Who is the real McCain?

[___]

This is going to be hard to do since he's a current presidential candidate, but I had an interesting reminder of McCain's character today in light of some of the recent news.

In case you missed it, in a town hall meeting today (Friday 10/10) McCain was forced to contradict some of the members of his audience regarding some of Obama's supposed terrorist associations. One member of the audience made a comment to the effect that he feared an Obama presidency, to which McCain replied that Obama is a good, upstanding 'family-man' and citizen, and his disagreement with Obama lies over policy, not whether or not he's a terrorist. Another woman said she didn't trust Obama, and that Obama was 'an arab' to which McCain replied again with a similar stament, after interrupting her and (gracefully) taking away her microphone. Later on he made another short comment about how his opponent was to be treated with respect and dignity, and during each of these three statements the crowd responded with boos and jeers.

From my point of view, McCain was being very genuine and serious when he made those statements. The pundits mostly went on about how his crowds are becoming violent, or how his campaign is 'hate-mongering' but that's not really what I want to focus on: I'm interested in thinking about who McCain really is, and sort of where he ends and his campaign begins. Personally, I think McCain has a strong personal sense of honor, and I think he was serious when he said earlier this year that he wanted to run a positive, respectful campaign. I think he maintains that personal sense of honor today, and he was forced to make a character decision today in that town hall meeting, to stand up for what he personally believes in and contradict some of the seeds his campaign and his running mate have been planting that have led to these kinds of sentiments becoming popular amongst his supporter. I think his campaign has spiraled out of his control, and that he sold himself to forces too powerful for him in his ambitions for presidency, and now he's coming to regret handing over the reigns.

What do you think: is he masterminding the attempts his campaign has been making at associating Obama with terrorists, Islam, etc, and thus what he did today a political move in response to the failure of those allegations to buy him points in the polls? Or is his campaign, and Palin, slinging all this mud and making these accusations in spite of McCain, sort of doing it for him because he's too stubborn to do it himself, or whatever?

Try to keep discussion of the validity of the accusations, or other peripheral concerns, out of the conversation if you could and just focus on McCain the person

 

[FlippyD]

I think he's earnest, and he certainly has been trying to run a clean campaign recently, however his smear attack ads are outrageous and ignorant, and all backed by McCain ("I'm John McCain and I approve this message.")

But now I'm afraid that no matter what side wins people are going to be ten times more retarded.

 

[Cruelty]

there's no way mccain actually believes obama is some kind of terrorist, or whatever b/s his campaign has been saying. the guys behind the scenes just want him to win at any cost, and palin is just doing/saying what they're telling her to do/say. i think mccain truly wanted to run a clean campaign (like he said), but it just didn't turn out that way as he began to fall behind in the polls. i wont claim to know everything about the man, but it just don't seem like him to be pulling the crap that has been going on in the past week or so.

i dont believe he wants to have a sleazy smear campaign, nor do i believe he even wanted palin on his ticket, which was an obvious political stunt. it just seemed like his camp went from respectable, to a full-blown circus in less than a month. when he debunked the ignorance that palin incited, even in the face of getting boo'ed by his own audience, i found it really respectable. it helped show that he really is a decent guy underneath all the crazy presidential politics hoo-ha.

 

[Neverplayd]

Maybe a little bit of both. Well, most of the time, the campaign bashes their opponent for them. For example, McCain decided to pull out of Michigan, however on a few occasions you will still see an Obama bashing ad done by an organization seperate from the McCain administration. That is pretty much what supporters do. They support their candidate at all costs. This would leave McCain prone to agree if his administration televised/publicised the ads, so he would not seem too wayward or flip-floppy. Of course McCain could actually condemn the ads before they were televised or publicised, but as a candidate who went through all the procedures to get where he is now in the political race, he probably cares a little more for the getting the presidency than running a clean campaign.

Edit: Ok, I just watched what you were talking about and I believe that it is actually genuine. He might just be breaking out of the systematic routine of bashing Obama due to it wearing him down, where on opposition, Palin is still new, so she'll have no problem using quick tricks like that to win. It seems to me McCain would rather have a clean race than an easy race.

 

[Despain]

Wait, nobody on the actual campaign has compared Obama to a terrorist right? All that crap comes from the conservative rednecks, but not the actual campaign itself. Unless I've missed something (I don't watch TV or anything so I don't see campaign ads, just follow the debates and news and stuff on the issues).

Ultimately I don't think that McCain is a bad guy. I never thought that Bush was a bad guy either. When it comes down to it, the job of American President is a JOB, but behind that job these are regular people. they have families, they watch televsion, they probably play videogames, they certainly MASTRUBATE. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if McCain or Obama trolls forums just to unload some stress.

 

[FlippyD]

The campaign doesn't say it outright, but I do believe they joke about it, or skate along saying it outright. There was a web ad by McCain's campaign some time ago that supposedly linked Obama with the president of Iran.

