Off the Meds

So is this the real John McCain?

No question the man who turned up last night did a better job than he'd done at the previous two debates. But here's the problem for McCain: he's either last week's guy, who seems to be on medication, or he's this week's guy, who seems to have been abruptly taken off it.

He gave the game away in his first answer when, in talking about the economy, he said that Americans were angry. But Americans aren't angry, they're poleaxed. They're terrified. They're afraid they're going to lose their jobs or their homes or their pensions. They're worried they won't be able to send their kids to college. If John McCain thinks they're angry, it's either because he's projecting, or else he's simply been going to too many of his own rallies.

As he smirked and blinked and raised his eyebrows, I couldn't help wondering what tonight's McCain seemed like to all those conservative pundits who'd been hoping a different McCain would show up. Is this what they meant? Is this the John McCain of Bill Kristol's dreams?

Whichever McCain shows up, some things stay the same. He's a towel-snapper. He can't land a joke. He seems old. (As Martin Short said on Letterman just after the debate, "The only time he doesn't have to pee is when he's peeing.") And he's an absolutely terrible actor. Every time McCain went into his Joe-the-plumber-bit, those undecided voters on CNN were unmoved. They were probably not saying barf, like some of us were, but that's only because they're not allowed to talk amongst themselves during the debate.

At the Time Politics conference this week, New York Times columnist Frank Rich asked, "Was there any way that the Sarah Palin choice might have played out differently?" CBS' Jeff Greenfield gave a wonderful answer. He said the question reminded him of a woman friend who'd said of her divorce, "We would have had a wonderful marriage if he had been a completely different person." Isn't that great? It's practically a Zen koan, not that I know what a Zen koan is. But one of the most remarkable things about Barack Obama is that he's the same person every time he shows up. And as for John McCain, a completely different person showed up tonight, and it didn't seem to matter.

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

Comments

[bannorhill]

You are wrong!! As an American I'm angry.

I'm angry that we have a do nothing Senate that blames the President for doing nothing. I'm angry that President And our congress backed Trillions of dollars in loans for people who could never afford them. I'm angry that Barnie Frank spends years defending those loans and stonewalling changes until things fall apart and then blames the Republicans.

I'm more angry that Washington is clueless about controlling spending. First there is a $850,000,000,000.00 bail out. That was MY MONEY they gave to liars and cheats. Now in the midst of this crisis Obama wants to add another program (Health care) that will add $564,000,000,000.00 PER YEAR to government spending and the media does not report the real cost. (47,000,000 uninsured at $12,000 per policy from Obama statement at the debate).

I'm most angry that BOTH parties are more concerned about fixing the blame instead of fixing the problem. Both candidates lie and throw up smoke screens but neither will commit to the tough decisions we need to get us out of this problem. We need a leader and not a politician.

[hirhodes]

You know bannorhill...you are absolutely right! We should be angry about having so many problems that Congress can't/won't fix.

We should be marching (peacefully) of course in the streets demanding solutions from them. They need to get past the vitriol for they have for each other and get the jobs done.

[bannorhill]

Or vote all incumbants out on November 2. EVERY ONE.

[hirhodes]

Eliminate "for" after vitirol. oops.

[compulady]

I think what most of America and the rest of the world has learned in the past months about McCain, his bad choices, anger, body language, questionable mental health, ignorance of the obvious, tolerance of racist audiences, divisive policies and disrespect of Obama etc.

McCain would make a terrible president as he would treat his job as president as he has his campaign, one can only imagine the terror, damage and chaos that would result in his presidency or perhaps worse if he did not make it through and Palin had to take over.

The McPalin ticket win would make an interesting doom and gloom Sci-Fi film but everyday it looks more and more like McPalin won't be coming to America.

