McCain's no maverick, but a bitter partisan

I really wish someone could find the 2000 version of John McCain, because that man is long gone. He became a far right-wing conservative after getting cheated, lied about and bullied by the Bush campaign following the 2000 South Carolina GOP primary. It really is a shame.

Anyway, as McCain's appearance on Good Morning America Monday morning clearly shows, he's pretty out of touch with what's going on in the country, specifically with regard to health care. I have a major bone of contention with McCain's assertion that the Democrats "went against the will of the American people" (an assertion that just about every GOPer is parroting over and over and over again, putting a fresh topping on the old, unfortunate adage "keep on telling a lie over and over 'til they start to believe it"). More on the polls in a minute.

Yesterday, McCain ratcheted up the rhetoric, saying There will be no cooperation for the rest of the year. They [Democrats] have poisoned the well in what they've done and how they've done it." (From The Washington Post) Wow, that's pretty astounding from a so-called "Maverick" who in the past has made some pretty historic and honorable legislation from working with Democrats to get stuff done. If the people of Arizona are stupid enough to send this guy back to the Senate for six more years, then they deserve whatever they get. What a disgrace. Why not just retire then, "Mav"? Clearly the people of Arizona deserve something better than this crybaby.

Happily, David Axelrod, President Obama's Senior White House Advisor, wasted no time in issuing a tart response: "You know, that's okay on the sandlot, but it's not okay when you're trying to govern a country and move a country forward. It's a disappointing attitude." That about sums it all up.

If McCain was my Senator, even if this tirade was about a bill I disapproved of, I'd like to think I could rise above partisan politics and tell him that this sort of language is totally unacceptable coming from someone who is sent to Washington to do the people's work, and to quit pissing and moaning when he doesn't get his way, or win a presidential election. (Most except the most ardent McCain supporters would probably agree that he's become a bitter, cranky old codger since he lost to Obama last year. Give up the dream John, give up the dream. Spare yourself some dignity in defeat - if you need some instructions, see Kerry, John and Gore, Al - two people who behaved with truckloads more dignity than you are and who had a whole lot more to be angry about. In short, grow up - it's not all about you.)

Following Axelrod's comments, Brooke Buchanan, McCain's spokeswoman, shot back, "Senator John McCain will always stand on the side of the American people. Get used to it, Mr. Axelrod, that's what strong, independent members do - you'd know what if you had ever worked for one."

It just kept getting better and better. I guess when we need to hear from McCain now, we can rely on his pit bull spokeswoman for comment, or we can go to his Website to look for a press release, since he won't be cooperating with the Democratically controlled Congress.

Following all that, Jim Manley, spokesman for Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader and a man who I don't have much admiration or respect for, scored some points with me yesterday with this acidic rebuke: "For someone who campaigned on 'country first' and claims to take great pride in bipartisanship, it's absolutely bizarre for Senator McCain to tell the American people he is going to take his ball and go home until the next election. He must be living in a parallel universe because the fact is, with very few exceptions, we've gotten very little cooperation from Senate Republicans in recent years."

~~

I firmly believe that once all of the right-wing propaganda clears from the GOP smokescreen machine, the American people aren't going to want this law repealed. Amended and tweaked? Without question, but that's already happening; the $750 fine for not having insurance has already been reduced to... ZERO. That was a good start.

Back to polling on the health care bill...

As I've already written, I take serious umbrage with Republicans saying, over and over, words to the effect that the Democrats "defied the will of the American people." Polls do not bear this out (at least the legitimate ones.) From Gallup, via The New York Times yesterday and MSNBC, on Monday, both obviously following Sunday night's passage of the health care bill:


Whoops! This is "defying the will of the American people"? In two words, that's unadulterated bullshit. These poll numbers should tilt further and further toward favoring this bill as the facts become clear to the American people. But, in order for that to happen, Obama and Democratic leaders have to do a much better job of articulating their messages - Repubes have always been better at getting phrases and terms that "stick" with the public; time for Democrats to do the same. I don't like it that America is largely a soundbite electorate, but that's the culture now, and Democrats need to get with it.

A new day is almost here, but now quite yet

CNN is reporting this morning that House Democrats have enough votes to pass the Senate bill on health care, so the big vote's probably coming this evening. It's truly an historic day for America, but there will still be a lot of work to do after this bill becomes law. This will be a major victory for Obama, but the president and his team had better go on the offensive, because the GOP noise machine will go into overdrive after this becomes law.

It just kills me that the term "socialized medicine" is "sticking" with most of the American public. Most who keep repeating this don't even know anything about what's being proposed, because if they did, they would know that this is anything but socialized medicine. In fact, it's giving the private, profiteering insurance companies 32 million new customers to gouge and overcharge.

This bill is far, FAR from perfect, but it's an important first step, and I'm happy that it looks like it's going to become law.

President Obama seems pretty confident:

(This video is pretty long, but if you catch the first few minutes, you'll get the idea - Obama thinks this one is gonna go the distance.)

Just a few more thoughts, and I'll be back tomorrow with a lot more on the health care issue.

I find it stupefying that Republicans are objecting about cost. Suddenly, deficits are an issue with Obama in the Oval Office, but let's forget the profligate spending under eight years of Bush. We are spending over $708bn on next year's Pentagon budget, and people are complaining about needed health care reforms that are projected to cost about $975bn over 10 years, along with prolonging life, giving more and more people access to affordable health care, and, according to the CBO, actually reduce the deficit. Nonsense.

Honestly, I think this all boils down to a "We" society vs. a "Me" society. Many (but certainly not all) Republicans view this as another handout, another government give away. However, they are too myopic to realize that they are paying for people without health insurance anyway, right now.