 

[JD_Slasha]

While I clearly don't agree with a lot of what the McCain/Palin campaign's spewing out in their ads and attacks on Obama, I have to admit that I was pretty much impressed with his defending against the accusations that Barack Obama was a terrorist and that he was of arab descent, etc. While I do believe that there is more to meet the eye than what we're seeing from both candidates, as I agree that there's a higher order of "givernment" pulling the strings, I did appreciate some of McCain's sincerity in his defense of Barack Obama.

 

[___]

Wait, nobody on the actual campaign has compared Obama to a terrorist right? All that crap comes from the conservative rednecks, but not the actual campaign itself. Unless I've missed something (I don't watch TV or anything so I don't see campaign ads, just follow the debates and news and stuff on the issues).

I think the issue is that they've been planting the seeds and letting people connect the dots, which is what you do when you want to make an implication without being accountable for it. If I said "Despain hangs out with Robert Chester the famous molester" then two days later I said, "Despain LESTER Williams is a bad guy" and then three days after that I said, "I saw Despain with six little boys on his lap" the implication would be clear, even though I never came right out and said it. It would also be pretty clear what I intended you to get out of that. That's the argument for responsibility on the McCain campaign's part with the rising tide of really hateful and violent speech that's been heard shouted during his rallies and said on camera outside them by supporters.

 

[Neverplayd]

To add some fuel to the opposition, it would be a pretty clever trick. He could have only said that to drive those independent voters who didn't like him calling Obama inexperienced during the debate. It would make people see him as more of a humane guy, which if it was a trick worked, and honestly can't hurt him much. It would piss off the heavy conservatives, but where are they gonna go? No matter how "soft" McCain gets, they really have no other choice except not to vote. And if they do that, they'd probably be afraid that Obama'll win the race.

 

[___]

"Heavy conservatives" should be voting libertarian according to what they claim to believe in. Unfortunately they really only want freedom of religion when it comes to their religion, free market when it benefits their business, freedom of speech when its speech they approve of, and separation of church and state when it comes to other people's churches :P

The brand of 'conservatism' the republican party is offering under its current leadership is only conservative in the sense that it's not liberal in the same way democrats are.

 

[Diaforetikos]

Personally, I could care less about the whole presidency crap, but to stay on topic, I'll open my mouth. Republics are stereotyped all the time. I guess I would consider myself republican, but I don't claim to think like them. Anyways, republicans shouldn't be associated with any form of religion. They are the religious people who talk to much shit and can't back it up. Only relaying on what they think is right instead of doing what is supposed to be right. Thats why I don't like voting.

"Heavy conservatives" should be voting libertarian according to what they claim to believe in. Unfortunately they really only want freedom of religion when it comes to their religion, free market when it benefits their business, freedom of speech when its speech they approve of, and separation of church and state when it comes to other people's churches :P

The brand of 'conservatism' the republican party is offering under its current leadership is only conservative in the sense that it's not liberal in the same way democrats are.

All I can say is that I agree.

I would only vote for McCain based on two things, his views on guns and abortions. Hate me or whatever. His so called liberal views always change as with any other candidate running for president. Lies and bullshit.

 

[skirtboy]

Actually, the "Obama is a terrorist" accusation was made, rather bluntly, in an official campaign ad, that I'm watching as I type this. Basically, it says (with the doublespeak removed)

Eyers was a terrorist in the sixties.
Obama is a close friend to Eyres, and says he his a "good guy"
What does that say about Obama?
I'm john mccain...

 

[So fist]

Actually, the "Obama is a terrorist" accusation was made, rather bluntly, in an official campaign ad, that I'm watching as I type this. Basically, it says (with the doublespeak removed)

Eyers was a terrorist in the sixties.
Obama is a close friend to Eyres, and says he his a "good guy"
What does that say about Obama?
I'm john mccain...

Yes and Obama has a guilt by association ad concerning the Keating five out at the same time.  Really to me this is a non issue in general.  Most people not voting Obama or McCain for such reasons wasn't going to before the ads aired, anyway. 

 

[___]

Actually, the "Obama is a terrorist" accusation was made, rather bluntly, in an official campaign ad, that I'm watching as I type this. Basically, it says (with the doublespeak removed)

Eyers was a terrorist in the sixties.
Obama is a close friend to Eyres, and says he his a "good guy"
What does that say about Obama?
I'm john mccain...

Yes and Obama has a guilt by association ad concerning the Keating five out at the same time.  Really to me this is a non issue in general.  Most people not voting Obama or McCain for such reasons wasn't going to before the ads aired, anyway. 

McCain wasn't associated with the Keating 5, he was one of the Keating 5. Ultimately he was given a slap on the wrist and cleared of criminal charges, and says to this day he regrets his involvement, but it's a bit different circumstance from Obama, who shared a spot on a charity board with a rehabilitated 60s radical, who served his time and has since gone on to do a lot of good things for his community. It's not like Obama was put under investigation for possible terrorist links, which is the equivalent of what happened to McCain.