One has to pick carefully at the cracks. But once you manage to change the meme, even a little, reality will drive it home exponentially.
Remember, in historical terms, the campaign hasn’t even really begun yet. The Olympics are still sucking up all the media attention. But next week, Obama gets to be first out of the gate. I suspect we’ll be amazed by the dynamism of the
campaign as it truly kicks into gear.
So for the moment, I’m willing to go a little further on faith.
tomj
says:I agree that Obama should call McCain a liar. In fact he has. He has been using it a little, and some of his surrogates are using it.
The reason it should be used, besides the fact that it is true, is that there is no fudge room. If you say someone is lying, it covers everything with a sticky mess. It is easy to say it, it doesn’t require explanation by the person saying it, it avoids nit-picking. But most importantly, it requires pundits or the accused candidate to defend or explain how something isn’t a lie. That is the point: cause your opponent to hedge and add life sucking details to their narrow or misleading or false bluster.
McCain: “Obama would rather lose a war than an election.”
Obama: “McCain is lying”.
McCain: “Obama wants to raise your taxes.”
Obama: “McCain is lying”.
Obama doesn’t need to get down in the weeds on this with wonky details. The pundits love reporting the non-substance, which is in this case “McCain is lying”. You can actually see the pain on some pro-McCain pundit’s faces when they have to report the details.
Some guy on CNN reported on how McCain voted against tax breaks for Big Oil, then squirmed and tried to interrupt Wolf as Wolf reminded him that Obama voted for the measure because it included support for alternative energy. He kind of gave a “well when you put it that way…my whole point is kind of destroyed…I’ll try to pretend that part doesn’t matter” response.
hark
says:As others have observed, McCain has pulled ahead of Obama in the Reuters/Zogby poll, so I think it’s important to acknowledge that McCain’s tactics are devastatingly effective. I don’t know if this poll is an outlier, a fluke, or a harbinger of a McCain landslide in November, but it can’t be entirely dismissed because other polls in recent weeks have suggested that McCain is closing fast.
The worst case scenario is that the public now sees Obama as little more than a pleasing, motivational speaker, completely unqualified for the presidency. The next few days should tell, as other polls come out.
But one thing is for sure. Whatever McCain is doing is working, and whatever Obama is doing is not working, and corrective action is needed posthaste, or this one’s gone.
Scott F
says:Not that he’s any heavyweight, but the appearance of Cafferty’s opinion piece is a real turning point in my mind for popular opinion making (Olbermann’s “Grow UP rant was pretty good as well but it was to the choir). For those of us following this thing (and Steve B has been documenting this well), the hiring of Steve Schmidt was the turning point for the present state of McCain’s campaign. If they win, he will be the hero. They shut McCain up and went negative.
The end result are the current poll numbers. It was a broad frontal assault by McCain’s handlers, part whispering campaign, part distortion, part mocking, part message. It took a while for it to get traction, but you could feel it having any effect as Obama was on his foreign trip. The MSM, being way behind the curve finally brought the game plan to fruition only in the last weeks. Saddleback was the high water mark. It took a little more than a month. Was it enough for McCain? Maybe?
I certainly remain worried that Obama’s folks are not up to the task (as Clinton feared). Schmidt’s hire should have been a clear warning shot to them, and, if it was, they did precious little about it that I can tell. Instead they seemed caught off guard at the sudden shift.
Since his return from vacation, the Obama folks seem to be getting the message and we are starting to see some push back. Not as tough as I want, but at least its an improvement. In short, the pushback to finally define McCain is underway and we have to give it some time to work, but it must be relentless and multifaceted. I hope that it goes directly McCain’s alleged core “strength”, his alleged Character. Hell, he’s written a book called Character is Destiny. (Indeed, ask George Bush.) The whispering campaign has already begun with the cone of silence and the cross in the dirt, among other things. The details of his sordid divorce are getting some air time and they aren’t pretty. More of that needs to happen. The Keating Five needs to be played out. There is even a great deal to be made about his days in the Navy and as a POW. McCain’s connection to lobbyists, etc. We have the luxury of playing with the truth, and not resorting to lies.