I take you back to the '08 election presidential debates when the candidates were asked, "Do you believe health care is a right of every American?" McCain's response was "I think it's a responsibility," a very clever dodge. Obama said it's a "right," and it is. You need look no further than this phrase from our Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

It doesn't get any plainer than that. With thousands dying every year in America because of a lack of health care, the conditions described above in the Declaration of Independence hardly exist right now in America.

To wit, take a look at this Parkinson's sufferer in the video above from a recent Tea Party rally, and how he was treated by these frothing-at-the-mouth morons who don't even really seem to know what they're protesting (for starters, the fact that the health care bill passed by the Senate and being considered by the House, while being FAR from perfect, will actually benefit probably 99 percent of the people there). Anyway, take a look - I'll wait.

...

Pretty sickening, huh? It's a good thing I wasn't there, because I'd probably be blogging from jail now. Do they let you blog from jail?

I think it's pretty safe to say that a vast majority of people who are opposed to the health care bill ("Hey! I already have insurance! I don't want to pay for someone else's care!") would do a lightning-quick 180 if they lost their jobs (along with their health care), or if they had a family member get critically ill, only to be dropped by an insurance company. Millions in this country are under-insured, and they don't/won't even know it until it's too late.

Bankruptcies from medical bills are right now the single biggest cause of mortgage foreclosures in the United States. I strongly feel that there are economic links and benefits to this health care debate that the Democrats aren't discussing nearly enough. I'll have more on that later, but in the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers for the vote.

VICTORY! YES -- WE -- DID.

I couldn't be prouder to be an American than I am right now. I haven't typed for a little while, because I just wanted to soak it all in. It's been quite a day in so many respects. I'm pretty happy to say that maybe some of us (including me) were very wrong about the vote being hacked, and that's a good thing, but I certainly hope that in the wake of a non-contested presidential election that wasn't all that close vote wise, we don't lose sight of the fact that we are in desperate need of election reform. But, more on that in the coming days and months.

Here is the full footage of Obama's acceptance speech - truly inspiring words from a man who will soon be known as President Obama.

This was one of the best speeches I've heard him give; the right mix of toughness toward those who wish us harm, and even some words of bipartisanship to his opponents and to those who didn't vote for him.

Tonight's Obama victory was a clear sign that America is disgusted and tired of the politics of old - the slash and burn, conquer, divide and marginalize mentality that's been used too often in the past 30 years to win elections. I really do hope that Obama means what he says - especially when he said, in so many words, that he wants to move beyond these 20th century political clichés.

I heard someone say this tonight on MSNBC, I think it was Doris Kearns Goodwin, who stated that she hopes the Obama administration doesn't make the same mistakes that Clinton did in his first 100 days. Amen to that - I certainly hope and pray that he surrounds himself with good, decent, competent people. What's more, I hope Obama doesn't let his guard down against those who wish to destroy him, because these people will not take a break from trying to tear him down. (Getting some advice from President Clinton about how to effectively combat the right-wing noise machine wouldn't be a bad idea.)

Sen. John McCain's speech was pretty magnanimous, and good on him for that. I watched his words with more than a touch of sadness though; I really would have considered voting for that version of McCain had he run this year. Unfortunately, I never got to vote for that McCain. Many of McCain's mistakes, gaffes and missteps were self-inflicted, from his selection of Palin to the political gutter through which he crawled in trying to win the presidency.

McCain is a true American patriot who I have no doubt loves his country. Too bad that he accused Obama of otherwise during a hard-fought campaign.

As for Sarah Palin - I have no use for her, and I have very little respect for her, because quite simply, she hasn't earned any, period. She was McCain's attack dog, an ill-advised role for her, and one that will take a long time to wear off in the eyes of wary independents and Democrats, too. If she's the face of the future of the Republican Party, then that party is going to have a lot of trouble over the next decade or so. And speaking of her face, I will go to my grave convinced that if she were an average looking woman, she would still wallowing in obscurity as the Governor of Alaska.

How many days until the '12 election again? Just kidding.

Now, the real work begins.

GOP propaganda machine in high gear

This morning, I thought I'd drop by Drudge's Website Republican Homepage to see what sewage he's spewing in the face of a pretty dreadful day for this party. It didn't take me long to find stories & rumors that are a best wild distortions, and at worst made-up crap that plays into the GOP's PR fantasy machine. Right at the top of the page, I read the headline, "REPUBLICAN ELECTION BOARD WORKERS THROWN OUT IN PHILLY..." so I clicked on the link.

After clicking, I was taken to a site that I hadn't heard about in a long time and that I care about even less, Townhall.com, a right-wing site that is even more blatant than Drudge about everything from climate change to voter fraud to Obama's associations and Ronald Reagan's papacy.

Anyway, the story, entitled, "A Repeat of 2004 Philly Voter Chaos, Fraud," has so many holes in it, I won't try to debunk them all. But, one thing did catch my eye.

In 2004, Drudge breathlessly reported, without doing any reporting, mind you, that machines in Philadelphia had started the day with thousands of votes already rigged for John Kerry. The media in Philly was hot on this story for about 15 minutes, and it died a quick death - not a shred of truth to it, period. In the meantime, before the veracity of the story was revealed, I got a phone call that day from a very good friend of mine, indignant that Philly was rigging the vote for Kerry. It's amazing and stupefying to me that a total frickin' liar and partisan like Drudge drives the news cycle in this country. Maybe someday legit media will wake up to his partisanship, but I sincerely doubt it.

Fast forward to today, and here's how Townhall's story reads at the bottom:

The City of Brotherly Love was roiled in controversy during the 2004 election because of rigged voting machines that showed nearly 2,000 votes for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry before the polls had opened. A man also used a gun to intimidate poll workers at Ward 30, division 11 in 2004.

I know for a fact that no machines were rigged with extra votes for Kerry, so that gun accusation rings more than a bit hollow, too.

