McCain's Mistake

McCain already did very badly just by displaying such contempt for Obama and starting so many statements with direct insults. I think he was trying to anger Obama. Rage--that's ground that McCain understands. You could see that by how close he seemed throughout to blowing. He seemed insulted just to have to stoop to this, and we all know how well an entitled attitude worked for Hillary. And then his frequent interruptions of Obama, and his obvious waiting-to-talk. And a number of easily disprovable lies, such as the one about supporting solar energy, as well as claiming that he will not raise any taxes, which will now be impossible no matter who wins. And his time at the Hanoi Hilton, which he brandishes like a cross against a vampire.

But the spending freeze(remember, without raising taxes!) sticks out in my mind because of its sheer absurdity. Everything but the military, national security, and vet's benefits? Really? So he's going to close down every federal agency, just for beginners? Does he know what that would entail?

Of course he does and he knows it's absurd. But his base thinks that the government only spends on silly projects, forgetting the salaries of all federal agencies, forgetting infrastructure, and so forth.

What will definitely stay will be the tone. And McCain sounded like, well, some old jerk, and Obama sounded like a president-to-be. The dynamic was very much like the 1992 debate between Clinton & Bush in which Clinton used the "have you no shame" line. Condescension doesn't work in these situations. It's audible sweat. And his constant harping on his experience, which he talks about in lieu of actual ideas that might fix the problems we face, leaves one with the impression that he's delineating this path he's been on so that we might realize that he's earned this, that we should give him the presidency as his rightful career-capping prize. And that's always an endearing attitude.

McCain was hammering more nails into his own coffin, which is a neat trick.(it is something he'd do though if you picture it literally; thinking he was taking firm action, he'd instead have simply denied himself even a resting place) I do believe he'll keep those dang kids off my lawn, if I had one, but otherwise he didn't exactly inspire even abstract confidence tonight. I mean, I couldn't even see how a Republican would feel stoked.

He looked so angry, like he was imagining his hands around Obama's neck. He looked like he was going to burst into rage at any moment. Obama's pretty smart, just mostly letting McCain be his own worst wrecker, and the media have not let up against McCain & Palin since blood was scented.

When Katie Couric manages to unmask a candidate so ruthlessly and with so little effort, you know they're toast. Cold toast at that, which is hardly appetizing. I mean, think about it--Charles Gibson and Katie Couric. Morning anchors, at their hearts--that's the telepersonality they project even now that they're evening anchors. Cheerful, affable, lightweight. (As Couric's a woman that hurts her a lot.) And both of them, without any particular plan, it seems, to "get" Palin, GOT her.

McCain's campaign is nothing but a placeholder. The GOP doesn't want to clean this up. And we all know how they love to leave a huge mess for a Democrat to expend most of their energy, and terms, fixing, and then take them down before they get to any of their actual plans. And then the GOP comes in and go bulimic with whatever surplus has been created, then: Rinse, repeat.

God, what bastards. I'm sorry, but there is a difference between the parties. One is a recognizable political party, however flawed. The other is basically a gang of high-school bullies writ large.

Meanwhile, here's a preview of the Palin/Biden debate. Oh wait, this is Palin's fantasy of how it ought to be conducted.

Labels: election 2008, politics

¶ September 26, 2008