A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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February 09, 2007Disappointed, Not SurprisedAccording to the New Republic, the hoopla about John McCain being a different kind of politician seems to be just that--hoopla. When it gets down to crunch time, he, like pretty much every politician, will do whatever it takes to win, even if it involves hiring slime bags and catering to the right-wingers. It appears that Republican candidate think they need their own SOB to win--certainly McCain suffered from Bush's SOB in 2000 and I guess, to paraphrase George Wallace, McCain is not going to be out SOB-ed again. I don't think this means that McCain is a bad person or lacks character. But it does mean that he wants to win and that he is not averse to pandering to the same groups that he once criticized when it was in his interest to portray himself as a maverick. Unfortunately, in politics, if you aren't willing to do anything to win, you won't. And there are a plethora of people out there (in both parties) that will help you do that. This probably isn't any different than it ever was, but it's certainly more in the open than it used to be. Posted by MW Schneider at February 9, 2007 09:45 AMComments
Well, McCain ain't no Henry Clay. Hillary does not need an SOB right now. Just watch the repeat of last night's Colbert Show this evening. Colbert is about the fast+st comeback interviewer in the business. His replies to a “black” writer from the Slate who claims Obama isn't black were hilarious. When asked why he thought he wasn't white, he replied, "well, that's because Obama isn't black". He asked if Obama were to be Sharpton's slave for a few months, would it help him to become black? Again, the most original lampooner in the business. Daily show blasted Congress in a change around and also made the Republicans look silly saying 260 tons of cash (3 billion in 100 dollar bills) wasn't really alot of money to lose. The best line was Homeland Security head. When asked about the worst in house approval rating in government, he joked, "Well, the first SECDEF committed suicide". The snickers in return, I think, were subtle wishes that HE would. Many SOBs to go around, but with gaffs abounding, they may have much less work than they think. oooppssss 360 tons that is. Posted by: Maxtrue at February 9, 2007 10:09 AMWell, he did spend an awful lot of time as a maverick willing to speak his mind, and people liked him for it. So I think that at least some folks might be ready to tolerate the tamer, make-nice version with some expectation that after he gets elected, the other fella might reappear. There is also the chance that a guy like McCain might finally defect if the GOP slams the door on his last viable bid, and mount a real gloves-off, scorched earth, get-even, going-down-with-my-ship insurgency. Not a huge chance, but a non-zero probability. It's at its still small but most likely if Iraq goes poorly enough that one of the other major candidates jumps off the Iraq bus and starts winning GOP primaries because of it. Personally, I think McCain's RINO-rep among so-cons and his unwavering support for Iraq leave him with an uphill climb. Plus he's getting pretty old, so any footage of him looking seriously tired or confused could be a death blow. Not that this would be fair, only that it would BE. Posted by: bk at February 9, 2007 10:09 AMBK, I assume you mean McCain would become a declared independent and not that he would move to the Democrats. I don't see how he would fit in considering his position on the war. And, basically, he is pretty conservative, nothwithstanding taking some maverick positions. Look, I understand how the game works and I'm not going to throw McCain under the bus for playing it. And I'm not all that crazy about how Edwards iis pandering to the left either. Posted by: marc at February 9, 2007 11:02 AM |
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