Paul Reiser

Paul Reiser

Posted: September 12, 2008 10:24 AM

Yeah -- You and Whose Army?

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So everyone's talking about the nasty spike of nastiness in the presidential race -- a spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery -- and Republican John McCain takes a moment to point out that even this is Barack Obama's fault.

Y'see, all the crap being thrown at Obama -- the fear-mongering, the half-truths, the full lies -- all the character assassination hurling Obama's way, is in fact, his own doing.

"I think the tone of this whole campaign would have been very different if Senator Obama had accepted my request for us to appear in town hall meetings all over America," the Senator from Arizona tells us.

Am I just losing my friggin' mind? Seriously. I keep looking around the room to see if I'm living in some suddenly altered state where everything we know is now called the opposite, and nobody notices. Or can stop it.

"I wish I didn't have to take your lunch money, but you should'nt of hadda brung it."

We're in the 3rd grade again. The skinny, smart kid who just moved in to the neighborhood is getting roughed-up by the asshole bully. The kid who hits you in the head with your hand and says, "Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself?"

"Um, actually I'm not. You're hitting me."

"You calling me a liar?"

"No, I'm just pointing out that..." SMACK!

"Why're you hitting yourself?"

And there seems to be no one to appeal to. There're no grown-ups around when you need 'em. No one to step in and say, "Alright, that's enough now. We don't do that here, fella." And in the absence of any authority, the asshole gets to keep doing it.

"Why're you hitting yourself? SMACK! Why're you hitting yourself?"

From the few minutes of the GOP convention I could stomach watching, all I could think was that Giuliani and Sarah Palin were doing some big-person, lethal version of "I know you are, but what am I?"

America: "Well, respectfully, Governor Palin, it could be argued that you are, in fact, relatively inexperienced."

Her: "I know you are but what am I?"

"Hm? No, perhaps you misunderstood. We are talking about you."

"I know you are but what am I."

"Well, Governor, just listening to your speech, you seem awfully caustic."

"You are."

"And, frankly, a little bitter."

"You're bitter."

"I mean, where's your sense of humility?"

"I'm rubber, you're glue. It bounces off me and sticks to you."

"My God - you're... dangerous."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

Maybe that's the problem. Obama treats us like adults, and McCain's team treats us like children.

Obama seeks to inspire and raise us as a nation. McCain's people want to reduce us to infants.

Obama asks us to be deep. And courageous.

McCain prays that we're simple. And cowardly.

Now everyone is calling for Obama to "get angry." "Get out there and frown this way, curl your lip that way, and clench your fist like so." And, I don't know..... That'd be cool. Sure. But I don't think the fix can come just from him. There's only so much the guy can do. It's going to have to be us. I don't know what exactly we need to do, but I know we'll do it. I have to believe -- I mean I really have to believe we're big enough, strong enough and smart enough to reclaim what's ours. I love my children too much to let the assholes take over the school yard.


So everyone's talking about the nasty spike of nastiness in the presidential race -- a spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery -- and Republican John McCain takes a moment to point ...
So everyone's talking about the nasty spike of nastiness in the presidential race -- a spike brilliantly orchestrated by the Republican machinery -- and Republican John McCain takes a moment to point ...
 
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- arthur2008 I'm a Fan of arthur2008 5 fans permalink

"There's no question that this [economy] is in the process of outstripping anything I've seen and it still is not resolved and still has a way to go and, indeed, it will continue to be a corrosive force until the price of homes in the United States stabilizes. That will induce a series of events around the globe which will stabilize the system."

Alan Greenspan

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:49 PM on 09/14/2008

Oh. I see. Being honorable and not lying means you deserves an POW Ex that has lost his baring.

How do you think the world want to deal with a McCain and Palin. Not too well.

But he still sit while Palin sits in on a it is ok that Jews are killed speaker. He has no temper for that.

Former senator Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, expresses worries about McCain: "His temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him."

A spokesman for McCain's campaign said he would be unavailable for an interview on the subject of his temper. But over the years, no one has written more intimately about McCain's outbursts than McCain himself. "My temper has often been both a matter of public speculation and personal concern," he wrote in a 2002 memoir. "I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:19 PM on 09/14/2008

Paul,
Thank you for your post. You are ABSOLUTELY right that the McCain campaign is behaving like a playground bully! It seems like he isn't the same man he was in 2000. He is not his own man any longer. His VP pick proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt! If he was a real Maverick he would have chosen Lieberman. He caved into the neocons by picking Palin. The Palin pick has brought in droves of women in our area to volunteer for the Obama campaign. The phone is ringing off the hook at our Democratic Headquarters. Women want to make sure that she isn't a heartbeat away from the Presidency! Picking the pretty girl in the class might make the bully look good, but he's still a bully. What's that old saying???? "You can put Lipstick on a Bully, but he's still a Bully!"

