How big will the riots be? I mean it's becoming less and less dirty and more and more scary. http://www.slate.com/id/2201951 A Republican Mob Scene: John McCain's supporters are madder (and scarier!) than he is. By John Dickerson At a normal campaign rally, it's the candidate who tries to whip the crowd into a frenzy. At John McCain's town hall in Waukesha, Wis., Thursday, it was the other way around. "I'm mad, and I'm really mad," said one man who'd been called on to ask a question. "It's not the economy. It's the socialist taking over our country." McCain started to respond, and the man shot back sternly. "Let me finish please. When you have an Obama, Pelosi, and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country, we've got to have our head examined. It's time that you two who are representing us, and we are mad." After the crowd stopped chanting "USA," McCain promised that he would take on Obama and the Democrats (and wisely didn't choose the moment to present his case for the financial bailout or his plan to have the government buy mortgages). Before the question-and-answer portion of the rally, McCain had already clobbered Obama several times. But the audience stuffed into the gymnasium at a local sports center wasn't satisfied. A man suggested McCain talk about abortion to draw the distinction between him and Obama. Another asked, "Why is Obama where he's at? Everyone in this room is stunned. We are all a product of our associations. Is there not a way to get around this media and line up the people" whom he is associated with? (No one in the press corps could hear the end of the man's statement because the crowd roar was so loud. Each advice-giver was cheered like a hero.) James T. Harris, a local African-American talk-show host, stood and said, "I doubt that anyone in this room has taken, pardon me, the ass-whuppin' that I have taken for supporting you. Sir, I believe that in the next coming debate it is absolutely vital that you take it to Obama and that you hit him where it hits" [sic]. The crowd exploded. "ACORN is out there, we have Reverend Wright, all of these shady characters that surrounded him. I am begging you, sir." McCain told the man that he would take his advice—but that he also will offer a "positive plan of action" to address the financial crisis. It was tempting to characterize the mood in the room as "bloodthirsty," what with all of the calls for attacks on Obama. Yet there were occasional flutters of Midwestern charm to lighten things a little. "Everyone here is tickled at all you're doing for us," said one man before explaining just exactly how McCain should wallop his opponent. An Iraq veteran stood to criticize Obama's policies on Afghanistan and Iraq and then introduced his son, A'laa, who was sitting in his wheelchair next to his adoptive father. The veteran said he'd brought him to the United States from the war zone in Iraq. As McCain answered questions about health care and energy, members of the crowd shouted "ACORN," a reference to the housing advocacy group that also helps lead voter-registration drives that benefit Democrats. In Nevada, the group is under state investigation for voter-registration irregularities. Many in the GOP grass roots believe that if Obama wins, it will be the product of voter fraud. McCain heard the calls and addressed the issue by saying, "There are serious allegations of voter fraud in the battle-ground states across America. They must be investigated. No one should corrupt the most precious right we have, and that is the right to vote." The crowd responded favorably. If they'd rushed the candidate to carry him from the room on their shoulders, it would have been unsurprising. A portion started chanting, "FBI." There was a time when John McCain would give it right back to the hecklers at a John McCain town-hall meeting. It was part of his charm: He would confront these hecklers and argue with them about his supposed Republican apostasies on judicial appointments or immigration. No longer. Now hecklers help stir the room. The candidate and his audience are in agreement about the grave national danger posed by Barack Obama and the media. How much have things changed at McCain's town-hall events? In New Hampshire, with just a few weeks before the primary, a man asked McCain why he didn't bash the press (particularly the New York Times) for reporting bad news from Iraq and trying soldiers accused of wrongdoing in the news pages. McCain said he didn't agree with the man's characterizations. He didn't defend the press per se, but he defended its characterization of the troubles in Iraq and talked about the need to hold rogue soldiers to account. In a close contest in which embracing media-bashing would have helped him, McCain refused. Now McCain and Sarah Palin regularly blame the media for not questioning Obama, though Palin is the more aggressive of the two. "I can't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrelful," said Palin. "But we're in dangerous territory when mainstream media isn't asking all the questions. I know when my impatience shows some of you think that I'm trying to provide job security for Tina Fey, but I am like you and wonder, too, when will the questions be asked, and when will we get the answers?" When the event was over and we got on the press bus to the airport, some of McCain's supporters gave us a single-finger salute. But I'm not insulted. I prefer to think that, as with their candidate, they're just trying to buck us up, too: We're No. 1!
