McCain's Smear Campaign Will Have an Impact Long After Election Day
Talk about the "fierce urgency of now." While that phrase might have been been adopted by Barack Obama, it is equally suited -- albeit differently applied -- to describe the destructive campaign being undertaken by John McCain. Because McCain seems to be gunning to win the election, all future consequences be damned.
In the last few weeks, with McCain's poor handling of the financial crisis, poor debate performances, and cynical pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate torpedoing his chances of winning the presidency, McCain unleashed himself and his minions on a dirty and reckless path of attacking Obama with lies, distortions and smears. McCain and Palin both repeatedly invoke socialism when describing Obama's economic policies, even though you would be hard-pressed to find a reputable economist who would agree with that assertion, at least without lumping every president since Franklin Roosevelt into the socialism club. (And that doesn't even take into account the most socialism-reminiscent thing to happen in recent history, the bank and corporate bailouts that were supported by George W. Bush and the Republican leaders of Congress. Are they socialists too?)
Palin has raised the issue of patriotism, making references to "real Americans" and "pro-America areas of this great nation," as if disagreeing with her politics makes you less of an American. She also accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists" (we know the bogus Bill Ayers claim is one terrorist, but who are others?) and declared that Obama was "not a man who sees America as you and I do," a blatant attempt to make an African American candidate seem scary and "other."
Picking up the baton from Palin, one Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, said on Hardball last Friday: "I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out are they pro-America or Anti-America." (You can watch it for yourself here.) Yes, Bachmann actually played the socialism card, not seen in the United States in more than 55 years, since the witch hunt conducted by Sen. Joseph McCarthy. And Robin Hayes, a Republican congressman from North Carolina, said on Saturday that "liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God." I have a question for Mr. Hayes: Barack Obama is a devout Christian who has worked his butt off to rise from a working-class, single-parent upbringing to graduate from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and then to forge a successful career as a community organizer, attorney, instructor at a top-ten law school, state senator and U.S. senator. And he is a liberal. Does that mean Obama hates himself?
Interestingly, both members of Congress later lied about making the remarks. Bachmann tried to rewrite history on Tuesday, and Hayes, according to Keith Olbermann on Tuesday, denied making the comment, but an audio recording subsequently emerged demonstrating that the quote was accurate. It was heartening to see Americans react with disdain to these instances of McCarthy-esque fear mongering. Both representatives have placed their re-elections in play, and people of both parties donated almost $1 million to Bachmann's opponent in the 72 hours that followed her call for a witch hunt in Congress.
I understand that the sleaze tactics of the McCain-Palin campaign and their disciples look like it will do nothing but harm to those involved. Most polls point to an Obama victory in November (fivethirtyeight.com, as of today, puts the chances of a McCain-Palin defeat at 93.5 percent). And the Rasmussen daily tracking poll (the most reliable daily tracking poll, according to fivethirtyeight.com) has shown movement to Obama in the last two days, bucking a slight trend in the other direction. The poll has been very stable for the last month, with Obama's numbers hovering between 50 percent and 52 percent and McCain's support remaining between 44 percent and 46 percent. In the last week or so, the numbers have crept a bit toward McCain, with Obama at the low end of his spectrum (50 percent) and McCain at the high-end of his range (46 percent). But in yesterday's poll, the first day that would fully account for Bachmann's and Hayes's statements and Colin Powell's endorsement, Obama's lead grew to 51 percent to 45 percent, and today it was up to 52 percent to 45 percent.
So, yes, maybe the smears won't work to win McCain and Palin the election. But with all of the media's focus on election day, what is getting lost in the process is that the country has to go on after the decision is rendered on November 4. Whichever candidate wins will have to address some of the biggest challenges our nation has ever faced: a failing economy, two troublesome wars, an energy crisis, and the potential ravages of global warming.
And that is why McCain's descent into the gutter is so dangerous. Because now that he has gone "all in" with a strategy focusing exclusively on smearing and lying about Obama, win or lose, he has created a dangerous situation for November 5, the day after the election, and the four years to follow.
