John McCain: You are responsible.

[Tennessee Gal]

Let me remind you.

Had you and your advisers been more diligent in vetting your choice of the Vice Presidential candidate to run on your ticket in 2008, no one in this nation would have been exposed to Sarah Palin on a national level. That was the beginning and you are responsible. You brought the original irrational, uninformed, political malcontent to the forefront. You introduced this nation to the original Tea Party nutcase.

Now, another irrational, uninformed, political malcontent Republican named Michelle Bachmann is running for President. And numerous Tea Party idiots got elected to Congress. As a result, nothing is being accomplished.

You, Senator McCain, are responsible and you should accept responsibility rather than making pronouncements from the Senate floor.

[WinkyDink]

1. McCain was an addled dupe, and certainly not the one in charge.

[Tennessee Gal]

3. Addled or not, he is ultimately responsible. nt

[rurallib]

4. ever notice that the titular leader in a GOP group is usually a dupe?

Think W - if there was ever a more clueless man.
And who is the true head of the GOP today? I would say Grover Norquist and the Koch boys.

[WinkyDink]

6. And Rove.

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Amen, sister, Amen. n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. No more so than the rest of the Republicans

The leaders within the GOP made that decision, not just McCain's campaign. They used the Teabagger mentality to their advantage. Which gave the nutters a legitimacy and recognition they wouldn't have achieved otherwise. Now their monster is out of control and they're trying to reel it back in before it destroys the mainstream Republican Party with its rigid ideology. There's nothing surprising in any of this, actually, it was all quite expected.

[Tennessee Gal]

7. You may have a point about the leaders.

If so, they are getting what they deserve. Congress cannot accomplish a thing with those morons roaming the halls refusing to act responsibly.

[certainot]

8. please, lets get this straight- palin was chosen to get limbaugh on board

limbaugh had resisted mccain and didn't like him and wasn't supporting him.

the brains in the GOP knew he wasn't going far without limbaugh behind him and limbaugh had painted himself in a corner criticizing limbaugh.

palin was announced minutes before limbaughs show started the friday before the GOP convention- absolutely last mnute- mccain wanted lieberman or pawlenty but was probably warned he wouldn't get certain support and not limbaugh. the convention would have been a disaster without limbaugh- the point man for their most important tool.

limbaugh is godfather of the dittohead teabaggers. couric should have asked who palin listened to , not what she was reading.

it continues to be a huge mistake by left to ignore limbaugh as the main mouthpiece for the think tanks that drive the teabaggers.

were in this mess because the left refuses to challenge the talk radio stations with protests and boycotts of local sponsors

[Tennessee Gal]

9. That is very interesting. Thanks for posting. nt

[certainot]

12. i suppose mccain had a choice though, and by picking another and

rejecting the rove side of the party, even in losing might have put the adults back in charge, but i doubt it. the rove/radio machine would still be in charge obstructing as they are, with bachmans and palins anyway. IMO

[jberryhill]

16. That's where he made the moral failure

At that critical point, he let his ambition get the better of him, by going with the political calculation and wanting to "get even" for what happened in 2000.

He's not actually stupid, but the circumstances of his VP pick unfortunately played right into a weak spot between what he seems to believe (at times) and what he personally wanted.

And he went for the personal ambition impulse, thinking he'd sort out the consequences later.

[jberryhill]

14. It was kind of a Hail Mary play

McCain wasn't going to win with ANY pick on the original short list. Internal polling made that clear.

What Palin actually brought to the decision process was "unknown". She was a woman and also had promises of cash from key supporters if she was picked.

So the choices were:

A - lose and don't get financing
B - lose and don't get financing
C - lose and don't get financing
D - unknown and get financing

The choice is clear.

It is also clear that almost from the minute she was picked, she was a royal pain in the ass to McCain (who looked like a parent at a principal-student meeting at the attempted Couric re-do interview), and to McCains top trusted advisers.

I have no doubt that McCain was kicking himself in the ass over that decision and has been ever since.

The problem is that he cannot admit to the error, because that inherently comes back to him in the form of questioning his judgment.

It is as plain as it can be, without McCain doing a complete fall on his own sword to spell it out.

