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Title: Is John McCain Stupid? / Wall Street Journal Article
Source:
Wall Street Journal
URL Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121 ... 731.html?mod=todays_columnists
Published: Jul 31, 2008
Author: Wall Street Journal
Post Date: 2008-07-31 20:41:19 by TwentyTwelve
Keywords: John McStupid
Views: 262
Comments: 16
Wall Street Journal Article July 31, 2008; Page A13 Is John McCain Stupid? Is John McCain losing it? On Sunday, he said on national television that to solve Social Security "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7 in Denver he said: "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't." This isn't a flip-flop. It's a sex-change operation. Recent remarks by John McCain has some Republicans stewing. Wonder Land columnist Dan Henninger of the WSJ Editorial page talks with Kelsey Hubbard about McCain's need for a new strategy to beat Barack Obama. (July 31) He got back to the subject Tuesday in Reno, Nev. Reporters asked about the Sunday tax comments. Mr. McCain replied, "The worst thing you could do is raise people's payroll taxes, my God!" Then he was asked about working with Democrats to fix Social Security, and he repeated, "everything has to be on the table." But how can . . .? Oh never mind. Yesterday he was in Aurora, Colo., to wit: "On Social Security, he [Sen. Obama] wants to raise Social Security taxes. I am opposed to raising taxes on Social Security. I want to fix the system without raising taxes." What I'm asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn't abandoned by his own voters? It's not just taxes. Recently the subject came up of Al Gore's assertion that the U.S. could get its energy solely from renewables in 10 years. Sen. McCain said: "If the vice president says it's doable, I believe it's doable." What!!?? In a later interview, Mr. McCain said he hadn't read "all the specifics" of the Gore plan and now, "I don't think it's doable without nuclear power." It just sounds loopy. Then this week in San Francisco, in an interview with the Chronicle, Sen. McCain called Nancy Pelosi an "inspiration to millions of Americans." Notwithstanding his promises to "work with the other side," this is a politically obtuse thing to say in the middle of a campaign. Would Bill Clinton, running for president in 1996 after losing control of the House, have called Newt Gingrich an "inspiration"? House Minority Leader John Boehner, facing a 10-to-20 seat loss in November, must be gagging. The one thing -- arguably the only thing -- the McCain candidacy has going for it is a sense among voters that they don't know what Barack Obama stands for or believes. Why then would Mr. McCain give voters reason to wonder the same thing about himself? You're supposed to sow doubt about the other guy, not do it to yourself. Yes, Sen. McCain must somehow appeal to independents and blue-collar Hillary Democrats. A degree of pandering to the center is inevitable. But this stuff isn't pandering; it's simply stupid. Al Gore's own climate allies separated themselves from his preposterous free-of-oil-in-10-years whopper. Sen. McCain saying off-handedly that it's "doable" is, in a word, thoughtless. Speaker Pelosi heads a House with a 9% approval. To let her off the hook before the election reflects similar loss of thought. The forces arrayed against Sen. McCain's candidacy are formidable: an unpopular president, the near impossibility of extending Republican White House rule for three terms, the GOP trailing in races at every level, a listless fundraising base, doubtful sentiments about the war, a flailing economy. The generic Democratic presidential candidate should win handily. Barack Obama, though vulnerable at the margin, is a very strong candidate. This will be a turnout election. To win, Mr. McCain needs every Republican vote he can hold. Why make it harder than it has to be? Given such statements on Social Security taxes, Al Gore and the "inspirational" Speaker Pelosi, is there a reason why Rush Limbaugh should not spend August teeing off on Mr. McCain? Why as well shouldn't the Obama camp exploit all of this? If Sen. Obama's "inexperience" is Mr. McCain's ace in the hole, why not trump that by asking, "Does Sen. McCain know his own mind?" * * * In this sports-crazed country, everyone has learned a lot about what it takes to win. They've heard and seen it proven repeatedly that to achieve greatness, to win the big one, an athlete has to be ready to "put in the work." John McCain isn't doing that, yet. He's competing as if he expects the other side to lose it for him. Sen. McCain is a famously undisciplined politician. Someone in the McCain circle had better do some straight talking to the candidate. He's not some 19-year-old tennis player who's going to win the U.S. presidential Open on raw talent and the other guy's errors. He's not that good. There is a reason the American people the past 100 years elevated only two sitting senators into the White House -- JFK and Warren Harding. It's because they believe most senators, adept at compulsive compromise, have no political compass and will sell them out. Now voters have to do what they prefer not to. Yes, Sen. McCain has honor and country. Another month of illogical, impolitic remarks and Sen. McCain will erase even that. Absent a coherent message for voters, he will be one-on-one with Barack Obama in the fall. He will lose. Write to henninger@wsj.com
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#1. To: Rotara, Original_Intent, cynicom (#0)
Short Answer: Uh, duhhhh. Helllloooo!? He's also nuts. Or would it be more PC to say "reality challenged"?
"The difference between an honorable man and a moral man is that an honorable man regrets a discreditable act even when it has worked and he is in no danger of being caught." ~ H. L. Mencken
Yep, more so than stupid, imo.