Do what you can...donate, volunteer and vote! Obama/Biden '08

Register to Vote or verify your registration at:
http://www.voteforchange.com/index_obama.php?source=091008emailR

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:46 PM on 09/14/2008

Something looks funny on the website you cited. Is this the correct address?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:17 PM on 09/14/2008

I was a kid that had to deal with a bully. The day I hauled off and decked him was the last time he ever bothered me.

But that WAS in the third grade!

Like most of the GOP folks that I meet, McCain and Palin are still in the third grade.

Obama, use that brilliant mind and hit back, will ya?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:39 PM on 09/14/2008

I had bullies when I was a kid. From that perspective I see the Liberals as the bullies in my life today. Only time will tell but the bully is the one who breaks down when pressure is applied. Then only know how to be on the offense. The ones melting down right now are the liberals and the response I hear them say is attack more and harder.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:59 PM on 09/14/2008
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The problem is most voters don't really care if a candidate gets mean with their opponent, shows they can be tough. I'm getting very depressed that most of the people in this country no longer have the abiltity to use critical thinking, many don't even know what that means, we have an national attention span of about 2 minutes anything that takes longer than that to think about forget about it ain't happening. I really think that McCain has a very good chance of winning this election, so what ever he does in the short term, paint Obama as different, elitest, muslum what ever, to win won't matter to most voters, sad but true. People has consistently proven that they will vote against their own self interests, middle class people voting for the candidate that will raise their taxes the most for instance, if what they've been told about the opposing candidate fits their ideas of what they want to avoid in a candidate - where have all the Americans of old gone?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:36 PM on 09/14/2008
- Yellowbird I'm a Fan of Yellowbird 9 fans permalink
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I know exactly what WE need to do. WE need to stand up to the bullies RIGHT NOW.
And the way we do that is by STANDING DOWN TO GIVING THEM A RED CENT.

CANCEL all unnecessary activities that line their pockets. Don't do business with them.
Cancel PAY TV for God's sake. How many times do I have to say this before it gets mentioned in anyone's article?

You want this to escalate to guns and blood instead? Without the BOYCOTT we will have nothing left but Civil War.

Come ON guys. WHY does nobody talk about this?

Can you imagine the impact on Mainstream media we would have if everyone suddenly shut off their PAY TV and went to FREE antenna instead for the duration of the election? We could really put the hurt on their side by suddenly stopping their flow of cash.

Come ON GUYS!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:34 PM on 09/14/2008
- 67yrolfe I'm a Fan of 67yrolfe 8 fans permalink
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Yellowbird: I know you care and that you mean well. Boycotts are a good way of calling attention to an issue but NOT in this case. There is not enough of us to make a difference. It would be like hiding our heads in the sand. The corporate neo con MSM would still have plenty of low information viewers to keep them going. Those of us who know the truth have to stay aware of what they're doing and continually question, question, question them on every spin they come up with and every story they don't carry with emails and phone calls to ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC & CNN. I don't watch FOX and think it's useless to waste the effort with them. Just ONE example would be to ask them why they aren't covering Biden? He doesn't even get a sound bite! Of course we know why but THOUSANDS of us need to let them know that we know and often. The posters who say Obama can't do it alone is right. We're in a fight to save our country and we can't stick our heads in the sand now. We have to scream our concerns to the rooftops. The corporate neo con MSM does not want Obama in the White House. They'd have to pay their share of taxes and that's just for starters!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:22 PM on 09/14/2008

Yes, and note that it was sponsered by the 'Family Research Council,' a CHRISTIAN organization....DISGUSTING!!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:10 PM on 09/14/2008

Because of this kind of slime, I would be really proud of my country for the 1st time in a long, long while when Obama takes the oath of the Presidency.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:50 PM on 09/14/2008

Who do you think will come to your aid when you are in need? You might thank God one day for those people you are commenting about. I hope that need never arises and you see that for yourself.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:09 PM on 09/14/2008
- jwatso7 I'm a Fan of jwatso7 28 fans permalink

I really enjoyed this posting, Paul. By drawing comparisons to third grade playground scuffles you've encapsulated everything that is wrong with this political season, let alone our entire political system. Like you, I've got to believe Americans will snap out of it and do the right thing eventually. But I saw a lot of playground bullies get away with a lot of things because other kids just didn't know any better or because they didn't want to get involved. It seems Americans just don't know any better anymore and they get sucked into the nonsense. Others just don't care and don't get involved because they think it won't affect them. There's still time to change this and recapture what's ours, but time is running out. It's gonna be tight.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:21 PM on 09/14/2008
- grata2ude I'm a Fan of grata2ude 61 fans permalink

Paul unfortunately there are many voters who are using the mentality of 3rd graders to cast their vote.

