Compare and Contrast

Compare:


Contrast:


My God! John McCain might have given one of the WORST political speeches of all time last night. First, whoever is running his campaign is an idiot. They started it just in time to be preempted by every news outlet to announce Obama was the Democratic nominee. The hall he was in contained maybe a few hundred people who were, shall we say, less than enthusiastic. And, the dude can't even deliver a canned line well, nor can he read off the tele-prompter without straining. It is painful to watch, brutal, really. If he wasn't such a jackass, I'd feel sorry for him flailing around up there like that. It is embarrassing.

And what is up with him when he goes like this:

Or, when he poorly delivers a stock line that is supposed to be witty by turning an Obama catch-phrase on its head and then stops, gives that one-sided maniacal grin and laughs, "he-he-he." It's freaky. And maybe just a little too Cheney-esque. Seriously. WTF?!??

Here is what some others had to say about McCain's speech:

• Rolling Stone Magazine:

Worst. Speech. Ever. Good God, John McCain gives bad podium.

• A shocked Jeffrey Toobin on MSNBC right after McCain's speech:

"That was awful. That was pathetic. That was one of the worst speeches I've ever seen him give."

• Talking Points Memo blog called it a "legendarily awful prebuttal."

• Atrios wrote: "It'll make you look like the cottage cheese in a lime jello salad. Always a good look for an older gentlemen... The aesthetics of McCain's speech, just mercifully completed before a slightly energized crowd of literally dozens, was awesome in how dreadful it was."

• Josh Marshall, over at TPM, noted: "Here's how bad it is. All the Fox commentators are giving competing explanation for why McCain's speech sucked."

• Conservative pundit Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic:

"Put McCain's speech against Obama's - and this was a wipe-out. Not a victory. A wipe-out. Rhetorically, they are simply not in the same league. And if the contrast tonight between McCain and Obama holds for the rest of the campaign, McCain is facing a defeat of historic proportions...

From the re-branded green background to the silly attempt to capitalize on Democratic divisions to the Clintonian cooptation of an Obama meme - "a leader we can believe in" - McCain's opening gambit in the general election was, in my judgment, underwhelming.

One more thing: with McCain's and Clinton's speeches, you could not forget the politics of it. With Obama, you forgot about that at times. You actually lifted your eyes a little and believed a little and hoped a little.

Yes, he can. And anyone who under-estimates that will regret it."

• Summing up GOP sentiment was prominent Republican media consultant, Alex Castellanos, speaking on CNN: "Last I checked this was not a speech-making contest, thank God."
• Conservative Fox News pundit Mort Kondracke:

"Well, John McCain had better start working on his speechmaking and learn how to use a teleprompter. I mean, the gap, the rhetorical gap between this speech and...Oratorical gap between this speech and John McCain’s was vast. John McCain sounded old. This sounded fresh and new and exciting and visionary. And he was enlisting the country to join him in a great cause. This is our moment, all of that."

• Here's Mark Levin over at National Review's The Corner:

"Not to offend those who might be offended, but this speech is a mash and tough to digest. You have to get through the self-congratulatory praise of independence and commander-in-chief pose from the Senate, then you have to try to follow the inconsistency of some of his big-government ideas vs. his anti-big-government rhetoric, and his inconsistency even on his supposed strength -- the surge in Iraq vs. closing GITMO and conferring additional rights on the detainees."

• Amy Holmes of the conservative National Review:

"McCain's speech was creaky, ungracious, and unnecessary. I never understand why politicians don't take the opportunity, when so easily presented, to simply be gracious and hold their fire. Watching McCain, I couldn't help but think of the astonishing contrast Barack's triumphant speech to a massive and adoring crowd will be. It was not a comparison McCain should have invited."

• Marc Ambinder:

"What a different emotional register from John McCain's; Obama seems on the verge of tears; the enormous crowd in the Xcel center seems ready to lift Obama on its shoulders; the much smaller audience for McCain's speech interrupted his remarks with stilted cheers.

McCain appealed to Clinton supporters based on their resentments, pointing out that the pundits and party elders seemingly anointed Clinton; Obama appeals to them based on their hopes, promising that Clinton would play a major role in securing universal health care...

... the green background is very weird and very jarring. On this stage, theatrics matter...

Obama thanked his grandmother above all else; without her, he said, none of this would have been possible. She is white, of course. The explicit message is obvious. The implicit message: this thing, this event, is much more than just a step for racial equality."

• Matt Yglesias: "...it's interesting that he's shifted his aesthetic from his old black and white 'fascist' aesthetic to a new green and white Islamofascist aesthetic."

