Some sincere campaign advice for John McCain
By Thoreau
Khaled Hosseini, author of Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, is (quite rightly!) pissed that people would judge Obama for having the middle name “Hussein”, which presumably derives from the same roots as Hosseini’s own last name. Moreover, he’s pissed at how McCain and Palin are handling this:
The real affront is the lack of firm response from either McCain or Palin. Neither has had the moral courage, when taking the stage, to grasp the microphone, turn to the presenter and, right then and there, denounce the use of Obama’s middle name as an insult. Instead, they have simply delivered their stump speeches, lacing into Obama as if nothing out-of-bounds had just happened. The McCain-Palin ticket has given toxic speeches accusing Obama of being a friend of terrorists, then released short, meek repudiations of some of the rough stuff, including McCain’s call Friday to “be respectful.” Back in February, the Arizona senator apologized for the “disparaging remarks” from a talk-radio host who sneered repeatedly about “Barack Hussein Obama” before a McCain rally. “We will have a respectful debate,” McCain insisted afterward. But pretending to douse flames that you are busy fanning does not qualify as straight talk.
What I find most unconscionable is the refusal of the McCain-Palin tandem to publicly condemn the cries of “traitor,” “liar,” “terrorist” and (worst of all) “kill him!” that could be heard at recent rallies. McCain is perfectly capable of telling hecklers off. But not once did he or his running mate bother to admonish the people yelling these obscene — and potentially dangerous — words. They may not have been able to hear the slurs at the rallies, but surely they have had ample time since to get on camera and warn that this sort of ugliness has no place in an election season. But they have not. Simply calling Obama “a decent person” is not enough.
I am not interested in debating precisely what McCain is or is not obligated to do in regarding to denouncing bigotry in those who claim to support him. That could take us in all sorts of directions, many of them unproductive. Instead, I will just observe this:
If McCain came out with a big, bold speech quite angrily repudiating the bigots, proclaiming how mavricky he is in pissing off part of the party base (face it, McCain has been at odds with elements of his own party for a long time, and yet his career has advanced), boldly proclaiming (in the manner of a national greatness conservative) that in his vision of America a person is not judged by his name or his ancestry but by his policies and deeds and judgments, this could be a Big Moment in the campaign. Remember the speech Obama gave during the Rev. Wright controversy? You can say what you will about the controversy and whether it was a valid controversy and whether Obama’s association with Wright was or wasn’t a big deal, but nobody can deny that the speech played quite well and served Obama well in the campaign, for good or for ill. McCain could do something similar, and earn some points.
Would it win this for him? I don’t know. I don’t really want him to win, but I don’t want to see the sort of contest that we’re seeing at the moment either. I do think it would boost his approval, and focus the campaign in a direction that would be better for this country regardless of the outcome.
You can say that I’m being naive in thinking that candidates are virtuous and that speeches are accurate representations of character, but that isn’t really my point. My point is that inspiring rhetoric, whether sincere or insincere, can boost approval ratings (just look at who’s polling better right now), and that some inspiring rhetoric (even if insincere) is better than firing up angry crowds.
Comment by Burr Deming —
October 11, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
Before we make a choice we may regret for the next four years, the accusations against Barack Obama should be carefully considered, as they are here.
Comment by Idi Amin's Last Meal —
October 11, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I have been referring to Barack, when I am speaking in the voice of The Bitters, as Barry Hussein Osama since Spring. I knew it was coming — we all knew it was coming — BARACK KNEW IT WAS COMING. Johnny Walnuts! has been & is running the filthiest, least patriotic campaigns, ever. & would be even if Hillary was the nom. Walnuts! has no scruples. Crashing planes (including hot-dogging near ground in Franco’s Spain (John Mc Cain was an early endorser of BAD IDEA Blue Jeans)), philandering, drinking heavily, gambling even more heavily, embarassing the acting Gov. of AZ, lying to Barry Goldwater (GOP hero (”in our hearts, we know he’s right”)), Charles Keating, covering up the severity of his wife’s addiction to pills (a doctor lost his licence, Cindy’s charity prolly should have lost its accreditation)….
I am just surprised nobody has used the n-word, yet. Nobody “important”, anyway. But Frank Keating’s “Obie’s a guy from the street” is tiptoeing us there. & we will cross that line.
NOW REMEMBER RENNSLER COUNTY, NEW YORK — MARK YOUR BALLOT FOR BARACK OSAMA.
Comment by Lee —
October 11, 2008 @ 5:08 pm
I remember during the primary at some town hall McCain called out (too gently for my taste, but still) some guy going on about how we need to crack down on immigration to make the U.S. safe for “white Christians.” For reals. That was the kind of challenge-the-icky-base moment that made me grudgingly respect McCain, however much I don’t want him to be president. It would be nice to see a glimmer of that again.
Comment by Rojo —
October 11, 2008 @ 11:21 pm
The bit of calling out he has done recently stuck in my craw when he countered some elderly supporter who vocally worried that Obama was an Arab by saying, “No ma’am, he a decent family man and a citizen whom I happen to have some fundamental disagreements with…” (that’s from memory, but is very close). She didn’t say “Arab terrorist,” as has been misreported, she simply said “Arab.” Is McCain saying that “decent family man” and “Arab” are mutually exclusive categories? I’m sure if asked that question he would say no, but it still stuck in my craw. In fact, I think it’s a major part of the reason the former Republican Governor of Michigan has abandoned McCain. Michigan’s Arab-Americans had been a solid Republican vote back in 2000, now, not so much.
Comment by Tom Paine —
October 12, 2008 @ 11:35 am
A more mature candidate — not in age, obviously, but in vision, understanding of civic virtue (remember that?) would know that he must govern an extremely diverse nation, and part of that is speaking to the ideals that we as a nation uphold. McCain/Palin and the team they have chosen to surround themselves with have no greater vision than to retain power so that they may service themselves.
If McCain/Palin had a greater vision to uphold they would have, and they would not be in the position they are of needing to give speeches to restrain the hounds of hell which they and their supporters (Fox News, the funders of a recent mailing of a million plus Anti-Muslim videos, etc.) have unleashed.
I fear for the safety of any black, brown, Muslim person in America in the years ahead and a growing economic collapse.
As the Republicans are already blaming the economic collapse on the black and brown hordes as the cause the entire housing market to tank, just imagine what could happen in the coming days as the economy grows worse. The eliminationist rhetoric of the right gives them license to write books entitled “Treason” and to suggest execution for NY Times reporters who reported on wiretapping in 2006.
This is not an aberration, but a full throated feature of the right’s ideology. There is no moral equivalency between the two parties. For a stark unvarnished revelation, substitute the word “Jew” for “liberal” in their writings and see what you get. Then try the exercise with McCain/Palin speeches and talking points. Substitute the word “Muslim” with the word “Jew” and we wouldn’t even be tolerating this madness.
Comment by Derek Copold —
October 13, 2008 @ 7:29 pm
Christ, I thought McCain people were acting f—ing hysterical. You people put them to shame.