First there are the PUMA's my woman candidate didn't win so I'm voting for the other woman candidate. Forget the issues. Forget the economy. Forget the sabre rattling that will undoubtedly send these women's children and grandchildren to more wars. Forget the education system that needs to be rethought out so our children can compete in the gloabal market. My candidate didn't win so I'm gonna pout and vote for spite instead of on issues.

Then we have the fear mongering fools.. Ohhhhhhhhhh the Dems are weak on security. Funny but the only attack on the US came under the Republicans. Ohhhhhhhhh....those liberals are gonna tax you. Who put the highest taxation on the history books? Read my lips The First President Bush did. And oh my my.......let's talk about abortion but then put it back on the shelf after we scare these fools again.

Then we have the racists and liars. We know that everything that McCain and Palin are saying in the ads are lies but I'll never vote for that minority guy. I am afraid he's gonna take my guns away.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:18 PM on 09/14/2008
- Jahsmah I'm a Fan of Jahsmah 3 fans permalink
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Grata2ude,

How right you are! When I heard about these PUMA people I could barely contain my awe. I could and still cannot believe these women. They are insane. What are they thinking? They are feeding into the idea that woman will vote based solely on gender and forget all the issues that mean something to their everyday lives. How in the world could any rational woman vote for the Republican ticket? Palin may be a woman, but she is not good for them. She wants to OUTLAW a woman's right to choose. How is that good for women? I am appalled. would it have been nice to have a woman become President for the first time? Yes, but I would rather have SOMEONE man or woman who will change the way things are than have cast a vote for the person who is the same gender. That is the dumbest thing I have heard so far. PUMA needs to grow up, vote on the issues, and stop feeding the GOPs idea that women are stupid enough to vote for someone just because they have the same parts. Dummies.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:15 PM on 09/14/2008
- grata2ude I'm a Fan of grata2ude 61 fans permalink

Everything that women in my generation fought for and everything that Hilary stood for is being mocked by her very supporters.

And we wonder why and how this country got into the mess its in.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:50 PM on 09/14/2008

The Republicans are playing to win. If the Democrats can mobilize themselves to defend their tactics, they will be able to fend them off. Remember, it's the Democrats' election to lose, and if things keep going the way they are, they will.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:16 PM on 09/14/2008

Great piece ... vivid and all-too-real.

We've ALL got to be vigilant and stand up and speak out, or else the bullies win. And they're at every level. Here in our little town (pop. 800) we had a local/state primary five days ago, and our all-Republican town administratiors reported zero votes for the Democratic candidate for state rep; we know she had at least 15 votes. Not the first time there's been shenanigans here, and we've gotten off our duffs and filed written complaints with the state. It won't make us popular with our neighbors, but the line has to be drawn. Enough!!!!

So we'll stay and watch the hand count on November 4th. We have friends who are watchdogs in their small towns too. Imagine all the ways the opposition can cheat, and be assured they'll try. They don't play by the rules of fairness and integrity.

We've all got to step out of our comfort zones this time, people -- sending emails and letters to your local newspaper, calling in to your local talk shows, speaking up when your mother-in-law says " ... it's not his skin color but there's just something about Obama I don't trust ..." Call them on their lies, their thinly-disguised racism, their smears. Then bring it back to the REAL issues.

Silence implies agreement. Find that courage inside and use it.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:12 PM on 09/14/2008
- k8k9 I'm a Fan of k8k9 3 fans permalink

Mr. Resier, you are spot on. Is anybody out there listening? We’re stuck in the Twilight Zone. How is it that dishonorable, deceitful, and nasty win? “Someday they’ll get what they deserve” doesn’t work in politics.

