McCain. Invisible?
By sideways | Related entries in NewsWon’t someone, somewhere, please say something nice about John McCain? Someone? Anyone?
Out of his last 20 blog posts, conservative blogger Rick Moran at Rightwing Nuthouse, has used about a third to attack Barack Obama. A few to attack both Democrats. One to criticize McCain. And the number of pro-McCain posts? Zero.
Anyone who spends much time zipping around the blogosphere finds the same kind of thing at conservative and right-of-center blogs: all Obama, all the time. Any air time not filled by Obama is filled by Hillary.
And McCain? The GOP candidate? You remember, the war hero guy? Kind of short, like a lot of pilots? White hair? Can’t raise his arms as a consequence of the torture he suffered? Remember?
Cue the crickets.
Roll that tumbleweed.
It’s more than merely the fact that it’s more fun to attack than defend. There’s scarcely a word about McCain. It’s a black hole out there. A void. A vacuum. A nullity.
You know why? The right wing hates McCain. Out of loyalty to their party they’re trying hard not to talk much about how they hate McCain, but they hate him. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion they hate him much more than they hate Obama. So we get these ludicrous attacks on Obama. These desperate nothingburger broadsides.
We’re watching the right try to convince itself that it hates Obama more than it hates McCain. They have to psych themselves up, elevate the hate, in order to steel themselves for the sickening task of voting for the despised John McCain. So we get this eerie McCain blackout. And the anti-Obama frenzy.
Won’t work. You can’t win an election by pretending your own candidate doesn’t exist. You can’t win by trying to convince yourself you hate the other guy more.
But keep trying, guys. I enjoy the smell of desperation. Mmmm. Like perfume.
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March 9th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Interesting bit of pop psychology, but here’s another take.
The amount of attacks you’re seeing is because they’re scared out of their minds at the idea of running against Obama. The really smart right-wing bloggers know that this guy could be the Democrat’s Reagan, and so they’re trying one meme after another in hopes something will stick. And a few have. We’ll see if the electorate gives a shit come November, because it’s McCain v. Obama.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Won’t someone, somewhere, please say something nice about John McCain? Someone? Anyone?
Why? Did you see a lot of posts about the Yankees in the week before the Super Bowl?
The Dems are making comic history with their Mutual Assured Destruction primary campaign – who could sit that out?
March 10th, 2008 at 7:42 am
He won his Party but they really don’t like him. It’s what would happen if the Democrats were to nominate Hillary Clinton. They’d probably vote for her – but they definitely wouldn’t like her.
March 10th, 2008 at 8:38 am
“Democrat’s Reagan” — umm, except Reagan was the Democrat’s Reagan and, I know there has been talk of “Obamacans”, but in my opinion that is just the flimsy, marginal edge of any party that easily skims off with slightest breeze of popular trend. Obama is no Reagan, not even Reagan-lite — he’s going to have to get far more substantive and start appealing to people other than your demographic Justin and blacks.
McCain is gaining ground and I really like his chances against Obama. Hey, wasn’t Capone a “community organizer” in Chicago?
March 10th, 2008 at 10:36 am
It’s a good think you make such intellectually defensible points DOS or I would just skip over……….
March 10th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I actually think he has no chance regardless of whether his opposition is Clinton, Obama, or Clintoma. But since you asked – His interview on 60 Minutes last night was great. In particular he did not equivocate while describing waterboarding as torture and called out the Bush administration as flat wrong on the issue. He needs to do more of this.
Speaking for myself as a blogger – I don’t see any real point in weighing in on McCain until the Dem contest is settled. My biggest problem with McCain is his stance on the war in Iraq, past present and future. I would support him strongly if I could get over this issue, but he was so wrong about the decision going in, that it is going to be tough. The only way I can get there, is to ignore what he said in 2002 and just look forward.
To that end – this is an argument I could make as we get closer to the general election – consider it a preview of coming attractions –
In the context of this election, what is happening in Iraq now, is more important than what was said in 2002/3. Despite what they say on the campaign trail – the difference in what actually transpires in Iraq will not be that different over the next two years regardless of which of the three are elected President. Pinning a “precipitous withdrawal†tag on Obama is just as inaccurate as pinning a “100 year war†tag on McCain. All three remaining candidates clearly understand that getting out will have to be done carefully and without jeopardizing our security. The practical differences between them are one of degree and not of kind. The fact is, we must and will significantly reduce our footprint there, because we can’t afford it and it is damaging our armed force readiness in general. The rhetoric of the candidates on both sides are pandering to the extremes of both parties. Regardless of who is elected, two years from the time a new president takes office our military presence in Iraq will be down 75% from where it is now – plus or minus 15%. That is the sum total difference between them on the Iraq war.