Andy McCarthy speaks for many of his right wing bretheren when he castigates John McCain for not calling Barack Obama out on being a terrorist sympathizer last night:
Memo to McCain Campaign: Someone is either a terrorist sympathizer or he isn’t; someone is either disqualified as a terrorist sympathizer or he’s qualified for public office. You helped portray Obama as a clealy qualified presidential candidate who would fight terrorists.
If that’s what the public thinks, good luck trying to win this thing.
With due respect, I think tonight was a disaster for our side. I’m dumbfounded that no one else seems to think so. Obama did everything he needed to do, McCain did nothing he needed to do. What am I missing?
If you want to know what you’re missing, Andy, take a trip to FiveThirtyEight and see Nate Silver’s rundown on what is happening to McCain’s numbers in battleground states in the wake of Sarah Palin’s unrelenting attacks on Obama’s patriotism — they’re sinking fast.
It’s not working.
I hate to be all concern troll here, but when we on the left counseled the Democrats to ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK during the Bush Administration, it was because we knew George Bush was driving America over a cliff, and sooner or later everyone was going to catch on to that fact, so why not get out in front and look like a leader?
You, on the other hand, have a bullshit trumped up claim that nobody but extremists are ever going to care about when the Dow is plummeting, credit is unavailable, companies can’t make payroll, people’s retirement funds are rapidly shrinking and nobody can afford a gallon of gas. Five years from now, nobody is going to look back and say "wow, President Obama did hand us over to the terrorists, sure wish I’d listened to Andy McCarthy."
After McCain’s ridiculous bid to suspend his campaign to come back to Washington DC to help with the bailout, which he voted for then railed against, nobody is going to listen to him on the most pressing issue of the day — the one that 60% of the people in the country say they are going to base their vote on. He’s sidelined. His only hope is that he doesn’t do something really stupid, like run around on national TV looking desperate and making claims that may well rally the Republican base but aren’t speaking to the independents he needs to win over.
And then he has to hope that external events shift the national attention to something other than the economy, where people would trust John McCain to lead more than Barack Obama.
No wonder he’s singing "bomb bomb bomb Iran."





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McCain hated having to act Presidential last night. You could tell he wanted to go all mavericky and was deeply uncomfortable trying to look like a responsible adult during a time of crisis.
Good morning Jane!
– We’ll be waiting.
Alaskan. Independence. Party.
Hit it hard.
Palin’s supporters are starting to sound like the new domestic terrorists.
John McShame is running a campaign of self contradiction. The campaign wakes up in a new world every day.
Well, he did reassure us that America is the greatest fucking country on earth that ever existed and we can solve all these problems if we just put our minds to it because we are the greatest fucking country on earth, eveh!
Gee, I guess I have to vote for him now.
Thanks Jane.
digg
LMAO.
Dugg
I think McCain sees that the sand is shifting under his feet; he’s not the guy in control of his campaign; there is this crazy babe out there campaigning that he doesn’t have any control over either(though there is a part of him that sort of likes that), and the whole thing is turning to s**t before his eyes. Grouchy and uncomfortable does not even begin to describe it.
It is still October.
I wouldn’t put anything past these desperate bastards.
Has McShame ever been in control of anything in his entire life?
I would be in Oppo Heaven if some enterprising Dem would track down this family and get them to endorse Palin
McLost wouldn’t look his opponent in the face and say all those vile lies that he and his trailer-trash running mate have been spewing for the last few days. He’s been castrated. What fun!
McCain is done, stick a fork in him. CNN’s panel of Ohio undecideds mostly tuned him out when he was talking: their like-o-meters were pretty much stuck at 0. They just weren’t listening much.
MSNBC’s group in King of Prussia PA (heavy R-country) was paying a little better attention, but they heard lots of stuff they didn’t like. The R’s on their panel hated the idea of buying up toxic mortgages, and the D’s and I’s didn’t get very excited by the idea.
that’s a big Bingo! mike.
following a rough outline of his adult life, he has two responses:
walk away with no comment (Reform Institute, His First Marriage, Anti-Commy league, etc.) or get some retainer like Charlie Black or Mark Salter to ’splain it all away in some non coherent fashion to his ‘base’ the media
somewhat OT – Biden’s back on the trail this morning in Florida.
I wonder if he’ll even bother to address Mrs. Palin’s booga-booga stuff?