On to today's story... According to Townhall:

GOP Election Board members have been tossed out of polling stations in at least half a dozen polling stations in Philadelphia because of their party status.

A Pennsylvania judge previously ruled that court-appointed poll watchers could be NOT removed from their boards by an on-site election judge, but that is exactly what is happening, according to sources on the ground.

It is the duty of election board workers to monitor and guard the integrity of the voting process.

[...]

"Election board officials guard the legitimacy of the election process and the idea that Republicans are being intimidated and banned for partisan purposes does not allow for an honest and open election process," said McCain-Palin spokesman Ben Porritt in a statement to Townhall.

Before we rush to judgment about what's going on in Philadelphia, perhaps a legit media outlet ought to do some actual reporting vs. partisan sites like Drudge & Townhall making wild, unsubstantiated accusations about voting conditions on the ground there. As for the '04 recap, both sites are no doubt counting on low-information voters, many of whom will witlessly read and/or hear what Townhall and Drudge "reported" and assume that all of it happened in '04.

To be clear, I abhor voter intimidation and suppression of any kind of any party, and I would more than publicly condemn it if this is indeed what's happening in Philly. But, I'm just more than skeptical because many GOP hack sites lack so much as a morsel of credibility considering all of the lies and innuendos that were spread in '04.

What's more, this is a classic play from Karl Rove's playbook. As wholesale election fraud is taking place around the country (plenty of reports are already coming in about it, and I will write about this at length later today and tonight), the right cooks up a story about poll workers being ousted in Philly, and that gets all the press. Well, it's not going work this time, at least if the Obama campaign has anything to say about it, and here's betting that it has plenty to say.

File this one away about Sarah Palin

Seriously, I don't know whether to be extremely happy or frightened that Sarah Palin is widely considered the "new face of the Republican Party" by many. She's proven over the last few months that there really isn't much that is out of bounds and that she won't say. Check out her comments at a campaign even earlier today - in it, she asserts that Democrats think that terrorists "are the good guys."

I've written it before, and I'll no doubt rewrite it over the next few days - McCain and Palin will do and say (and have done and said) just about anything to get elected over the last few months - reality and truth be damned. Yet, this is the woman that John McCain picked to be his running mate, while at the same time proclaiming of having the ability to "reach across party lines" and be bipartisan to get things done. Yes, I realize that this is the heat of a presidential campaign, but some bells simply cannot be un-rung.

We all need to remember comments like these in '12 (and beyond), when Palin undoubtedly makes a run for the U.S. Senate, or possibly even president. Because, most people won't remember 2008, when she made mindlessly partisan and hateful attacks against Obama, and when both her and McCain tried all they could do to divide America in order to win an election.

Sure, Obama has thrown some mud, too, but only to respond in kind to the attacks that he's endured. He had two choices - he could either take the "high road" completely, a la John Kerry in '04, or he could respond selectively as he did. I think, no matter what happens tomorrow, Obama took the wise course - responding to the more serious charges, and ignoring the more scurrilous ones. I think his strategy is about to pay off, big time.

Leading into tomorrow, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Shocker! McCain attacks Obama's patriotism

If you possibly had any doubt that the McCain campaign and its GOP enablers would throw every piece of garbage they can possibly dig up against Obama, let me disabuse you of that notion right now (and I've got some Enron stock to sell you, too).

At a campaign appearance this weekend, this is what the formerly honorable Sen. John McCain had to say about Barack Obama at a campaign appearance regarding Obama's patriotism:

"This has been a long campaign but recently we've learned more and more about Senator Obama. He said the other day that his primary victory 'vindicated' his faith in America. My country has never had to prove anything to me, my friends. I've always had faith in it and I've been humbled and honored to serve it."

What a disgusting, despicable liar McCain is - I can't think of no other way to describe it. It's a blatantly deceptive and dishonest twisting of Obama's words. I can't speak for Obama, but I'm guessing that what he meant was that he felt a vindication about winning the nomination after having his name (literally) and his reputation being dragged through the mud for over six months (and since winning the nomination, it has continued unabated).

To its credit, the Obama campaign's response was swift and decisive:

"It's pathetic that John McCain would take a statement Barack Obama has been making for a year about his faith in the American people and distort it to attack his patriotism," spokesman Bill Burton said in response to McCain's attack Saturday. "Sadly, this is what we've come to expect from a desperate, dishonorable campaign that will say anything in a failed attempt to win this election."

Spot on, Burton, spot on. What was that statement that McCain said - something about how he would "rather lose an election than run a dishonorable campaign"? That statement, just like his campaign, is circling the bowl, faster and faster...

In my mind, the only way that McCain can possibly pull this out is if there is wholesale election theft, and it's not a given that the GOP won't successfully pull that off. I'll have plenty about that tomorrow, including a voting day To-Do list of things to keep in mind before you head to the polls, as well as resources for you to use if you run into any problems while there.

h/t C&L for the video

McCain on SNL: sorta funny

I have to give credit where credit is due - McCain's appearance on SNL last night was pretty funny, but hey, I'll take the credit away by saying it was just good comedy writing.

A few things I noticed - when McCain was talking about his celebrity connections, I noticed that he didn't mention Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Aww - poor baby.

I thought it was also entertaining that McCain described himself as "a real maverick - a Republican without money." He's right on that count. I find it hilarious listening to Republicans who are so quick to bitch and moan about the amount of money that Obama has raised; this is the first time in many, many presidential elections where the Democratic Nominee has outraised and outspent the GOP candidate.

Talk about money - anyone remember Bush's stupid labels that he gave his fundraisers in 2000 and 2004 - Pioneers, Rangers, Mavericks and Super Rangers? Only guys with the balls the size of Karl Rove and President Bush would give such prominent, public labels to their political donors. (Some of whom have pleaded guilty to politics-related crimes - Jack Abramoff and Thomas Noe among them.)

