John McCain As Bob Dole "just hip enough to know that rock and roll exists"

[Leo 9]

John McCain As Bob Dole
03 Apr 2008 04:47 pm

by Ross Douthat


snip

Now of course it's still early, and there's a case to be made that a biography-centric roll-out for the campaign is good way to lay the groundwork for the fall contest. But the latest web ad from the McCain camp pushes all my Dole-redux buttons. It's a paean to heroes in general, to McCain's favorite high school teacher specifically, and more specifically still to the principle that you ought to turn in your friends when they break the honor code. Now maybe this is, as Jonah suggests, a canny below-the-radar pitch to the crucial crotchety-white-guy vote. But it makes it seem like John McCain is running to be the headmaster of the school in Dead Poets Society, and while anything that sticks it to Robin Williams' annoying and irresponsible Emerson-wannabe of an English teacher is catnip to me, I'm not sure that running as the guy who'll clean up the local prep school is the best way for a seventysomething politician with a reputation for being, well, a little crabby to make his case for the American Presidency.

I would also note that the only thing worse than the substance of the ad is the opening sequence, which calls a roll of four American heroes - an inventor (Thomas Edison), an athlete (Ted Williams), a politician (TR, of course), and a rock star (a headless guy carrying a guitar). The implication seems to be that the McCain campaign is just hip enough to know that rock and roll exists and that the kids are into it, without being hip enough to identify any actual musicians.


http://rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/04/john_mccain_as_bob_dole.php


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Web News Results 1 - 10 of about 573,000 for "bob dole" mccain.

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News-antique.com (press release) McCain eyes battle with Obama - Apr 3, 2008
"It is the case that Vietnam is receding in American memories, (though) it is not quite Bob Dole and World War II yet," Scala said. McCain, who Democrats ...
The Times - 849 related articles »

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive ... Mar 6, 2008 ... (CNN) — Former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole said Wednesday night that current White House hopeful John McCain has a temper ...
politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/06/dole-mccain-has-a-temper-but-its-not-a-problem/ - 133k - Cached - Similar pages

Ross Douthat (April 03, 2008) - John McCain As Bob Dole (Politics) I shared Richelieu's skepticism about this McCain ad, and I thought that Ed Kilgore's comparison of the McCain "biography tour" to Bob Dole's "build a ...
rossdouthat.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/04/john_mccain_as_bob_dole.php - 37k - Cached - Similar pages

Will McCain Be Given The Bob Dole Treatment? - HUMAN EVENTS Mar 28, 2008 ... As Hillary Clinton starts to fade away, or so it appears, John McCain faces both new obstacles and opportunities in his quest for the White ...
www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=25751 - 53k - Cached - Similar pages

Political Radar: Romney: McCain Is Another Bob Dole Feb 5, 2008 ... McCain IS Bob Dole... and Mitt IS the male Hilliary! Vote for either of these guys and you are a Democrat. NOT a Republican. ...
blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/02/romney-mccain-i.html - 99k - Cached - Similar pages

Populist Party Blog Jan 8, 2008 ... John "Bob Dole" McCain. by Clay Barham ... Republican leadership wants Bob Dole in the form of John McCain. ...
www.populistamerica.com/blog/view/45808/john__bob_dole__mccain - 36k - Cached - Similar pages

Think Progress » Blog Archive » Bob Dole: McCain ‘has a temper.’ Mar 6, 2008 ... McCain’s temper is legendary, and hardly a secret. Bob Dole isn’t the first person to say so publicly. I don’t really see how this is news. ...
thinkprogress.org/2008/03/06/bob-dole-mccain-‘has-a-temper’/ - 99k - Cached - Similar pages

John McCain and Bob Dole - Rescue Darfur Now - washingtonpost.com Sep 10, 2006 ... In 1995, the writing was on the wall. The conflict in Bosnia was escalating. Tens of thousands of civilians had been driven from their homes ...
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090801664.html - Similar pages

Dole scolds Limbaugh - Mike Allen - Politico.com Feb 4, 2008 ... The letter is signed, “God Bless America, BOB DOLE.” As a P.S., Dole adds a table from the Senate Library showing that McCain’s voting ...
www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8314.html - 144k - Cached - Similar pages

National Ledger - Will John McCain Be Given The Bob Dole Treatment? Mar 28, 2008 ... An eclectic mix of original analysis and coverage of news, pop culture, politics, the crime beat, the DC Journal, sports, entertainment, ...
www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272619730.shtml - 35k - Cached - Similar pages

» Bob Dole: McCain Has Age-Old Problem Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the Republican nominee for president in 1996, says Sen. John McCain’s age may be a major problem to address during ...
doleinstituteblog.org/bob-dole-mccain-has-age-old-problem/ - 25k - Cached - Similar pages


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News results Results 1 - 10 of about 159 for bob-dole mccain.

John McCain As Bob Dole
Atlantic Online - Apr 3, 2008
I shared Richelieu's skepticism about this McCain ad, and I thought that Ed Kilgore's comparison of the McCain "biography tour" to Bob Dole's "build a ...

No joke: Bob Dole still knows a lot about Bob Dole and politics
Laurel Leader Call, MS - Apr 2, 2008
John McCain would carry Mississippi over either opponent," he said of Democratic contenders Sen. Barack Obama, a senator from Illinois, and New York Sen. ...

Turkish Press McCain eyes battle with Obama
The Times, South Africa - Apr 3, 2008
"It is the case that Vietnam is receding in American memories, (though) it is not quite Bob Dole and World War II yet," Scala said. McCain, who Democrats ...

McCain Ascendant: His Many Blessings — Beyond Democratic Infighting New York Magazine
McCain's Weighs VP Options NPR
McCain blasts ‘dishonest’ Obama The Times
all 1,022 news articles »

Bob Dole Keynotes Fundraiser at MC
WLBT-TV, MS - Apr 1, 2008
On the same day the presumptive Republican nominee for President, John McCain, was in Mississippi, a former nominee was at Mississippi College. Bob Dole ...

Fox News' Kelly repeated false claim that Dean criticized McCain ...
Media Matters for America, DC - Apr 4, 2008
I think it was Bob Dole that said, "You know, you don't want to get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it. ...

Bob Dole Guest Speaker at MC Scholarship Fundraiser
WLBT-TV, MS - Mar 31, 2008
Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain and Former Republican Majority Leader Bob Dole. Dole was on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton. ...

National Ledger Will John McCain Be Given The Bob Dole Treatment?
National Ledger, AZ - Mar 28, 2008
Will John McCain Be Given The Bob Dole Treatment? The Republican establishment generally doesn't like independence. President George HW Bush could barely ...

Campaigns crave talk show bookings
Variety, CA - 17 hours ago
Bob Dole, who has appeared on "Meet the Press" a record 63 times, says Russert is "probably the best prepared of the hosts." "Bob (Schieffer) is such a ...

The Old People Strategy
Atlantic Online - Apr 1, 2008
Ed notes the analogy to Bob Dole's 1996 campaign, the last time the GOP thought having an old man talk fondly about long-past suffering was a good way to ...

Obama 'Pied-Piper' of US politics, Bob Dole says
Baltimore Sun, United States - Mar 6, 2008
Dole says John McCain, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee in 2008, definitely has a temper – but has gotten it under "control. ...

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