"Road to the White House" .

[wisteria]

I was wondering if anyone else had seen the McCain speech before Kerry's and what you thought about it. My feeling was it was all about staying the course, just like Bush. I was particulary suprised about his support of Bush's Social Security plan. Does McCain think he is such a maverick that he can win on issues that Bush hasn't? Why would the public support these same failed ideas in 2008 if they didn't want them in 2004? I was also kicking around the idea that McCain may have painted himself into a corner with his total committment to Bush and now he has to stick with this path or chance looking like an opportunist? Whadda ya think?

[_dynamicdems]

1. I only heard part of it because I tuned most of it out while waiting for

JK to come on, but he was pretty obnoxious. He seemed to be playing to the base, which is a mistake, because they will never vote for him. McCain changes his tune depending on who his audience is, so this was obviously a performance for the hardline right-wingers. He attacked the Democrats in Congress: I heard that loud and clear.

[fedupinBushcountry]

2. He is a "Politician" with a capital P

I never saw so much talking out of both sides of a mouth since I last saw Bush speaking. He puts party loyality over country, to me he is sickening.

[karynnj]

3. I was shocked at the Social Security thing

I think it might be both a case of backing himself into a corner plus the fact that he is very very conservative and some of his positions really are extreme. On several major issues, he is actually beyond Bush.

- On Iraq: In 2000, he ran on taking out a series of countries headed by people we thought bad. His position in Iraq is to put in more soldiers (from where, I don't know.)

- On Soc Security - He is a true believer in privatizing it.

-On the Port Deal - He is the strongest supporter DP Ports has

These are NOT maverick positions for an ultra-conservative. (Any more than Feingold's Patriot Act and his new censure movement are for him.)

I do think that he is pandering with some of his Bush support. But his call for his supporters not to write in his name in the Memphis event straw poll is just weird. Bush should not be in a 2008 straw poll. This is a pretty obvious ploy to counter the fact that he will lose badly - but all it does is draw more attention to it.

What did you think of his speech/interactions with the crowd? He seemed edgy and somewhat vaguely contentious. I know it's not fair to compare to the Kerry event, but I was not impressed. (Kerry was among friends, McCain at a much bigger forum of people loyal to different candidates.)

By the way Paul Krugman has a brilliant op-ed on McCain that is worth seeing even though the NYT doesn't allow free access. He starts by saying; "It's time for some straight talk about John McCain. He isn't a moderate. He's much less a maverick than you'd think. And he isn't the straight talker he claims to be." He then backs up each of those 3 sentences with excellent examples. He ends by saying; "It's worth recalling that during the 2000 election campaign, George W. Bush was widely portrayed by the news media both as a moderate and as a straight shooter. As Mr. Bush has said, "Fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again""

[whometense]

4. I watched it late last night,

and was impressed by what a bad speaker he is. He didnt seem to believe much of what coming out of his mouth - it was all boilerplate rw crap, with a heaping side of sucking up to Bush.

I'm no expert in speech analysis, but one thing I have noticed is that when people are deeply, passionately committed to what they are saying the words seem to just flow, while when they're being nakedly political they tend to stammer and stutter. That was the impression I got from McCain's speech - I was just sitting there wondering "who are you?????

[wisteria]

5. I thought his Zsazsa Gabore remark was stupid and showed his

age, he spent way to much time talking about being a prisoner of war and he used the term "friends" way to often. I also thought the move to a portable mike only to use it while leaning on the side of the podium didn't look to good either. he certainly didn't project vigor or energy.

Something he mentioned lead me to believe he was speaking right before dinner. Nothing like talking to a bunch of hungry men huh?

[whometense]

6. Yeah, that joke was not his

finest moment, and it only made it worse when he let it be known that he'd been telling it for years.

:eyes:

I admit, I was thinking sexist pig. Guess that shows my age. :-)

[Island Blue]

10. What is it with Republicans and leaning on podiums?

Is it the lack of spine that keeps them from standing up straight? Chimpy is always slumped over the podium like he's going to topple over if he doesn't hang on for dear life.

[wisteria]

11. LOL! n/t

[ginnyinWI]

17. people don't stand up straight when they're lying

They stand all hunched over. I think McCain is a sell-out--and it shows.

