McCain's Desperate Claim: Obama is Dangerous. Vote for Me If You Want to Live!

The McCain campaign is all set to roll out its message for the last 30 days of the campaign: "We may not be good for your bank account, your mortgage, your health care, or your job security -- but none of that will matter if you are dead. John McCain: If You Want to Live."

It's coming a little earlier than expected, but with an imploding economy and no solutions from the McCain camp other than yet another round of tax cuts, Team McCain is hitting the GOP's default key: Be Very Afraid!

The title of McCain's latest TV ad says it all: "Dangerous." The ad brands Obama as "dishonorable," "dangerous," and "too risky for America." That's right, folks, it time to appeal to the voters' Lizard Brains.

For the moment, McCain is allowing his high-sticking hockey mom to lead the fear-mongering parade, accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists" and not seeing America "like you and I see America." For bad measure, Palin also teamed up with her mentor Bill "Henry Higgins" Kristol to re-pry the manhole cover off the Jeremiah Wright sewer.

But Palin's Alaska crude will soon be mixed with McCain's own Maverick mud. At a Colorado town hall last Thursday, McCain was asked, "When are you going to take the gloves off?" His grinning reply: "How about Tuesday night?" So how long into Debate II do you think it will be before McCain brings up Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, or Tony Rezko?

Clearly, McCain has concluded that the only way he can get enough votes is to pay for them with his once-valued dignity and honor. And it appears he's not planning to leave any of that precious personal capital in the bank by the time election day rolls around.

So here it comes. One last desperate, pathetic, sordid attempt to distract the country from anything resembling a real debate about a real issue. Don't have health care? Rezko, Rezko, Rezko. Wonder why our financial system is on the brink of collapse? Ayers, Ayers, Ayers. Worried about whether we'll ever get out of Iraq? Wright, Wright, Wright.

Much to Karl Rove's chagrin, those around McCain have been very upfront about the campaign's intentions. "There's no question that we have to change the subject here," a senior Republican operative told the Washington Post. McCain adviser Greg Strimple cut to the chase, saying the campaign is "looking forward to turning a page on this financial crisis." Yeah, who wants to read any more of those boring old stories about foreclosures, job losses, and the market losing another 500 points, especially when there are so many more urgent things to talk about -- like why Barack Obama wants to let his terrorist pals blow us all up?

McCain and his hatchet mom VP nominee are hoping to expose the "real" Barack Obama to the people of America; but what they are really exposing is how morally corrupt McCain has become. And how complete has been his transformation from a noble reformer, willing to stand up to his own party when it failed to meet his moral code, into an ignoble hack, willing to abandon his most deeply held values in his lust for the presidency.

"Sooner or later people are going to figure out that if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a vision for the future, or you're not ready to articulate it."

That was John McCain in 2000, commenting on the disgusting attacks against him by Karl Rove, George Bush, and a few of the people now doing their very dirty work for him.

Wise words from a man who doesn't exist anymore. To paraphrase the classic Hughes Mearns' poem:

"As I was walking up the stair/I met a maverick who wasn't there/He wasn't there again today/I wish, I wish he'd go away."

Making his disappearing act all the more tragic is the fact that the noble McCain is still around, lurking inside the corrupted candidate, occasionally bubbling to the surface before being shoved back into hiding by his baser instincts.

For instance, it was just this past April when McCain took a principled stand against the muck being flung at Obama over his association with Rev. Wright, saying "there's no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don't want it."

A little over five months, and an increasingly blue electoral map later, McCain now stands on the sidelines while Palin unabashedly gives the American people what McCain knew they don't want.

Despite its best efforts, the McCain camp's sneering attacks are not proving that Barack Obama is not like the rest of us. They are proving that John McCain is not like the rest of us. Americans are hungry for a serious conversation about the multiple crises we are facing. And by ignoring that conversation in favor of yet another round of fear-mongering, McCain is showing himself to be the candidate who is "not a man who sees America like you and I see America."

The most revealing thing about the nature of McCain's attacks isn't the contempt he has for Obama (that's been on display for a while now) -- it's the contempt he has for the country he claims to be putting first.

Comments

[alabaman]

All right, Arianna, you and others created Huffpo, which is great, but we need to reach mass tv audiences. It would be great (and unimaginably expensive and difficult, I know) to create a progressive news organization to counter Fox. But's that's exactly what the country needs. I'll contribute my $ to get it started.

[mpaxton1]

There is one good thing about this election. After all of the voting is through, we will have a fairly acurate census of how many unintellegent, redneck, religious zelots there are in the United States. Just count up the McCain/Palin votes and there you have it.

[tedbear]

Well, what I saw tonight on Fox was Huckabee saying that the economic crisis is actually terrorism.