I’m thinking maybe slap her with a sentence or two, then move on.
can I ask a quick debate question or wait?
good call Counselor
Ask, BF
Biden just now starting stump speech in Florida on MSNBC
Joe knows.
If this was a best of five series it would be over
Obaama is playing a very effective game of rope a dope
After the deabte, McCain left and Obama had the camera to himself and everybody could watch him doing a great job with the audience. Just great. Did McCain vere come back? If not he’s an idiot.
He’s off to a good start. I’m catching the live stream from CNN.com
vere = ever
Hi Jane! I’m betting that the reason that McGollum has not tied Obama to Ayers publically is the Alaska Independence Party blowing back on him. Ayers is very casual acquaintance where Failin’ Palin is not only married to a recent member but there is video if her addresing their group. A shot across the bow from Grumpy John will surely result in a heavy barrage of AIP Sarah being cuddly with the AIP, not that anyone should really wait after her recent foray into being “Southern Strategy Sarah”.
Secession is not Patriotism, someone needs to point that out next time she parts the lipstick to metaphorically fellate the yay-hoos.
Are you kidding me?! McGramps could barely walk off the stage by his own volition. Had to have his Mrs. McPharmaceuticals take him by the arm and guide him before he collapsed.
Only csapn viewers know that. The other channels switched off the debate floor to reactions of talking heads, independents, etc.
I’m sitting about 300 yards from the SunDome, where he’s speaking…incredible security on the USF campus this AM. Cops, helicopters, the full-on security gimmick…judging by the amount of traffic, the turnout looks real good.
The race for POTUS is over.
Now the focus should be on getting to 60 Senate seats.
This would take away Obama’s excuse for not being the progressive candidate he was in the primaries.
Well, if you take away the whole ‘can’t operate aircraft’ thing, he’s been driving ambition his whole life.
he said epitpah when he meant epithet in an interview? love it. joe’s great. i can excuse stuff like that ’cause he’s knowledeable and screw ups aside, has something to say. oftentimes too much to say. but palin has zero.
Bingo!
so he did come back?
I like the way he left the Keating Five video on a web-site, as opposed to throwing it out on national ads.
It’s sitting there as a yet-unused reminder (to *McCain*), that if *he* goes where Mrs. Palin is going, there’s a big-ass bomb just sitting there on the shelf, ready to go.
I don’t think so, but I was switching around so I don’t know for sure.
Nope.
Elvis left the building very quickly afterwards.
And yes, he IS an idiot.
Exactly.
As I pointed out to a friend today, another sports analogy would be Tiger Woods with a 4 stroke lead on the back nine.
He’s just not gonna make the big mistake on the way to the clubhouse, even if it means boring golf for us viewers.
The point is to win, not get style points along the way.
That’s what the talking heads don’t seem to understand.
My-I-call-you Joe is rocking.
I heard that he had to leave the stage immediately following the conclusion of the debate, was gone for a couple minutes and then came back to glad hand with the audience. Someone probably had to tell him to come back out. Ha!
I’m liking USF a lot right now. My oldest probably will go there next fall.
Olberman made a point of getting the video from C-SPAN and saying that Cindy and her boy-toy left quickly.
Don’t tell the Palin/McCain campaign but if they don’t rein in Palin, they are going to lose.
The only part of the electorate that she appeals to is their hard core religious base, and they already have that vote. She is poison to the rest, and is a real turn-off to women.
Another campaign stop like the one in Florida where she incites the crowd to frenzy levels could turn even uglier and the electorate is going to put the blame squarely where it belongs, on Palin and McCain.
1,789 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…
Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
Hit the bastard again Sister Jane, he’s still breathin (but jest barely)…but now is not the time to take the punches of the smears of treason” and “terrorist”. Now is the time for organized assaults on the patriotism and terrorism of the “conservative movement” and the exposure of the nasty underware of the party of capital and priviledge which is the Alaska Independence Party, the John Birch Society, the KKK, the Aryan Nation, Timothy McVie and all those relationships of the fascist party with the mercenary shock troops of corporatist America, Blackwater Inc.
You are a true American hero Citizen Hamsher and ya get another chevron on yer Norske Medal of Citizenship.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, FASCISM WON’T GO AWAY BY ITSELF, JEST ASK THE GERMANS!
Go go Joe. He is doing a heck of a job. MSNBC works as well.
