John McCain Is A Maverick Like Barry Bonds Is Home Run Champ

Finally, John McCain's logo makes sense to me.

In February 2007, his campaign released the imprimatur that simply had 'McCain' and a star with a line running out, making it look similar to Top Gun merchandise. It was a subtle reminder: 'He's Maverick, too. Get it?'

Though as the months passed, something happened to John McCain. Time after time, he caved in to pressure from his party's base. He doesn't cut such a maverick figure anymore, yet he never fails to remind people of his old calling card. Not to mention that more of the things he says these days are half-truths rather than the 'straight talk' he prided himself on. What happened to John McCain?

And so today, McCain released his newest ad touting his ticket as the "Original Mavericks" -- a spot which contains another half-truth about Sarah Palin opposing the 'Bridge to Nowhere' (she didn't until it became politically popular to do so). The Original Mavericks? What abuse of the John McCain brand that people used to believe in. And then, when that little mavericky star flew in at the end, it hit me:

That's no star. It's an asterisk!

And an appropriate one at that! Every day, John McCain makes a claim about his record that needs an asterisk next to it.

That he's constantly breaking with Republicans on issues like immigration reform* (before he stood down, saying he wouldn't even vote for his own bill). That we need wind energy* (puts windfarms in his ads, too, but voted against them every single time) or that he's been a leader on climate change* (taking tens of millions in oil contributions and his pledge to, "Drill here, drill now," has killed that claim). Telling people he'll bring real change to Washington* (he was elected to Congress in 1982) or advertising that, "We're worse off than we were four years ago,"* ("The fundamentals of our economy are strong") and his insistence on making the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest permanent (after calling it irresponsible in a time of war). The list goes on and on.

And Sarah Palin? Asterisk just about every other word coming out of her mouth, as the Associated Press had to do, recently. Forget the Original Mavericks; this team is Maverick Asterisk.

Amazingly, John McCain has even become Maverick Asterisk in his own personality. The guy who used to relish appearances on Saturday Night Live and movies like The Wedding Crashers is a relentless critic of his opponent as a fameball celebrity. The guy who famously and routinely opened himself up to the press has closed himself off and derided his former "base" in ways that would have been unimaginable just 12 months ago.

Put simply, John McCain should be called a maverick the same way Barry Bonds is called the all-time home run champion (McCain might still agree with that, I think).

Follow John R. Bohrer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JRBwrites

Comments

[inyourface08]

04:48 PM on 09/09/2008

In 92 McCain called his wife Cindy McCain the "C" word in front of reporters just because she said he was growing "a little thin up there" in reference to his hair ( I suppose...­). He is notorious for his bad temper and for offending his colleagues and opponents by calling them foul names.

If the Republican­s are for values, especially FAMILY VALUES... what kind of values does a man that calls his wife the "C" word in front of reporters have? How can they be so blind to this?

Is he going to let his temper get over him when he meets world leaders, if he ever does?

He can't be trusted as a good, sane, educated, classy and diplomatic leader of this country. With such a short fuse he will get us into MAJOR trouble!!!

[inyourface08]

01:38 PM on 09/09/2008

And on top of that he pushes ladies in wheelchair­s!!!!

Who is this guy?

[mezz1962]

12:29 PM on 09/09/2008

Ok who worked with Finegold?
Ok who worked with Kennedy?

Who has created doens of bills working with DEMOCRATS

Who has not once and I mean once created a bill with the republican­s..Obama

Go back even 1 year ago and everyone of the news media was calling John McCain a "Maverick" Until he looked like he would win the nomination then all of a sudden the left wingers started singing a different tune.

Only a Maverick can pick a little known Alaskan Governor to run as the VP

[mjjcpa]

01:24 PM on 09/09/2008

Bravo

Gang of 14 too

[inyourface08]

01:41 PM on 09/09/2008

He was more of a Maverick before he sold out his ideals to fit in the ultra conservati­ve base of the Republican Party.

[svengalifx]

11:07 AM on 09/09/2008

McCain/Pal­in - 10% Maverick 90% Bush

repeat everywhere­. attack perceived strengths. CHARGE!!!

[bullypulpit]

10:44 AM on 09/09/2008

Pretty lame simile there. Bonds played consistent­ly and is indeed the home run champion. The other guy is just as politician who changes his stripes to get votes.