This is a typical GOP tactic - when the rules benefit them, there's no need for change (or complaining), but when the opposite is true, criticize your opponents for beating you at your own game.

All in all, it was a funny appearance for McCain. Will it win him any votes? I seriously doubt it, but stranger things have happened. At this point, people out there who still describe themselves as "Undecided" are simply letting themselves be convinced by the blatantly misleading ads being run by both sides of the campaign, but mostly by the McCain camp.

Below is McCain's appearance on Weekend Update, which was decidedly more lame.

Joe the no show Plumber embarrasses Mac

This is some pretty funny footage - evidently, McCain's advance team didn't do a very good job of making sure Joe the Plumber was actually in attendance before McDrilly called on him to be recognized at a campaign rally yesterday.

What's more, it's an indication of just how far McCain's political fortunes have fallen and how clueless his campaign is that McCain is even still referring to him in the first place; after all, it's been widely reported that Joe isn't actually a licensed plumber, he doesn't even earn enough money to buy the business (he was looking for a loan), and that he was all over the right-wing blogosphere spewing right-wing talking points before McCain mentioned him during the third debate.

But, you keep pimping Joe, Senator - I'm sure it's resonating with undecided voters. I love it that McCain tried to recover by saying, "You're all Joe the Plumber!" I don't think you want to be telling your political audiences that they are dumb demagogues, Senator.

It gets even better - reportedly, the McCain campaign had to bus in thousands of school children just to fill the audience:

A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses.

Wow, the wheels continue to fall off the McCain campaign. It just keeps getting better and better. But, I still think this will be a close election, but for reasons that should scare all of us. More on that in a bit - I'm just finishing up a very long piece about election fraud, and what you can do about it, that I will post a bit later in the day today.

As post-script, take a listen and read to a Joe the Plumber interview on Fox News from a few days ago with Sheppard Smith, when "the Plumber" gets so thoroughly embarrassed, you would think he was on Keith Olbermann's show. Note to the McCain camp: this happened on Fox News!

The audience doesn't get much friendlier than this. Joe sounds so bad in this interview, it's entirely appropriate to call him Sarah Palin... With a Stem.

A rough transcript:

Sheppard: Why specifically is a vote for Obama a vote for the death of Israel?

Joe: Well specifically, look at his record. Obama's agreed to meet with Israel's enemies with no uncertain terms.. In fact he's letting them dictate terms to him and then look at his past associations, people he talks to...

Sheppard: Like who?

Joe: Quite honestly, you know, the gentleman that approached me with that question I agreed to with what I know...

Sheppard: What I can't figure our is why, let's listen to this clip from earlier.

Q: A vote for Obama is a vote for the death to Israel. I'll guarantee you that.

Joe: Well, you know what? I'll actually agree with you on that one. I agree with you. I really think that would be a problem.

Sheppard: Joe, do you know Barack Obama's positions on Israel?

Joe: Ahhh, listen, I know you want to really get some answers on this one, I'm just not going to help you out here Sheppard. Let people go out and find out why I would say something like that. Let people go out and find out the issues....

Sheppard: Do you think John McCain agrees with you?

Joe: No, it's just my personal opinion that I've come up with looking at different facts. Listen, you don't want my opinion on foreign policy. I know just enough to probably be dangerous.

Sheppard: Well that's what I was kind of wondering. I wonder if you think it's dangerous at all for people to say a vote for Barack Obama is the same as a vote for Israel. If you think that's something dangerous for people to start believing because what happens if the polls are right and he becomes the President of the US and people start thinking this means the death of Israel. Are you worried what people might do if they actually believed something like that?

Joe: Well again, that goes back again to what I've been saying.

Sheppard: I just want to make this 100% perfectly clear. Barack Obama has said repeatedly and demonstrated repeatedly that Israel will always be a friend to the United States no matter what happens once he becomes President, his words.

It can now be safely said - Joe the Plumber has become Joe the Dumber for the McCain campaign, and he'll go down as one of the biggest missteps in an otherwise badly run campaign by McCain's people. That's saying something.

Major hat tip to Crooks & Liars for the video and transcript

TMW asks: Are you a Real American?

[Click image to view entire cartoon]

This one absolutely speaks for itself - it's beyond imagination what the McCain campaign has done and said about Barack Obama. McCain has dishonored himself, his party, and his country.

Obama's half-hour campaign event video

Well, that didn't take long - in one of literally dozens of examples of the Obama campaign being on-point with the Web - the full video of Obama's prime-time speech was online within an hour of its conclusion. (It may have been on sooner, but I didn't check - I didn't think they would get it online this quickly.)

I don't have too much to add to this one, other than to say that I was impressed. It's too bad about the timing, though - the potential deciding game of the World Series began just as his speech did. Of course, there's not much he could have done to control that, but it's a safe bet that the ratings for his half hour were next to nothing here in Philly, and most definitely in Tampa, too.

I can only guess how many millions it cost Obama to do this prime-time appearance for an entire half hour. Surely it was into the tens of millions, considering it was aired on multiple networks. CNN reportedly declined to air the ad, which sort of surprised me. I'm wondering how CNN will proceed with its programming moving forward - its half-baked attempts to capture State TV's viewers with the insipid Glenn Beck have proved fruitless. Actually, I don't really care, since I so rarely watch the once-great network anymore.

Of course, McCain is doing his best to try and paint Obama's half hour as a "premature victory lap," but he's been trying to say that about Obama all summer and fall, and it hasn't stuck. Just because McCain, like a cheap, skipping record player, continues to repeat over and over that "Obama is measuring the drapes," doesn't make it so.