• National Post:

"... some advice for McCain. Find a new image consultant. The Arizona senator kicked off the general election campaign standing alone in front of a green backdrop, barely drawing applause from a crowd that one can only presume was very small and half asleep."

• The Spectator UK:

"If John McCain or his supporters had any doubts about the challenges ahead, they should have been removed last night. Obama once more demonstrated that he can hit the rhetorical heights at will, turn out a crowd whenever he needs and pose as a unifying figure, hovering above normal politics even while taking partisan jabs at his opponent. By contrast, McCain’s speech appeared defensive and uninspiring."

As for Hillary's strange non-concession speech, I pretty much agree with this analysis from Slate:

Just finished watching Hillary Clinton’s unconcession speech. I guess we should give her credit for the fact that her supporters now look sufficiently angry to set small brushfires.

It would have been hard enough to choke down all the quasi-messianic imagery. (Each vote for her was “like a prayer;” supporters hand her rosaries AND bring her back from the dead.) But the real rhetorical gem tonight was the whole new “invisibility” trope: “None of you is invisible to me!” she vowed. So (subtext): “If I concede, America, you’d go right back to being invisible!” You’d be Tinkerbell!

Clinton did answer one burning question: “What does she want?” She just wants to win the war, turn the economy around, and fix health care. Since we all of us want those things, too, her real desire is actually to be the person who does it. Why doesn’t she just say that?

Nor have I any idea what to make of the call to her supporters to weigh in on her Web site with our own votes for whether she indeed goes on to the next round of Dancing With the Stars . . .
Unfortunately, I kept thinking of that Gilligan’s Island episode in which Ginger acts out an excruciatingly long and melodramatic death scene. You keep thinking her every last gasp is really it. But then she keeps rolling around and twitching because she’s been peeking through her fingers all along and knows you’re still watching.

Is John Hagee the Anti-Christ?

Following Tim Russert's attack on Barack Obama in the last debate over supportive remarks made by the anti-semitic leader of the Nation of Islam, Minister Louis Farrakhan, an attack that has been amplified in other media outlets and picked up by a number of Republican groups in an effort to smear the Democratic front-runner, there is a new controversy brewing over John McCain's unwillingness to "reject or denounce" the support/endorsement he has received from lunatic Christian fundamentalist minister, John Hagee. Hagee is "pastor" at the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas.

Please read the following and ask yourself why Obama has been pilloried (no, I did not write "Hillary-d"!) about Farrakhan, who Obama has consistently repudiated, but the media has been slow to focus the same criticism at McCain for his acceptance of Hagee's endorsement.

Before I get into the really insane stuff, let me point out that Hagee is a hukster who has become rich off of his hate-filled teachings. He believes "poverty is caused by sin and disobeying the Word of God." And, like most other prosperity preachers, Hagee believes that "poverty is a curse." Surprise, surprise, Hagee follows these kinds of remarks with exhortations to fill his coffers: Christians achieve prosperity through giving, asserts Hagee. "When you give to God, He controls your income. There's no such thing as a fixed income in the Kingdom of God. Your income is controlled by your giving." According to Hagee, Christians grow prosperous through giving because "God created a universe where it is impossible to receive without giving. Everything that God controls, gives. . . . Givers gain. You do not qualify for God's abundance until you give." Again, of course, you are to give directly to Hagee and his "church." And, not shockingly, Hagee ignores the many passages of the Bible that run directly contrary to these views, like when Jesus Himself said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. . . . But woe to you who are rich . . ."

Anyway, let's move on to the really bizarre-o stuff: According to Sarah Posner at The American Prospect, "Hagee's view of current affairs is animated by his view of the end-times, and his belief that godly forces are engaged in spiritual warfare with satanic forces. The bible foretells, he believes, plagues, natural disasters, and nuclear war. So all those things should be cause for celebration, since they demonstrate the biblical prophecy of the events preceding Christ's Second Coming are taking place in our lifetime."

In the Fall of 2006, Hagee gave a speech at the late Jerry Falwell's church, where he shared the stage with Tim LaHaye, another Christian lunatic and co-author of the best-selling Left Behind series of novels. "How close are we to the second coming of Christ?" Hagee asked. "The Bible clearly states that heaven and earth shall pass away. … The signs of his coming are very clear in Scripture. If you listen closely, you can hear the hoofbeats of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, racing toward the battle of Armageddon."