[kekoolani]

The American people are indeed terrified. And rightly so.I am saddened to see how this sense of impending doom is so easily converted into "lack of consumer confidence". Making our financial crisis a question of perception and strength of national character, the conversion of these into "the fundamentals" is something that not only McCain, but many others are guilty of. The government is terminally degenerate, the currency is being debased, we are being taught to accept as normal what would have been considered unthinkable 40 years ago. We are a nations operating without principles and now find ourselves condemned to an existence grounded in contigency management. McCain's erratic behaviour is emblematic of our culture.

[schmuckwithearlaps]

I agree that what has evolved with McCain is very very sad. What is shocking is that he might yet win. I just went to realclear for the poll numbers and the national polls are really close. If you Bradley the numbers by 10%, McCain wins easily. Should he pull this out, tens of millions of Americans will not be able to live with the results. Then what happens? I do not have any good answers. I would love to see some comments by thoughtful progressives on the question. If McCain wins, can America as we know it survive? I would love to know that answer. Think McCain can't win? Take it as a given that, sadly, there will be a national security crisis during the next two weeks that will hand McCain a chance to scare the voters into submission.

[AnalyzeIT]

McCain is erratic and his conduct indicates possible mental health issues, including passive/aggression, manic depression, possible paranoid schizophrenia, etc...

McCain is still angry at Obama for something that happen nearly 40 years ago. He said in the last debate that he did not care about Ayer's, etc. We all know the next day Ayer's was featured in an attack ad on Obama.

NOW can you imagine how he feels about Vietnam - for holding him as a POW.

No one has yet made or spoken of that connection.

Wuuuuuuuuuuuuu, make the connection- WAKE UP AMERICA.

[wfalda]

I will cast my vote for Obama/Biden on Nov 4 with pure revenge over the way Republicans have painted Democrats as anti-American. Retaliation will be sweet. For years, Republicans have called Democrats unpatriotic, godless, effete/elite, weak/wimpy and goodness knows what else. On Nov. 4, I will have my sole opportunity to strike back. Now what was that again about the Bradley effect?

[PeepingTom]

Repubs are anti-american. THey want a one-party system - just them - to control and dominate the country with no input from anyone else.

[spartanmom]

Well, I for one am angry.

I am angry about two stolen elections
I am angry about an unnecessary war
I am angry about a son who has killed people in a foreign land
I am angry about that same son who has PTSD and physical injuries
I am angry that there is a presidential candidate that has consistently voted against supporting our veterans

But I am scared, too.

Scared that we could have a third stolen election
Scared for my other son who is joining the military
Scared of those people at the rallies
Scared of something I don't even dare say out loud

[AnalyzeIT]

spartammon, it's okay to be angry, it's okay to be scared.

But it's a plus to have faith.

Stay positive, even when you think that you cannot.
We are never given more than we can bear.

Face those fears, look them in the face and then hand them over to Our Heavenly Creator. Senator Obama soon to be President Obama is well protected in more ways than one. Have faith in that fact.

With that I send love an prayers for you and your sons.

STAY STONG

OBAMA-BIDEN
*
*

[Snoop2]

McCain is so over, this could be the greatest blowout victory ever!

[TheRetiredOne]

Damn. I'm angry, too. Damn angry. And I feel a little bit better every time I donate to Obama's Campaign.

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

In McCain's defense he didi say that Americans were angry about 413 times.

[Indubio]

I'm mad as Hell... At McCain for running a sleazy campaign using Rovian people and tactics. I had hoped we moved beyond that aspect of our recent political history. I was wrong.

[quest44]

McCain should look at video's of himself at these debates and rally's because he makes some of the scariest faces I have ever seen except on the joker in Batman ! He blinks excessively ,grimaces ,puts his tongue out, rolls his eyes and when he moves its roboticly .Are you sure someone hasn't replaced McCain with a robot .Gosh even his words are like listening to the same broken record over and over again. No matter how many times Obama has explained his tax plan McCain keeps repeating the same lie that Obama's plans to tax people making less than 4o some thousand dollars .Doesn't this man even listen to what anyone else is saying ? We already have had 8 years of a president that refuses to listen to logic ,,certainly we don't need another 4 more years !