And it’s not just the republicans and the media! How can the Clinton’s look at themselves in the mirror? Bill says he’ll be right there as soon as he finishes his current project . . . WTF are they doing that could in any way possible be more important than getting the republicans out of the White House? Sorry you’re bummed-out about losing HillBill, but is this your true love-of-country look? If you’d won, you’d be away from your current jobs/projects. Shame on ya! Our dear Sen. Obama, et al, please realize that getting into the White House MUST be the goal!!!!!!!!!!!! MUST BE THE GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! And it looks like it’s going to require a little more intensity, by god!!!!!! It’s time to get the hell out there and do what you have to do to WIN!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:12 PM on 09/14/2008
- 67yrolfe I'm a Fan of 67yrolfe 8 fans permalink
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k8k9: You are so right about the Clinton's. Even when Hillary does go out to campaign for Obama; the MSM doesn't give her stump speech much coverage. Last week Gov Rendell of Pennsylvania gave a speech saying that if he were Palin, he would have been impeached. Huff Post was the only one to carry the article. Yet when he was campaigning for Hillary, they'd cover him when he burped! The Clintons tell us they'll do whatever Senator Obama wants them to do and the MSM wants us to believe that Obama hasn't asked them and Hillary will do everything she can for Obama because she doesn't want to be blamed if Obama loses. That's total bull sh**. I'm very sorry to have to say this but she could care less whether or not Obama wins. There are corporate neo cons in both parties. They won't suffer if McCain wins, the rest of will! I'm still hoping the Clinton's will get out there and prove me wrong.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:41 PM on 09/14/2008
- Ohg I'm a Fan of Ohg 5 fans permalink

Angry old men get their way in the check out line at Walmart - But McCain is not running for grouchiest old man at walmart. ..........................
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/09/11/nasty-campaigns-by-angry-old-men/

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:10 PM on 09/14/2008
- LizM I'm a Fan of LizM 49 fans permalink

You're not losing your mind...just your country. And, if the media and blogosphere continue to be allowed to dismiss and ignore Joe Biden then not only will country have been lost, but it will be pretty much deserved. How's that for cutting off one's nose to spite one's face!?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:05 PM on 09/14/2008
- Mary1943 I'm a Fan of Mary1943 3 fans permalink

Paul Reiser said it best when he said WE can't expect one man to do all this. It's up to us to do our part.
So, WAKE UP OBAMA SUPPORTERS AND PUT YOUR TIME TO GOOD USE.

Here's two sites to check out.
www.McLobbyists.com and www.chopra.com/node/1064

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:26 PM on 09/14/2008
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Mary1943, both of your sites just say "page not found."

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:07 PM on 09/14/2008
- politicky I'm a Fan of politicky 15 fans permalink
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"Am I just losing my friggin' mind? Seriously. I keep looking around the room to see if I'm living in some suddenly altered state where everything we know is now called the opposite, and nobody notices. Or can stop it."

EXACTLY.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:49 PM on 09/14/2008
- felinetta I'm a Fan of felinetta 5 fans permalink

It's like living in a psychological Hitchcock thriller or in ways like being "gaslighted." If you haven't seen this old black and white movie, the husband tries to drive his wife crazy by telling her what she sees isn't happening. So yes, they are trying to gaslight us.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:21 PM on 09/14/2008
- tedbear I'm a Fan of tedbear 7 fans permalink

I've lived in those psychological thrillers a couple of times, with husbands who kept telling me what I was seeing wasn't happening. You know what happened, I voted against them!!!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:08 PM on 09/14/2008
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It's the Seinfeld Bizarro World episode, except that was funny. The real-life Bizarro World that we are stuck in isn't . . .

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:09 PM on 09/14/2008
- oldgoose I'm a Fan of oldgoose 4 fans permalink

I The chairman of the Joint Chiefs has already said our army and marines are "overextended" and worn out. If our dear republican friends don't believe that just have them visit the nearest combat military base and stand for a while in front of the base exchange to watch the steady parade of soldiers missing limbs, burnt, scarred and battered..... and the mental scars don't even show. Then tell them the army is already handing guns to 30% of recruits with police records. Can't draft the boy scouts or most of the prison population to fight the wars "of God" in Iran, Georgia or any other war dear old John & Sarah might visit upon us. Don't believe me? We don't have enough troops to send to Afghanistan and all the troops assigned to Iraq prior to August 1 of this year are still stuck with their 15 months combat tour.. Believe me now? Guess what? Not enough volunteers? Only one way to solve that problem....... "public service" anyone???? John McCain has already said the deferments of Viet Nam were not fair! No more deferments, all hands on deck! Guess whose children will have to go next???? !

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:36 PM on 09/14/2008

after mccain bombs iran or palin invades russian do you think that both men AND women will be burning their draft cards?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:39 PM on 09/14/2008
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