There is a scene in Oliver Stone's W. in which the Bush family sits around watching the 1992 election returns, and Barbara Bush is incensed that America has elected Bill Clinton over her husband, since, to her, Clinton was clearly an inferior man. And that attitude was reflected in the way the Republicans gunned for Clinton's head for the next eight years, spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on bogus investigations that turned up virtually nothing of importance.
I am not asking for sympathy for Clinton. But the constant GOP attacks did limit his ability to address the needs of the country, as his every move was viewed through the prism of the investigations. It's amazing that Clinton was as effective as he was, and his presidency was as successful as it was, given the circumstances he was forced into by congressional Republicans. But it's hard to make an argument that the Henry Hydes of the world were practicing "country first." No, they were all about "Republicans first, country second."
Which takes us to 2008. And thanks to McCain's venomous campaign, the Republicans could be even more hostile to an Obama presidency. There is nothing about McCain's conduct that has been "country first."
Is McCain's mind so clouded with ambition for the presidency that he doesn't see that the dam of hate and potential violence he has opened will not suddenly stop on November 4? If Obama does win, does he believe that the Bachmanns and Hayeses of the world will suddenly say, "Oh well, we lost, let's get to work on a health care bill that helps Americans"? Or that the extreme hate-mongers in his party who come to his events and scream "kill him!" and "terrorist!" will, on November 5, suddenly say, "Oh well, Obama is our president now. I admit he's not a socialist terrorist who takes his marching orders from Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and the Iranian government"?
Of course not.
And it's not like McCain can put the hate genie back in the bottle after November 4 if he is able to stage an epic comeback and win. (It's not as unlikely as you might think, especially if you factor in the voter fraud that the GOP has already unleashed. Just ask, for example, the West Virginia early voters who had their computer monitors flip their Obama votes to McCain.) Only now, these hate-mongers would be validated, and McCain will step into office having divided the nation at a time when it needs to be unified to address severe problems.
It's all too late now. Not even the eloquent, stinging words of Powell on Meet the Press condemning the descent into the gutter of the McCain campaign can undo the damage that has already been done. McCain, in his tunnel-like view of the race, with its damn-the-future-win-today approach, has already released the poison of smear into the American atmosphere. It's out there, forcing us to revisit McCarthy-like lies about socialism and Civil War- and Civil Rights-era notions of "real" Americans and being "not like us."
Congratulations, Sen. McCain. Your "fierce urgency of now" has polluted our future. Try and live with that, no matter what Washington building you are working in come January.
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I believe it was the American Iron Lady (Hillary) who icily suggested several moons ago, that Mr Obama might need a pillow?
My point is that US democracy is mature, tough and resilient. The world will not suddenly end with either a Democratic or Republican victory (though I am sure each opposing side is certain of it). Many older democracies - in Western Europe for example - have elections which are far more bruising, and emerge unscathed.
I suggest that the ruthlessness of this campaign will prepare whoever wins, for what is certain to follow
I came across this article when I was looking for people who might be speculating about when the hate in America will end. I'm a moderate conservative, who does not really support McCain, but refuses to endorse Obama on a number of issues. I see the Republican loss as a good opportunity to change the Republican party into a party that represents the values of its core constituents.
I hope that the partisan vitrol will end after this election. While McCain and Palin should never engage in the negative campaigning they are, the dehumanization on the internet, and in other places of those who oppose Obama is frightening. Please, let's heal the hate on all sides, not just on the conservative side. This is a good opportunity for the Republicans to restructure so that they represent more people. One party rule from either side is never good.
Let's start by being sensible, and treating each other nicely. I know that you will say: "well if McCain/Rush/Hannity/Foxnews/Whoever weren't so bad, we wouldn't have to be so nasty to conservatives." This is not good logic. There are many conservatives whose views are not those of vocal media outlets, let's start treating each other civilly and heal this divide.
Thank you for your civil post. I do find my self reading what in my mind are true conservatives - and lo and behold even find some agreement with them. But I think you are confusing the two different types of "conservatives." Only you, and others in your own Republican party, can rid it of the radical right, theocratic "conservative" wing of your party. We cannot do that for you, it must come from within.
I'm watching McCain give a live speech and he looks like he wants to cry.