Yep, more so than stupid, imo. The two seem to go hand-in-hand. If it wasn't for a media ignoring his gaffes and obvious disengenuous contradictions, along with high paid PR and speaking help, he would have been relegated to the Looney Bin of History a long time ago.
"The difference between an honorable man and a moral man is that an honorable man regrets a discreditable act even when it has worked and he is in no danger of being caught." ~ H. L. Mencken
Congress is under siege from the public. IMO, this is nothing more than circling the wagons. GOP for years has had this 'reach across the aisle' thing that ends up brain-damaging them and compromising them. The Democrats, on the other hand, don't CARE about the other side of the aisle unless they are trying to beat the GOP into submission. At that point, the Dems say its "bipartisan" - meaning the GOP was beaten into accepting a sh*t sandwich. You don't get anywhere in politics by playing nice. You win with brinksmanship because the other side is generally treating their position like its a religious thing. Anything else is a compromise which explains why the stuff coming out of DC stinks to high heaven.
"A leader, for a change." - Jimmy Carter, 1976 campaign slogan. Sound familiar? Here it comes again!
"What I'm asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn't abandoned by his own voters?"
Yep, more so than stupid, imo. "Sen. McCain said: "If the vice president says it's doable, I believe it's doable." What!!?? In a later interview, Mr. McCain said he hadn't read "all the specifics" of the Gore plan and now, "I don't think it's doable without nuclear power." It just sounds loopy."
He's such a stupid git.
OK, now that the sauce is simmering nicely - Italian tonight with fresh veggies from the garden. No, McNuts has no real discipline or focus beyond a certain animal cunning. The rest is supplied by his handlers. However, he does have some good psychopaths for his handlers - Brezhinski's son for one. Like there is really any difference between the two. You have a White Sock Puppet, and a Black Sock Puppet. Both do what they are told from above.
"The difference between an honorable man and a moral man is that an honorable man regrets a discreditable act even when it has worked and he is in no danger of being caught." ~ H. L. Mencken
That right there made me pause. Since the "hurdy gurdy" of Democan and Republicrat is one of the chief diversions I pay no attention to it as "partisanship" but as "gamesmanship". The battles between the Democan and Republicrat mis-Leadership is no more real than Professional Wrestling. It is a public circus for the Proles. Watch what they do not what they say. Jorge has governed further to the left than Klinton and called it conservative - with Limbuggerer and the rest of the PsyOps talking heads echoing the tag line that "he is sooooooooooooooo conservative". The line that the Republicrats are conservative is a PsyOps Mirage. Both pseudo-parties are stage managed from behind the scenes by the same cabal.
"The difference between an honorable man and a moral man is that an honorable man regrets a discreditable act even when it has worked and he is in no danger of being caught." ~ H. L. Mencken
No kidding! You're right - the 2 sock puppets even use the same family members as advisers. Sheeshkabob. The elder Brezhinski is Obummer's foreign policy soothsayer.
Political Axioms 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.' -Mark Twain Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress.... But then I repeat myself. -Mark Twain I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. - George Bernard Shaw A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. -G. Gordon Liddy Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. -James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994) Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. -Douglas Casey, Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. -Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850) Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. -Ronald Reagan (1986) I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts. -Will Rogers If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! - P.J. O'Rourke In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. -Voltaire (1764) Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you! -Pericles (430 B.C.) No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -Mark Twain (1866 ) Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. -Larry Nevels (2008) The government is like a baby's alimentary canal: a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. -Ronald Reagan The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. -Winston Churchill The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. -Mark Twain The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903) There is no distinctly Native American criminal class....save Congress. -Mark Twain What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. -Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995) AND FINALLY... A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson
ping.
This isn't a flip-flop. It's a sex-change operation. Memo to Wall Street Journal : McCain has been doing this his entire damned career, including back in 2000 when you guys fell in love with him.
#2. To: TwentyTwelve (#0)
Is John McCain Stupid?
#3. To: Original_Intent (#2)
He's also nuts.
#4. To: scrapper2 (#3)
He's also nuts.
#5. To: Original_Intent (#2)
He's also nuts. Or would it be more PC to say "reality challenged"?
#6. To: Original_Intent (#4)
#7. To: Original_Intent (#2)
He's also nuts. Or would it be more PC to say "reality challenged"?
#8. To: scrapper2 (#3)
He's also nuts.
#9. To: TwentyTwelve (#0)
I've already said too much.
#10. To: TwentyTwelve (#7)
"What I'm asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn't abandoned by his own voters?"
#11. To: mirage (#6)
GOP for years has had this 'reach across the aisle' thing that ends up brain-damaging them and compromising them.
#12. To: TwentyTwelve, Original_Intent, critter, Axenolith, lodwick, Rotara (#0)
"You have delusions of adequacy."
#13. To: Original_Intent (#10)
However, he does have some good psychopaths for his handlers - Brezhinski's son for one. Like there is really any difference between the two.
#14. To: TwentyTwelve (#0)
seems like a good thread to post these axioms -
#15. To: rotara (#14)
#16. To: TwentyTwelve (#0)
On Sunday, he said on national television that to solve Social Security "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7 in Denver he said: "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't."
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