John McCain has let his base (the press) down completely. I doubt there is a member of the media cocktail wienie set that doesn’t feel like an idiot for some column they’ve written praising John McCain’s courage, character, or maverickyness. If you sink to new lows and win most things can and will be forgiven. But when you debase yourself and everything you were supposed to represent and lose? Boy howdie, that’s when history treats you unkindly. And when you lose despite declaring war on the media and the intelligentsia? Those are the people that write and teach history.
John McCain got behind in this race and made the decision to go all-in on the low road. And his posterity will not be kind. Whoo-boy is his legacy going to be ugly.
In for a dime, in for a dollar. McCain is down to his last defence, racism. It was always there. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. He is using it, and it is paying off. He has narrowed the gap. Probably not enough to win the election, but enough to poison the outcome.
The “Where did Hillary go wrong?” stories focused on her campaign staff, the timing of fate, Obama’s strengths, but not the candidate herself.
That’s indicative that she’ll have another shot in the future, despite the nearly thunderous silence from both Bill and Hillary on McSame’s racism-based meltdown and their quarter-assed support of Obama. The time to be heard on this issue is now, and while Jimmy Carter has weighed in, the Clintons are silent.
But while that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms as they say, at least Hillary will survive to fight another day.
However, I fully expect the “Where did McSame go wrong?” stories to focus on John Sidney McSame III.
He’s toast, as it were.
Thunderous silence? Why would you expect them to speak up? They pioneered most of the negative campaigning issues and techniques that McCain is using against Obama.
There is that. Again, that’s a different issue.
Still, it’s an important point. You’d think the most recent Democrat in the White house would speak up on the level of hatred here from the GOP, especially having been a victim of it himself.
But…nothing.
He has not lost yet.
nalbar
No, he hasn’t, and I for one will not breath fully again until and unless I hear him concede.
Indeed, Obama’s lead is down to 6-7% at most, he’ll be going under 50 by Monday.
Doubt it. The slight dip-probably generated by the onslaught of McCain’s negative campaigning- has leveled off. With no more debates and less money than Obama, McCain’s only approach will be to snipe and slime. Obama will have the big chunks of TV time he’d purchased plus he’s starting in again on the huge rallies. Overall, it will make McCain look petty and nasty and Obama like a leader.
He’ll have a legacy?
hell hath no fury …
Going forward from tomorrow we can look forward to the corporate media flogging every possible excuse to give mcCain the benefit of the doubt. The, “He’s an honorable man come under the influence of bad people driving his campaign”; the “Honest and honorable American hero who reluctantly has chosen this low road path”.
Except for a few marginalized instances, the media will not acknowledge that the myths they’ve propagated about McCain being an honorable honest stand up guy who puts country first are baloney.
The Villagers will not be able to admit how thoroughly they themselves have been taken in by these phony narratives of their own creation. It’s the same in any cult. When the folks spouting the dogma start to believe their own propaganda things always spin out of control.
There’s lots of ugliness ahead. We ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
I haven’t noticed a whole lot of that so far. In fact, it looks more like the media are pretty fed up with McCain. And they SURE don’t like Palin.
Starting this comoing week I expect a considerable amountof effort on the part of the major media to rehab the myth of an “honorable” McCain who really does mean well and who puts his country first.
I say nonsense to this myth, but the media Villagers will never be able to admit they were fooled by McCain all these years so they’ll have no choice but to rebuild the myth.
It’s sort of like what commonly happens in many cults. when the cult leader’s prophesies don’t come true, the followers redouble their devotion. It seems counterintuitive, but in reality it’s easier for them to deny reality than it is to admit they’ve been fooled.
Do the followers typically redouble their devotion after first turning on the cult leader? Because since the media have already turned on McCain that is what would be the case if your prediction comes true, and that just does not seem terribly likely.
I’m not saying the media will turn around and overtly support McCain for president. I’m saying they will make all the excuses they can for him in order to keep the myth of his honorability and ‘country first’ posturing intact.
And that the effect of this will be to foster more sympathy for McCain than he deserves. It will also serve to somewhat ‘delegitimize’ the Obama victory in the eyes of many of the ignorati. The memes will be something like “McCain didn’t lose because he’s got bad ideas, he lost because the people who ran his campaign did bad and stupid things.” Or; “He didn’t lose because he was dishonest and dishonorable and clueless and wrong, he lost because of the economic meltdown.” Or because Obama outspent him, etc.
They won’t be able to support the man McCain for president but they will have to support the myth of McCain as honorable and honest in order to save face for themselves. Protecting the myth is paramount, just as protecting the ‘legitimacy’ of the dogma is paramount amongst the neocons and other cult-like organizations. My analogy in the previous post was not quite right.
Well, we will see, won’t we? I think it unlikely, but you could be right.
might make.. (per this)
…. would you suspect Obama would significantly alter drug-war laws? I recall hearing that Biden, at least, was various known to support the war on (some) drugs.
One way or another, this senatorial term will be his last public office. Whatever small good he’s done will be eclipsed by his venality and idiotic sense of entitlement. I suppose the stunning gulf between his self-image and his reality almost makes him a figure of genuine tragedy.