So, what are some of Hagee's so-called "Christian" views? Here is just a taste:

• On Catholicism: "Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews." [Jerusalem Countdown by John Hagee] In his relentless war against Catholics and the Catholic Church, Hagee also regularly calls it the "Harlot Church," "The Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "anti-Christ," and a "false cult system." In case you don't believe me, here is Hagee preaching against the Catholic Church:



• On Hurricane Katrina: "All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06] And, "The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

• On Islamic Beliefs: Fresh Air host Terry Gross asked if Hagee believed that "all Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews," to which Hagee replied, "Well, the Quran teaches that. Yes, it teaches that very clearly." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

• On African-Americans: The San Antonio Express-News reported that Hagee was going to "meet with black religious leaders privately at an unspecified future date to discuss comments he made in his newsletter about a 'slave sale,' an East Side minister said Wednesday." The Express-News reported: "Hagee, pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a 'slave sale' to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin, 'The Cluster.'" And, "The item was introduced with the sentence 'Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone" and ended with "Make plans to come and go home with a slave." [San Antonio Express-News 3/7/96]

• On Women: "Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist." [God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters, Sarah Posner] Or, "[T]he feminist movement today is throwing off authority in rebellion against God's pattern for the family." ["Bible Positions on Political Issues," John Hagee]

• On Iran: "The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty," Hagee wrote [in 2006] in the Pentecostal magazine Charisma. "Israel and America must confront Iran's nuclear ability and willingness to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. For Israel to wait is to risk committing national suicide." [The Nation, 8/8/2006, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/new_christian_zionism] He has also said, "military confrontation with Iran is foretold in the Bible as a necessary precondition for the Second Coming." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

• On Science: "The knowledge explosion," said Hagee, "has produced a generation that is dying of AIDS, abortion, enslaved by drugs, homosexuality, Satanism, and witchcraft, and the collapse of the traditional family with the celebration of abortion. Why? Because knowledge without God only produces an intellectual barbarian." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

• On the possibility of nuclear war: Hagee claimed that "I had a congressman sit in my office the other day and say that the CIA now believes that nations hostile to Israel have purchased submarines from cash-hungry Soviets to attack Israel from the Mediterranean Sea. That U.S. Congressman said we have missiles that are missing, and we don’t know where they are. . . . Ladies and gentlemen, nuclear war is coming to the Middle East, and it will engulf the world. That was a mystery that was not known just a few years ago. But now it is known with Bible clarity." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

• On Jerusalem under Jewish control: Hagee maintained that "Satan wants Jerusalem for his messiah, the Antichrist. God has promised it to King David, that his seed, Jesus Christ, shall rule over it forever and forever. People ask why can’t the Arabs and the Jews get together over this city. Listen to me: it is not about the two-state solution. It is not about money. It is not about land. It is about theology. . . . Muhammed taught a theology of triumphalism . . . .for Islam to rule the earth. The problem is that sitting in the throat of Islamic nations in the Middle East is Israel, who has an unconditional blood covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that the land shall be theirs forever and forever. God did not loan the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He gave it to them by blood covenant, and the Book of Genesis and that covenant still stands. It is there regardless of what the United Nations wants. It is there regardless of what the U.S. State Department thinks. It is there in spite of what the Arab nations want. It belongs to Israel. . . . I am telling you there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, returns to that sacred city and sets up his eternal kingdom." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

• On secular humanism and deception: Hagee said that "secular humanism is deception. Secular humanism says there is no right there is no wrong. Secular humanism says man is the master of his fate. What nonsense that is. You can’t guarantee your next breath. Only God can give you life. . . . You are the master of nothing! There is one master, he is King Jesus, the son of the living God, and there is no other." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

• On pestilence: Asserting that we don't have a cure for AIDS, and that earthquakes are "a tool God has of communicating with those who are hard of hearing spiritually," Hagee claimed that "God will announce the coming of Jesus Christ with the biggest earthquake the world has ever seen when the islands of the sea will disappear, and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount will be collapsed, and the Mount of Olives will split in half and Jesus will come and say, I am the Lord, and there is none like me, and he will set up his throne on the Temple Mount and rule from the throne of his father King David, of his kingdom there will be no end." (http://blog.prospect.org/mt-tb.cgi/67989)

So, let's review. This so-called Christian is racist, sexist, anti-science, anti-Catholic, hateful toward gays and Muslims, a war-monger trying to scare up nuclear war in the Middle East, and arrogant as hell.

Uh... can't you just feel the Christian love and compassion oozing out of every pore in Hagee's body??!!!?!?!?!??!! Ummmmm.... doesn't the Bible say something about the anti-Christ being cloaked in the garb of righteousness?