Ad jabs @ Palin's winks, Mac's economic IQ

A new Obama political ad takes a subtle jab at Sarah Palin, for her stupid winking during the vice presidential debate. I love it.

Even more importantly, though, it features some pretty telling quotes from John McCain about his lack of knowledge on the economy.

From HuffPo:

Titled "His Choice," the spot begins with quotes from McCain admitting his lack of economic know-how. The last one has McCain declaring, "I might have to rely on a vice president that I select" for expertise on economic issues.

"His choice?" the script (no narration) asks -- before cutting to footage of Palin winking at the vice presidential debate. "On November 4th, You Get to Make Yours."

It is considered politically taboo for a presidential candidate to go after a vice presidential candidate. To be sure, much of the ad focuses on McCain's record on the economy. But the inclusion of Palin is indicative of just how large a liability the Obama folks -- indeed, the political community at large -- thinks she has become for the GOP ticket.

It might be considered taboo, but I think the underlying theme here is McCain's age. (And this is likely as close as the Obama campaign will ever get to discussing it.) I've been saying and writing this for months now - McCain's choice of Palin disqualifies both, and what's more, it offers us a glimpse of how he would select the people who surround him - his cabinet, advisers, etc.

McCain & Palin starting to self destruct

I love this - John McCain is surely ruing the day that he ever selected Sara-cuda - she's been a disaster in just about every way. In recent days, there have been numerous reports that the Palin and McCain camps are increasingly acrimonious toward each other about how she's being used on the campaign trail. I've also read some reports that she's been striking out on her own in her stump speeches and straying off message vis-à-vis what the campaign wants her to say..

Hmm - self-destruct much? I'm certainly not, in Obama's own words, "counting chickens before they're hatched," but as of right now, it's looking pretty good for Obama. And I love being a spectator to the finger pointing that has already started. Unfortunately for the supporters of McCain and Palin, all of the finger pointing in the world won't change one thing - that McCain has sold his soul in hopes of capturing the presidency. Think I'm being unfair? Do a YouTube search and see for yourself - when I look back at footage of McCain during the 2000 Republican Primaries, I see and hear a guy I hardly recognize, and I don't mean physically. I laughed out loud when McCain defiantly challenged people to name one issue that he has switched positions on. And yes, he was serious.

Anyway, here's a transcript of the video above, and it's pretty damning about Palin's striking out on her own, and talking about her future before the election.

From CNN:

BLITZER: And this just coming into the "Situation Room," the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin now speaking out openly about her intentions in 2012 if, if she and John McCain were to lose this contest next Tuesday. In an interview with ABC News, Sarah Palin is now saying, she would be interested in remaining a serious national political figure, going ahead to 2012. She was asked what happens in 2012 if you lose on Tuesday, would you simply go back to Alaska? Elizabeth Vargas of ABC News asked her and Palin said this, and I will read it to you verbatim according to an ABC News transcript: "Absolutely not," Sarah Palin says. "I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken, that ... that would ... bring this whole ... I'm not doin' this for naught," and that is a direct quote from Sarah Palin. Clearly, leaving open the possibility that she would be interested in leading the Republican Party in 2012 if she and John McCain were to lose this presidential contest right now. Let's go to Dana Bash. She has been covering the McCain campaign reaction from the rather blunt statement from Sarah Palin that she would in fact be interested in leading the Republican Party going forward after Tuesday if they lose?

BASH: I just got off of the phone, Wolf, with a senior McCain adviser and I read this person the quote and I think it is fair to say that this person was speechless. There was a long pause and I just heard a "huh" on the other end of the phone. This is certainly not a surprise to anybody who has watched Sarah Palin that she is interested in potentially future national runs, and she is being urged to by a lot of people inside of the Republican Party if they do lose, but it is an "if" and people inside of the McCain campaign do not want any discussion that has an "if" in front of it six days before the election, they don't want any discussion at all, any kind of hypothetical talk about running for the next time around. So certainly, this is not at least initially being received well inside of the McCain campaign.

BLITZER: I am not surprised, not surprised at all. It is one of those "wow, she is talking about 2012 if we lose," that is not supposed to be something that you say. You are supposed to say, "well, I'm not looking ahead, I'm not looking ahead only to Tuesday," and those are the talking points she's supposed to be saying, but she is obviously blunt and she is looking ahead if something were to happen on Tuesday that she wouldn't be happy with.

That last point about how Palin should have responded is spot-on by Blitzer, and it's another illustration of how much of a political neophyte Palin is (lucky for Obama & his supporters). She's very naïve when it comes to how she should handle herself in a national campaign. Her manner, annoying accent and gaffes may play well in Alaska (and in many cases might be viewed as quaint), but her appeal has worn off with undecided and independent voters. And her lack of depth and knowledge on the most basic of issues, in my estimation, has been the most damning and damaging of all.

h/t to Crooks & Liars for the video & transcript

McCain smears now coming fast & furious

The Obama campaign has articulated pretty clearly lately how it feels about Fersatz News, our State TV Network. On Monday, Matt Drudge, who functions as the assignment editor for our right-wing corporate media, ran with another phony news story - this time it's about what Barack Obama allegedly said about the Supreme Court during a 2001 interview. First, what he actually said:

You know if you look at the victories and the failures of the Civil Rights movement and its litigation strategy in the Court, I think where it succeeded was to invest formal rights in previously dispossessed peoples so that I would now have the right to vote, I would now be able to sit at the lunch counter and order as long as I could pay for it I would be okay.

But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical, it didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as its been interpreted and the Warren Court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf and that hasn't shifted.

And one of the I think the tragedies of the Civil Rights movement was because the Civil Rights movement became so court focused I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change and in some ways we still suffer from that.

