McCain: MLK and RFK Were Dumb Blondes
And the people who went to their rallies calling for an end to the war and for social justice were airhead-worshippers.
It took me long enough, but I think I've finally figured out what those McCain ads about Paris and Britney -- and, yes, the Summer of Love -- are saying. As always, with Republicans in general, the most reliable way to understand their thinking is from the perspective of the culture wars of the '60s, and in the case of McCain in particular, the perspective of his Vietnam experience.
McCain is saying that the people who believed in Bobby Kennedy, the Americans who made him a star, were just as ditzy to believe in his message about ending the war and reducing inequality as they were to worship Marilyn Monroe. The people who rallied on the Mall in amazing numbers to hear Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream, the people who wanted to follow him out of Vietnam, were naive starf***ers; by turning their backs on Nixon and Kissinger, by putting joy ahead of sacrifice, they were undermining America in the world and our troops in Southeast Asia.
Those McCain ads are as much about you as they are about Obama. If you believe in all that global warming and gay marriage stuff, you're as dumb as a Lindsay Lohan fan. If you cheer a guy who talks up negotiation as part of our national security arsenal, you probably went to San Francisco and put flowers in your hair instead of being tortured in Hanoi. If you think this economy hurts the middle and the bottom and favors the rich, you're as dumb as a plank, or as Paris, or as Britney.
To the movement conservatives in charge of McCain's campaign, and to the movement conservative that McCain himself has settled in to being, Obama is just the most recent leader of a series of children's crusades -- spoiled children's crusades. No wonder they want to paint him as elitist and effete; after all, a couple of generations ago, these were the Nixonians who depicted the anti-war mobilization not as a principled political groundsurge, but as a bunch of Ivy Leaguers indulgently parented by Dr. Spock.
Obama often said in the primaries that he feels as though today's Washington conflicts were actually reruns of campus skirmishes of the '60s, and that he wants to get beyond that. It's an admirable sentiment. But the paleo-conservatives running against him are determined to refight and win those culture wars, just as that movement's "intellectual" parents are forever rerunning the '30s battles of the City College of New York cafeteria in their heads.
Don't forget: the people behind McCain loathed Bobby and Martin at the time. Today, they'll do anything they can to make it feel embarrassing to imagine that those leaders might have an heir in Obama. The message of McCain's ads is that change is for chumps, belief is for boobs, fame is for charlatans, and that the calendar in America will be forever set on Groundhog Day 1968 until all the war protesters, uppity women, tree-huggers, faggots and dirty f*****g hippies finally go back to the places where they belong.
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What has always bothered me for years is that there is a segment of Americans that can't admit when their position is truly a minority and shut the hell up and sit down for good (or leave to go form a new jonestown on some island - hey how about the port of dubai?). These insidious know-it-alls will wait until the next moment of weakness such as when bush was elected to bring out all the same oppressive garbage again and again. Even after Obama gets elected, he will have to fight each and every one of them to make any progress.
Republican candidates cannot and never could campaign on real issues. Theirs is the Party of elitism and utter contempt for working people, let alone women. Thus, we get one batch of nonsense after the other.
Early on, it was communists in the government (another Mc, Joe McCarthy). Then it was socialism, without which the needs of the people are never taken into account, which is why Europeans live such better lives, enjoying forms of democratic socialism. Then it was a woman's basic human right to control her own body. Next the glorification of greed and the very rich.
Currently, the Right have added immigrants,to its propaganda, hoping that, as usual--as always, in fact--workers (whose jobs have been abolished in order to provide more profit to capitalist parasites) will turn against each other, rather than blaming those who actually victimized them. The Right are now demonizing those livelihoods have been destroyed by Clinton's NAFTA. There's nothing left for ordinary Mexicans, no land, no crops, no work. So here they come. Well, the Right wants a peasantry, desperate and helpless, fighting each other for survival, and that's what we are being turned into.