Then there’s the substance. More substance please, and it can’t just be the economy, or pure ant-Bush. Anyway, I think we are starting to see some early effects of the push back. Alter, McCaffery, Klein, I am now seeing regular comments on neutral sites that assume that McCain cheated a saddleback. Finally, for the big one, hang George Bush around McCain’s neck. He’s petrified of that one. We’ve all seen the The original maverick commercial. If there was anything more mockable then that commercial, please let me know.
hark
says:Tom # 23. I just read Cafferty’s blistering analysis on another site, and he really hit this one out of the park. But I’m afraid Jack doesn’t carry much influence. I think CNN regards him as a cranky, eccentric senior gadfly, revered for his amusing, entertaining outbursts. Just watch the body language and expressions of Wolf Blitzer and the “best political team” members as he delivers his rants. They smile and chuckle, roll their eyes and nod knowingly, as if to say, “There he goes again, our Jack. Pay him no mind.”
JC
says:Alter says “Obama has not engaged in anywhere near the number of falsehoods as McCain.” Are there really any documented times that Obama has engaged in a falsehood of McCain?
Highly Agitated
says:The paragraph where Obama says, “t’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant….” is brilliant.
If I were running his campaign, THAT would be my 30 second commercial. No need for the clichéd political commercials we’re all sick of. Obama’s strength is his ability to move people when he speaks. Play to that strength.
Let every commercial be footage of Obama just speaking the plain truth, calling out McCain falsehoods, and most importantly, tying McCain to the most incompetent president in US history.
Angellight
says:What gets me about John McCain and his lies, especially on his campaign commercials is that HE APPROVES OF THAT MESSAGE! Americans are tired of being lied to. After all we were lied into a war. We demand more from our politicians — truth, honesty, integrity? Is that too much to ask from someone who would be leading our nation? After all do we like being lied to by our spouse, lover, children? I think not. This is the same kind of relationship.
And, you don’t need Washington experience to be experienced. You need to be smart, forward thinking, independent of big business and oil companies, knowledgeable about economics and the Constitution. This election is about taking back the American Dream and getting back to the American way and values — sharing, cooperation, helping your neighbor. It doesn’t take rocket science to know how to get along with other people around the world — just treat others like you would want them to treat you.
‘The massed power of goodwill,
the dynamic effect of intelligent and active understanding, and
the potency of a trained and alive public opinion,
which desires the greatest good of the greatest number
are beyond belief.
This dynamic power has never been employed.
It can today save the world.’
Djwhal Khul
Capt Kirk
says:“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant….” is brilliant.”
And the pride has hyperbolically increased for eight years. Latest example: The “Obama Energy Plan” tire gauges. There’s a strange gleeful pride in Republicans for this sort of childish schoolyard behavior. Worse, they enjoy being lied to, time and time again. Just look at Fox News where they deliberately tune in to hear the lies that they want to hear. All my life I was told (by Republicans) that the government lies to you and you can’t trust them and government should be very small and unobtrusive. Apparently that went out the window early in the Bush Regime and now Republicans deliberately tune in to a government propaganda station to revel in the falsehoods and misdirection. It’s been very bizarre for me to watch. Further, even the slightest questioning of authority is now disparaged by Republicans as being unpatriotic. What happened to integrity in Republicans is my question.
mike
says:I agree . Obama should take the gloves off on this one. The backlash will be there, but the potential for John McCain to be labeled as “Pinocchio” is well worth the risk.
zoe from pittsburgh
says:Obama needs to keep his push-back tough and occasionally funny as mockery is a great tool. While he’s taken a bit of a beating it’s still pretty slight and nothing swiftboat-level.
I think labeling McCain an untrustworthy liar is the best line of attack that we’ve got– although he doesn’t just lie about Obama’s record or ideas (which is to be expected and not really that powerful) but he REGULARLY LIES ABOUT HIMSELF. Seriously, it’s a gift waiting to be unwrapped. It’s the best kind of In Their Own Words ad possible– McCain vs. McCain.
Who is the real McCain? There isn’t a real McCain. It’s all smoke and mirrors the same way that Bush was a fake cowboy. A vote for McCain is a vote for Bush, only he’s older and more arrogant.
Helena Montana
says:“I think McCain has lost Jonathan Alter.”
Not for long, he’ll be sucking up again by week’s end.
Prup (aka Jim Benton)
says:Alter’s columns have been consistently strong, and so has Cafferty — and Cafferty is a well-known figure here in NY who gets listened to. (Unfortunately, NY is already such a certain win for Obama that this doesn’y matter as much as it should.)
And yes, McCain has been getting traction because of two issues that I’ll discuss further in the “Don’t Panic” thread. But I have been saying something repeatedly, and I’ll say it yet again. TCBR (sadly) was a great ‘backyard barbecue’ where everybody was — except for passing trolls — on the same page. We all support Obama, we all know how much McCain is a lousy, stupid, egotistical liar, and we love talking about him among ourselves.
Unfortunately, this is fun, but — unlike Steve’s reporting and commentary — that’s all it is. We’re a bunch a guys in a bar talkin’ about who Omar should trade for to shore up the bullpen — and (here) that is all. (Some of us have done a lot of work outside the comments here.)
But it isn’t just enough to get on the phones and say “I’m calling from the Obama campaign.” I think most of us have missed what the Rove-Schmidt tactics really are — and I’d call them the Nixon-Agnew tactics, because this is just the latest example of a technique they began.
They lie, blatabtly and obviously. I’m sure they are glad when someone picks up their lies and passes them on, but that’s a side efffect. If somebody calls them on their lies, they don’t care, because the message that gets passed on is not “All Republicans are liars” but “All politicians are liars.” They figure that people who simply tune out to their lies will equally tune out when a Democrat tells the truth about them, figuring it’s ‘just politics.’
They attack the ‘liberal media.’ Again, if they cause the sort of cave-in that CNN has recently done, that’s good, but a side benefit. They are more interested in getting people to tune out there — and, in fact, as Steve has repeatedly pointed out, there ARE plenty of criticisms of McCain in the MSM — even, still on CNN.
(This is why I wince every time I see us criticising the MSM — because we are playing their game and helping them. Criticize them when they are wrong, when they go too softly, etc — but don’t do the sweeping generalization bit. Keith, Rachel, Cafferty, Maddow, Rich, Alter, etc. are telling the truth, but when we slam the ‘corporate-controlled,’ ‘in the tank’ MSM we just emphasize their real message.)
This is why a Limbaugh is so important. Because he isn’t always praising Bush or McCain, he’s saying ‘all government is bad,evil,rotten,useless.’ (When I get Michael Savage drifting into the Mets broadcast, I’ve heard plenty of anti-McCain comments as well.)
Republicans want to turn people off politics, want to get people to listen only to the people next door — because that’s where the Churches and the RR come in. They want to ‘control the flow of information.’ They want to make the stream so goddamn muddy that anyone who swims in it comes out scraping the slime off them — and then they can accuse both parties of pouring in the slime.
THIS is what we have to fight against, and this is what Obama has to overcome. That’s why it is so important for him to stay ‘on the issues’ and only, in passing, call McCain a liar. “Going negative” will make us happy, make the people who already have planned on voting for him happy, but it will just help the Republicans’ plan to disgust everyone with politics so much that they will just tune out anything anyone says — and won’t make the effort to vote.
(I think we already have enough people to win, but I’m getting less and less sure of this. But we can’t help the Republicans to turn the uninvolved, low-information non-voters off more than they are already.)
danimal
says:Prup, you’re right. I’ll add one thing: these tactics are also designed to depress and frustrate Democrats. All these liberals with the vapors at the sign of a mini-surge by McCain are singing from the Rove/Schmidt/Nixon/Agnew playbook. Liberals need to keep the faith and stand strong. Register voters, make phone calls or send a contribution in the face of the onslaught. Especially this year, Republican support is a mile wide and an inch deep. Don’t let the bastards get you down. Fight!
(end rant)
Prup (aka Jim Benton)
says:Missed a close back there, but maybe it needed the emphasis.
joey(bjobotts)
says:Rather than calling McCain an outright liar Obama could hold up a bottle of Sun block and say,
“The holding a tire gauge and calling it my Energy plan would be the same as me holding up this bottle of sun block and calling it McCain’s Health care plan…though it may be for all I know since he doesn’t seem to talk about one.”