This is a far cry from how the right, led by Drudge and the McCain campaign, has been spinning what Obama said. Fortunately, the Obama campaign isn't letting the lies and smears go unanswered; they are responding swiftly and firmly, just as they should. Bill Burton, an Obama spokesman, appeared on Fox on Monday to talk about the allegations:

This is a fake news controversy drummed up by the all-too-common alliance of Fox News, the Drudge Report and John McCain, who apparently decided to close out his campaign with the same false, desperate attacks that have failed for months. In this seven-year old interview, Senator Obama did not say that the courts should get into the business of redistributing wealth at all. Americans know that the real choice in this election is between four more years of Bush-McCain policies that redistribute billions to billionaires and big corporations and Barack Obama's plan to help the middle class by giving tax relief to 95 percent of workers and companies that create new jobs here in America. That's the change we need, and no amount of eleventh-hour distractions from the McCain campaign will change that.

Very well said - this is one of the many last- gasp, pathetic attempts to distract voters from the real issues by McDrilly's dying campaign, but it certainly won't be the last; McCain's handlers no doubt have plenty more tricks, misinformation and lies up their sleeves.

Honestly, every time I hear McCain or Palin talk about "spreading the wealth around" or "wealth redistribution" or "class warfare," I can't help but hope that Obama throws this right back in his face. What he really needs to do is force McCain to defend wealth concentration, which has risen to new heights under the Bush administration. Obama should go on the attack and force both of these economical morons to defend how the top one percent of wealthy Americans control 90 percent of the wealth in this country. Good God, would I love to hear their answers.

Actually, I'm guessing we'd just hear crickets.

McSame's MTP appearance: it didn't go well

Wow - I have to give credit where credit is due - Tom Brokaw certainly asked some very pointed, tough questions of McCain on Meet the Press on Sunday. To be clear, I think that tough questions should be asked of all the candidates; questions like these and the answers that candidates give are in short supply during most elections.

McCain has given some pretty "out there" answers to some questions over the course of the campaign, but having said that, this interview stands out so much, it's hard to know where to begin.

First, let's begin with the very end of the clip, when McCain says, with a straight face, "I'd be glad to review the Reagan record, but the Reagan record was one that reigned in spending..." [Emphasis Mine] Now I know the video cuts off, but regardless of context, saying something inherently inaccurate like that is pretty breathtaking. The "Reagan record" is anything but one of "reigning in spending" - far from it.

I got a pretty big kick out of McCain's deer in the headlights look after Brokaw showed the clips from 2004 and 2000 that demonstrate McCain's very, very uneven record (and I'm being kind) regarding taxes. I have to confess, as I look at the 2000 footage of McCain talking about taxes, I do so with a bit of longing. I really very well might have voted for that version of McCain, but this version? Never.

Anyway, I think what we can conclude is obvious - McCain's current stance on taxes is borne out of his desire to be president, and to appeal to the GOP "cut taxes at all costs camp - consequences be damned.

Even more telling is McCain's babbling response after Brokaw plays the video - something about flat taxes and different brackets - I really had no idea what he was saying. Like a record that skips, he even calls Brokaw "my friend," which at this point is starting to sound like a punchline.

Even better - during the interview he can't remember the names of the five secretaries of state who have supposedly endorsed him - take a listen...

Just wondering how many more "senior moments" McCain will have if he's elected to lead this country for four years, much less eight? It's not a comforting thought, especially considering his selection as Sarah Palin as his running mate. (Note: I'll have a whole lot more about McCain's age, and his lack of transparency regarding his medical records, a bit later tonight or tomorrow.)

I firmly believe that endorsements don't make too much of a difference in whom one decides to vote for, and I'm not really convinced that Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama will make all that much of a difference, but it does give Obama's foreign policy positions more credibility - this coming from a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of State and General. By the way, it's always pathetic and sad to hear Limbaugh's race baiting, no matter how many times I listen to it.

And those former secretaries of state? Big deal - all from Republican administrations. And Obama has a few of his own, including Warren Christopher, Madeline Albright, and of course, Colin Powell - and not all Democrats, either.

Funny to hear McCain mention Kissinger, who recently said about America's talking to Iran: "Any direct talks between the U.S. and Iran on issues such as the nuclear dispute would be most likely to succeed if they first involved only diplomatic staff and progressed to the level of secretary of state before the heads of state meet." Oops! That was and is an embarrassment to McCain, who has been babbling about Obama's "meeting without preconditions" statement for months. And don't look now, but even the Bush administration, an administration that has a startlingly low appreciation for diplomacy, has begun low-level talks with the Iranians.

It's a safe bet to say that McCain did himself no favors on Meet the Press this past Sunday.

Absurd questions anger Biden in Orlando

I've heard and written about probably hundreds of interviews of all of the presidential candidates since the primaries began nearly two years ago, but the one in the video above has got to be one of the more outrageous ones I've heard during this election cycle. During an interview with WFTV Channel 9's Barbara West in Orlando, Florida, Biden did a pretty good job of keeping his cool - better than I could have.

Biden fielded a litany of absurd questions ranging from the Obama campaign's alleged influence over ACORN (including an inquiry asking if Biden was "embarrassed" by his campaign's alleged association with the group); whether Obama is a "socialist"; and then West wondered about Sen. Barack Obama's comment, to Joe the Plumber, about spreading the wealth. She quoted Karl Marx and asked how Obama isn't being a Marxist with his "spreading the wealth" comment. Following those queries, a clearly frustrated Biden asked, "I don't know who's writing your questions."

To be clear, I have absolutely no problem with tough questions being asked of any of the four candidates - too often, they all attempt to set up interviews with fluff, feel-good questions that inform voters of nothing. Some terrific examples of just this are Sarah Palin's interviews with Katie Couric & Charlie Gibson, which she bombed anyway. Biden answered more tough questions during the five-minute interview in the video above than Palin has since she joined the ticket.

