No Excuse For Dirty Politics

I am tired of hearing that the McCain campaign must go negative, that they "have no choice." The assumption is that a campaign MUST do whatever it takes, no matter how dirty and nasty, to win. They're wrong. There is another choice.

The latest dirty, baseless accusations that Obama "pals around" with a terrorist are the worst yet. It has incited violent threats, and implies that a good patriot would do anything to keep Obama from becoming president. Shouts of "kill him" and "terrorist" are examples of how far the rhetoric has come, and John McCain seems to be fine with this kind of hate.

In 2000, John McCain admitted to compromising his principles in an attempt to win a primary and expressed regret. He referred to his mistake as a, "sacrifice of principle for personal ambition."

The Arizona senator expressed regret for that stance on Wednesday, telling the audience of Republicans: "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."

"I promised to tell the truth always about my intentions and beliefs. I fell short of that standard in South Carolina," McCain said.

With this campaign, McCain had a chance to atone for 2000 and show he is bigger than his ambitions. Instead, faced with a possible loss of his last chance at the presidency, he hired to run his campaign the very people who destroyed him so ruthlessly in 2000 for Bush. His decision was simple, to do whatever it takes to win.

In May of this year, Cindy McCain stated during a Today Show appearance that her husband's campaign would not go negative, a promise we've heard from John McCain and his staffers many times.

"What you're going to see is a great debate. Which is what the American public deserves. None of this negative stuff, though. You won't see it come out of our side at all."

When confronted about his negative campaigning on, of all places, The View, John McCain said,

"If we had done what I asked Senator Obama to do, because I've been in a lot of other campaigns where I have appeared with the opposition with the people and listened to their hopes and dreams and aspirations, I don't think you'd see the tenor of this campaign."

His excuse for his smear campaign is that Obama doesn't go on a town hall tour with him? Does that fit with his previous commitments to a clean campaign, and his regret of past campaign lies in the name of ambition?

Commentators, pundits and talking heads are playing this like a game, excusing McCain's decline into filth as being mandatory, and saying that he literally "has no choice." Winning is the only option, the only acceptable outcome, regardless of the cost. In sports, we cheer our coaches and players for running out the clock or drawing fouls in the last seconds to ensure a win. But we have to ask whether the same passion applies when the country's future is at stake, instead of a chrome trophy. Here are just a few pundit examples in writing, although most are on 24 hour news, such as professional right wing cynic Pat Buchanan on MSNBC.

July 31, 2008: The Negative Campaign and John McCain (John Feehery)

August 10, 2008: Why McCain Went Negative

October 8, 2008: Negative Messaging Works

This all begs the question "is there another choice?" Is McCain truly painted into a corner, where there is simply no other choice than to lie, smear and make disgusting, improper claims about his opponent?

There is another choice. Lose with dignity and honor. That's right, I said it. It is better to lose a presidential campaign than to lose your honor, integrity, dignity, pride and reputation. It's truly an amazing concept, I know, to use these words when talking about a campaign in this post-Rove world. We've come to expect mud slinging, because the candidates "have no choice."

Lately, I've been seeing pundits saying Obama "has no choice" but to smear McCain back. I disagree. While the Obama campaign has attacked McCain's statements, his voting record, his political connections to lobbyists, and his policies, they have not attacked McCain as a person. In fact, they've shown what I believe is too much respect with their constant, "I love John McCain," and "John McCain is an American hero" rhetoric before and after every criticism. I hope they continue to avoid the character smears, as well as the lies and disingenuous rhetorical wordplay. It's one of the reasons I'm voting for Obama, after 27 years of Republican straight-ticket voting. It's also the reason I wear a "What Would Obama Do?" wrist band, to remind myself to follow Obama's lead. I believe Obama will stay above the fray, and win handily against the abhorrent campaign of the dishonorable John McCain. I can only hope McCain wakes up and puts Country First by returning to the campaign he promised.