McCain facing a backlash from conservatives. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/10/mccain.mortgages/index.html John McCain is facing a fresh round of anger from members of his own party deeply opposed to the Arizona senator's proposal for the federal government to purchase troubled mortgage loans. John McCain first mentioned his mortgage relief plan during Tuesday's town-hall debate with Barack Obama. John McCain first mentioned his mortgage relief plan during Tuesday's town-hall debate with Barack Obama. The pointed backlash from several economic conservatives -- many of whom already distrust McCain's commitment to free-market principles -- couldn't come at a worse time for the Republican presidential nominee less than four weeks before Election Day as he stares at a significant deficit in national and state polls. But at a time when McCain can't afford to worry about a lack of support from his party's base, several conservatives are openly criticizing the plan as a flagrant reward for reckless behavior among lenders. In a sharply worded editorial on its Web site Thursday, the editors of The National Review -- an influential bastion of conservative thought -- derided the plan as "creating a level of moral hazard that is unacceptable" and called it a "gift to lenders who abandoned any sense of prudence during the boom years." Video Watch the candidates' plans get the 'no bull' test » Prominent conservative blogger Michelle Malkin went one step further, calling the plan "rotten" and declaring on her blog, "We're Screwed '08." Matt Lewis, a contributing writer for the conservative Web site Townhall.com, told CNN the plan only further riles conservatives upset with McCain's backing of the massive government bailout plan passed last week. "Fundamentally, the problem is John McCain accepts a lot of liberal notions, unfortunately. There is somewhat of a populist streak," he said. "Most conservatives really did not like the bailout to begin with, and this was really kind of picking at the scab." Don't Miss * Bush to try again to reassure nation * Obama: McCain plan shows 'erratic' leadership * Borger: McCain running out of time, lines * Economic worries tipping Wisconsin toward Obama It's not just the plan conservatives are unhappy with, but how it was first unveiled as well -- out of the blue at Tuesday's town-hall debate during which Republicans were instead hoping McCain would present a spirited attack on what they view as Obama's overly liberal positions. "Here we are watching the debate hoping this is a good format for John McCain to excel at, and the first thing he does is spring this on us," Lewis said. "This is not a good way to win friends and influence people." "He spent the entire debate assailing massive government spending -- while his featured proposal of the right was to heap on more massive government spending to pursue home ownership retention at all costs," Malkin said. It's a proposal that is fundamentally at odds with the conservative principle of individual responsibility, and is the latest in a string of public spats conservatives have had over the years and in this election with their party's standard bearer. But for McCain, the move is another gamble for a candidate in need of a game-changer and one that lends credence to the self-proclaimed maverick's repeated claim that he's unafraid of bucking his own party. Under the plan, the government would buy up bad mortgage loans, converting them into low-interest, FHA-insured loans. To qualify, homeowners would have to be delinquent in their payments or be likely to fall behind in the near future. They also would have to live in the home in question -- no investment properties would be eligible. They would need to have demonstrated their creditworthiness when they purchased the property by making a substantial down payment and by providing documentation of their income and other assets. McCain economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin said on a conference call Wednesday that the McCain plan could start quickly because the authority was granted by last week's passage of the $700 billion economic bailout bill. The plan could also fall under the umbrella of the Hope for Homeowners program authorized by the housing rescue bill passed in July and the government takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But the plan, which the McCain campaign appeared to be finalizing even after the candidate announced it, significantly departs from the Arizona senator's original proposal and has left many conservatives scratching their heads: "The original plan relied on lenders taking the hit," Holtz-Eakin said on the conference call. "This bypasses that step." Instead, the estimated $300 billion tab essentially gets transferred to taxpayers, among the funding already provided by the bailout bill -- a proposal that may rile not only fiscal conservatives, but also struggling homeowners who have worked to keep up their mortgage payments. "The guy who works two jobs and struggles to actually pay his mortgage is penalized. He would be better off under this plan to just quit paying his mortgage," Lewis said. "And this fundamentally goes against a lot of conservative principles and individual responsibility." Barack Obama is counting on McCain's proposal not playing well with a broad swath of middle-class voters. Obama said at a rally Thursday morning it guarantees "the taxpayers would lose," and banks and lenders would be rewarded. But McCain is hoping the plan will resonate with moderate and undecided voters, many of whom viewed the bailout as a giveaway to Wall Street CEOs. This plan, the McCain campaign argues, better steers the money to Main Street, where struggling homeowners need immediate relief. "John McCain's plan represents absolutely no new expense to the taxpayer, but simply refocuses priorities to more directly assist the homeowners who are hurting instead of greed on Wall Street," said Tucker Bounds, a spokesman for the McCain campaign. advertisement But it remains to be seen if the Arizona senator's latest roll of the dice will pay off. "Liberals who might actually be inclined to support a welfare check such as this are already going to vote for Barack Obama, and conservatives, who view this as irresponsible and even apostasy, are turned off by it," Lewis said. "This is both bad policy and bad politics."