But, wait, WAIT! Before you dismiss Hagee out of hand as some fringe crazy, note these stats:

Again, quoting from Sarah Posner's article, "A 2002 Time magazine poll found that 'fully 59% [of Americans] say they believe the events in Revelation are going to come true, and nearly one-quarter think the Bible predicted the Sept. 11 attack.' A 2007 AP/Ipsos poll found that one quarter of Americans believed that Jesus Christ would return in 2007 and 46% of evangelicals believed that it was 'somewhat likely.' A comprehensive study of Pentecostals and charismatic evangelical Christians conducted by the Pew Center on Religion and Public Life in 2006 found that 'Pentecostals have particularly strong views on "the rapture of the church," the teaching that before the world comes to an end the faithful will be saved and taken up to heaven.' According to the survey, 90% of American Pentecostals held that belief, while 69% of charismatics and 59% of other Christians did." So, there are a lot of lunatics walking around out there pretending to be sane people...

Perhaps you wonder why John McCain, who clearly does not subscribe to this insanity personally, would accept this endorsement. Oh, and let me be clear, McCain accepts this endorsement:



Later, on Friday, February 29, 2008, McCain said: "Well I think it's important to note that pastor John Hagee who has supported and endorsed my candidacy supports what I stand for and believe in. When he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes. And I am very proud of the Pastor John Hagee's spiritual leadership to thousands of people and I am proud of his commitment to the independence and the freedom of the state of Israel. That does not mean that I support or endorse or agree with some of the things that Pastor John Hagee might have said or positions that he may have taken on other issues. I don't have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy. They are supporting my candidacy. I am not endorsing some of their positions."

And later that day, with public outrage growing, the campaign released this statement: "Yesterday, Pastor John Hagee endorsed my candidacy for president in San Antonio, Texas. However, in no way did I intend for his endorsement to suggest that I in turn agree with all of Pastor Hagee's views, which I obviously do not... I am hopeful that Catholics, Protestants and all people of faith who share my vision for the future of America will respond to our message of defending innocent life, traditional marriage, and compassion for the most vulnerable in our society." Yet, he refused to "reject or denounce" Hagee and his endorsement.

So, why? Well, that is easy: McCain is desperate for the support of the hard Right in his Party and is apparently willing to do just about anything to get it. In fact, for the last few years, in preparation for his 2008 run, he has pandered to all kinds of right-wing issues and causes and groups, flip-flopping hard in the process. Steve Benen at "Crooks and Liars" has put together a brief list:

* Pander On Tax Cuts: In 2001, McCain was one of just two GOP senators to vote against Bush’s destructive tax cuts. Now, however, McCain makes a point of touting his support for making Bush’s tax cuts permanent.

* Pander On Stimulus: For the past few months, McCain has been declaring that passing an economic stimulus package is at the very top of his agenda. Yet when the Senate voted earlier this month on a generous bill providing increased assistance to seniors and veterans, McCain skipped the vote. The bill fell just one vote short of passage, a victory for the far right.

* Pander To Karl Rove: In the 2000 presidential campaign, Karl Rove launched vicious smear tactics against McCain on behalf of Bush’s campaign. Recently, however, McCain has embraced the right-wing political operative. He said that he has “always respected Karl Rove as one of the smart great political minds I think in American politics” and specifically refused to condemn Rove’s partisan smears.

Those are all excellent recent examples, but if we look back just a little bit further, Sen. McCain’s (R-Pandertown) shameless record emerges in even more detail.

* Pander On Immigration: McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. Now, to make the nativist elements in his party happy, he’s against it.

* Pander to U.N. Critics: McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now, to pander to U.N. critics, he opposes it.

* Pander to Abortion-Rights Opponents: McCain used to say he would not support a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Now, to pander to his party’s base, he’s said the opposite.

* Pander to the Religious Right: McCain condemned radical TV preachers like Jerry Falwell as “agents of intolerance” in 2000, but once he began running for president again, he pandered to the religious right by cozying up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.

* Pander to Iowans: McCain was anti-ethanol before the 2008 campaign. Once on the trail in Iowa, he became pro-ethanol.

* Pander to South Carolinians: McCain was against official promotion of the Confederate flag, but in 2000, hoping to curry favor with South Carolinians, pandered shamelessly on the issue, and later conceded that his position was one of “cowardice.”

So, the questions are:

- How much of a "maverick" and "independent-minded" politician is John McCain, really?

- Why has the media been so hasty to jump on Obama, even though he has consistently denounced the views of Farrakhan, but slow to criticize the white candidate and his hateful white "Christian" endorser?

- And, finally, is John Hagee really the anti-Christ? (wink)

What do you think?

Like Hope, Only Different...

By now, most folks on the Obama-train have seen the Will-i-am video, featuring Scarlet Johanssen and others. Now some folks have come up with a parody that mocks John McCain. It is worth a look and a laugh. Be sure to watch it all the way through:

Is John McCain Dr. Strangelove?

