McCain Lashes Out At "Offensive", "Demeaning" Coverage

[filkertom]

Just read this, and then tell me, seriously: Why should we vote for this guy, again...?

Comments

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

To be fair I don't think a person's family should be brought into the debate. It seems a little unseemly and not really relevant ninety percent of the time.

That being said, however, McCain has gotten a pass from the media about a lot of things. Seriously how many people asked him about all his votes against alternative fuels? We've been dependent on foreign oil of thirty years, twenty six of which he's been in office, this makes him a reformer how?

It's becoming increasingly clear that the Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot and they're going to try and play the victim card throughout the campaign. "The big mean media's not fair to me" is going to be the party line, especially with jerks like Rove and his ilk involved.

Though the argument can now be made even more that McCain is inexstricablly linked to President Bush.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

I would argue that when someone campaigns on Strong Family Values (tm), it's not only relevant but entirely appropriate to bring their families into the debate.

But then, I admit I'm a vindictive bastard who's enjoying seeing the Family Values card played against these twits for once.

[hamadryad.livejournal.com]

Me too me too me too me too.

In case that wasn't clear:

I concur. Entirely. With force. I'm a bad person and I love watching these fucks twist in the wind.

[hughcasey.livejournal.com]

And is young Bristol Palin on of "those fucks"?

Because SHE'S the one who's getting the worst of all this.

Obama was right... leave them alone.

[hamadryad.livejournal.com]

No, in this case "those fucks" are the ones who threw a vehemently pro-life, anti-science, abstinence-only woman at McCain, and him for desperately grabbing her, without vetting her thoroughly first, and ending up with a real PR nightmare of a VP candidate.

Bristol Palin? Totally shouldn't have to be going through any of this public scrutiny, and it speaks poorly of her mother that she thought accepting the VP spot - with the EXTREME publicity the position entails - was a good idea.

[capplor.livejournal.com]

This isn't the first time that the "family Values™" card has been brought out on the "Party of Family Values™" But this is the most play I've seen it get in some time.

Speaking of which, Did you know that Mr. "First Dude" Palin is an Oil Company Executive for BP? Look it up. You'll probably understand why he's being very much downplayed now.

[arensb.livejournal.com]

More succinctly, and more generally: it's the hypocrisy, stupid!

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I guess he's going to save lots of money not having barbecues, then :-)

(Aside: This is the McCain usericon. Do you think we can spread it around LJ?)

[hamadryad.livejournal.com]

Because he spent 5 1/2 years at the mercy of the North Vietnamese and they didn't give him the opportunity most Americans have had to stomp his feet and whine petulantly. HE WAS A POW, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE - why do you hate America and its freedoms?

[tarsa.livejournal.com]

I would bring his POW status completely in question. It's been admitted that his captors broke him down and used him like a puppet. If he's too sensitive to handle questions he doesn't like, how is he going to hold it together during some real stress!?!

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

See, I'm still trying to figure out how getting shot down, captured and tortured makes one qualified to command one of the largest military machines in the world.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Hey, if you learn from your mistakes, and you make a huge mistake, I guess you get big lessons, which theoretically works out to being qualified.

Of course, that only works if you do learn from your mistakes. Which fails to describe McSame in any more substantive way than that he's learned he can't hold to his principles if he wants to be a Republican with support from the base.

[tarsa.livejournal.com]

The difference between being "broken in" and just plain "broken".

[sethb.livejournal.com]

He's running on his military record.

He doesn't seem to understand that it's 0 and 1.

[stevemb.livejournal.com]

Oh, puh-leeze. When your side has conducted the campaign on the principle that there are no rules in a knife fight, it forfeits its right to complain about getting kicked in the balls.

[sdelmonte]

The coverage in general is a bit tawdry. (Sighted at an enterainment webiste when I went to look at something else: New Detains on Bristol's Beau!!!) It always is in this sort of case. It's not fair to Bristol Palin, and I really do feel for her.

The coverage in the NY Times today was pretty fair and focused far more on McCain's vetting process and on the question of how Palin will balance being Veep and being a mother of a special needs child and a grandmother.

McCain's temper and his unpredictability remain troubling. Even if I agreed with his positions, I really don't want a man with that sort of anger in the White House.

Also, I just want to note that Sen. Obama saying right away "hands off!" about the Palin story reminds me why I want him for the job now.

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

Obama's reaction really impressed me as well.