It has always been that way; the elites turn working people against one another. In earlier times it was the "dirty" Irish, "sneaky" Chinese, "criminal" Italians, "shiftless" blacks, etc.. Now it's immigrants from Mexico, whose livelihoods have been destroyed by NAFTA and whose nation used to be twice as big before the US stole half of it.
Very astute post. The right-wing culture warriors will never come to terms with the fact that their side lost the war. But maybe after they all die off we can return to political sanity in this country -- if we can survive that long.
Exactly!
Everything these goons on the right foist on us, is designed for some kind of child-minded inbreed. The uncomfortable possibility is that there may be more of them out there than we might have thought originally.
There are large clusters of the stupid and mean out there, awaiting instructions. The McCain campaign is one of the handlers, feeding them.
Why is it wrong to disagree with a war hero whose name is John McCain but not with your grandfather?
Beautiful. Thank you Marty Kaplan.
MK is the very best ..We are your fans..
I would like to see real debate in this election on the issues.
So far there has been very little. I have heard a lot of spin but no real substance.
At this point I don't really like any of the candidates. The thought of McCain being President scares me, but at the same time Obama hasn't proven to me he is worthy of my vote either. I haven't forgiven for his voting for FISA. I wonder if I can trust Obama to tell the truth. After all these years of having a President who we don't know if he is telling us the truth, I see a pattern in Obama that has me wondering the same thing. The most important thing for me in casting my vote is if he is honest and I can believe him. I don't want to be lied to anymore by a President.
I keep praying for an Independent to run who will tell the American people the truth, listen to the people and be willing to fight for what is best for America and the American people and not what is best for Corporate America who donates so much money.
I was pissed off enough about the FISA vote to jump all over my Senator who also voted for it and her staffers made the point that although civil immunity has been granted, criminal immunity (as requested by Bush) was not granted. Also, the IG is empowered to file a report on the warrantless wiretapping after 01/20/09 but easily soon enough to file criminal charges. The IGs even in Justice have shown a tendency toward tweaking the neo-cons when appropriate. So there is hope.
Other aspects of the bill did significantly strengthen our civil liberties protections with respect to foreign intelligence gathering. I am still not happy with their votes but at least it now makes some sense. Her response is very much like what I've heard from Obama. Not a perfect bill but it is a bill that has a lot of good stuff in it. I hope the Obama campaign is using encrypted VOIP.
Anyone unsure about Marty's reference to the City College cafeteria can go here for reference:
http://www
Ah! The summer of love, flower children, hippies, all those wealthy European-American college students and high schoolers. If our young people today could have just experienced the draft. I can recall even now, most of the males from my high school graduating class and my church being swept away. It was almost like "here's your diploma, here's your induction notice" and at church all they praying did not deliver my choir director and Sunday school teacher from being drafted. So, off they went. Many of them never returned. Many returned damaged and broken from un or misdiagnosed PTSD and/or exposure to agent orange. One young man who was in my graduating class and hade been in ROTC all four years returned and promptly commited suicide. Personally, my ex-brother-in-law, Caucasian, married to my African American sister, at sin at the time, enlisted in the Marines. I will not speak about their perils in the military only to say: Talk about a POW. She was treated so badly she miscarried! So PaCain maximizing his POW status in the manner he does is a slap in my and their faces. I sat in American history class where Ms Mary Jackson wisely imparted our intrusion in Vietnam under the Eisenhower administration. This neocon mantra "we're in it so let's win it" is unacceptable. I recall that part of my history on a regular basis, almost daily since our occupation of Iraq. We should never forget!!!
"This neocon mantra "we're in it so let's win it" is unacceptab
They're great at coming up with catchy (although ridiculous) slogans that can fit on bumper stickers and can be easily remembered even by people with single-digit IQs, which is a great part of the reason for their success.
The U.S.A. started sticking its nose in Vietnam's affairs during the Eisenhower Administration, not too long after the French had given up.
The US started during the Truman administration with monetary aid to the French, tactical advice, and training of Vietnamese soldiers.
The conseratives complained about Obama suggesting the first step was talking with Iran... and then Bush sent someone to do it, and no one said a thing.