Judge for yourself:

Iowa Caucus Day!

Well, here we are. We made it... the day that never seemed like it would really come. I think I speak for most of us when I say: thank our lucky stars, today is finally - FINALLY! - Iowa caucus day. This election has already been interminably long and we haven't even made it to the general election, yet! But, whoever wins tonight, at the very least, the process will be formally in motion.

That written, in case any stray, uncommitted Iowa Democratic caucusers wander into this blog, here is my final pitch:

A picture is worth a thousand words...







Even the undergraduates at Hillary's alma mater prefer Obama for the Democratic nomination...















And, for whatever it is worth, here is my prediction (admittedly, on the Democratic side, it is probably more of a fantasy than a cold, reasoned prediction, but I'll throw it out there...):

Dems:
• Obama
• Edwards
• Clinton

Repubs:
• Huckabee
• Romney
• McCain


What do you think...?

Obama in a Landslide!

According to my very (un)scientific blog poll, Barak Obama is the overwhelming choice of my blog-watchers for the presidency in '08; it wasn't even close! Here is the final break-down:

Obama: 56 votes (56%)
Clinton: 19 votes (19%)
Edwards: 14 votes (14%)
Richardson: 6 votes (6%)
Giuliani: 3 votes (3%)
Thompson: 2 votes (2%)
Romney: 1 vote (0%)
McCain: 0 votes (0%)
___________________________
101 votes (100%)

I should probably be honest at the outset... early on, Obama was getting ALL the votes, kicking sooo much butt (with the exception of a couple of stray Edwards votes), that I logged on from two different computers and voted for Hillary twice, just to get things going a bit. So, technically, we could take down 2 of Clinton's votes.

A few comments based on the results... Obama jumped out early to a huge lead and sustained it. More recently, he didn't receive as many votes, but he did get the last four or five that were cast. Until about 2-3 weeks ago, Edwards was consistently leading Clinton for the no. 2 spot, but then Clinton surged ahead of Edwards. Edwards has not received a new vote in a couple of weeks, nor has Richardson. Beyond that, there weren't really any notable trends to report.

Clearly, given my own perspective on politics and the fact that my blog reflects those politics, it is probably not suprising that visiters here tend toward the liberal/progressive/left side of things and so the poll was stacked toward those types of candidates. But, still, how do we understand the overwhelming victory of Obama in this poll but his inability to make a move on Clinton in the national polls? There seems to be a disconnect. I experience this a lot. There is a ton of positivity and energy behind the idea of Obama across the nation, and he has raised truck-loads of money from record numbers of donors, yet Hillary has been consolidating her lead in national polls and in key early states (although a new Newsweek poll has Obama moving ahead by 3-4 points in Iowa). What is up with these numbers? Is it that many people like Obama, even prefer him to Clinton, but don't think he is electable as a black man? Does this indicate Americans are more willing to elect their first woman president than their first black president? Is there a sense of "inevitablity" among Dems about Hillary as the nominee? Is the "experience vs. change" argument being won by Clinton's camp? Is the Establishment steamroller that is so clearly backing Clinton right now just too strong to overcome for any of the other candidates? Is Obama's campaign faltering? Should he be directly attacking Clinton? Are these polls a lot of bunk because it is so early? Are things more fluid than they seem? Is something else going on here? And, what's up with Edwards. He has been swinging hard at Clinton lately, but his numbers don't seem to budge at all here or nationally. Is this truly becoming a two-person race, between Clinton and Barack?

As for the Republicans, well, that is a fairly sad field of candidates. I don't know any Republicans/conservatives that are enthusiastic about ANY candidate on their side. Seriously, they might say they are for this or that candidate, but nobody seems excited on the Right... and with good reason, I think. If Kerry was a flip-flopper, these guys have redefined and super-sized that term. You've got Romney pandering to every conservative constituency by running so hard from his established political record in Massachusetts. Pathetic. Then there is Giuliani, who has relentlessly played the 9/11 fear card, all the while continuing to cash in on the tragedy for personal financial gain. Disgusting. Thompson appears to have been a better idea than reality now that he is in the race. b-o-r-i-n-g! And, McCain is just sad and pathetic at this point. He has reaped what he sowed by hitching his wagon inexplicably to the Bush war machine in Iraq. He, too, has undermined his strongest asset (the perception that he is a "maverick") by pandering to a variety of hard Right constituencies, like conservative Christians. Overall, it looks bleak over there to me...

What do you think? Post a comment!

In honor of Barack's big win in the Freedom Road poll, I've placed an Obama widget on my blog and am posting the following video from his recent campaign stop in New York City. Dig it!