"Do they all get this sleazy? As sleazy as McCain?"

[laststeamtrain]

Either because of age or recent immersion in politics, a lot of readers have asked, is it really usually this bad? Do they all get this sleazy? As sleazy as McCain?

The simple answer, I think, is, No. They don't. I don't think there's any question that McCain's is the dirtiest and most dishonest campaign, certainly in the last 35 years and possibly going much further back into the early 20th century.

You may say, wait, Willie Horton? The Swift-boat smears? What about those?

But here's the key point, one that is getting too little attention. President Bush's father didn't run the Willie Horton ad. And this President Bush, however much they may have been funded by his supporters and run with Karl Rove's tacit approval, didn't run the Swift Boat ads. These were run by independent groups. Just how 'independent' we think they really are is a decent question. But even the sleaziest campaigns usually draw the line at the kind of sleaze they are wiling to run themselves under their own name.

In this case, though, the kind of toxic sludge usually run by one-off independent groups in very limited ad buys makes up virtually all of McCain's presence on TV.

Even setting aside this distinction, McCain's campaign has charted new territory in deliberate lying and appeals to racism and xenophobia...http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/238418.php

[shooter1965]

1. McCain's Morale Compass stuck on Ayers

http://theprogressivepost.blogspot.com/2008/10/straight-talk-express-moral-compass.html

[old mark]

2. I don't believe McCain has a morel compass - he wants to win, and

does not care how.

mark

[Caliman73]

3. I think you are right

After reading the article "Make Believe Maverick" in Rolling Stone, it is apparent that McCain is bent on achieving status so that he feels more successful than his father and grandfather. His ambition, due to a mix of insecurity, rage, and entitlement has been the driving force in his life. He has no moral compass because he was never held to the standards that we are all held to. When we mess up there are consequences. When he has messed up (which is more than most) he has gotten off, or worse, failed upwards. That kind of environment breeds one type of person...sociopaths. That is what McCain is. That is what allows him to talk about how much integrity he has while simultaneously doing things that completely debunk the idea. He does so without batting an eyelash.

When I was working mental health ad substance abuse counseling I ran into people who had Antisocial Personality Disorder which is typically what a Psychopath or Sociopath can be co-diagnosed with. People with APD can look you right in the eye and lie to you with no guilt feelings. That is McCain. He has no real remorse because he has not sense of right and wrong, only in what will get him what he desires. The man is disordered.

[old mark]

4. Interesting - I worked in a psychiatric hospital for a few years,

several I worked closely with are sociopaths.

I really don't want him to be President.

mark

[Overseas]

5. Boogeyman-- the Lee Atwater Story = great documentary out now

Almost 150 years after the Civil War, the Confederate Flag still stands as America's most controversial symbol. To most citizens, it represents a shameful era in our country's early history, when men could own, sell, and kill other men based on their skin color. But to those who still fly the flag today, the Stars and Bars represent a sustained rebellion against elitist outsiders who would humiliate and dominate proud white southerners. This is but a part of America's complicated legacy of race.

Lee Atwater, a smart but poor white kid from South Carolina, exploited this legacy in a way that would quite literally change the world. Stefan Forbes' electrifying documentary Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story captures the revelation that elections are more easily won by punching below the belt. Forbes forms this narrative with a mélange of original interviews and archival footage of the politicos, journalists, and friends who either saw or felt Atwater's chops to the groin.

Atwater wasn't born a Republican, but it provided him the best opportunity for his career advancement. He cared little about the issues. He loved two things: blues music and winning. So starting with the College Republicans, to which he got Karl Rove elected president via skullduggery, Atwater defined the zero-sum politics that still curses America.


FROM: http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/Boogie-Man-The-Lee-Atwater-Story