At the same time, why is David Adkisson not being described as a terrorist? http://bra
His actions pretty much fit all descriptions of a terrorist.
Part 1
In the 60's I did not have a chance to join the anti war movement because at seventeen years old I enlisted in the U.S. Army. I do not know were it came from my parents or the community but I felt it was my duty to serve my country knowing that Vietnam could be in my future. I knew those from my community that were wounded none that lost their lives and we were proud of their service. When you came home on leave you were treated with respect not protested it then gave you the pride in serving as those before you. There were those from the truly well to do families that sis not chose to serve in our armed forcer but not all of them. Those across the country that chose to avoid the draft are today the biggest cheerleaders of war they are generally called chicken hawks chicken when it was their turn to serve and hawks today. Just check how many conservatives served in our armed forces they are few and the louder they scream for war the less likely they served.
I sure would like to think O is as good as RFK or JFK or MLK.... but he hasn't convinced me yet. I hope the Paris and Britany ad will shake him up. I would like to hear O get off his talking points and show us what he thinks a president can change. I've got this rotten feeling O and Michelle are both going to be Jackie-O's. I want him to speak about Blackwater, and signing statements, and regulation, and hiring practices in the DOJ et al, and presidential pardens for special friends and big contributers. etc. etc. etc.
I wait for the debates.
Peace starts with what, 3 brigrades sent back to Afghanistan? Peace starts with ramping up and fighting the right war with what's left after the wrong war? Show me the Peace? No, show me more military spending on endless war like exercises that never end and the rabbit chases that justify them.
MLK was a true anti establishment voice with an independent unshakable conscience. Sorry, BHO is no MLK.
BY the way, I don't like her music, but Britany Spears earned her money and went her own way.
I'm not going to buy into this lesser of two evils rationalizing anymore. To me, Johnny Mac and BHO represent the same thing.
The blond references are probably a little more subliminal and more vicious than some may believe. Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were inserted in the ad to remind those who saw the earlier attack ad which was run against Harold Ford, once leading in the polls for U.S. Senator in Tennessee in 2006. The message then was: "that black guy wants to rape your blond, blue-eyed daughter."
In a story that appeared on this forum written by Taylor Marsh, "The Swift-boating of Harold Ford, Jr.," Marsh writes, "Howell reaches into the deep, dark, dirty message of the South we are all trying to leave to history, resurrecting the racial prejudice one more time to get his client elected. The ad is complete with a naked blonde winking into the camera as she asks Harold to "call me." The ad is pure race baiting, bringing to mind the image of an old stereotype of a black man dating a blonde woman." The ad worked like a charm.
Soon, McCain's surrogates hope to hit on the right Swift Boat formula that will then be handed off to Screech Radio and Fox News shills who will magnify it, blow it up and create the character assassination which they hope will once again vault another Republican autocrat and dictator into the White House in November.
the add says to me they comapare Obama to DUMB blonds. Others i know thik the same thing. Mc Cain may do what he wants this is politics. Obama will fight smartly and in the end people will vote big time for him. Another 4 years of Republicans is sick and may ruin the U.S.A. I am a Republican voting for Obama for the good of a great country.
Good for you. Let's hope more will understand that only airheads would believe McBush, because his ads are meant for airheads who believe such garbage. We can hope even airheads will get tired of sick lies and distortions and see that there is nothing of content, same as Bush. And McBush proves this by dittoing most of Bush's words and policies. We & Obama have a monstrous job of smartening up voters.
Richard, you are spot on. I would add that this election is too important for the repubs to lose the WH. If they lose, many of them will go to jail and many of their antics will be exposed to the public. They just can not have a democratic DoJ probing into their 8 year 'wrecking ball' activities. With that they will try to negatively tie Obama w anything or anyone that moves. You saw it played out w Rev Wright.
The author is correct too. But the problem is that the TV talking heads are paid to present all of our major issues and major party leaders from the conversative movement point of view. Never mind that the conservative movement has created all the problems that we are facing.
Totally. Nailed. It.
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