McCain Gets Mean

In PA: Arlen Specter gets the crowd going....
Specter, the senior senator from Pennsylvania, was talking about his "sense" that Election Day in his state was going to be a rude awakening for Democrats, despite weeks of polls showing Republicans lagging far behind in this former swing state. That's when he let loose with his reason for optimism:

There are a "couple of hidden factors" in this election, said Specter. "The first is that people answer pollsters one way, but in the secrecy of the ballot booth, vote the other way."

Yes. That is what he said, to a chorus of hopeful affirmation. Arlen Specter was openly -- in public, into a microphone -- crossing his fingers, and hoping for racism.

Apparently McCain "funds radicals" too.

When McCain served as Chairman of the Board of the International Republican Institute, distributed several grants to KHALIDI'S ORGANIZATION, in 1998 one grant alone was nearly half a million dollars.

An Appaling Comparison

Daniel Larison:

One response to the ridiculous cover of the latest issue of The Weekly Standard should be digust for the shameless adaptation of an iconic image from the Tiananmen Square massacre for the purposes of shilling for an awful candidate in a democratic election, but it seems to me that this might take TWS‘ democracy-promoting ideology and its alleged support for democratic dissidents far more seriously than they deserve. Of course it should go without saying that it is ludicrous and obnoxious to portray the frontrunner in a reasonably free and open election in the role of the Chinese military squashing the democracy activists of 1989, but then I expect that there is a nontrivial percentage of McCain supporters who think that the comparison is quite apt.

McCain is not standing alone in the path of a tank; he is not a valiant martyr to the rights of conscience and political expression. He is likely to be the runner-up in a large-scale contest for supreme power, and he will lose because most people in this country do not trust him or any other member of his party with that kind of power any longer. The perversity of comparing a man of his wealth and power, who seeks even more power, to a lone dissident engaged in futile resistance against overwhelming force is amazing. This certainly says something about that magazine’s respect for real dissidents in systems where contested and competitive elections essentially free of political violence are not possible. An example of real political dissent and courage is appropriated here for McCain to provide some lustre to the fading reputation of a dangerous and misguided politician.

McCain Adviser on Palin: She's "Going Rogue"

They say she is looking out more for herself than the McCain campaign.

"She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone," said this McCain adviser. "She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else. Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom."

Click here for full story.

McCain Seems To Be Giving Up On Colorado

CNN's John King reports that the Republican team is "making tough decisions" as it sees Colorado as well as New Mexico and Iowa drift away.

Says the campaign's "risky strategy" is counting on Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and a comeback in Pennsylvania.

Obama's Misleading Ad on Medicare

NEITHER candidate should be lying. NEITHER.
UPDATE: 9:44pm, I just saw a revised ad this evening from Obama; now citing (and showing the article from) The New York Times, saying that McCain will cut Medicare benefits. Still, this has been disproven for the most part; so there has to be a better (and more honest) way to get the point across.

Can We Please Flush Joe The Plumber?

In what way is a Doctor & Plumber alike? They both bury their mistakes.

How many plumbers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Three... A boss to tell a plumber, a plumber to tell a helper, a helper to get his electrician friend to do it on the side.

O.k., enough is enough. The man IS a registered Republican (there were stories out that he was not registered to vote, his name was misspelled in the rolls). Even FOX News ran the story that Mr. Wurzelbacher not only does not hold a plumbing license, but has never applied for one, or an apprentice license, for that matter. The also report that he owes the State of Ohio approximately $1200 in back taxes. He voted Republican in the primary.

Even with all of that, McCain won't give up. He mentioned it last night on Letterman, and at a rally in Miami. Sarah Palin, also, is, along with going nutty (sorry, it's the joke-of-the day post, apparently) about ACORN still, is championing her new "Joe".

EVEN SARAH PALIN IS "OVER" IT....

The Alaska governor said the election in 18 days “is the choice between a candidate who will raise your taxes and that threatens our future, and a leader who’s going to Washington to work for Joe the Plumber, as you heard a lot about last night. And I, I begged our speechwriters, ‘Don’t make me say Joe the Plumber, please, in any speeches.’

“And I was asked, ‘Just one time, just at this fundraiser.’”

McCain's Roast of Obama at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner tonight in New York's Waldorf Astoria.