I have a bone to pick with you Jane, you did not mention that McSame was a POW.
Not a Maverick, a sidekick. Go go Joe
Obama has the unique skill sets of team player (basketball) and solo strategist (chess and p*ker). He taps into whatever set is needed in a given situation. Again, his campaign has been nothing short of brilliant.
I’ve been following the polling via Pollster.com. They are heavy on the math side of things, reluctant to push any given poll beyond what the stats say is legitimate, and careful not to call something a trend before there’s more than one data point.
That said, this has been a good week or so for Obama according to Pollster. They’ve shifted VA and IN from Leans McCain to Toss-Up. States like MN, WI, MI, and CO have gone from toss-up to Leans Obama. Most importantly, just in the last couple of days they’ve done the same with OH and FL. Today’s electoral college map at Pollster.com has 320 Obama, 163 McCain, and 55 Toss Up.
The battleground states are starting to move, and none of them are moving McCain’s way.
We’re going to do our share here in New Mexico.
Domenici is out and Udall’s farther ahead of Drill-Baby-Drill Pearce than Obama is ahead of that other one.
Heh. heh. Biden just used Casey’s “sidekick, not a maverick” line. Went over great.
And leans-Obama states like NM and CO are now likely Obama. He’s closing the deal.
Just remember this, my friends (and you are my friends):
You can’t steal a landslide. GOTV is crucial for us.
There is NOTHING the US cannot do with a good tax cut for the wealthy. NOTHING.
McBomb is just about to have to climb onto that bomb that’s stuck in the bombay door and ride it to freedom. The ‘Straight-Talk Bomber’ is in a tailspin.
headed out for a few hours – enjoy the day ‘dogs
Jane – is there a youtube of your CNN commentary from last night ?
Andy McCarthy?
Loved him in “The Breakfast Club.”
?????
hehehehe
The one thing he’s accomplished at…failure!
Up until now, though, he’s always failed upward.
He’s responsible for his current trajectory. Because he’s a back-stabbing, self-aggrandizing fence rider. He picked his side. The basest of the base. Another gamble he lost. He’s the biggest f’n loser I’ve ever seen.
I wrote to the Obama campaign (at the Obama for President site) to offer a comment on the debate.
I mentioned that he didn’t hit McCain’s healthcare plan with all the ammo available.
First off, I mentioned that the did not hit on the fact that McCain intends to cut Medicare and Medicaid by over one trillion dollars to pay for his $5000 tax credit idea.
He didn’t hit on the fact that a $5000 credit does NOT cover the actual costs of normal health insurance, and certainly puts people into the red after their employer healthcare is taxed out of existence.
I also hit on the very idea of tax gimmicks to help people at all. I HATE tax credits or deductions as a means to pay for ongoing costs. People who live paycheck to paycheck need money NOW, not only a month or two after filing their taxes. They need to pay healthcare costs RIGHT NOW, balancing eating or basic home maintenance, etc, against having to pay their premium. A tax credit doesn’t do anything until after you file your income taxes and then you have to wait for the check to be cut and sent back. No good. A too small windfall one month post tax time does NOT cover monthly costs NOW.
I also mentioned that there is a great “Harry and Louise” style political add in this. An elderly couple are sitting at their dinner table talking and worrying about their healthcare and finances. They can discuss how McInsane wants to severely cut their Medicare and take their social security away from them at the same time their IRAs are tanking because of the dying stock market.
Use the GOP weapons against them.
Yep. Another version of McCain maverick is pick the side he thinks will win. Only, as it turns out, he’s not smart enough to do that. Can’t see around the corner.
The GOP answer to ALL issues, regardless of objective reality is: cut taxes! (for the wealthy). It is sarcasm.
Good Morning Jane and Pups!!!
It’s raining here today, but I feel all sunshine inside. Fantastic debate.
Last gasp for the mcsame campaign?
Some puppy last night was wondering why there should have to be another debate, since essentially the contest is essentially won.
I believe she’s correct on the latter part, but I’d like to address the first part of her plea.
If you hung around on C-Span’s coverage of the actual debate last night, you saw something quite striking.
Mcsame dashed out of the room, ignoring the crowd. Cindy apparently stood for awhile in the room, hands clasped, stiff, formal, not conversing (before or after debate? sorry, i missed a little last night but just read about it this morning).
