McCain Belittled Short-Term Mayors And Governors
During the October 21, 2007 presidential debate in Orlando, John McCain said:
…I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I’ve been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism.
I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training.
I wasn’t a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn’t a governor for a short period of time. For 20-some years, including leading the largest squadron in the United States Navy, I led. I didn’t manage for profit, I led for patriotism.
And, yet, it is Democrats who are being blamed for putting down short-term mayoral and gubernatorial experience.
h/t Think Progress
Sarah Palin is the VP on the ticket. Obama the community organizer wants to be the president. See the difference?
September 12th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
So if you believe that mcsame was putting down small town mayors, then obviously you believe obama did the same.
Wasn’t part of the problem obama made for himself was the continued referring to her as mayor instead of governor.
Either way, obama’s focus on palin is working out great for the republicans.
Democratic jitters about the US presidential race have spread to Capitol Hill, where some members of Congress are worried that Barack Obama’s faltering campaign could hurt their chances of re-election.
Party leaders have been hoping to strengthen Democratic control of the House and Senate in November, but John McCain’s jump in the polls has stoked fears of a Republican resurgence.
A Democratic fundraiser for Congressional candidates said some planned to distance themselves from Mr Obama and not attack Mr McCain.
“If people are voting for McCain it could help Republicans all the way down the ticket, even in a year when the Democrats should be sweeping all before us,” said the fundraiser, a former Hillary Clinton supporter.
“There is a growing sense of doom among Democrats I have spoken to . . . People are going crazy, telling the campaign ‘you’ve got to do something’.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c2f69ce-8031-11dd-99a9-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
September 12th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
So McCain thinks that short term mayors or short term governors are not qualified for the Presidency (read: Romney and Guiliani) yet he’s willing to put Palin the the VP slot who could very easily have to become President at any time (especially in light of McCain’s age)? If Romney and Guiliani are not qualified in his book, then Palin certainly isn’t.
Sounds like good material for an Obama ad.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
My wife is one dumb broad.
September 12th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Alan, dig deep enough and you’ll probably find a vid of John McCain saying what a jerk this guy John McCain is. He’s already on record saying he probably got as many demerits at the Naval Academy as anyone who ever attended.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
The trouble with hitting Palin on the experience issue is that it also calls attention to Obama’s lack of experience — and he, not she, is running for President.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
anyone who voted against the iraq war back in 2002, or disagreed with the invasion (barack obama), is automatically qualified to be president.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Karl: The trouble with hitting Palin on the experience issue is that it also calls attention to Obama’s lack of experience — and he, not she, is running for President.
No need for Obama himself to hit Palin on the experience issue as McCain has already done that very thing himself in these past statements knocking short term mayor and governors. Just let McCain’s own past words speak…which speaks to McCain’s judgement. First he says a person like that isn’t qualified and then he turns around and chooses a person like that (or worse) to put in a position where they could become the President at any moment. Obama doesn’t have to say a word…use McCain’s past words to say it all.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I guess McCain has just changed his mind — sort of like Barack did on the FISA issue and is in the process of doing on the offshore oil issue, just to mention two.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
“Belittling” seems a little strong. “Marginalizing” seems more appropriate.
Look, only 16 presidents have been governor. George Washington wasn’t a governor. Neither was Lincoln. So what, now senatorial or representative experience doesn’t count?
Obama has not only had NATIONAL experience, he’s had INTERNATIONAL experience, around the globe.
Where’s Palin been? Canada and Mexico (and she’s got the Senor Frog shot glass to prove it!).
Truth2Power, glad to see you again. You never did answer my question I asked several days ago. I’ll repeat it:
If law enforcement came to your door to ask you questions, or to place you under arrest for violating the law, would you immediately urge your family to arm themselves, hole up in your house, and train your guns on them? Would you shoot officers of the law? Because that’s what right-wing militia members and religious zealots did at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
Remember the circumstances surrounding my question? You tried to justify the Oklahoma City bombing (a right-wing milita terrorist attack) as Timothy McVeigh’s retaliation against the gov’t for Ruby Ridge and Waco (In Waco’s case, by the way, Republican John Danforth pretty much exonerated the gov’t).
Do you still hold that the right-wing attack on the federal Alfred P. Murrah building, which killed and injured hundreds of people, was justified?
September 12th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008
The Word According to Andrew Klavan: Chapter 5 of 5
Andrew Klavan defends his idea that George W. Bush and Batman (as portrayed in The Dark Knight) are very much alike in that they “sacrificed their popularity to do the right thing,” while the Left, with its lack of substantive argument, can only stoop to ridicule as a way of turning the populace against the president.