Obama's Roast of McCain.


Click here for McCain's closing statements.
Click here for Obama's closing statements.

You're Right, Racism Charges Against The GOP Are Completely Unfounded. Really.

Will they never learn? Oh.... The Hypocrisy.
Another one from the GOP in Virginia
And Virginia Robocalls, from the GOP AND the McCain/Palin campaign......
Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans. And Democrats will enact an extreme leftist agenda if they take control of Washington. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the judgment to lead our country. This call was paid for by McCain-Palin 2008 and the Republican National Committee at 202-863-8500.

The "New" Voter Intimidation 8:56pm

A (Daily Dish) reader writes:

I live in Charlotte NC, where today is the first day of early voting. I drove by two polling places before 8 this morning and they were both completely mobbed. My husband has driven to two others in his attempt to vote today, and the scene has been so ridiculous that he has given up and will try again next week. At two of the spots where he tried to vote, he witnessed and was approached by two exceedingly aggressive McCain/Palin volunteers who were pulling people out of line, handing out brochures, and telling them "You really need to think carefully about your vote. If you plan to vote Obama, we would ask that you read this material and reconsider your vote."

At one location, after approaching my husband aggressively, these volunteers were forcefully asked to leave by an employee and were told the police would be called if they did not cease and desist. None of this is indicative of anything, obviously. I just thought it was interesting. I have voted in three presidential races since I have lived in Charlotte, and I have never been approached by anyone campaiging so close to a polling location. Desperation, perhaps?

And another one with a slightly better experience, but still words of caution.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008

8:16pm
THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
Ta-Nehisi Coates Shares What Brought Him To Tears Today.
"Seriously guys sometimes we forget. Here's a note from a reader:

My father (85 year old African-American and, in fact, a "public
intellectual" who helped coin the phrase "African-American" 40 years
ago, a phrase we now take for granted on our census forms) and his wife
(77 old European-American, the term they both hope will replace "white"
someday, and life-long civil rights activist and academic) voted this
morning in Atlanta, GA. My stepmother emailed me this morning to tell
me about their experience, early voting, getting "fragile elderly"
treatment from the poll-workers, wishing she could kick up her
septuagenarian heels after casting her vote.

I sat in my office, reading her email, and wept. Then, I went down the
hall to my colleague's office, sat down, and wept. After seven decades
of constant struggle, my father walked into that booth and knew that his
life's work was now done. My stepmother can think of every person who
secretly and not-so-secretly thought of her as some kind of race
traitor, smile and think "I told you so!"

Obama will win, I'm sure he will. But today, my parents did. I am so
deeply, deeply grateful."
2:04pm
BILL MAHER'S NEW DEBATE RULES.
12:36pm
McCain YouTube Video; McCain declines to disown Obama-Osama comparison.
12:30pm
Florida Republicans start distancing themselves from McCain campaign.
"Even Gov. Charlie Crist, who helped deliver Florida for McCain during the primary, said he will be spending more time minding the state's weak economy than campaigning for the Arizona senator in the final weeks before Election Day."
10:56am
AN "OBAMA MONKEY" YESTERDAY AT A PALIN RALLY?
Yes folks, it is true, and here is the YouTube video to prove it. As Ta-Nehisi Coates says; it is not the one lone nutcase that is the problem; the world is full of wackos. It is the CROWD that allows it to happen.
"I wasn't going to post about this guy with the Obama monkey-doll. Then I watched the video again, and noticed something. There is nothing troubling about one lone racist nut in a crowd. What's troubling is the crowd. Dig how they just look on and smile uncomfortably. No one confronts him. This is the banality of evil, no? It isn't the guy doing the deed. Its the enablers who give comfort and haven to spew his hatred. On one level, I'm thankful for them. Anyone, who wants to now say that an Obama election proves that racism is dead will have to contend with this last week. And it isn't the nuts that this person must contend with---it's the crowds, the crowds who silently, and sometimes not so silently, just stand by and let it happen. They are all, to a man, cowards."


