Remember, way back in 2003, when the US had landed in Iraq? Our forces were slowly (quickly?) fighting their way toward Baghdad. The Iraqi’s had a Public Relations man who always wore a military uniform and insisted – very cartoonishly and dramatically – in spite all of the evidence, that his army was fighting back the infidels and in fact, were winning. Every day, this guy came on the tv and would announce a downed airplane, helicopter, a destroyed tank, etc. To listen only to him, you would have concluded that the US was getting its ass kicked. You of course, would have been wrong. One day, that man simply stopped appearing on tv. I sense that McCain is that Iraqi PR guy.
At a certain point, normal people will feel sorry for John McCain. Oh, not in a way that might alter their vote, but in the way we feel bad for someone who colossally screws up. Think of Vinko Bogataj from the opening of the old ABC Wide World of Sports "The Agony of Defeat (the skier who famously wiped out as seen here).
John McCain has run an inept campaign. He has never settled on a message. He has never identified what it is he stands for. His body language emotes condescension and anger. His words are about being a change agent, but for what? His main talking points are rehashed discredited Republican ideas: lower taxes for the rich, reducing or eliminating pesky regulations, free market, endless war, etc. He has not demonstrated a command of any one subject. His favorite lines from every speech and debate is "I know how to....[find Bin Laden, lead a war, lower taxes, blah blah blah]. It does seem a little like blackmail as he withholds this vital information (how to capture Bin Laden) unless he is elected. Why hasn't the CIA come to him and DEMANDED he tell them how to do it!!! As an aside, my nine year old daughter, who has been watching the debates with me asked during the second debate, "If he knows how to do so much, why hasn’t he done it?" From the mouths of babes. He seems to be in a permanent state of denial. And no, I don’t want a president like that.
I like to watch HBO’s Bill Maher program every Friday night. For those not familiar with the format, he has a three guest panel every week. He typically tries to get a lefty, a righty, and a journalist (presumably independent). He doesn’t always succeed in that endeavor. Regardless, if you watch the show long enough, you’ll get a sense that the Republican guests are often mean spirited in their language and ideas. It’s one thing to like lower taxes so you have more money for yourself, it’s another to be indifferent to the people whose lives are effected by public policy decisions. McCain strikes me as indifferent. He went three debates and never mentioned "middle class" once. That’s about as big a poker tell as you can get. He just doesn’t care for "Joe the Plumber" (who doesn’t even have a plumbing license, by the way!) or "Joe Six-Pack." I am happy that the Reagan Revolution has ended. In theory, I like some of the Republican ideas. I simply can’t stand the people who righteously try to deliver them. I can’t wait for McCain to be put out of his misery. I suspect he can’t wait for it either. Afterall, he’s achieved the goal I assume he set out to achieve: he will permanently be in the books of presidential history. As a loser.
On a completely different note, can someone out there help me with something? Republicans believe principally in less government interference, right? Why then do they want the government to force all women who get pregnant to have the baby? Isn’t that the ultimate in government interference? I don’t get it.