PERMALINK
http://tv.nationalreview.com/uncommonknowledge/
September 12th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
T2P:
Obama the Messiah has decided to return his focus on McCain and came out iwth an ad attackign MC for not knowing how to use a computer.
check this out from the National Review:
Wondering No More [Jonah Goldberg]
Yep. The day after 9/11, as part of its “get tough” makeover, the Obama campaign is mocking John McCain for not using a computer, without caring why he doesn’t use a computer. From the AP story about the computer illiterate ad:
“Our economy wouldn’t survive without the Internet, and cyber-security continues to represent one our most serious national security threats,” [Obama spokesman Dan] Pfeiffer said. “It’s extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president and our commander in chief doesn’t know how to send an e-mail.”
Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by “extraordinary.” The reason he doesn’t send email is that he can’t use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country. From the Boston Globe (March 4, 2000):
McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain’s severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain’s encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He’s an avid fan – Ted Williams is his hero – but he can’t raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.
In a similar vein I guess it’s an outrage that the blind governor of New York David Patterson doesn’t know how to drive a car. After all, transportation issues are pretty important. How dare he serve as governor while being ignorant of what it’s like to navigate New York’s highways.
Update: Well, now the story is up on Drudge (You heard it here first!). Re: Mark’s point about how the supposedly web-savvy Obama campaign can’t handle Google, here’s another story confirming he has difficulty using a keyboard. Ironically, it’s from one of the most pro-Obama journalists out there, Jacob Weisberg, in an article in Slate in 2000:
“Six months ago, no one would have pegged McCain as the most cybersavvy of this year’s crop of candidates. At 63, he is the oldest of the bunch and because of his war injuries, he is limited in his ability to wield a keyboard.”
Now, in response to some angry criticism already coming in: Feh.
Some say, So what if he was handicapped? He could still learn how to send email.
Sure, but why would he? Bill Clinton sent two emails during his entire presidency and often admitted he didn’t know squat about the internet.
One reader says “Steven Hawking knows how to use a computer!” Yes, because if he didn’t he couldn’t do his job or communicate. McCain, like Clinton, didn’t have that problem. Here’s a more sane version of t he same complaint:
You are ridiculous about this. While of course McCain probably can’t type for long periods or in the manner in which many of us do, there are a tremendous amount of people that peck with just their index fingers. He also can surely use a mouse. How much typing do you really have to do to send emails and use the internet. Plus, when he was asked point blank about it he never said he couldn’t type. I am sure he can’t use a blackberry, but there are tons of people with far worse injuries than McCain that use a computer.
That’s absolutely true, I’m sure. But they need to use computers to get through life. McCain doesn’t. And the fact that he’s not blaming his disability hardly sounds like a serious indictment. If he did blame his disability, many of the same folks yelling at me would be complaining that McCain’s whining.
Now, I’d hardly be surprised if McCain could type for short stretches and all that. The point is, that it’s perfectly understandable why he wouldn’t get in the habit of it.
Oh one last point for now: Lord knows I think the chicken-hawk arguments are stupid. And I don’t think the fact that Obama never served in the military should count against him in and of itself. But how stupid is it for the Obama campaign to claim that McCain is unqualified to be president because he can’t grasp cyber-security issues based on the fact he has never sent an email when the McCain campaign can just as easily say Obama can’t understand first order national security issues because he’s never fired a rife, flown a plane, commanded men in battle, or faced an enemy? I mean which prepares someone to be commander in chief better, hitting “send” on AOL or fighting a war?
Update II: On the other hand: I don’t know what to make of this interview with the New York Times. He sounds awfully web savvy in it, which makes the Obama ad sound unfair. And if you read it closely, it sounds like he knows how to surf with a mouse, but doesn’t do much by way of typing.
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Good going Obama! You have an ad attackig McCain for not doing an acitvity his POW damage prevents him from doing
September 12th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
OBAMA requested almost $1 BILLION in earmarks ($935.7 Million)since being sworn in as a Senator in January 2005:
($1 million of which was earmarked for the hospital Obama’s wife works for. Does that sound like a conflict of interest? It was only in March 2008, six months ago, that Obama muddies the waters by voting NOT to accept any earmarks during 2009 then has the affrontry to say that Palin requested more than he did in 2009.)
-vs- MCCAIN whose record indicates that he does NOT seek earmarks.
Obama is running against McCain, why attack Palin’s record? BIDEN has sought many MILLIONS IN EARMARKS.Pus, BIDEN’s son is a Washington Lobbyist, who garned millions of dollars for Delaware institutions and since Delaware is Biden’s homestate, that seems to be a conflict.
OBAMA sought more earmarks in his career as Senator than the COMBINED earmarks of McCain and Palin during their COMBINED time in the Senate and Governership.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Frankly, I don’t see much wrong with earmarks, if they better the state, and by extension, the country.
But there’s a major problem with someone who SAYS they’re against earmarks, when their hands are full of them. That would be Palin, by the way.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm