I love this photo! (Lowell - 10/11/2008 4:20:05 PM)
McCain looked into the face of the flames of hate and violence stoked by his campaign, and sounded a retreat, of sorts.
We've been arguing for years now that the American Conservative movement has run its course. It has been weighed, measured, and found wanting by the scales of history. The Bush Mavericks who promised us a "strong military" lied us into the nation's worst strategic military blunder, destroying the image of America worldwide and re-introducing the term "quagmire" to the American vernacular. These champions of "small government" have proven nothing but deadbeats, bankrupting budgets with their no-tax pledges and profligate spending from small towns to the nation's capitol; their policies sucking $8 trillion in value from the US economy this year alone.
Now, with two of the three pillars of the conservative argument permanently cast like demons into ancient mythology, the final pillar is all that the McCain campaign has had to run on. The current state of their campaign exposes the disgusting truth behind conservatism's last remaining lie: the lie of "family values".
These crusaders for "Family Values" from Foley, to Vitter, to Craig and on and on, have embraced degradation beyond imagining (diapers anyone), but the sickening truth of "family values" is not hypocrisy, but intentional bigotry. From Nixon's "Southern Strategy" to Sarah Palin's "American Exceptionalism", conservatism has, by design stoked bigotry, racism, homophobia, sexism, and antisemitism, by design. "Family Values" as used by conservatism has been a mere smokescreen to cover for intentional divisiveness used to capitalize on lower income, less educated, white males for political gain. The Talibanization of America is intentional and deeply damaging to democracy. It is the core of the "culture war" and the foundation of George W. Bush's presidency, but it has previously had the smokescreen of the neocon war profiteers and market fundamentalists to hide the blatant parochial bigotry.
Now, the rock is flipped, and we see what has been crawling in the dark of American politics. The conservatives without conscience who have been running the McCain campaign have been loading the only ammo left in the conservative arsenal. The angry mobs who had rallied to the McCain-Palin banner with cries of "kill him" "terrorist" and "bomb Obama" remained unassuaged, but tonight in the face of a direct question and false assertion that Obama is a Muslim (he's not), something was touched in McCain. After all of the slime, and smears and repellent lies McCain finally found a basic level of decency within himself. Too little, too late, but it's there. The man's soul is not lost completely. Let the angels smile.
Perhaps now McCain has decided that he is not willing to win in a way that proves him unworthy of victory. Tonight, Anna Marie Cox said, "now McCain has lost the pitchfork wavers... I don't know who he has left." Who indeed? Perhaps, after this election is finished, and he is back in the Senate or preferably out of public life, he'll be glad he didn't entirely lose himself.
Note: My original title for this was going to be The Fish Rots from the Head Down. Sometimes you have to adjust to breaking news even when your thesis remains the same.
This afternoon on the campaign trail, John McCain began dialing back (or began trying to appear to be dialing back) the rising tide of hatred and verbal violence he and his running mate have been whipping up over recent weeks. After all we've seen over recent months, I think it would naive to conclude that McCain did this for any other reason but that the attacks appeared to be backfiring. Perhaps that's ungenerous. But to think so requires a leap of faith, a judgment not grounded in any evidence from the last year of the man's behavior. The aim of such a bludgeoning assault is to force the subject of Obama's relationship to Ayers back to the center of the campaign dialogue. But that's not what happened. By week's end that campaign narrative was all about the ferocity and recklessness of McCain's attacks.There's something else to note too. Over the last 48 hours several name brand Republicans have come out and either chided or denounced McCain's borderline incitement. And given how taboo it is to level such criticism of your own nominee at this stage of the election you have to assume these criticisms were only the tip of the iceberg, with a far more intense and angry barrage of criticism voiced privately.
he's probably right
Although I did get a kick out of the "laud" part - that McCain, at his own rally, was forced to say Obama is a good American, not a terrorist, and not a Muslim. And he got booed for it! Hahahahahahaha.
As the talking heads said last night, McCain has painted himself into a corner and there is no way out. If he continues to push these insane messages and incite rabid hatred he'll lose most Americans. Whether strategy or not, if he does a 180 he'll lose all those who believe this shit, and more importantly, the right wingnut media who have gone balls out selling this message. Can you imagine what would happen if McCain stabs people like Limbaugh and Hannity in the back, after they weren't big supporters in the first place?
At this point McCain can either drive the Straight Talk Express off the cliff or he can throw everyone under its wheels.
Not only that, but Barack Obama drives a Ford Escape hybrid. You know who else drives a Ford Escape hybrid? That's right. Osama bin Ladin. Coincidence?
Not only that, Barack Obama's second cousin once had a summer job at McDonald's in high school. You know who else had a summer job at McDonald's in high school? That's right. Michael Moore.
Not only that, but Barack Hussein Obama has only been married only once, never abandoned his handicapped wife and three children, does not have a gambling problem, and never had a multi-millionaire trophy wife with a prescription drug addiction. You know who else fits that description? That's right. Saddam Hussein.
Obama had better explain these associations, and quick, or McCain's in big trouble.
BTW, the video was taken down and is no longer available. Who pressured CNN and why?
In the video section, click on Countdown, and then the video is from either number 4 or 5 in the list.
I am particularly incensed at the Sheriff in Lee County Florida who incited violence towards Obama at a rally last week. I would like to see him officially fired!!! He has no business being in a police officer's uniform and spewing such absolute hatred and racism.
I am continuing to see signs stolen in my neighborhood in Sully District. Not only are they stolen, they are shredded into pieces and left thrown on people's lawns. Interestingly enough, the McCain/Palin signs remain on the lawns. This is not only theft but it is trespassing on people's private property. We have come up with a remedy by posting a sign on our lawn that says, "Thou Shalt Not Steal" signed God. Another good one might be, "You can steal our sign, but you're not stealing my vote." As the Republicans and McCain/Palin base become more desperate, I'm sure their acts will become more abusive and violent but no matter what they do, I'm convinced that our democracy will prevail and Barack Obama will be elected to be the next President of the United States. By stealing my signs, they only inspire me to get out there and knock on more doors, call more people, and write more letters.