tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post4077086554570764470..comments2024-03-22T11:55:50.335+13:00Comments on Not PC: Oh McCain, you've done it againPeter Cresswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-90886030625062224582008-09-25T18:44:00.000+12:002008-09-25T18:44:00.000+12:00Yes- in fact it IS a popularity contest to about 9...Yes- in fact it IS a popularity contest to about 90% of the voters!Oswald Bastablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11828229103486326473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-13132871144189033582008-09-25T16:56:00.000+12:002008-09-25T16:56:00.000+12:00Yeah, he does say some dumb things, and he is far ...Yeah, he does say some dumb things, and he is far from my ideal candidate. But, two things:<BR/><BR/>It's him, or Obama. Right now, I'm not inclined to help him lose because I prefer not to have William Ayers buddy as President.<BR/><BR/>More to the point, though he is inconsistent, his instincts are better and that counts for a lot. For one, it means that he will have better advisers than the alternative.<BR/><BR/>Just as one example, he is for cap and trade because he thinks the oil companies are selling us out and someone (don't know who) persuaded him that AGW is true. But, he has been moved from that position by those who know better and he has listened to them.<BR/><BR/>It's extremely frustrating to deal with a pragmatist because you never know where they will land from day to day.<BR/><BR/>But concrete issues are always matters of degree and McCain's degrees are so much better than the alternative that I choose to support him to give the maximum time for better alternatives to be pushed for by those, like you, who know better.<BR/><BR/>Besides, it isn't like you to do the knee-jerk, 'purist', Oist thing. It's out of character. So, take a deep breath and hang on. It's gonna be a bumpy ride the next few years, but with McCain at the wheel, we at least will have someone who is <B>not</B> committed to throwing sand in the gas tank, merely someone who needs help telling gasoline from water.Jeffrey Perrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11841019772535869442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-30562625702211896012008-09-25T16:01:00.000+12:002008-09-25T16:01:00.000+12:00How dare you question my judgment, Jeff. :-)May I...How dare you question my judgment, Jeff. :-)<BR/><BR/>May I remind you that honorable ignorance is still ignorance. In the current environment being grossly mistaken in manner you describe is no qualification for the job he's after.<BR/><BR/>Remember, this is the guy who just minutes before the collapse became obvious was telling the world that America's "economic fundamentals" were sound, and then just the next day (post-crash) that what he meant by "fundamentals" was the fundamentally sound character of the American worker, who has been sold out by the "greed" of the pirates in neckties on Wall Street.<BR/><BR/>It could have been written by Oliver Stone.Peter Cresswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-84035721639145489922008-09-25T15:53:00.000+12:002008-09-25T15:53:00.000+12:00Robert, you also said, "If for nothing else, actua...Robert, you also said, "<I>If for nothing else, actually voting for it means he is willing to swing for it when the Depression hits. Obama, on the other hand is hiding in Florida practicing his debating style.</I>"<BR/><BR/>Actually, McCain's week is unlikely to be too much different. Before he changed his plans for the week, they looked like <A HREF="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10533998&pnum=2" REL="nofollow">this</A>: "<I>Plans to work with advisers on the debate between campaign events this week in Ohio and Michigan, meetings with world leaders in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and briefings on the Wall Street crisis. He also plans to meet Bono, the rock star and humanitarian, and appear on TV's Late Show with David Letterman.</I>" <BR/><BR/>Which will probably now read more like this: <BR/><BR/>Plans to work with advisers on the debate between voting to flood Wall Street in paper, and meetings with world leaders and Bono in New York.Peter Cresswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-24957588579984835912008-09-25T15:48:00.000+12:002008-09-25T15:48:00.000+12:00Sorry, I think you are misreading this one. I'm no...Sorry, I think you are misreading this one. I'm no big fan of the guy, but remember he is the guy who said he would rather lose an election than a war. He meant it. To his mind, this is the same thing.<BR/><BR/>He believes the Republic is threatened (albeit he is grossly mistaken by whom and what), but his instinct is to do what he can to help. That means, he believes, going to DC to forge a bipartisan agreement to solve the problem.<BR/><BR/>He is woefully mistaken about a lot of things, but he is acting honorably. And, he is not completely wrong about what needs to happen. (He called for major reform of Fannie and Freddie over 2 years ago.)<BR/><BR/>Rightly, he is probably thinking that implementing his own policies can wait until he is elected.<BR/><BR/>He also is the one guy who can sway things who said "I'm deeply troubled by some things in this [Paulson's] proposal. Once again, his thinking is often confused, but his instincts are pro-American.<BR/><BR/>No saint and no thinker, but not so black - or wrong - as you paint him here.<BR/><BR/>Anyone, perhaps you, who thinks there are no very substantial differences between Obama and McCain, if any part of that is operational here, needs to look closer.Jeffrey Perrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11841019772535869442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-23853385197276824712008-09-25T15:13:00.000+12:002008-09-25T15:13:00.000+12:00On your last paragraph ... you sure got that one r...On your last paragraph ... you sure got that one right.<BR/><BR/>It's all set up for a demagogue who <I>does</I> see a way to take advantage of the intellectual paralysis you describe -- just like FDR did in 1932...Peter Cresswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-40441230621682295862008-09-25T12:49:00.000+12:002008-09-25T12:49:00.000+12:00On the other hand, McCain is a sitting member of t...On the other hand, McCain is a sitting member of the US Senate about to consider passing a bill that will place $10,000 worth of debt on every household in the US.<BR/><BR/>If for nothing else, actually voting for it means he is willing to swing for it when the Depression hits. Obama, on the other hand is hiding in Florida practicing his debating style.<BR/><BR/>This current situation reminds me of the lead up to the US civil war, with multiple cardboard cut out candidates and presidents all of whom rode the driverless vehicle right off the edge of the cliff - hoping all the time for divine intervention to save them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com