Following the interview, the Obama campaign canceled a Jill Biden interview for the following day. Of course, the right-wingnuts decried this "censorship" of the media, but doesn't even hold up for a nanosecond.

A few weeks ago, McCain kicked New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd off his campaign plane for questions he didn't like, and there are numerous other occasions of media censorship during the Bush years justified by media treatment it wasn't thrilled with. Anyone remember Bush saying to Dick Cheney during the '00 campaign, "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from the New York Times"? Or how about Jeff Gannon, the conservative plant from Talon News, who Bush called on in 2005 during a press conference when the questions got tough? (He wasn't even smart enough to be low key, asking Bush a question that included a comment that the Democrats are "divorced from reality") Or how about the Bush administration signing conservative pundits to lucrative contracts using TAXPAYER MONEY to push its agenda in 2005? (Are you listening, Armstrong Williams?)

Getting back to the interview with Biden, for those of you who think that Channel 9's Barbara West is some impartial, tough journalist, watch how she handled an interview with John McCain on Oct. 14. I heard more softballs tossed at McCain during that tongue bath than I've heard tossed at Obama in the last six months.

Pretty hilarious that the very same media that McCain more than once has called "his base" is now the mortal enemy, totally in the tank for Obama.

Riiight.

The hoax heard 'round the world

By now, you no doubt have heard/read/watched the fallout (or I'd argue, the noted lack of fallout) from the race-baiting story on Friday - the story that McCain supporter was beaten and branded with a "B" on her cheek for having the temerity to have a McCain/Palin sticker on her car.

There was a whiff of b.s. about this story right from the start. (At right, this is how I felt about it - call the cops!) To begin with, would any reasonable person, sans the pain tolerance of a Navy SEAL, refuse medical treatment after having her face carved up/branded with a "B" on it? Please.

Well, fortunately, it didn't take long for the media to sniff out the truth behind this story. My favorite part about the whole thing (and I use that term pretty loosely, because this is a pretty sad chapter in American politics) is the fact that it makes the right-wing media and the McCain look like complete and utter jackasses. Without even finding out the real story, the right-wing nutjobs and their TV network, Faux News, practically condemned all things Obama after the story broke.

A few samples...

From the College Republican Website:

First, what the hell is wrong with you people at the Daily Kos? A women reports being robbed and assaulted and your first reaction is shes a liar and a racist? You have absolutely no reason to doubt her. [Really? How about the fact that if that "B" really was carved in her face, it would hurt like hell? That's a pretty good start.]

And what were you thinking Ace (and, to a lesser extent, Ap)? [Two blogs the site linked to, who evidently called b.s. right away on the story.] You really think every mugging and assault is caught on tape? and whose to say this preliminary report is even correct that it wasn’t caught on tape? Plus, do you really think the police would pass along fallacies about cuts on a persons face (they may well file a report by they would also note that there were no visible marks on her face if that was, in fact, the case)? and how does refusing medical attention somehow mean that she wasn't hurt?

I am disgusted by initial reactions to this story… from all sides it seems. There was no reason to legitimately doubt this story and now that there is obvious photographic evidence that this woman was indeed attacked I hope all those who instantly doubted her claims feel some shame for the crap they pulled...

Whoops!

And then, there was the chief insipid GOP mouthpiece of our time, Matt Drudge, who didn't hesitate to put the story in big, red, screaming headlines across the top of his site. It just underscores the fact that he'll spin just about anything he can find to a perceived advantage for the Republicans. This is a guy who has said publicly in the past that "he's not a journalist." (He certainly has that right.) Of course, he's a blogger, and he can publish whatever he wants, but common sense says that the should have done at least a little fact checking before running with this story. Well, common sense if he had any.

I would think even the likes of Drudge would have the decency to think for a minute before running a story with major racial implications just days before a presidential election. But, when you're dealing with someone of his ilk, I guess that really is too much to ask.

I do feel bad for the girl (at left), and I hope she gets the help she needs. Having said that, I think her doing this is at least in small part due to the hatred and fear that the right-wing media is stoking over this election. Often, the hate purveyors on the right don't even try very hard (if at all) to mask the racial and religious overtones of their hate speech. A few examples, if you will...

• Rush Limbaugh's frequent references to Obama as "Halfrican-American."

• The now infamous "Madrassa" story, perpetuated by Fox News, until it was debunked by CNN, among other media outlets.

• The pseudo-scandal about where Obama was born, and how he won't "produce a birth certificate" - the right's been pimping this story for months now, implying that he was born in Kenya, which would disqualify him from running for president. Nah, no racial implications in those allegations.

• The whispering campaign that Obama's a Muslim. No one has put it better than Colin Powell did last weekend on Meet the Press - "The correct answer to is Barack Obama a Muslim should be, why does it matter?" Just a thought - we wonder why most of the Muslim world hates us? This doesn't help. But wait - I guess because I raise this inconvenient fact, I "hate America," right? Unreal.

• Sarah Palin's "Obama palls around with terrorists" meme that was pimped over and over and over again at her campaign appearances, until she was called on it. After a little while, even she realized that this was doing much more harm than good to the McCain campaign.

• On Oct. 8, Michael Savage had this to say about Obama, as documented by Media Matters: "I fear that Obama will stir up a race war ... in order to seize absolute power." Click the link to read more, and also to listen to actual audio of Savage saying just that.

And of course, no right winger never misses an opportunity to say "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" in a deliberate attempt to stir up stereotypes and racial hatred.

My point in bringing up all of this is that the above language panders to the worst elements of society - stereotyping, racism, hatred and intolerance.