In contrast to the opposition, Barack and Michelle “worked the room” after the debate, as one person put it. Cordial, inviting, steady, calm, down-to-earth friendly, answering questions readily and sharing concerns, greeting folks as equals, eye-to-eye, smile to smile.
Such moments are golden for the Obama campaign, imo.
There are still people out there who think they know Barack Obama, even though their only source of information up until yesterday might very well have been nastiness spewed by the Mcsame campaign’s lies and scare-mongering.
One of the best antidotes to fight against Mcsame/Apalling’s mud-slinging and ridiculous false charges is for people to see and hear Barack and Michelle for themselves. Holding that last debate will ensure that even more voters will have that chance.
The viewership and insta-poll numbers from last night were incredibly positive for Obama. I’ll bet they will be even more striking after the next and final debate before the election.
There are only two things that can save McSame now – a really bad misstep by Obama (very unlikely) or an October surprise.
gotcha.
Biden showing some righteous anger. Very well channeled, though. No violent rants from the audience for him.
You missed one. Personal medical insurance policies are much more expensive than group policies. (No bargaining power; current scheme is oligopy vs oligopsiny; Mc’s plan would e oligopy vs. individuals). That’s the whole point of McCain’s plan: to enrich the insurance corps.
The wingers and neocon nuts are telling McInsane that he needs to UNleash Palin to let her be Palin in order to win.
Citizen PraedorArtebates:
I’m sure that the Obama campaign appreciates your tactical instructions since they haven’t been able ta delvelop a strategy or tactics to win the election and keep from killin’ their ability ta govern.
He, like the rest of ‘em, has a foresight deficiency.
I think it’s time to revisit something I offered up here months ago, and that is the Rethugs saw this train wreck coming and decided to offer up McGramps as the sacrificial lamb this year, and then retrench for 2012.
“You wanna run for POTUS, McCain?” “OK, you got it!, Now STFU!”
It’s well documented their base never liked him, and because of his age he’ll effectively be put out to pasture after Nov. 4th.
I’ve had that very thought for some time now. Or, McRetirement is taking a dive. Either scenario is entirely possible.
I hope he does it – her negatives will skyrocket. Not gonna help Palin-McSame.
As I said last night I don’t see why an October surprise would cause people to vote for McCain. I think it would make Americans trust him even less.
He has much more weaponry available than he is actually using. He would win HUGE with the elderly and the disabled if he made it clear to them that McCain literally wants to take away their Medicare and Medicaid. That point really does need to be highlighted. It is a real killer like social security privatization.
They could win MUCH more convincingly and without any questions about margin of error by using ALL the ammo that is laying around.
…and he never mentioned the Repub vice-presidential candidate by name.
good.
Yep. My professional life was as econ forecaster, so I’m very attuned to most people’s inability to see ahead. Whenever I was forecasting a change, and had good reasons, instead of arguing with my reasons, the typical response was “I don’t see it.”
Another simple political commercial is to use McCain’s words against him:
McCain wants to do for your healthcare what he has done for Wall Street…to the same effects.
Dang! Why didn’t my comment register?!
Trying again:
[dear mods. please note. spelling backwards is not a criminal activity, at least I didn’t think so. altho i just noticed i probably should have used my usual wink instead of getting creative and then not previewing, oops.
pleeze don’t censure me. no harm intended! *sniffle*
Nobody yelling (about McCain), “kill him” or “terrorist”?
Geez, we lefties are so well behaved.
One of the few polling advantages McSame has is that he’s considered better on terror issues and more qualified as commander guy. I’m not saying that an October surprise would win it for him, I’m just saying it’s his best shot.
Not so sure about the latter.
I’m thinking that surptises are not the gimme they were a few months ago.
Public trust in Mccain’s abilities and steadfastness has dimished.
harumph! i didn’t figure this site would have a police state mentality.
One could also look at what has happened to the supplemental rates for seniors. What a crock. Rates went up more this year than the raise they got in their SS
From a strategy perspective, I think all this Democratic momentum is a great time to push for universal health care.
The stock (bullshit) answer about ‘no money’ is moot, since they’ve shown 700 billion can be pulled out of the govt’s hindquarters on one week notice.
And, as any serious analysis shows, we actually save money long term because of preventive care vs. waiting until it’s time to go to the emergency room for care.
IIRC, Obama has even said he prefers universal care in a ‘perfect world’.