Huckabee says it is proven by the fact that every afternoon before closing bell on Wall Street there is an increase in trading. He even had that actor, I honestly can't think of his name at the moment, the actor from Walker Texas Ranger. The actor (he can't act though) looked so surprised by Huckabee's question of his opinion on Huckabee's theory that the economic crisis is actually terrorism. Of course, the actor went along with it immediately being a good Republican.

So, my question is, does anyone think the Republicans are now going to follow their lies about Ayres/terrorist into a line about economy/terrorism in an effort to tie them together and try to scare those stupid enough to buy it? Or, they were talking about China being behind it, so maybe they are going to try to terrify those stupid enought to buy, by inventing a threat from China.

Don't laugh - Bush got enough people to buy scare tactics in 2004.

[curioussoul]

A minister delivering the invocation at John McCain"s rally in Davenport, Iowa Saturday told the crowd non-Christian religions around the world were praying for Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election.

"There are millions of people around this world praying to their god"whether it"s Hindu, Buddha, Allah"that his opponent wins, for a variety of reasons. And Lord, I pray that you will guard your own reputation, because they"re going to think that their God is bigger than you, if that happens," said Arnold Conrad, the former pastor of Grace Evangelical Free Church in Davenport.

WHAT A LOSER

[kein-name]

The Republicans opened Pandora's box and let out all the evils of mankind
" greed, vanity, slander, lying. There is one more thing left in the box.
Democrats, let's open the box on 4. Nov., because it is HOPE.

[pjburns11]

You are absolutely right!

McCain has lost control of this campaign.

Palin is stirring the masses into a whipped frenzy!
Getting dangerous

http://thetruthburns.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/we%e2%80%99ve-gone-from-silly-season-to-hate-week-what%e2%80%99s-next-kristallnacht/

[Xrayvision]

Gosh dern them replubs have got out of hand.

[texasben]

I wish that the world wasn't on the brink of financial meltdown. I wish there were easy answer to the scariest problems since the depression. I am twenty-six, and my generation has always had starry eyes for the past, when common people organized and found hope in heroics of Omaha Beach, and later in the Civil Rights movement. My generation has bemoaned the lack of true hope and love, instead weaned on a steady diet of liars and celebrities with zero redeeming value. This year all generations have the ability to slice through the rhetoric and find in Sen Obama they leadership they desire. This man puts his life on the line like very few candidates ever have. Sen Obama is the best in all of us. He is what our founding fathers yearned for. A more perfect union. McCain is willing to sacrifce America to become president. Sen Obama is willing to sacrifice himself.Hey, I wish things were different , I was recently laid off, along with ninety percent of my coworkers. I am not scared, and like Sen Obama, I will not be defeated.

[Pancake]

Amen.
"we have nothing to fear but fear itself"

[majorteddy]

Bill Milliken, beloved former Republican governor of Michigan, 1968-1980, has not endorsed Obama to my knowledge, but he has voiced a very disgruntled opinion of McCain's tactics and campaign message.

[photodog]

There are more than a few problems with McCain.
Just some of my concerns are:
I want an intelligent person as president-I'm not saying McCain isn't-wily would be more accurate. In this modern day, someone who doesn't use a computer or email just seems to be ill suited to deal with the global concerns of the U.S.
Shouldn't one make it a point to be versed in the internet and it's far reaching impact on everyone on the planet? I think it says a lot. I know many seniors who are quite nimble on the net and they aren't in nearly as consequential positions as running the government.

I don't see any evidence of McCain truly understanding the middle class and how they are struggling. His personal history demonstrates how he advanced at every stage of his career by using his connections. Yes, he is a POW, but many are, and they readily state that that does not qualify them or he for president. So I ask, what if any, substantial personal achievements has he made on his own raw talent and intellect?

In contrast, Obama appears to run a much more organized campaign and has a much broader picture of the world and it's problems as it relates to the U.S. and it's middle class. Of course he's advanced himself by using connections as well, but he started out with none, whereas McCain began with his father and grandfather's substantial positions in the military.

[L0ve PEace]

In our brief national history we have shot four of our presidents, worried five of them to
death, impeached one and hounded another out of office. And when all else fails, we hold an
election and assassinate their character.P. J. O"Rourke (b. 1947), U.S. journalist. Parliament of Whores, "The President" (1991)

[Demosthenes95]

Desperation is the wrong adviser under any circumstances and Mr. McCain is desperate. By Palin-ating his campaign he demonstrates beyond doubt that he has no answer to the enormous problems of the country or the patience and vision to attempt to find a way that would rescue the United States at this unprecedented time of trial.