I've been waiting close to twenty years to hear someone say those things and actually mean them.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Also, I just want to note that Sen. Obama saying right away "hands off!" about the Palin story reminds me why I want him for the job now.

And once again, we snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like only we can!

How many times do I have to say it? "The reason it's called the high road is because it leads off of a cliff!"

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

There are times and places to abandon the high road. And they often end up being the Mines of Moria -- they'll get you there, but at a high price.

Not that I object to the Obama campaign hitting the weaknesses of the McCain campaign -- though doing it right would require 24/7 coverage, just to air strikes at enough DIFFERENT weaknesses.

But focusing on Mom's stated positions ought to be the focus, without dragging Bristol in any more than is necessary.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

If you're going to change the rules so that knives are allowed, don't start whining when it turns out you're a hemophiliac!

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Sure. And if you think you're in a knife fight, don't be shocked when someone goes Indiana Jones on you.

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

How many times do I have to say it? "The reason it's called the high road is because it leads off of a cliff!"

"Because they're doing it too!" wasn't a good excuse when we were six, and it's still not a good excuse. If it's wrong it's wrong.

You know that oft-quoted Nietzsche line about being careful when looking into the Abyss? Metaphorically speaking, I suspect that right about now the Abyss is giggling like a schoolgirl huffing nitrous.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

"Because they're doing it too!" wasn't a good excuse when we were six, and it's still not a good excuse.

No, but "Because that's how it bloody-well WORKS!" is.

But alright then, here's hoping your sense of propriety will be enough to help you hold down the vomit that comes bubbling to the surface of your esophagus every time you have to say "President McCain" for the next four years.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Ehhh....I love watching the democrats grow a pair and respond in kind. But in this case, it seems to me we don't have to.

There's been about six Neocon Barbie scandals come to light in the past four days; we can leave the silly family skeleton alone and still have plenty of talking points.

Besides, the story is already out there in the media for the gossipmongers to do the real damage. We, or at least the Obama staff, can be safely above the fray.

This is one case where doing the right thing doesn't have to be political suicide.

As far as Troopergate, AIPgate, Sales-taxgate, Pledgegate, Bridgetonowheregate, Creationismgate and Inexperiencegate, those are all fair game

[zibblsnrt.livejournal.com]

Right, because victory in the election depends on the willingness of the Democrats to drag a minor through the mud in an overblown public spectacle.

If that was actually the case the Democrats would fully deserve to lose either way.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

If that was actually the case the Democrats would fully deserve to lose either way.

Ah yes, since it's always the candidate that deserves to lose that winds up losing in Presidential elections.

[marahsk.livejournal.com]

on the question of how Palin will balance being Veep and being a mother of a special needs child and a grandmother.

Yeah, because all the male candidates get asked how they will balance work and family.

[alymid.livejournal.com]

I will say that some of the coverage of Sarah Palin HAS been offensive and Demeaning (vilpf?!).

Some of news media and the blogverse doesn't seem to be able to stay away from stupid sexist shit, where there really are plenty of entirely legitimate issues about her to complain about.

OTOH its amusing to me to see the republicans complain about the news media, now that (in my eye) they seem to be getting the same treatment that the Dems have been receiving for a while.

Liberal Bias - my ass!

Palintology

[capplor.livejournal.com]

lemmozine came up with a new word to use for the McPain campaign here: http://lemmozine.livejournal.com/23264.html

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

To be fair, it was his campaign manager that lashed out. Kind of like how Obama's campaign manager lashed out at Palin the day after she was announced as McCain's running mate, comments which Obama later asked to be rescinded.

[concertigrossi.livejournal.com]

Have you read this (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/an-wasillan-on.html#more) about her?

This is starting to defeat even my strong stomach when it comes to being able to laugh at politics.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Ahhh...I was wondering where her insanely high approval rating came from:

Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

[admnaismith.livejournal.com]

Uh...

"The insinuation that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, would get angry at the press, is OUTRAGEOUS!"

[fredhuggins.livejournal.com]

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain (http://www.theonion.com/content/video/old_grizzled_third_party?utm_source=embedded_video)

[maiac.livejournal.com]

What McCain's campaign manager said: "It used to be that a lot of those smears and the crap on the Internet stayed out of the newsrooms of serious journalists."

What he meant: "It used to be that a lot of those smears and the crap were okay because they were used against Democrats."