This is just a guess, and I won't try to diagnose someone from thousands of miles away, a la former Sen. Bill Frist, but maybe, just maybe, this sort of language stoked Ashley Todd's worst fears and pushed her over the edge, toward committing a shameless and desperate political hoax, out of fear of an Obama presidency. It's a fair question.

McCain's interesting family tree

I have sooo much to get to tonight and this weekend, but before I get to the very current stuff, I want to clear the decks of a few things in my queue. Please stay tuned all weekend - this weekend promises to be the most active one so far this year for Count Me Blue, and I always enjoy reading your thoughts. On to some new posts. ...

I know this is a non-story, but I did find this very interesting. Evidently, McCain's ancestors were slave owners. I don't think the fact that his ancestors were slave owners matters one iota regarding McCain or his candidacy, but I do find it interesting that he's not willing to acknowledge that his ancestors were slave owners.

Having said all of that, there are plenty of other things that CNN could be spending its time on. I've heard of going and digging into the candidates' backgrounds, but this takes it to a whole new level. We haven't had what most would consider to be a "slow news day" for months now - since way before the political conventions - so I'm thinking that this story shouldn't have even seen the air, in my humble opinion.

Just another in a seemingly infinite number of examples available for all to see that demonstrates how far the once respected and admired network has fallen.

But, there was a bit of positive news for the network this week, as far as I'm concerned, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Latest TMW touches all the bases

[Click image for full cartoon]

More sage, spot-on political witticisms from Tom Tomorrow - I look forward to his cartoons every Tuesday morning. I love it that he even makes light of the two most annoying non-verbal actions by any candidates in recent memory - Palin's winking and McCain's blinking.

And, my friends, let's not forget, my friends, that he even mentions, my friends, McCain's most annoying habit of all... my friends. Whoever told him it was a good idea to start saying that should be fired given a raise.

Mac & Gordon Dipshiddy: perfect together

I'm not normally inclined to watch Letterman, Leno or any of the other late night talk shows, but just as I was going to bed the other night, I caught the tail end of McCain's appearance on Letterman, where he went on to kiss and make up with Dave for canceling last minute a few weeks ago.

It was a pretty predictable appearance, but toward the end of the interview, no matter how hard McCain tried to keep the interview light and superficial, Letterman kept up with the probing questions. Finally, toward the end of the interview, Letterman asked him about his relationship with Gordon Liddy. Watch the end of the video above for McCain's hemming and hawing about him.

[Fade to commercial]

When the show returns from commercial, after McCain had time to think about his response about Liddy further, McCain defiantly (stupidly?) said that he was "proud of his association with Gordon Liddy."

More from Media Matters:

And in an August 22 blog post about an anti-Obama ad highlighting Obama's association with Ayers, (Chicago Tribune reporter Steve) Chapman wrote:

But conservatives may not want to draw attention to the issue of ties to violent radicals -- since John McCain is longtime pals with convicted Watergate burglar Gordon Liddy, who once plotted a journalist's murder (which was never carried out) and has advocated the shooting of federal law enforcement agents.

More from Crooks & Liars:

Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07" includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."

Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character."

Oops!! One would think that before McCain got all sanctimonious over Ayers, he would have looked in the mirror and taken stock in his relationship with Gordon Liddy, and for that matter, his running mate's association with the Alaska Secessionist Movement.

Don't get me wrong - I'm beyond sick of all these guilt by association stories in the media, but the only reason I'm mentioning it is undoubtedly the same reason Letterman did the other night - McCain's past isn't nearly as clean as the mainstream media would have you believe. Of course, on Friday, when the corporate media reported on McCain's Letterman appearance, there was no mention of Liddy, anywhere.

As I wrote last week before the final debate, it's not a stretch to say that Liddy was a domestic terrorist under the Nixon administration. And if Liddy would have been turned loose to do everything he wanted to do under Nixon, he would have been much worse. Some of his ideas included firebombing the Brookings Institution (a left-wing think tank) using Cubans as firemen, kidnapping anti-war protesters during the 1972 Republican National Convention, and luring Democratic Party leaders to a houseboat to take pictures of them in compromising positions with hookers. Oh yea, and there was something called Watergate, too.

It's pretty safe to say that just about any national politician running for the presidency has had a few questionable associations in the past, to secure campaign contributions or a host of other reasons, and that these associations doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture. This is just another example of how McCain has run a dishonorable and dishonest campaign.

Anyway, I was only half paying attention to McCain and Letterman right before I fell asleep, but when I heard Letterman mention Liddy, I almost jumped out of my chair, because no one else in the media has had the temerity to question the Maverick about some of his past associations.

I have much more to say about Bill Ayers, but that's a separate post.

Keating 5 to Cheating Jive - Joe's a plant

I love it - Joe Plumber looked too good to be true. Okay, I didn't know it, but I had my doubts after hearing the full video after the debate last night (above) of his meeting with Obama in Toledo, Ohio. Turns out, it wasn't such a chance encounter after all. (Listen to the whole video again, and listen for the GOP talking points - they sure as hell aren't hard to pick out.)

From Martin Eisenstadt (no fan of Obama's, either):

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher [Joe the Plumber] from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who's Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating's son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes, giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.

Whoops! You would think that the McCain camp would be smarter than to use someone so close to a scandal that they prefer to not talk about anyway - the S&L Bailout, along with the Keating Five. But apparently, we aren't dealing with people who are all that bright, at least politically.

In case you're looking for more proof, here's a nice little nugget - why did an interview with Plumber Joe appear on Family Security Matters yesterday, a right-wing blog? Read the interview and judge for yourself - again, more talking points and a litany of recycled McCain bon mots. Like I said, these aren't very bright people. Maybe if McSame were more familiar with the Internet and the Google, they would know this stuff ain't too hard to find.

As C&L noted earlier today, Joe Plumber sure made a good story for a day. Well, make that half a day.