[ordinaryguy]

01:54 PM on 09/09/2008

even lamer is not knowing the difference between a simile and a metaphor

[janicegwashington]

10:41 AM on 09/09/2008

In his 2002 biography, Worth the Fighting For, McCain says this about himself:
McCain: "I didn't decide to run for president to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism­. In truth, I wanted to be president because it had become my ambition to be president. . . . In truth, I'd had the ambition for a long time."

So, who is the callously ambitious, self-servi­ng politician­, Johnny?

[Airmid]

11:54 AM on 09/09/2008

And not long now, we'll see some 527s saying exactly this

please

[tomjuarez]

10:40 AM on 09/09/2008

Bad analogy Bohrer. Whether you like it or not, Bonds actually did hit all those home runs, he's not lying about that. If Bonds had *claimed* to have hit all the home runs while the videotape of every game showed him sitting on the bench, then you'd have an analogy.

Likewise, McCain's claims aren't simply questionab­le because of his motives. For example if he'd actually voted *against* the Bush agenda most of the time, but out his own self-inter­est, he'd be more like Bonds. The fact is that McCain is simply lying when he says he's a "maverick"­. It is the claim itself that is the lie, not the motive.

[ordinaryguy]

01:58 PM on 09/09/2008

the asterisk is because there are people that are saying that he didn't really hit all of those home runs because he cheated by juicing up. cheaters often run the risk of being stripped of accomplish­ments that would not otherwise be possible without the cheating. why? because cheating is dishonest. lying and cheating is wrong. that is what we teach our children from a very young age. lying about one's positions and accomplish­ments is also dishonest, and should also not result in reward.

[Teritt]

02:14 PM on 09/09/2008

When I see McGwire's asterisk, or anyone else accused of (as well as admitting to) using I might start agreeing with you....you can't single Bonds out just because he's arrogant. Sports and politics are full of arrogant SOBs...but denying what they've done as players shouldn't be based on if they're arrogant or claims from former girlfriend­s.

[sueno]

10:34 AM on 09/09/2008

Forget baseball! McCain just sold-out this country-
His VP pick is further to the right than he is-
Her husband wants to SECEDE from this country!
No one considers this a problem?
Meanwhile Mr. Palin stands on stage with McCain smiling and receiving applause.
McCain displayed extremely bad judgement and the media isn't talking about
the severity of this relationsh­ip and what it would mean.
Its not just women who are excited about the Palin pick,
but also internal militias and separatist­s.

[GeologyRocks]

10:24 AM on 09/09/2008

Unless you care what Pink Floyd were on when they recorded "Dark Side Of The Moon", cut Bonds some slack.

[djarvis]

09:52 AM on 09/09/2008

The Barry Bonds thing has to do with him taking steroids, basically cheating, to be the home run champ. What John McCain is doing is to lie about his record in an attempt to become president. Maybe a few years ago McCain could have been considered a maverick. But he certainly IS NOT a maverick now. He sold his soul to the republican base by embracing Bush's tax cuts, the Iraq war, privatizat­ion of social security and torture. He is a political opportunis­t of the worst kind and his selection of Palin as a running mate without much vetting at all is an example of how ready he is to sell out to the base to get votes. That's not putting "country first" at all.

[DavidK08]

09:18 AM on 09/09/2008

Good story. Give it some legs now!

[suvbaby]

08:20 AM on 09/09/2008

EVERONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS AND PASS IT ON

http://www­.youtube.c­om/swf/l.s­wf?video_i­d=PdJUCU1U­H2w&rel=0&­eurl=http%­3A//www.da­ilykos.com­/storyonly­/2008/9/9/­55118/4345­9/1023/591­906&iurl=h­ttp%3A//i1­.ytimg.com­/vi/PdJUCU­1UH2w/defa­ult.jpg&t=­OEgsToPDsk­IJWlof1rgv­YpaeEI7TgU­y5&use_get­_video_inf­o=1&load_m­odules=1&f­s=1&hl=en&­color1=0x3­a3a3a&colo­r2=0x99999­9&border=1

[clearthinker2008]

07:40 AM on 09/09/2008

Or Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher of all time.

[PurplePhase]

06:36 AM on 09/09/2008

"John McCain Is A Maverick Like Barry Bonds Is Home Run Champ" sums it up nicely.

Champs are enhanced by hard work, motivation­, competitio­n and fair play, not by steroids.

If John McCain really cared for the this country as he claims, if he really is a maverick, he wouldn't have selected a Trojan Horse stuffed with inexperien­ce, bigotry and hypocrisy as his running mate.

[qwr]

03:26 AM on 09/09/2008

Bonds is the home run champ in my book.