January 2, 2011

McCain Trashed By Liberal. Surprised?

Sourpuss McCain?
It's odd that my first opinion post of the new year would be one in defense of John McCain. In general I think he's been a political disaster for the Republican party, with respect to everything McCain-Feingold to his left leaning Republicanism to the Gang of 14, to his abysmal showing in the 2008 presidential election, he's not my guy. He's really not.  But during the 2008 Republican primary campaign, is if he were a liberal mole, the liberal media still championed him as a reasonable Republican. That's because he caved on a lot of issues, but probably also because they knew he was beatable.

Nevertheless, that was 2008 and this is 2011.  McCain served his purpose as stooge for the left and now that he's taken a conservative stand on a few issues in order to in part win his primary and in part cash in on the Tea Party wave to bolster his conservative credentials, liberals are leaving him dangling in the wind.  His drift to the right isn't fooling anyone.  Well, it isn't fooling conservatives, but apparently certain liberals are buying into it.  In typical fashion, the perceived conservatism from the left is being met, at least in one case, with open hostility.

Cliff Schecter, "President of Libertas, LLC, a progressive public relations firm, the author of the 2008 bestseller The Real McCain, and a regular contributor to The Huffington Post" , had some very negative things to say, about McCain as recently as three days ago.  In his defense, Mr. Schecter it seems was always on this page about McCain. But this view I expect, will take hold much more strongly in liberal quarters over the next six years because it is convenient for them now;
...the driving force for McCain has been pure vitriol and spite. When I first pointed out this inconvenient truth in my book, that many Republicans, including some willing to go on the record, were sure McCain was motivated by demons and not decency...

So when others still saw McCain’s breaking from President Bush on taxes, healthcare, the environment and gun control in the early 2000s as a sign of “independence,” I tried to point out what I had learned: He was just doing it because he hated Bush for beating him in the primaries. And when others saw his loss to then-Senator Barack Obama and thought he’d work with Obama to display his maverickyness once Obama was sworn in, I warned that in all likelihood we’d see McCain once again do his best Judge Elihu Smails impression.

But even I couldn’t have expected how truly ridiculous he’s become...

Not supporting a bill to prevent military suicides? Really? It’s almost like this particular Scrooge got a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Crazy while napping after an especially large portion of Quaker Oats.

That is really the gist of it, and it’s at the heart of who McCain has been his entire time in Washington, whether most journalists have been willing to see it or not. He’s not a statesman, nor has he ever been. He’s a petulant bomb thrower. He’s Simon Cowell in a suit.

In fact, in a slightly alternative universe, it wouldn’t really be all that hard to imagine McCain standing on a Times Square street corner screaming at passersby that they all deserve to go to hell, or challenging random strangers to a fight to the death using sticks to determine who gets his clay marble collection.

But in this one, he was just elected to another 6-year Senate term. And that tells you a helluva lot about the predicament in which we currently find ourselves as a nation.

And he calls McCain a bomb-thrower? To quote Mr. Schecter himself, "Really?" It's ironic that the place I found this personal attack was in Al Jazeera. I bet Mr. Schecter views Guantanamo as a recruiting tool for Al Qaida. I bet he also feels his words in an Arabic news service that sees fit to show Bin Laden's rants unfiltered as being helpful to the U.S. cause.

In any case, as I've pointed out to conservatives and progressives alike, personal attacks DO NOTHING to advance a healthy debate on issues. John McCain is wrong on a lot issues (and right on a couple), but he does not deserve to be compared to a street corner maniac.  John McCain doesn't need my help defending himself., he's statesmen-like enough and I don't think he's ever bowed to a Saudi King or touched the Queen of England out of protocol.  I'm sure this blistering attack of vitriol hasn't kept John McCain from getting to sleep at night. Defending John McCain isn't the point here.  My point is that once again it is evident that liberals are bound to their Alinsky tactic of personal attack because they either,

(i) find it effective
(ii) have no logic-based argument to put forth
(iii) don't know any other way to debate

or 

(iv) they really enjoy insulting people.

Liberals argue and are purportedly striving for a greater human condition where everyone is each other's keeper and everyone looks after the greater good of humanity.  Wonderful.  It should be disconcerting for anyone who believes in that sort of calculus that many who supposedly espouse that sort of progressivist belief are some of the most hate-filled people around.  Would you trust your well-being to someone who is like that?

2 comments:

  1. "Nevertheless, that was 2008 and this is 2011. McCain served his purpose as stooge for the left..."

    Sadly, this is true.

    Even worse? I dunno if John McLame even realizes he's a liberal tool.

    ReplyDelete

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