John McCain Naked

It was like A Tale of Two Smiles last night -- It was the best of us, it was the worst of us. One man was a study in calm. The other was a study in batshit crazy.

I kept thinking of that line in As Good As It Gets, when Jack Nicholson says, "You make me want to be a better man." Honestly, I know how foo-foo this makes me sound but Obama makes me want to be a better man. Maybe I did drink the kool-aid, but you know what? Jimmy-crack-corn.

When is the last time we had a leader that we wanted to emulate? Seriously, tomorrow when some douche cuts me off on Sunset Blvd, I'm just going to open my window at the next traffic light and calmly say, "I'd like to address your driving style. If you don't mind."

We've had so many years of people who vilify their political enemies, years of Baby Huey Bush and Cheney, of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity laying claim to a country that only exists in the black-prison sites of their twisted minds (and at McCain rallies). It's been blood feud after blood feud for far too long. Listening to McCain was a big hunk of enough-is-enough. My kidneys are gonna shut down if I have to endure four more years of that bile.

Mccain and Palin and their ilk don't laugh. They patronize. They don't smile, they snicker. They don't debate, they denigrate. They don't talk, they condescend. They don't argue, they ridicule. There is a nastiness, a mean-spiritedness, a smug certitude, and a profound and baseless arrogance seething from both of them. These aren't leaders. They're not even grownups. They're not a team of mavericks, they're a team of schmendricks (Yiddish. Means someone who can't succeed but thinks he can. Also means penis).

Now, contrast that with Barack Obama. Always respectful, even when disrespected. Always calm, even when faced with contempt. Always articulate, never talking down. He never rattles and never takes it personally. He's not just a diplomat, he's a gentleman. You know what he has? Manners.

I'm exhausted by rigid, condescending ideologues like John McCain. He's like a circus mirror, showing us some distorted version of ourselves as only he sees us. He says "spread the wealth" as if he were saying "spread the herpes." He uses air-quotes while saying "a mother's health," as if it's some radical fantasy invented by "those who would seek to destroy us." McCain's grin is an undisguised scowl of anger and intolerance. But the worst part is that he thinks that's our scowl too.

John McCain is a rear-view image of yesterday's America. Barack Obama is a signpost to the road ahead. It's that simple. And if the people McCain is so proud of don't like it? Jimmy-Crack-Corn. And I don't care.

Read more reactions to the Obama-McCain Hofstra Presidential Debate from HuffPost bloggers

Comments

[JuannGuo]

Bravo, well said.

[Concept21]

A trenchant observation! Obama definitely comes off looking like the better man. I never understand how anyone could vote for McCain or Palin when they both have such contempt for practically everyone.

[plafayette]

Whoa, Michael...you gotta do something about the title. The visual was so off-putting it took me nearly an hour before I could read your blog...which is dead on. I too want to "Jimmy Crack Corn" after watching Obama these many months. The man is un-flappable.

[Hazelnut]

I agree with you about the title, made me shudder. I am so glad I decided to read it though, it was excellent!

[Samalabear]

Scared me, too. I clicked on it at my own risk! And with that said, great post. I was accused by my bother the other day that I read "The Huffington Post," that right-wing rag. But it's one of the few places I can read mostly intelligent, well-reasoned comments, unlike AOL.com where intelligent comments are in the minority and redneck commentary rules the day -- really ugly stuff (McCain-Palin thrive there). Yes, I'm not completely split off from my family as a result of this election -- hey, it happens. My brother told me in response to my vote for Obama, "Well, I hope you like your new commi country."

I'll take my chances, thank you. I was thrilled to see an Obama/Biden sign on one of the yards in my neighborhood this morning. Long Island is normally a Republican stronghold.

[RegLib]

Yeah, but as my kid would say, "Made ya look!"

[Terriac]

Great post. I confess I've caught myself in moments of anger over something and thought, what would Obama do? It may sound crazy, but it seems to me that Obama maybe really does bring out our better natures. And what's wrong with that?

[DemoMom]

This is right on and articulates exactly what I have been feeling. McCain/Palin leave a nasty taste in the mouth (like the morning after you have eaten too much garlic and onions) and they and their henchmen (Limbaugh, Savage, Hannity, Coulter and more) have had the airwaves for too long.
I felt so inspired after the Obama speech at the Dems convention and I really believed we could be moving into a better time - then came the GOP Hate Fest. Did you see those faces and listen to the speeches? Why are they always so angry? In the immortal words of Rodney King "Can't we all just get along?". We may disagree on so many things, but we can do so in tones of civility and respect - I've had it with nasty, petty, anti-this and anti-that rhetoric. Bring it on Obama - let's move forward to better times!!

[MGarr]

THANK YOU!
You have expressed simply and clearly what I and many of my friends have wanted to say for a very long time. We are sick of nastiness and manipulation. It is time that intelligence, respect, and graciousness take the floor.

[tkforchange]

My sentiments EXACTLY- no one has said better- Thank you!

[Jaded1]

I totally agree. Excellent post!

[USA1776]

WOW! I agree ... I thought the same thing, corny as it is. Obama makes me want to be a better person, a better American. Trust me, I am a cynical ex-New Yorker and am very surprised.
Next thing you know, I will be making out with some guy in an elevator saying you complete me.

[GraceNeeded]

Thank-you Michael! You have put to words exactly what I am so disgusted with McCain/Palin and their effect on our common human psyche!

[hardesty]

How ironic you wrote this at the same time I've been finding myself more tolerant of people and their foibles. As I witness moments of human frailty I want to show that I am more understanding and compassionate and that is the kind of person who is voting for Obama.

[joshuahmcdonald]

THIS!

[alieninvader]

Great post! Our anger has become so toxic in our society, and I hope those days are coming to an end. McCain is 72, definitely not a young man, but he has a good family history of longevity. All indications are that he should at least live out two terms, but his anger will have the last word. You are always your own worst victim of anger.

[ElBruce]

Great post.

This election has simply become about decent people vs. bad people. I know it seems like one of "their" tactics to phrase it in such blunt, black-and-white moral terms, but that's how it is. Everything that they stand for amounts to moral evil - not only in their tactics but their actual goals. As decent people, it's incumbent on us to face them as Barack does - with good grace, patience and as much understanding as we can muster.

[nutty4tahoe]

Last night's debate showed me that McCain indeed "does NOT get it". He spoke with such disdain about "spreading the wealth around". Does he not understand that means changing the system so that the tax breaks go to everyone, not just the richest 5%? To us 95%ers, "spreading the wealth" with us instead of hoarding it to the wealthiest of us makes perfect sense because not only do we want it, we NEED it. We have eked along too long. No doubt on a personal level, and to pander to his corporate donors, McCain probably wants to continue the hoarding and McCain certainly belongs, with his heiress wife, in the wealthiest 5% category. I get that. The point is, however, that he apparently does NOT get that most of the voting public, upon whom he must depend for election, belongs with the less wealthy 95% group. Why would he specifically and verbally oppose "spreading the wealth around" in the debate in front of millions of viewers? What part of that can't he understand????

[RepugsOut08]

Very well said. That the country seems to finally be rejecting this type of condescending leadership, gives me hope in the difficult years ahead.