Well 60 Senate seats and a big majority in the House is about as perfect politically as it gets.
Perhaps his only shot. Isn’t it amazing that some people think he is better to fight the terrorists?
No moderator did anything to any of your comments.
Amazing, isn’t it? Do these idiots know what it takes to survive captivity by NV terrorists? Lying, conniving theater. That’s all he’s had to offer since ‘that time’.
I don’t understand how anyone could see McSame as better at anything – useful.
Okay! Setting aside my glass of koolaid and adjusting the foil hat:
Dear Beerfart liberal at #26:
My only offense at #70 was to spell “No Problem” backwards, since you, at #26 were apologizing for a typo.
If this comment doesn’t pass muster, I’m leaving in a huff, pups, but I’ll return eventually.
signed, CRANKY Adie
read that the Biden crowd was small but very loud.
apology accepted. (what do i put /s? does that mean just kiddin’?)
gee. thanks mods, whew. never mind.
P. E. A. C. E.
at this point i have no idea.
nor any idea why EITHER of us should apologize, my friend ;->
I agree with you, and I was pleased to see Obama ranked it #2 in his list of priorities.
I see the potential to create a New Deal-style healthcare infrastructure to create jobs, add to the tax base, and more importantly, provide healthcare to all. Opportunity!
It’s more than 700 billion. There was the hundred plus billion spent on Fanny and Freddie and the like BEFORE the big 700 billion wealthfare bill. We are already close to the trillion mark.
Then again, money in the system we have is ALWAYS pulled out of thin air and backed by nothing.
The first film (Zeitgeist) kinda sucked because, though well done and interesting, it was riddled with problems vis a vis objective fact (particularly with regards to xtianity and its origins – the better film in this regard is The God Who Wasn’t There), but the new film, Zeitgeist addendum is quite good at explaining the chicanery that is the current monetary system.
Frankly, I think we need to trash the entire thing and make our banking system follow the Islamic system. Loans can be made but interest cannot be charged. Short selling and other gambling on things that are actually harmful to the overall welfare of the people/society are forbidden. Basically, ALL the recent failings of Wall Street and high finance are forbidden under their system, yet it is still possible to make money as a bank via other means. They do have something worthwhile to offer us that has nothing to do with what god you worship (or don’t worship).
I am not sure this would ad a lot of jobs. Think of how many insurance co. jobs would go poof! All of the ad people, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, the no your not covered people, teehee
For Jamaicans, “no problem mon” would be translated pretty much as,
“everything’s cool/okay. no big deal.” [I’m not Jamaican, but some of our very good friends are. So I borrow their nifty sayings once in awhile.
isn’t there a movie out there, “Lost in Translation?” Maybe I should go rent the thing and miss the rest of my life trying to figure this out.
As indicated above, I’m just getting too cranky in my old age, I guess, and obviously too verbose…. I promise just to lurk now for awhile, in abject shame for being so “out of it.” (yes. another over-used, out-of-date phrase)
*sigh*
yeah, just think.
nope. no need to apologize that i know of.
I put a smiley face on that. What in the world can you depend on if you can’t rely on your smileys showing up?
That must have been frustrating. But I think you ought to take it as a compliment. It was essentially an admission by those folks that you were right, and they had nothing of substance with which to argue. They just gave up. heh.
Well there’s a idea entirely too nuanced for most of the country to grasp.
Let the CEO’s, the CFO’s, the COO’s, and the no you’re not covered people eat MUD PIES! Tell ‘em it’s good for their health.
and MSNBC
I think ABC had a few minutes and then he was off in the corner on a split/backgroun screen.
You are correct though most did not see this.
Apparently, YSD, there are a significant number of those ideas which are “too nuanced for the country to grasp”.
What’s to do?
“Nuance”, itself, must be the ‘problem’.
So, wud ya rather talk ‘nuance’ or have a (beer, buffalo chip, or Bar-B-Q weenies) new-kew-lur experience with sum ‘rapture’ thrown in?
‘Cuz nuance denied is capable of biting ass many fools as can dance on the head of a nuke, or triangulate a fanancial ‘meltdown’, by blaming the victims and rewarding the perpetrators (’purple’-traitors?).
Ain’t this fun?
;~D
I love how the General says the woman is “Pamela of Atlas Chugs”
will take your word, and tread carefully, using preview, in the future. ok?
thanks.