10:43
EPIC FAIL.
Andrew Sullivan calls out the overall result of the o-bomb-a-palooz-a with this link to an ABC News.com article. In his previous post, he refers to Bill Kristol's hypocritical article from yesterday calling for McCain to go positive. This after calling for McCain to go negative, just a few days ago. A gem from the press released snippet of McCain's new speech:
“The national media has written us off.,” McCain says in excerpts released by the campaign. “Sen. Obama is measuring the drapes and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we’ve got them just where we want them.”
10:35am
Is McCain going to pull off his new "Feisty" speech?
Mike Allen @ Politico.com thinks "it's more like hitting the panic button".
9:57am
Hearing A Lot About Reagan, Lately?
Larison on "The Power of Myths".

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008

8:40pm
GUILTY
Sarah Palin is found guilty on counts two and four; abusing her power and failure to comply with the request for emails. (10 Republicans, 4 Democrats comprised the committee).
9:50pm
MCCAIN'S CAMPAIGN: STILL PLAYING THE GAME
Unbelievable. Absolutely un..be..lie..va..ble. Two different McCain campaign staffers bring up the "cling to religion and guns" b.s. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers says:
“Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about. He dismisses hardworking middle class Americans as clinging to guns and religion, while at the same time attacking average Americans at McCain rallies who are angry at Washington, Wall Street and the status quo."
8:02pm
McCain Corrects Crowd, Is Booed; Corrects Again.
John McCain, faced with a woman who said she's scared of Obama, that he's an "Arab", takes away her mike and sets things straight. Not without looking like he was scared to death; I told my husband that he gained back a few of the countless points of character he's lost; he seems to realize how far things have gone and that he has a duty to reign his base back in.




7:04pm
"TIL DEATH DO US PART"
A "love letter" to McCain, but you'll never guess who it's from.
12:45am
McCain's Ties To Group Implicated in Iran-Contra Affair
McCain served on the Board for the U.S. Council for World Freedom as a freshman congressman.
12:52am
Cindy McCain's attack on Obama/claim of PTSD being for "18-year-olds"

"THAT ONE"

Take what you want from the statement "that one", but TPM was all over the handshake that wasn't tonight, after the debate. And when you hear CNN's voice over; it does seem pretty clear McCain can't bring himself to deal with Obama personally. I call it a Dennis The Menace complex; grumpy old man, I don't think it was racial at all.
UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan posted a picture of them shaking hands at the very end while still in front of Brokaw (remember they were in front of his teleprompter? And Andrew rechecked his DVR and confirms this; so I'm also removing the TPM video. You can link to it above, because it still shows some disdain, in my opinion, but it makes more sense why there was not a handshake.

Ok, between my daily posts and the debate posts that I'll start in about an hour; a video on YouTube from TPM------ "How Low Can You Go", starting with both John and Cindy McCain's promises not to go "negative". Did they keep the promise? Not so much.

McCain's Health Care Plan: Medicare and Medicaid Spending To Be Reduced To Help Pay For Tax Credit

Karl Rove's Electoral College Map

If McCain wins ALL of the 102 "toss up" states on Rove's map, Barack Obama still wins. (Rove shows Obama at 274 now, McCain 163, and "toss up"s 102.

Update: 10/6/08 1:30pm CST:

McCain's Epitaph?

From the NY Daily News ...

McCain's course correction reflects a growing case of nerves within his high command as the electoral map has shifted significantly in Obama's favor in the past two weeks.

"It's a dangerous road, but we have no choice," a top McCain strategist told the Daily News. "If we keep talking about the economic crisis, we're going to lose."

--Josh Marshall

What About Keating? Wonder No Longer.

AP Slams Palin For "Racially-Tinged" Remarks

AP Slams Palin Hard for “Racially Tinged” Remarks

“…her attack was unsubstantiated and carried a racially tinged subtext that John McCain himself may come to regret.”

“Palin’s words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee ‘palling around’ with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn’t see their America?”

“Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as ‘not like us’ is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.”

“When the 2008 campaign is over McCain might regret appeals such as Palin’s perhaps more so if he wins.”

477 Tax Increases

This hasn't been factcheck.org 'd yet, but this video says that using the same methodology McCain used to state that Obama voted to raise taxes 94 times, McCain has voted to raise taxes 477 times.

Palin Found Out Today About McCain Pulling Campaign From Michigan

I haven't seen a lot about this, but in an interview with Fox's Carl Cameron, she said, "when I read that this morning".