[Indubio]

McCain is a Republican and they've been making up their own story for so long (with the media playing along) I'm not sure they can be honest.

[DuganS1]

The entire campaign has been about anger from both sides. People are angry at "rich" people about the financial crisis, angry at China because companies like Walmart and Home Depot get their products there instead of the US to save money, angry at "evil corporations" because they've been so profitable, angry at "oil companies" because a lot of people think they are responsible for high oil prices, angry at immigrants because people think they make less money because immigrants drive down wages, etc. etc. There is definatley a lot of anger out there and I don't know how anyone could deny that.

[BlueDotInSeaOfRed]

Respectfully, I have to disagree. Yes, everyone is scared out of their skins. Everyone has heard of the horrors of the Great Depression. However, there is anger mixed in there. Unfortunately, McCain's response to anger is WITH more anger, which is not what is called for in this situation. What we are looking for is someone to empathize. To understand. To appear that they have enough on the ball that they can pull together the right people to solve the issues. To allay our fears. Because we aren't so stupid as to believe that one man or one woman has all the answers.

Instead, what I see in McCain is someone as scared, maybe more scared than most of us, mixed with desperation, anger, and contempt which culminates into a sad, bitter, old man who is grasping at realizing a dream wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too late in the game.

And, when you take that and add it with being completely out of touch with average Americans, which was obviously indicated by his responses on Letterman last night, you have an absolute TRAIN WRECK. The guy is either a great actor or he actually BELIEVES that Sarah Palin is ready for the role of VP possibly POTUS, should something happen to him. His mantra was "I'm just so proud of her". What is he, her grandpa?

The one point I agree with McCain is that there is an abundance of anger out there. But, wow, we certainly disagree with out to remedy it.

[spartanmom]

Anger is just fear in denial

[SallyStraight]

I think anger is appropriate, if mixed with fear. The anger I see is these yo-yos in control of our country turning their heads while a choice few rode off into the sunset with enough money to never worry again---that is unless they're investigated and indited.

McCain and the Tina Fey lookalike are totally out of touch, like characters in a bad sitcom. Imagine : ARE YOU SMART ENOUGH TO BE PRESIDENT, Thursday at 9:00 on the channel of your choice, KREP. Host Joe the Plummer hurls questions at this team. Their answers are side-splitting. Okay, maybe that's a little rough, but how many people watched their security evaporate while a select few walked off with millions after a short stint as CEO of failed companies.

To me, the most ridiculous statement that McCain made yet was that he'd balance the budget during his administration if elected. First of all, let's get real. He would be a one term president so that's four years. I don't think it is at all realistic to make a promise like that. Borrowing one of his phrases he should have said, "MY FRIENDS, we are going to owe a *&*% load of money when I take office. I'll do everything within my power and that of congress to get us back on the right track so we can solve our problems as quickly as possible.

'Nuff said. Visit http:myspa­ce.com/sal­lystraight later today for more of my thoughts.

Sally Straight ---MyComments2

[flyingmonkey]

Frankly, I don't think Americans are angry enough.
In fact, I think you'd have to be partially brain dead not to be angry.

[Over50WhiteWoman]

Yes, I have to agree many Americans are angry--judging from these forums. Many are afraid. Everyone wants the next President to be this wise, perfect, godly leader who never makes a misstep, has perfect judgment, all the time, and will somehow lead us like Moses leading the Israelites out of the land of slavery and into the promised land.

Unfortunately, God is not running for President. We have to figure these things out ourselves, and our 'leaders' are just humans like us, who have also never suspected our entire economic system could collapse around our ears.

John McCain's anger though is the wrong response to the public's anger. Public figures need to demonstrate calm confidence, optimism, positive faith, and a commitment to figuring out the solutions. John McCain's reaction seems to be to join in the anger of the mob and pick up a torch. That does not help. And it certainly is not leadership.

[daddyG56]

Angry, bitter, worried, scared and confused. I think that sums it up. Now, lt's DO something about it. Obama/Biden '08