Until this week and even though he’s a fine man, we credited ex-Sen. George McGovern with running the worst presidential campaign we’d ever seen.
Thirty-six years later, Sen. John McCain has displaced McGovern for that dubious distinction, winning his wilted laurels with spectacular buffoonery.
McCain was well on his way to grabbing the bottom honor when he picked Gov. Sarah (”I can see Russia from my home”) Palin as his running mate. But the squirrely senator’s antics this week clinched it for him.
First, there was McCain’s grandstanding campaign “suspension” and announcement he wouldn’t show up for tomorrow’s presidential debate. His reason? McCain said he needed to rush back to Washington to save the economy — something those working on the Wall Street bailout deemed neither necessary nor particularly welcome.
Then, there was this:
Wow. In one swell foop McCain managed to P.O. David Letterman big time, making a complete fool of himself in front of an audience of millions; annoy Senate colleagues who’ve put in plenty of overtime doing the hard grunt work on the bailout; and throw in doubt whether and when the long-scheduled debate would be held.
But that’s not all, folks. That $700 billion financial markets bailout McCain said was in grave danger of not passing? The plan he said was so crucial? The plan McCain was in such a sweat to return to the Senate to help pass that he suspended his campaign?
Well, get this:
Yeah, McCain hasn’t even bothered to read Paulson’s one-paragraph plan. And you thought Bush was a raging incompetent.
With this week’s antics McCain has not only shown himself to be shabbily deceitful and incompetent, he’s turned himself into a laughingstock and his campaign into a farce.
Memo to the Democratic Party: Better have a large army of people out watching polling places and voting machines on election day. We’re fast reaching the point at which stealing the election will be the Palin-Bush 44 ticket’s only hope.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
The astounding thing is that McCain ‘rushed’ to Washington to join the meeting at the White House and…. said almost nothing. Except by briefly mentioning the House goofus economic plan of right wing Republicans, he sabotaged or blew up the deal. Personally I don’t think McCain knows what he’s doing anymore. He’s always been good at grabbing headlines which, these days, involves nothing more than waving your hands, jumping up and down, huffing and puffing and hollering, “Look at me! Look at me!” That’s not presidential behavior.
So far, while handling an erratic opponent, Barack Obama has been the one with the steady hand. If you’re playing high stakes poker with world leaders or Wall Street, that’s the one you want.
on Sep 26th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Craig, long time no hear from; welcome back.
Yes, Sen. Flipflop McPander followed his New York clown act by helping to blow up the bailout plan. He showed up to get a photo op, not to contribute anything constructive.
And yes, Obama is a class act. Unlike his opponent, Obama shows respect for the office he’s seeking and the people’s intelligence. I just hope people muster enough intelligence to elect Obama — and pass on the chance to see whether Bush 44 could be worse than models 41 and 43.
on Sep 27th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
As far as stealing the election goes: I got an e-mail warning that polling places might turn voters away if they’re wearing any campaign buttons or T-shirt logos that support a candidate. I assume that’s not legal, but that’s never stopped them in the past. The theory is that if somebody gets turned away because of his T-shirt, he probably won’t rush home and change his shirt and then go back to the polling place.
The e-mail I got didn’t have a link, but your post reminded me of it so I thought I’d pass it on.
on Sep 27th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Yes, Tom, Republicans will do anything to win. I heard a rerun of Thom Hartman’s Friday Air America show today. He or his guest mentioned in passing that Republicans in Colorado had circulated a rumor it was illegal for college students to vote. Imagine that!
on Sep 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
I must admit, I am amazed by the depths to which McCain has sunk this campaign season. I don’t know where the McCain of 2000 went or if what we’re seeing now is who he has always been. But I really hope voters get it right this time and that there won’t be any monkey business at the polls in terms of “losing votes” and “equipment malfunctions.” This nation will burn if McCain wins even though the polls show Obama ahead.
I don’t see what’s wrong with optical scanners or paper ballots. This e-voting mess gives me the creeps.
on Sep 27th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
AP, Randi Rhodes started hammering away back last winter about a key factor in dislodging from power the radical-right cabal, which now features Bush 44 and his not-ready-for-prime-time player: Not letting the vote results be close. Because, Rhodes warned, if it’s close Republicans can steal it.
on Sep 28th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
What an insulated bunch of leftists on this site. If you think McCain stiffing a liberal talk show host and leaving the campaign to go do the job he’s paid to do has doomed him, (while Obama promises to come, “Give me a call”) you are so deep in Kool-Aid
you’ll never surface. It’s why you can’t win presidential elections.
Strange alternate world of blind hatred.
on Sep 28th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
As the insulated leftist in charge here, let me welcome you, Rich.
I invite you to actually read my post, because your comment makes it appear you either didn’t read it or you read it but somehow failed to understand the words and watch the videos.
McCain called Letterman up and told him he couldn’t appear on his show because he had to rush back to D.C. to work on the bailout. But McCain didn’t do any such thing. McCain instead went to Clinton’s affair and later showed up in the same building Letterman was in to do an interview with Katie Couric.
What part of “lying is shabby behavior” escapes your ability to comprehend, Rich? Or do you think that because Letterman is a liberal it’s all right to lie to him?
Mccain created a lot of bad PR for himself. Presidential candidates usually try to avoid doing that.
When he finally got to Washington and took part in meetings on the bailout, McCain sat silent until near the end. Then, he made a brief, generic statement that contributed nothing of substance to the negotiations. It became clear he only showed up for a photo op.
If you are satisfied with that as an example of McCain doing the job he’s paid to do, Rich, you might better be concerned with whatever it is you’re drinking.
No blind hatred here, Rich, just criticism where it’s due.
on Sep 28th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
It seems that McCain feels the need to be President, that there’s no shame that can cause him to stop this run.
Just maybe we had better have someone watch those voting machines .
on Sep 28th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Amen, LT. We’d better have a lot of someones watch over the polling places, machines, vote counting — everything.