McCain: Lying Equals Leadership
I just saw some McCain functionary or other defending McCain’s lie to David Letterman by saying, “He didn’t lie, he was being a leader.”
Whoaaa. How did Trig Palin learn to use a computer so quickly?
You don’t think it’s right for McCain to be afraid to debate Obama? I do.
Just as a data point, I had the day off today and saw many McCain ads on TV in the St. Louis area.
So suspending the campaign only means no debate right?
I know that folks believe that JFK won because of his debates, but, IIRC, t’was more 'cause of how he looked vs. Nixon, not 'cause of how they performed. I just don’t see that folks who’re rabidly pro Obama will suddenly switch to McCain 'cause he stumbles in a debate. Same, if not more so, w/McCain. Hell, I didn’t see anyone switching loyalties when McCain kept needing Leiberman’s prodding to get the answer right.
But there are still a lot of undecided voters.
Is there a large contingent of voters who make their decisions based on the results of the debates?
Gallup polls usually show a swing towards one candidate of about 4 points, particularly the first debate. I guess there are crazy people out there who make up their mind by how well the candidates explain their positions on key issues.
Well, what do you expect. It takes time for all those letters telling them to stop to get to the campaign headquarters. Now, if there was only some way to communicate with them nearly instantaneously …
4 points is about the margin of error. I repeat, Is there a large contingent of voters who make their decisions based on the results of the debates?
I don’t either. If I were faced with having to defend Republican policies in public I’d run away too is what I’m saying. McCain is scared because he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, so off he goes making excuses not to debate his opponent.
It seems pretty simple to me, and I am but a naive waif of a Canadian who is likely as not to be overwhelmed by the graceful intellectual ballet that is American politics.
I’m not sure what you want here. “No”? OK. No! Everyone has already made up their mind! Any difference in polls is an anomaly. The debates are dumb! Nobody cares what the candidates have to say, they just want to see melodramatic ads.
The debates so overanalyzed and spun that it’s virtually impossible for there to be much movement. As someone said before, it’s about performing against (highly managed) expectations, not whether they make better arguments.
It would be really cool if we could have a real debate, where points are scored, with no spectators, no talking heads or spin jockeys. Just the candidates, a moderator, and a camera.
I’m not claiming that no one cares, that everyone has made up their minds. I just don’t see any real evidence that performance at the debates have any real effect on the outcome - Bush won. Twice. See?
A major fuckup could make a difference. Remember Jerry Fird insisting that Poland wasn’t a puppet of Russia?
Ok - except that in that sense, McCain’s been in major fuck up mode for the past year and yet won his party’s nomination.
McCain is in the hideous position of trying to pretend he’s a maverick, a beltway denizen of 26 years, who somehow amassed experience at comfortable distance from a whole hell of a lot of bad GOP baggage, e.g. Shrub’s war in Iraq, the economy in free fall, etc.
His big risk with Palin is fraying at the seams too. She’s ludicrously unqualified to be Veep, much less understudy-maybe-the-fucking-President to a very old guy who’s showing dire signs of wear himself. Her recent tentative forays with the press were fiascos, even though they were stringently controlled by the campaign’s handlers. Those interviews were actively painful to watch.
The economic meltdown could not have come at a worse time for Maverick Johnny Mac. His whole schtick is conservatism, fiscal responsiblity, accountablity, all that high-falutin’ stuff the GOP systematically shat on for the past decade. What’s he left to argue with? I’m not suprised he wants to dodge the debate; I am floored that he’s stupid enough to actually try it. Or arrogant enough, perhaps. But look at how many people still defend those two clowns, and are prepared to vote for them. Scarier than hell, actually.
Yes, it seems my earlier post is coming true.
From this NY Times article:
Well it depends on what you mean by “won.” The memorable debate moments aren’t good arguments, but good one-liners. Unfortunate, but I still think they make a difference. I wasn’t sure about Clinton’s chances, for example, until the debates. I remember Clinton saying, “The guy who invented the term ‘voodoo economics’ is now its biggest practitioner,” and the look on Bush’s face. Then in the town hall debate, some lady asked about health care stuff and the moderator asked Clinton if he wanted to elaborate on some attack on Bush and Clinton said, “I’d rather answer her question,” and the lady teared up gratefully. Those were moments that sealed the deal for Clinton.
Debates don’t necessarily make a difference in every election, but they do in close ones. Hell, Bush won in 2000 just by surpassing expectations. He still “lost” if you were keeping score, but he got a bounce because he didn’t puke all over himself.
I think they could make a difference in this one, but I see potentially helping or not helping Obama more than helping McCain. The best he can hope for is they don’t sink him.
(That was supposed to come after wring’s comment several posts back. I spent a hella long time composing my response.)
John McCain’s plan to save John McCain’s Political Career includes more tax breaks and more deregulation according to Bob Orr.
What the fuck, dude? What the fuck?