Comments

[Tulka2]

John McCain always says, "Country first". Wish he meant it. Wish he knew when he was lying.

True story... There was once a police officer in NYC named Serpico. He got in a lot of trouble with the other cops because he was an honest cop. The corrupt cops liked him. They begged him to go along so as to get along. He was told he had a bright future if he would just go along. Serpico answered something like, "You think you are a good guy and so you put a mask on to get along. You get promoted. You finally get to a position of power where you think you might really do some good. You think it's time to take the mask off, but the mask won't come off. The mask is who you are."

It never matters how you feel. It never matters what thoughts chase through your addled, modern brain. All that matters is what you do. Your actions, John McCain, your actions.

[laturtle]

I will vote for McCain, But I was very disappointed in both the candidates inability to answer the questions they were asked. They felt it necessary to defend themselves, their pass actions and constantly brag on their accomplishment. I was ashamed and embarrassed by both of their childish display in front of our great nation and the world. I believe if one of them would have had the maturity to simply answer the questions. They would have impressed many voters and probably would have gained their support.

[DavidGD]

I am DavidGD620. This election cycle with three weeks remaining until election day on November 4 appears to be all but over, with the celebration being planned. Do you believe that? I don't for the simple reason that anything could happen between now and that fateful Tuesday. I believe that if the election were held today, Obama would be very likely to win. I remember, however, when Tom Bradley was running for Governor of California and was several percentage points up, was defeated in a squeaker. I also remember when Wilder was running for Governor of Virginia, and seemed to have the election sown up, and, surprise, surprise eked out a hair thin win.

Maybe this time it will be different, twenty-five years later. Both these candidates had African-American ancestors. More recently, in the 2006 Senate race in Tennessee, black Harold Ford, Jr and white candidate Bob Corker were Democratic and Republican, respectively. Ford lost by a slim margin, but an examination of exit polling data indicated that the percentage of white voters who voted for him remained close to the percentage that indicated they would do so in polls conducted prior to the election (Wikipedia-The Bradley Effect). More recently it appears that the New Hampshire primaries between Obama and Clinton, which Clinton won, was probably not due to the Bradley Effect (ibid. Wikipedia).

I live in North Carolina in a relatively liberal area, Chapel Hill and Durham and surrounding counties.

[wrenny]

THANK YOU!
I always wonder what on earth those pundits think they're doing with their sleazy remarks about how McCain "has to" do this or that vile thing. All it does is bring us all down and plant the notion that politics is *supposed* to be conscienceless and unrelated to truth.

I don't recall this in past election years. It seems like the kind of thing that might have taken place in the Roman Arena.

[demfriend]

You got it right Chuck! But the need/desire to win at any cost now has been the driving force behind McCain and his soul was sold and the snakes of hate let out. McCain has been so focused on the hate and the nasty things they can lie about he cannot even talk about the real issues. All of the lobbyists that surround McCain keep giving him the talking points but nothing about the way out of the economic breakdown.

[chucklasker]

It's sad, really. I'm a Republican. Eight years ago I supported McCain before Bush hired the very people to attack McCain that McCain has now hired. Where did McCain 2000 go? I guess he's gone forever.

[Blackie17]

How remarkable! Straight talk - a rarity indeed. I don' know how many times I've heard commentators - even relatively sane, insightful ones - seemingly justify McCain's vicious, dishonorable, lying campaign by the fact that he is losing. Since when does losing allow the kinds of malicious attacks Sarah Palin is waging? I believe we are at last catching on to her antics though it has taken more than a month - she is a pathological liar. She lies about everything - her record as mayor, her firing of officials, the role her husband plays in her governorship; mostly, though, she lies about Senator Obama, over and over. I'm not a great fan of Christopher Hitchens but I recommend his recent article in support of Obama at http://www.slate.com/id/2202163/ He skewers both McCain and Palin.