If someone tuned in and didn't know who he was at all, they'd probably be very unimpressed. Not a dynamic speaker and doesn't look like he really means anything he says. Time to retire I think.

[wisteria]

19. Ha,Ha, Ha! You have hit upon a good observation. n/t

[fedupinBushcountry]

7. Paul Krugman's take on McCain

He is spot on.

Monday, March 13, 2006
PAUL KRUGMAN: The Right's Man


It's time for some straight talk about John McCain. He isn't a moderate. He's much less of a maverick than you'd think. And he isn't the straight talker he claims to be.
..............

So here's what you need to know about John McCain.

He isn't a straight talker. His flip-flopping on tax cuts, his call to send troops we don't have to Iraq and his endorsement of the South Dakota anti-abortion legislation even while claiming that he would find a way around that legislation's central provision show that he's a politician as slippery and evasive as, well, George W. Bush.

He isn't a moderate. Mr. McCain's policy positions and Senate votes don't just place him at the right end of America's political spectrum; they place him in the right wing of the Republican Party.

And he isn't a maverick, at least not when it counts. When the cameras are rolling, Mr. McCain can sometimes be seen striking a brave pose of opposition to the White House. But when it matters, when the Bush administration's ability to do whatever it wants is at stake, Mr. McCain always toes the party line.

It's worth recalling that during the 2000 election campaign George W. Bush was widely portrayed by the news media both as a moderate and as a straight-shooter. As Mr. Bush has said, ?Fool me once, shame on ? shame on you. Fool me ? you can't get fooled again.?

http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com/2006/03/paul-krugman-r...

[ProSense]

8. McCain is

being linked with breaches of campaign financing. They really need to stop using McCain-Feingold to promote him. On other issues, his lips are firmly planted on Bush's cheek.

[TayTay]

12. Or remember that McCain-Feingold is a pale substitute

for the Wellstone-Kerry bill that would have truly revolutionized American national elections. Sigh!

[ProSense]

13. What do you make of this?

It's the left and right side of his two faces:

Posted on Sun, Mar. 12, 2006
A MAN FOR BOTH SIDES? Here are some of Sen. John McCain's positions...A MAN FOR BOTH SIDES?

Here are some of Sen. John McCain's positions that appeal to liberals:

• Supports ban on oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• Against ban on gay marriage.
• For Sept. 11 investigation.
• For reducing carbon-dioxide emissions.
• Against $350 billion in tax cuts.
• For ban on cruel and degrading treatment of foreign terrorism suspects.
• For a compromise approach to immigration.

McCain positions that appeal to conservatives:

• For $1.35 trillion in tax cuts.
• Against Medicare prescription drug benefit.
• Supports Boy Scouts on gay controversy.
• For ban on partial-birth abortion.
• Against resolution supporting Roe v. Wade.
• Against U.S. cooperation with International Criminal Court.
• For ground forces in Kosovo.
• For more defense spending.
• For more troops in Iraq.
• For Bush judicial nominees.

— Washington Bureau

http://origin.miami.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/14068771.htm?source=rss&channel=twincities_nation

[TayTay]

14. The problem with the 'liberal' positions

is that he says he supports them, but he doesn't do anything for them.

You know, I liked some of the stuff that Sen. McCain did with Sen. Kerry. I really did. I loved the idea that these two people who were so profoundly different in so many ways could get together and formulate policy for the good of the nation. I loved that stuff. It sounded like something from a High School Civics book.

It is so sad to find out that Sen. McCain didn't really mean it or didn't mean it when the going got tough. I tend to think now that most of that good stuff was Sen. Kerry fronting for McCain and McCain letting him. That is just beyond sad and pathetic.

I once again reflect on that great meeting last year in Boston. Somebody said that the last campaign revealed who was friend and who was not. I guess we know who was not.

[ProSense]

15. The tax cuts say it all

he's against them to appeal to liberals and for even bigger cuts to appeal conservatives. And the liberal position is lip service, for sure.

[wisteria]

16. he is for an investigation into 9/11? Then why doesn't he support the

Democrats on phase two of this inquiry?

[karynnj]

18. Even more so as he was on the WMD committee

so he would be in a perfect moral position to demand this. Imagine the reaction it McCain would have signed Kerry's letter. it would take a real maverick to do that.

[wisteria]

9. I saw that and it it is"spot on". n/t