I don't recall McCain objecting to the snooze media repeating and magnifying the smears against Clinton, Gore, Kerry, or Obama.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

It's really rich to see that the McCain campaign is whining that the media hates them and loves Obama when the ONLY REASON that McCain is giving an acceptance speech rather than a concession speech this week is that the mainstream media loves him so much that they only broadcast his manufactured message and don't bother to talk about how he's abandoned every principled position he ever had to get to where he is now. The principled maverick who wouldn't suck up to the Republican establishment sold out at the 2000 convention and hasn't been seen since, but it sounds so good in a sound bite that the media just keep broadcasting his campaign slogans and calling it news.

As for the thing with Palin's daughter, I really don't see what the fuss is. Palin says she doesn't believe in abortion, her daughter gets pregnant, and she *doesn't* arrange for an abortion. Yeah, it is kinda unusual when a wingnut Republican actually holds to her stated values when they become personally inconvenient, but I don't see how it's a negative story. Is hypocrisy so much a core Republican value that not being a hypocrite when you had a chance diminishes you as a Republican?

[kengr]

I think the "hypocrisy" charges are more for supporting abstinence only sex ed, and being really down on teens who don't wait until they are married. Except when they are your kid.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

The fuss is that Palin is ALSO a believer in premarital abstinence, and her daughter's still single. Which, I suspect, goes to show that kids don't always follow their parents' advice (and is all I have to say about the poor kid).

[danceswithlife]

For me it's that the republicans are describing the decision for a seventeen year girl to marry a boy and have a baby as "the right thing." The right thing is to do what best support the life of the boy, the girl and the baby. I have a hard time believing that getting married just because she got pregnant qualifies.

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

Is hypocrisy so much a core Republican value that not being a hypocrite when you had a chance diminishes you as a Republican?

From all available evidence, yes. Going back at least to Reagan, if not before.

No, they don't have a monopoly -- but they treat it like an art form.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

1. I think the McCain camp is creating the hostility between them and the media because it's not good for him to be so popular with the media. Makes his flip flops and stupid decisions for the past eight years too obvious when he is.

As for the Palin family drama, my heart goes out to that poor girl. But I have two concerns. One is, did her mother already know about the pregnancy when she accepted the position? If so, what does this say about her judgment? And the second is, if she did know, did McCain? Because if he did, I have to wonder if this is a set-up so they can accuse the press of making such a big deal out of a family matter that his choice for VP was forced to withdraw. Leaving him open to choose someone less right wing, without necessarily totally pissing off the entire GOP.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

Yes, and yes. McCain's campaign has stated that he knew about Bristol's pregnancy before the nomination was announced.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

We shouldn't vote for him. But he's not wholly incorrect about the media at large and certain segements of the internet in particular being utterly, completely, disgustingly out of hand in regards to the Palin family. It was bad enough when the misogyny sprang forward within hours, the people wondering how she could possibly be VP "with little kids at home." Then the Days of Our Live bullshit that DailyKos wallowed in like a pig in muck. Now Bristol's pregnancy.

If we keep this up, we're going to hand McCain this election.

[cori-chronicles.livejournal.com]

If he can't take the heat, McCain can get out of the Presidential Kitchen!

[nightmarewriter.livejournal.com]

The core of the first hypocracy is this: The Palin family touts that they are proud Bristol made the "choice" to keep her child... when Sarah Palin wants to take the ability to make that same choice from all of America's women.

And it's also hypocracy when they rush to assure us that she wasn't coerced to make that decision, when they want to make it the law of the land for the goverment to coerce every woman to carry through with every pregnancy, no matter the circumstances.

It is not our business to speculate on any real or perceived failures of judgement on Bristol's part about her getting pregnant. It most likely *is* our business to wonder if Sarah Palin's "Abstinence Only, no Comprehensive Sex-Education" stance is one of the reasons that Bristol is a teen mother. Ironic that the most likely result of that stance is being exemplified in her own family.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Wow. I am shocked, shocked to find that the dickwads in the media and on the blogs are just as repulsively misogynistic toward Palin as Hillary. Just, you know, for the totally *opposite* woman-hate reasons now (iron bitch / fluffy bimbo, battleaxe / Stepford wife, too smart / too dumb, ballbuster / VPILF).

But it does warm the cockles of my cold, misanthropic heart to hear Lee Atwater's godchildren, the spiritual spawn of Karl Rove, bawl and bawl and bawl like the spoiled widdle baybee boyz that they are that It's Not FAAAAAIRRRR that they are getting a few candlepower of the media scruitny they've been lasering at all things non-richwhitestraightChristianmale for decades.