Although an Obama supporter, I had thought that McCain or Huckabee would be the best of the primary candidates the Republicans had to offer. I was wrong. I didn't know at the time that McCain was as desperate as he has turned out to be.
I think you're absolutely right that the despicable tactics used by the McCain/Palin ticket is not necessarily a winning strategy for the Republicans. What it has done, however, is bring out the ugliness that exists out there in some people. I think that we as Americans are better than that. I choose hope over divisiveness.
McCain's soldier instinct's are probably telling him its time to hunker down, and ride the storm out
I've followed election campaigns going all the way back to LBJ, and I don't remember any campaign being so revealing about the inner nature of the candidates as this one. While Obama has grown in stature, looking for the best in himself to meet every challenge, we've seen McCain devolve into a petulant, bitter, and twisted man. He seems to feel somehow entitled to the office of President, and I think he has come to genuinely hate the man who's challenging him for it. He's giving no thought at all to the how the country will recover from all the venom and fear he'll be leaving behind him if/when Obama wins, but when it's all said and done, I think the history books will end up having little else to say about McCain except to talk about the divided, angry and fearful state he left the country in after his base and destructive election campaign. All his accomplisments are not nearly so important as the harm he's willfully doing out of nothing more than pique.
I think that John McCain will be nothing more than a footnote in the history books. Sarah Palin will be remembered as the first Republican nominee for VP who was a woman. They will have little to say. I believe that the hatred will not be remembered. I think the left wants the hatred to be remembered so that they can continue to use it for political purposes.
Let's condemn McCain for his impropriety. Let's condemn all those who want to divide our nation. We must hang together or we shall surely all "hang" together. This is America, let's the be patriots who try to bring everyone into the fold, but let's not use McCain's idiocy as an excuse to continue to fuel further hatred in America.
I came across this article when I was looking for people who might be speculating about when the hate in America will end. I'm a moderate conservative, who does not really support McCain, but refuses to endorse Obama on a number of issues. I see the Republican loss as a good opportunity to change the Republican party into a party that represents the values of its core constituents.
I hope that the partisan vitrol will end after this election. While McCain and Palin should never engage in the negative campaigning they are, the dehumanization on the internet, and in other places of those who oppose Obama is frightening. Please, let's heal the hate on all sides, not just on the conservative side. This is a good opportunity for the Republicans to restructure so that they represent more people. One party rule from either side is never good.
Obama will win, and I think that at least on the short term, the Democratic victory will be good for America.
See Mitchell Bard's Profile
Thanks for the comment, THEonlySANE1. I have to say, if McCain stood up right now against the attacks, it would make a world of difference. I don't see it happening, though. Obama has been a fine example of restraint, keeping his attacks to policy attacks and refraining from the kind of personal smears that McCain has engaged in.
If the Republicans follow your lead, we'd be in much better shape as a country.
Amen. But is is up to republicans to drown out the hate and lies issuing from Fox and Hannity and Limbaugh, while at the same time escalating the Lugars, etc. in their party whom almost all respect even if there is disagreement on some issues, agreement on others. I have seen on the democratic-leaning programs such as Maddow's, a sincere sense of fairness and reaching out. Doesn't always end in agreement, but it is wonderful to watch real debates infused with respect and civility. Who know where it will lead? I for one wouldn't go a day without reading Andrew Sullivan or Kathleen Parker. Now that's new! : )
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The difference is that Obama is unlikely to face an opposition Congress like Clinton did. His work should, for two years at least, be a little easier.
While I agree that repubs made it hard for Clinton, I disagree that the same circus act tactics will work on Obama and others moving into the future. What I see happening is a shift in the electorate. A new generation is taking over here, and that generation is SICK of that sort of thing.
The fact that Bachmann could open her mouth and spew crap for 3 minutes and the result was a million dollar flood of donations in three days to her opponent speaks VOLUMES that voters have HAD IT. I am proud to have been one of the doners to Bachmans opponent. This is what happens when people decide they want to take back what is theirs - their government. A new broom sweeps clean and all those in government who want to continue acting like 6 year olds or like filthy slime should beware.
See Mitchell Bard's Profile
Thanks for the comment, mredder4. Your statement assumes that the Dems will capture 60 votes in the Senate, which, while possible, is not likely.