[plooger]

Presidential historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin hit the nail on the head, in her appearance on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show last week, when she quoted Presidential nominee Adlai Stevenson...

"I'm not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning." -- Adlai Stevenson

http://bonniebluedenim.blogspot.com/2008/10/be-worthy-of-winning.html

[chucklasker]

Excellent. I wish I'd had that to put in my post! Hopefully people will scroll down this far...

[DLoren]

Thank you. I could not have stated it better.

[Ydnic]

McCain's choice of those leading his campaign remind me of the old saying....

"WHEN YOU LAY DOWN WITH DOGS; YOU GET UP WITH FLEAS..."

[mdowning]

"When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas..." would be what you mean, I think. Maybe I'm just being an "elitist," believing in grammar and usage and punctuation and all...

[BlueBoomer]

My feeling from the beginning is that the Dems can be as pointedly negative as they want/need to be
BY MAKING ALL REFERENCES TO THE REPUBLICANS/ REPUBLICAN POWER -BROKERS, instead of to McCain/Bus­h/Palin...

It's using inviduals' names that takes the pertainent negatives from political to personal.

I know that in my personal conversations with those who (think they) prefer McCain/Palin, by my NOT attacking McPalin directly there is less of an inclinitation for them to feel the need to defend (the indefensible).

[chucklasker]

Right - it's okay to point out negative things about a candidate, a candidate's voting record, a candidate's policy proposals, etc. It's the personal attacks - like "he's palling around with terrorists" or "he's a secret Muslim" that are so disgusting.

Thanks for your comment.

[mjgmsw]

Thank you Chuck !!!!!
I have had the very same reaction to the ubiquitous "they (whichever candidate is being discussed) have no choice at this time but to go negative" BS ! Bravo to your voicing the reality of choice and what integrity really looks like.

[TallGrrl]

"Lose with dignity and honor...:
A-men.
McCain should gather up whatever is left of his dignity (because, Lord knows his campaign runners don't have any) and just get ready to lose the election.
They have, indeed, called him everything put the N-word. The haven't come out and said it, but they've implied it just by running up to the edge of it with everything else.
I hope, one day after this is all over and we're all settled in to getting together and heal from this hurtful campaign, that McCain can sit down with someone in a one-on-one interview on national TV and have him tell us how he could compromise his honor so completely.
And I hope his adopted daughter, the one from Bangladesh, the one who is obviously "not from here", is NEVER the subject of the hatred and prejudice and bigotry that her father brought into this campaign.

Lasker states: " I wear a "What Would Obama Do?" wrist band..."
I'd like to wear one too.
Anyone know where these can be found?, ...

[trytha1]

What a great idea:

http://www.whatwouldobamado.info/obamagear.htm

wristbands and more for you.... :-)

[chucklasker]

Thanks, trytha1. All proceeds go to Obama campaign activities, but I didn't put the link in my article because I didn't want to be accused of some sort of promotion for personal gain. I have a special price since we're so close to the election. I'd rather donate less money per band than no money and have leftover bands!

[margardner]

Republicans, don't forget, the world is also watching. How shameful to be known as the party of hate, divisive, rabid people. For the good Republicans that are left, it is your responsibility to save your parties image.

[chucklasker]

Thanks, margardner. I'm a Republican for Obama. I considered changing to Independent, but I still believe in the true, core Republican principles that have been abandoned by the Republican leadership of today. And I decided these neofascists can't make me change my party, but instead I will try to change the party from within. We'll see.

[bygollymissmolly]

The Arizona senator expressed regret for that stance on Wednesday, telling the audience of Republicans: "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."
----------­----------­---

Last time he compromised his principles, this time he has sold his soul to the devil.

I pity him.

[cmarmonhalm]

Read this Rolling Stone article about the real John McCain and post it to as many blogs as you can.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

[mdowning]

thanks for that link--glad this is coming out in a widely read publication.

[ThinkLiberal]

"That One"/Biden '08!