Then hold up a dental drill and say, ”
“We might as well be drilling with this for as much as off shore drilling will save us at the pump in say 7-10yrs. But I don’t claim this is McCain’s entire energy policy and wait to have that public discussion on energy policy.”
Mission (of how ridiculous McCain’s statements really are) accomplished.
Gaucho Politico
says:Does it have to be Obama? Aren’t there other Dems out there willing to speak the truth? I know that the press would immediately run to obama and ask him but then its not him losing his cool.
UnknownConservative
says:Wow, I just love how just about everyone thinks Obama can do no wrong, especially the media. I’m not going to say that McCain is any better. Our choices for this election suck. I just hope who ever is running in the next four years is better then these two.
But I just have to say something here. I don’t think one person here said anything about Obama, other than he is a god. This is ridiculous. And Obama did talk about inflating tires. Please read Commentary: Drive naked, save America.
Here are some things people say about Obama and then what is really going on:
‘Barack Obama will bring UNITY to our country to finally get things done!’
Can you name even ONE instance where Barack Obama worked in a united way with Republicans on ANY issue? His positions are so far to the left, there’s no way he could reach out to anyone but extreme left wing liberals. He’s never shown the least bit of interest working with members on the other side of the isle. On the other hand, John McCain has “reached across the isle” numerous times…McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman to name just a few. If you really want UNITY or bi-partisanship, John McCain is definitely your man.
‘Obama is a Washington outsider, which is exactly what we need right now ‘
Unfortunately, Obama has spent SO much time outside Washington that we have absolutely no idea what he would do once he was inside. He was a “community organizer in Chicago, an Illinois state legislator, and a U.S. Senator since 2005. From that to President of the United States? Asked what Barack had accomplished to recommend him for the job, I was told recently that Barack Obama had “organized the Black people.” Hmm. First, I hadn’t realized the Black people were DISorganized? There’s nothing worse than an entire minority group running around helter skelter, is there? So, thank you for that, Barack. That must have been during the “community organizer” days? But when pressed to name specifics on a legitimate accomplishment, Obama supporters are stumped. Even staunch Obama supporter, Texas state senator Kirk Watson, when asked by Chris Matthews on national television this past February 19th, to name just one thing Obama has ever accomplished, Watson couldn’t come up with a single thing. Not one. This was of course, before Chris Matthews felt the “thrill going up his leg” for Obama, and pledged him his troth.
‘Barack Obama is one of the great communicators of our time, he’s a brilliant speaker who can fire up a crowd’
Adolph Hitler could fire up a crowd too. I’m not comparing the two; I’m just saying that’s not necessarily the best recommendation for president. I went to a Barry Manilow concert with my wife once, he had the crowd (well, the WOMEN in it, anyway) pretty fired up. As for Obama’s communication skills, I still like the fact that he communicated to us that we have 57 states, plus one he hasn’t visited yet, plus Alaska and Hawaii…for a total of 60? Had he not communicated that information, I’d be under the mistaken impression we still had just the 50 states. Also the priceless tire inflation communication just might save our nation, as well as the planet.
‘He’ll bring change, and anything is better than Bush, right?’
Uh, wrong. Karl Marx wouldn’t be better than Bush. Neither would Vladimir Lenin. Let’s not forget his quote from the front page of the Wall Street Journal a few months ago: “Globalization and technology and automation all weaken the position of workers,” he said, and a strong government hand is needed to assure that wealth is distributed more equitably. Equitable distribution of wealth talk should frighten to the core all American citizens who love life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The one big bill to Barack Obama’s credit right now is another of his proposals to redistribute wealth. It’s called the World Poverty Act. If passed into law, it would take $845 billion from U.S. taxpayers, and redistribute that money to other nations through the UN. Sound good? If so, we’ll see you in the cheese lines Comrade!
I hope this enlightens some people to what Obama really is. But I doubt that. I will probably just be attacked. I will be called a racist and a hatemonger. Because that is what always happens to anyone who says anything against Obama.
KJG
says:What strikes me about this recent amazement and disillusionment with McCain among the media people discussed, is not so much that they are coming around to the current reality of the candidate and his campaign, but that they were naive enough in the first place to have bought into the huge myth that has always been John McCain. A supposed “maverick” who may have been mouthy all along (the only tangible basis I see for the reputation), but who in reality has been singing the company tune and voting with the majority of his party for years.
