Help me American character flaw, you're my only hope...

Throughout the 2008 Presidential campaign, one of John McCain's oft-repeated mantras is that Barack Obama claims to be bi-partisan and reach across the aisle, but has no proven history of doing so, that Barack Obama states that he will cut taxes for 95% of Americans, but if you look at his actions during his time in the Senate, he has no history of doing so. John McCain claims that this shows a major flaw in Obama's character. How can you trust someone whose track record is so far away from his promises?

However, at this late stage and with the many, many problems facing the McCain-Palin ticket, Senator McCain is now hoping that the swing states (which all appear to be leaning towards the Obama-Biden ticket) show that exact same character flaw. He is placing all his faith in the belief that, although the polls show that if the election happened tomorrow they would elect Barack Obama, that they will actually vote for John McCain.

If I were McCain, I would be downright encouraging such behaviour. Hell, he may as well start with this campaign poster:


Only when the swing states, full of their "real Americans" and "pro-America Joe-Six-Packs" show that they are people of their word and follow their hearts and minds all the way to the voting booth will the proof will be handed to John McCain that, in fact, the American people cannot be manhandled into disavowing their character.

Jon Stewart, I honour thee...

I don't like to use other people's material, but I have to give credit once again to Jon Stewart who made an amazing point on The Daily Show on 7 October 2008.

When discussing Sarah Palin's visit to ground zero, he voiced that he found it frustrating and more than a little annoying that 'Caribou Barbi" spends almost 98% of her allotted campaigning time (I'm not a statistician, so that's a pure guess) rallying against the big cities, media elites and latte drinkers who inhabit these demoralised, Soddham and Gomorrah cesspools of unreal Americans. She then visits the city, stands beside the site at ground zero and spouts unending rhetoric about the American spirit and how it brought the whole country together.

I'm sorry? On 9/11, did the US Government fly in people from small towns all over the United States to try and raise the moral fibre of the city and bring all the devil-worshipping, cocaine snorting wall-street bankers some hope and dignity.

Hells-no! Those were New Yorkers, lady. They live there the whole time. Some were even drinking a latte when the planes struck. Yes, the event had a very profound effect on the entire Nation and the entire world. Yes, in the aftermath, people from all over the country and all over the world came together at the site for rescue efforts and mutual support. But the majority of them? "Big city types".

I am, of course, paraphrasing Jon Stewart. I am nowhere near as elegant with my speech. But his point is well worth remembering when McCain-Palin continue their divisive campaign.

McCain-Palin play the ignorance card...

Hearing John McCain and Sarah Palin make their closing arguments about Barack Obama's policies, rhetoric, history and associations puts me in mind of watching Homer Simpson argue with Marge. The McCain campaign says that Obama's association with Bill Ayers requires further clarification and a straight answer as it is suspect. Palin is quoted as saying:

And -- not only those terrorist activities that Bill Ayers was involved in, but the questions need to be asked, I believe, when did Barack Obama know of these activities? We've heard so many conflicting stories, and flip-flop answers about when he knew the guy, did he realize that he knocked off his political career in the guy's living room?

Flip-flop answers? I have heard Obama say several times that he was 8 when Ayers committed his terrible crimes. I'm guessing that, as good as he is, Senator Obama didn't know about them then. He has fully explained his relationship with Ayers as being members on a board for the same charity for 4 years. When they met, Ayers was a college professor.

When the idiot-couple heading the McCain campaign then come out and say "Oh, right. Well, we heard differently. That's all I'm saying." it's because THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES SAYING ANYTHING CONTRARY TO OBAMA'S STATEMENTS. They are taking their own word for it. It's unbelievable.

The same goes for the surge in Iraq. McCain keeps repeating that Barack Obama has never admitted he was wrong on the surge in Iraq being a success. This is blatantly untrue. Obama has said to the press on at least two occasions (once to Bill O'Reilly on Fox News of all places, showing the Obama still has time to do charity work) that:

I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated ... I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.

The McCain response to this involves the lesser seen but always popular "la, la, la, I'm not listening" school of politics, then going straight into telling the Republican no-information voters that "that one" has definitely never, ever stated that he agrees that the surge worked.

Apparently, McCain and Palin are no-information voters too.