Also, Clinton had a Democratic congress in the first two years of his presidency.
I certainly hope that poll watchers in places like Ohio and Florida do their jobs with greater than usual vigor. We just can't have a repeat of 2000& 2004 !!!
Elections have been ugly since I have been old enough to pay attention but I sense a change afoot. I am proud to be part of a country that rejects politicians who incite divisions between us and support those who refuse to. I hope it continues.
I think the Internet is part of this. Information can't be controlled as easily as it once was. This is very empowering to the electorate. There is also truly a generational change occuring. The generations that have been fighting the "conservative" vs "liberal" culture wars are aging and their children and grand children are appalled and upset that they've ignored the needs of the country while they squabble. This election is going to defeat the apathy that voters have felt for a generation...we are going to enter a period where young Americans believe that they do have a say in the direction of their country.
Republicans will have to reinvent themselves to survive in the coming years. They cannot regain power by being the party of Christain Fundementalists and the NeoCon War Machine. In the meantime, the Democratic Party can co-opt the values Republicans have forgotten such as fiscal conservatism and family values.
In all fairness (and, no, I am NOT a McCain supporter and I loathe our current President's tenure), the current relationship between the Federal Lesislative and Executive branches is pretty much an example of what Mr. Bard writes; a dysfuntional amount of proceure and policy guided by animosity of party and personality rather than for the common good.
Viewed as the propaganda that it is, the McCain-Palin campaign operates from the meta-model which insists and demands that true Americans believe only one point of view.
Your wrote, "It's all too late now. Not even the eloquent, stinging words of Powell on Meet the Press condemning the descent into the gutter of the McCain campaign can undo the damage that has already been done. McCain, in his tunnel-like view of the race, with its damn-the-future-win-today approach, has already released the poison of smear into the American atmosphere. :
If the majority of Americans reject the McCain-Palin propaganda by delivering an overwhelming majority vote, that would neutralize the poison and make int possible to administer the anti-dote: a sane and rational government, the Obama-Biden solution.
This is the quintessential progaganda dilemma of American government and politics.
JUST IN, COURTESY OF NEWSMAX :
The Republican National Trust PAC
Scott Wheeler
Executive Director
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HAHAHAHA, what a smear campaign. This is utterly ridiculous and I got the same newsletter
and I replied. Do not believe anything from this newssource, they are much worse than FOX NEWS.
See Mitchell Bard's Profile
I'm sure everyone knows this, but to be clear, Lemeritus's comment is a work of fiction. I know it's not as good as "Macbeth," but it's fiction nonetheless.
I await Lemertitus's next posting telling us Obama is a vampire who needs to drink human blood to survive ...
I fear, because of the word limit, I wasn't able to amplify my own position on the trash coming out of the Republican campaign and my personal, bemused reaction to Newsmax which regularly arrives, like a rancid muffin, in my inbox. I was merely passing along the latest in a long line of desperate appeals to the low-info Republican loyalists.
Stung, I will take greater care in the future to present my bona fides before commenting.
Let's dispel one myth: McCain is no one to be admired.
His record:
Multiple disciplinary problems, graduated at the bottom of his class. Of course, he apologized and said he changed.
He was caught in the Keating scandal. And he apologized and said he changed.
When he ran in 2000, he pandered to voters with support of the Confederate flag. After the election, he apologized and said he was wrong.
For four years he opposed Bush, but he just did that so he could challenge Bush in 2004. When that was not possible, he changed course and embraced Bush with both arms to run in 2008. Now, he is apologizing and saying he was wrong.
This year he promised to run a campaign that would make us proud. Instead, he hired the very people that had sullied him. He is running the most despicable campaign in modern times. On November 5, he will apologize to American and say he was wrong.
At a time when his party needed him to stanch bleeding down the ticket, he threw them under his Straight Talk Express. When the election is over, he will apologize and say he was wrong.
He promised to put America first. Then he chose Palin, an act of political recklessness. AWhen he writes his next redemptive book, he will apologize for that and say he was wrong.
To those who think McCain was a statesman who sullied himself in this campaign, I say, the true man revealed himself.