Just saw on CNN that McCain was asking supporters in Minnesota to remain calm and be respectful. I hope his supporters follow suit.
Very scary indeed. It's becoming less about whether Obama will win, but how these frothing people will respond. I have no doubt more and more independent voters are turned off by the "angry" McCain fueling the resentments of these crowds. The "maverick" is dead/buried and it's to the point people would laugh at McCain if he tried to resurrect that persona. I'm trying to figure out how he can lose with dignity. Too bad he's thrown it all away for nothing.
Don't worry there won't be any riots. Obama will win. Today was the end for Mccain. Yesterday Mccain was attacking Obama on every front. And it was working. The polls in Obama's favor have been slowly moving back. They finally found a way to make something stick to the teflon man. And I expected today for Mccain to talk about the economy of course but to also amp up the attacks on Obama. What happened instead is shocking. Mccain talked about extending 401k's and Obama said it was a good idea. Obama said he also had a plan for small businesses and he hoped mccain would agree with it. Mccain later said stop the personal attacks. He thought Obama was a good man. The people booed. Nothing more to say that is the end. Everyone wanted and more importantly expected McCain to attack and he didn't and I'll tell you why, Troopergate. Today Alaska will release the trooper gate results and it will say Sarah is at fault. But more importantly is what it won't say. There are hundreds of pages that are not being released to the public and in those pages there is stuff that while not so much related to troopergate is damning to Palin's character. Whether it's an affair or some other misdeeds, I don't pretend to know. But I would venture to bet Obama does. And to seal these pages Mccain has made a pact with the devil. He has agreed to not attack Obama on character and only on issues. With everyone blaming the economy on Bush, Mccain will lose. I know many people see this race split upon race and income but for me it never was. Obama just seems sleazy to me. I would love to see Condellza Rice or Colin Powell or even Jesse Jackson before Obama. But that's the deal and Obama will be or next president.
Nice post, Old Man Rock. You could be on to something with the timing. I don't agree that it ended today. I seriously think the appeal to independents is part of his change of tone today. The scene of those nutty rallies would drive up liberal voter turnout and sway some moderates who were undecided. That may have already happened in a way that won't yet show up in the polls. And I'll give you "slick," but "sleazy" has to be a subjective take at this point. Compared to most any other candidate, he's surprisingly clean. No whitewaters, no affairs... a few cigarettes and deft Chicago-style political moves.
His supporters won't follow suit. They believe Obama at best is slim shady and at worst is a criminal. And their is evidence to support that. But now that Mccain is putting that off limits they will dump Mccain and Obama will win. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bUNEip42xsM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bUNEip42xsM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
No, not "seriously." It's a tongue in cheek respsonse to one CaseyH's thread about there being riots if Obama loses. The article, which I guess you didn't read, was just another chronicling of the hate that is seething from McCain supporters at their campaign rallies.
I read about McCain opposing it, but I wouldn't use the word "squelch" because pandora's box is open now and it sounded like those people were pissed at him for saying they were wrong.
Good lord, that video is truly poor. I was ready to listen objectively, and half the video (that's when I stopped) is just about the fact that he changed his mind on public financing. I don't see how that's a "lie" anymore than the many instance of John McCain changing his mind. And the uncle comment has been documented ad nauseum. Technicalities. Is it worse than not knowing how many houses you have? Incredible that the video is given as support of any view other than, for someone with a career in politics, with millions of public statements and appearances, Obama is incredibly clean. Seriously. Use the same standards on any other politician and see what kind of videos you can make. Sorry, didn't mean to go on, but I expected something "shady" to emerge from a video posted by Old Man Rock, for some reason. Bleh. Y'all all, in seriousness, have excellent weekends. We deserve them.
^Yeah. It was stunning. I'm willing to give alternate viewpoints a shot, but the author sounded like some mentally twinged dude at a bar who's rantings you sometimes can't ignore.
No problem Bob. After looking at it I can see it is more of an ad. I've since changed it. Now I know this is a widely disbelieved report and most people will say Sinclair is a criminal, liar and failed a lie detector test given by famous polygrapher Edward Gelb. But there is an opinion by another expert that says Gelb is wrong. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hc8Ys8iXTiU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Hc8Ys8iXTiU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Question: If McCain loses. .. . what do you think of Palin's Political Career? Will she be reelected governor of Alaska? maybe seek another office? Rocket River