[MadHound]

10. McCain himself was the sacrificial goat of the Republican party

Face it, the 'Pugs knew that after Bushboy, no 'Pug was getting elected. McCain was nominated to be the sacrificial goat, and he made the best of a bad situation. He could have chosen a moderate like Romney, and been excoriated by the far right, who wouldn't have voted for such a ticket. Or he could use his pick to placate the RW and risk his money base and moderate base. Neither option was a good one, but in the end, it really didn't matter, since he was the sacrificial goat.

This rise of the RW isn't McCain's fault, it has been building for decades, and has received its momentum and money from several different sources.

[jberryhill]

15. Yep

But to admit that, he would also have to admit that his ambition got the better part of his judgment - EVEN if he wasn't clear on the extent to which Palin would become the stone in his shoe that she became.

His final decision, to make it clear that she wasn't getting anywhere near a microphone for a concession speech, was kind of funny, though.

As much of a douche as he frequently is, it's no wonder that he has that "temper" to which some have alluded. The guy is always getting boxed in and frustrated one way or another. But it's his own fault.

[Tennessee Gal]

18. The rise of the Tea Party is directly related to Sarah Palin. nt

[pacalo]

11. AND I remember right after she was chosen, there was a video released of her

saying in she "doesn't even know what a vice president does".

[Tennessee Gal]

17. Actually she asked "What does a VP do?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oro2Yh9HoEM

and this is equally as dumb

Palin Claims The Vice President Is ‘In Charge Of The U.S. Senate’

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2008/10/21/31016/palin-vp-senate/

[Ready4Change]

13. Where did the love go?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. I agree

While I think that it's great that McCain is trying to clamp down on some of the Tea-insanity in the House, I can't help but remember that it was Sarah Palin- whom he chose and supported as VP in 2008 who went around (and is STILL going around) the country demonizing Democrats, liberals, "(un-)real Americans", and flinging poo at the President of the United States of America every few seconds just because he happens to be a Democrat (and probably because he's black, as well). McCain also played right along with the obstructionism in DC from 2009-2010 so as to ensure his re-election, as well as the ascendancy of the Tea Party in Congress and throughout the country. Plus, I never heard him speak out so much and so forcefully about any of this the entire time we've been having this *debate* over the debt ceiling (since April). So, I don't have any real appreciation nor respect for his newfound candor. :mad: :banghead:

[Tennessee Gal]

23. Exactly. You made the point better than I did. nt

[Johonny]

20. No way do I see this

It was Bush and Cheney Co. that really latched on to the loyalty above all in the party. They're the ones that loved loyalty tests, loved pushing out older Republicans that wouldn't tote the line. I see the current state of the Republican party with no middle, no liberal end and a lot of young blindly loyal representatives the result of their vision for the party. McCain has pretty much been one of the older stand offs in the Senate. Palin was his attempt to latch on to this people's support, in no way was she the first of this wave and clearly she isn't the end of it. Vetting by loyalty tests, and blind obedience is the new Republican party as it was meant to be.

[Tennessee Gal]

21. Loyalty is not what this is about.

Palin was an idiot then and she is an idiot now. McCain gave her a podium and a spotlight to spout her stupidity. There were and still are enough idiots in this country to glorify her stupidity. They feed off of her lies and ignorance and they elected more idiots who now are destroying this country in Congress. That is what this is about.

Oh, and Michelle Bachmann can thank McCain for bringing Palin into prominence. Had he not done that, Bachmann would be nowhere because she is a raging lunatic.

[LaydeeBug]

22. Why are you calling them The Tea Party? WHY DO THEY GET TO FRAME AND REFRAME THE DEBATE AND WE

JUST LET THEM? They are tea baggers. If they didn't want to be called that, they shouldn't have called themselves that, but we should not glass over their mistake and we should not allow THEM to redefine themselves. It's THEIR name. THEY picked it. Let them live with it.

Unrec, but only for that reason.

[Tennessee Gal]

24. Well, excuse me! nt

[LaydeeBug]

25. that made me laugh because of ,"Well, excuuuuu-uuuuuuse me". LOL

I didn't mean to sound hard. I'm just pissed off at those rotten little bastards.