McCain Goes Down Ugly

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright October 21, 2008
All Rights Reserved.                    

      Two weeks before Election Day, GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has pulled out all the stops, stooped to new lows and will forever be remembered for his lack of class in the final days of his White House campaign.  McCain likes to remind voters he’d rather “lose an election than lose a war.”  He’s done neither in his presidential bid, sinking to the most distasteful behavior, spreading malicious rumors about his Democratic rival, presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.).  McCain’s final insult came when fellow Republican, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, endorsed Barack Oct. 19 on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Tom Brokaw, telling the venerable 68-year-old baritone newsman that Barack would make a better commander-in-chief.  Nothing slapped McCain more than Powell’s unequivocal declaration of support for Obama.

            Powell expressed his misgivings about the tone of McCain’s campaign, following  up on former presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) 16-month long personal assault on Barack’s character.  While a supporter now, Hillary played hardball, questioning Barack’s experience and fitness for the Oval Office.  McCain’s campaign borrowed heavily from Hillary’s unsuccessful bid to defeat the 47-year-old junior senator from Illinois.  There’s been no originality from McCain’s attacks on Barack, questioning his patriotism, his judgment, his contacts with Rev. Jeriamiah Wright Jr., former ‘60s radical Bill Ayers and sleaze-ball Chicago real estate mogul Tony Rezko.  Powell was especially offended by McCain and his VP Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s rumors about Barack “palling around with terrorists.”  Powell couldn’t stomach McCain’s intellectual dishonesty.

            During his three debates with Obama, McCain was especially frustrated with his inability to rattle the cool-and-collected Barack, whose responses showed the kind of dignity and grace-under-pressure, considered the hallmark of presidential leadership.  Voters saw firsthand a frustrated and bitter McCain, unable knock Barack out of his rhythm.  Misstatement-after-misstatement, distortion-and-distortion and propaganda-after propaganda, Barack patiently presented the facts, leaving McCain looking annoyed and intemperate.  “Look out for your wallet,” McCain said on stump, blasting Obama’s plan for raising taxes.  Yet there’s one small problem:  Barack’s plan lowers taxes for 95% of taxpayers.  Attacking Barack’s health plan as “a single-payer government program,” McCain misled voters, knowing full-well that Obama’s plan simply purchased government insurance.

            Barack noted that campaigns are “tough,” referring to the distortions and outright fabrications.  While McCain hasn’t done much different than Hillary, his misleading statements about Barack’s tax and health care plans can’t pass the fact-checker.  McCain calls Barack’s tax and health plans socialism yet the 72-year-old Arizona senator collects Social Security and uses Medicare.  Seniors have begun to wise up to the hypocrisy that only Obam supports socialism.  What could be more socialism than McCain’s plan to let government buy up homeowners’ bad mortgages?  He proposed taking $300 billion of the recent $750 billion bailout, designed to unfreeze credit markets, to pay-off homeowners’ bad debts.  McCain doesn’t mind “socialism” when it comes to his ideas, his own health care or government grants to defense contractors.  Calling Obama a socialist is pure demagoguery.   

             Powell was especially critical of McCain’s pick of Palin, stating, in no uncertain terms, that she was not qualified for VP.  McCain has stubbornly insisted, despite recent polls showing that most voters concur with Powell, that Palin is unsuited to be president.  That belief goes to the heart of Powell’s argument that McCain used bad judgment picking Palin.  Before the hoopla and temporary euphoria over Palin, many Republicans cringed over his pick.  They felt there were far more qualified Republican men and women.  McCalin’s pick belied his slogan of “country first,” picking someone to pander to Bush’s ever-shrinking base.  With approval ratings of 25%, it’s incomprehensible why McCain chose to go after such a narrow group.  McCain’s chief consultant Steve Schmidt and campaign manager Rick Davis thought Palin would appeal to disgruntled Hillary supporters.

            McCain’s 26-year-old reputation as a “maverick” in the Senate has been sullied by his shameful behavior running for president.  Palin’s appeal to “Joe six-pack” has backfired, turning off even conservative voters.  She has alienated independents and Reagan Democrats, willing now to gamble on a bold new candidate.  What they wouldn’t gamble on in a time of economic crisis and war is someone with such unpopular ideas.  When Palin told a national audience at her Sept. 4 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention that the U.S. should confront Russia over a border dispute with Georgia, it showed how close the world had come to the brink.  McCain and Palin also talk tough about Iran.  With the economy on the ropes, the next president most accept the inescapable challenge to end the Iraq war and avoid future wars.  McCain and Palin have shown no such interest..

  John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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