I'm old enough to remember clearly what the politics of fear, division, exclusion, and racial hatred brought upon America. I am appalled that Senator McCain is attempting to rekindle one of the ugliest, most vicious undercurrents in American society while running for president. Is this the acceptable price of glory for Mr. McCain? Judging from what's happening right now, it is. Any sane, thinking person would put A LOT of distance between the Palin-ated McCain campaign and himself / herself. This is not just the logical thing to do. It is also the honorable thing to do.

Demosthenes of Athens
http://www.landomiracles.com

[acsoho]

I watched the video of McCain being forced by the extreme ignorance displayed in hysterical and violent terms during his rally. He did say that Obama was decent and not to be feared. But he did not declare openly that Obama is an American. He did not declare, as Obama has done during the entire campaign, that he is an honored patriot to be respected for his prior service to his country: whatever that service may be. McCain should be openly called to task by everyone who has the means to simply declare the following: Obama, like all the candidates before him, is an American, a United States Senator, a respected citizen with a record of service. He is a monogamous, married, Christian man, who like McCain, has every right to be running for public office. What McCain is doing is a form of liable and were these two men in other public spheres, McCain could be sued for liable. Why do we not as a culture hold our public servants to our highest standards? Why do we repeat over and over that "they're a politician. They all lie."? Why is this tolerated? Why do we not simply demand what we want from them?
If we don't, then we are reduced to an angry Roman-like mob waiting, screaming, witnessing, promoting bloody, savagery. Is this simply another form of sport and entertainment?

[arizonabusinesswoman]

I agree completely that this campaign is focusing on the wrong issues. Like most of America, I am desperate to get to the real issue, the economy!! Help! I am terrified that my business may not make it through the next few months. Neither Obama nor McCain has really answered my concerns. If Obama wins, I will be considered wealthy. My business may show on paper that it makes over $250,000 a year, but my take home is much, much less then that. I am supporting elderly parents, kids in college and paying huge medical bills. Will I be taxed at the higher rate? Under McCain, I may not be able to afford health insurance for my family or employees. How can a reasonable person cut through all the sound bites and really get the facts? There must be more of us out there, how will we really know what the actual affects will be on ourselves and our families?

[Pancake]

I understand what you are saying. I am an independent that has gone to Obama only in the las 5 weeks.
Remember we had eight years of Peace AND Prosperity when the "rascally" Clinton was President, but we have known only war, debt and bankruptcy under the "moral" Bush.
Obama isn't going to be able to solve every problem but 4 more years like the last eight ( with Palin on the ticket, perhaps worse) will surely bring us nothing but heartache.

Give Obama a chance. it may be our only chance. It can't be worse than what we have endured since the year 2000.

[worldview47]

Truly

[SilverFoxUna]

Go to obama.com. He explains and gives answers to your questions. I do know that McCain will (for the first time in history) tax the $5,000 credit he's proposing for health insurance. It would be counted as income. And, the average cost for a family insurance plan is about $12.000.00, not $5,000..

[worldview47]

Do you not have an accountant? also go to Obama's website...Given your family situation, seems to me you can't afford not to have healthcare assistance. The elderly are very important in our individual families and they deserve to have the best available.

[HappyDae]

Isn't it odd then, that the folks in MN booed Sen. McCain for being respectful to Sen. Obama? He said that they should not fear Obama, but respect him. Your vitriol is way out of line. Senators McCain and Obama WANT a clean campaign. It is you supporters who need to grow up and act like adults.

And frankly, the nation is tired of YOU.

Let ME host the next debate. I have only a few simple rules:
(1) I am in charge.
(2) You are not.
(3) If a candidate interrupts me or the other candidate, then 1 minute will be subtracted from his time to respond.
(4) Candidates won't be allowed to talk past their alloted time because their microphones will be disabled then.
(5) I won't ask "kid glove" questions of either candidate.
(6) Candidates may ONLY present their position on an issue, not that of the opponent. See above for penalty.

Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com

[arizonabusinesswoman]

I agree! I want the facts, not a sound bite. It is a shame that we spend so much time trying to figure out who is telling the truth, when a candidate says something that is not accurate, a loud bell should go off and alert the public, oh wait, we wouldn't hear anything that was said, all we would hear is the sound of bells. The least we should expect of each candidate is that they tell the truth and not speak for the other candidate!

[timberdoodle]

If anyone has been near someone who is in the aging process there are a couple of things that stand out. First they become very angry a lot easier than they would have a few years before. Second they become easy targets for con men as for some reason their ability to prevent being easily swayed has evaporated which of course is what a con artist looks for in an elderly person.

This could be a real problem for McCain as it looks almost like the goons in his campaign have coerced him into some bad decisions and bad practices. His choice of Palin is a huge example of McCain being manipulated as she proved to be an air head with lots of baggage.

Anyway just an observation.