He supposedly decries the irresponsible fiscal policies of Congress (with his party in the majority for years) that has led us to a debt crisis of historic proportions, yet has been such a “maverick” that he has never significantly strayed from supporting the policies that got us there. He puts forth his long service in Congress as a plus, yet how does this credit him, if he has failed to leverage his own party into courses of action that would address the national needs he now so verbally espouses he can tackle as president? Yes, he wants the credit for “experience” yet admits he isn’t an expert at international affairs (even apart from his gaffes in this area, occasionally corrected by his lapdog Lieberman). He also confesses that he isn’t an economic expert. So how is long-term Congressional service a credential if you’ve learned little in two essential executive leadership areas, and accomplished little as well? Considered that way, hanging around for a long time is actually a demerit.
And where does this “sense of honor” come from? From his war service? OK, I’ll say it. I for one am very weary of this obligatory saluting his service and captivity in Viet Nam. I opposed the war, and still believe firmly that opposition to it was correct. McCain volunteered to go there, flew missions that are correctly judged to have killed civilians, and when he was captured, he was treated horribly. Is that a surprise? I do not excuse mistreatment and torture of POWs, but I also don’t elevate someone to the pantheon of “heroes” because they endured such treatment and survived. One’s own sense of self-preservation can be largely credited here, rather than some implicit heroism. His numerous medals are known to have been more SOP than earned. And any number of anonymous soldiers in numerous wars who looked out for the well-being of their fellow soldiers, and perhaps paid a high, unrewarded price for having done so, are as big or bigger a hero as he was.
I would credit him a little more for his service in a war he supported, if he were big enough to recognize than many patriotic Americans legitimately opposed it, and by their opposition, helped end it. And perhaps helped bring John McCain home alive, rather than rotting away in captivity for several more years… if he came aback alive at all.
Apart from this overblown hero status, McCain’s myth is fed by some implicit message that his military service gives him strong credentials as a potential national leader in an increasingly endless war on terror. How is that connection made in real terms? He was hardly any closer to the overall management of the war he fought in than I was. And in fact, being a stateside war opponent, I probably saw much more of what was happening in the war and in the national experience after he was captured than he did. He was trapped by the paradox of being a POW – while you are deeply immersed in the war in such a situation, you are in fact uniquely removed from it as well, since your captors are unlikely to be giving you timely objective updates about what is going on. How then does a junior level officer whose total non-captive combat service is measured in hours gain some real credentials for being an effective manager of any war, much less a mismanaged mess of one, with murky opponents, murkier objectives, and no tangible plan on how it can be concluded, “successfully” or not. Not surprisingly, McCain’s plan is warmed-over GWB “stay the course until we win.” Whatever that is supposed to mean.
Again and again this man has shown us over the years that his reputation of being a maverick, a hero, and a man of honor (I suppose we are also to dismiss the Keating scandal to believe the “honor” part) is largely or wholly a myth, woven out of thin material by the man and his handlers. Why so many people who should have known better are now, suddenly, being disillusioned is remarkable. No, John McCain hasn’t betrayed what he stood for while conducting his disgusting, lie-filled campaign. Rather, he is now fully visible – as a “finalist for president” for the first time in his political career – in the position of displaying his true leadership credentials. And those credentials are, like his reputation, vaporware.
zoe from pittsburgh
says:Adolph Hitler could fire up a crowd too. I’m not comparing the two; I’m just saying that’s not necessarily the best recommendation for president.
Seriously, you just discredited EVERYTHING you said when you threw that in there. It’s bogus, it’s insulting and it’s pretty much unforgivable.
UnknownConservative
says:Hitler was a good speaker. That is what helped him get power. And he could fire up a crowd. Are you telling me you have never seen any of the old news reels, where Hitler is talking and the crowd is cheering. I’ve seen them many times. And if that is not firing up a crowd I don’t know what is.
Here read this Hitler . Numerous times this oratory skills are mentioned.
So just because a person is a good speaker doesn’t mean that they should have a leader ship position, particularly the President of the United States.