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Topic: A "maverick" who fails to lead (Read 624 times) |
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MoEnzyme
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A "maverick" who fails to lead
« on: 2008-09-29 17:36:15 » |
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Trying bluff his way to economic competance, McCain made a big show of ass about how he "suspended" his campaign -- actually in terms of continuing to run attack ads on TV, there was no pause from the McCain campaign . . . whatever. He claimed that he was the one who "brought everyone to the table" . . . double whatever. Thinking he had the Republican house votes in the bag, today just hours before the defeat of the bailout, he crowed yet again about how he was the hands on leader during the crisis while Obama just "watched from the sidelines" even though they both showed up oval office . . . whatever squared. So assuming his rhetoric and dramatizing had anything to do with reality, that he was actually the big economic mover, shaker, and redeemer (just a week or so after he claimed "the fundamentals of the economy are strong") he proved himself a disasterous leader.
excerpt:
Quote:Speaking at a rally in Columbus, Ohio this afternoon, Republican presidential nominee John McCain defended his controversial decision to "suspend" his campaign as an example of his action-packed leadership style. “Inaction was not an option,” McCain said. “I put my campaign on hold for a couple of days last week to fight for a rescue plan that puts you and your economic security and working families first. I fought for a plan that protected taxpayers. I went to Washington last week to make sure the taxpayers of Ohio and across this great country were not left footing the bill."
"I’ll never be a president who sits on the sidelines when this country faces a crisis,” McCain added. “ I’ll never do it. I know many of you have noticed it’s not my style to simply phone it in."
Apparently no one told him what was happening in Washington as he spoke. At 1:46 p.m. this afternoon--after a weekend of marathon negotiations and a four-hour floor debate--the House of Representatives voted to reject a$700 billion bipartisan compromise package meant to rescue the financial industry. The measure needed 238 votes. It came up 13 votes short--228 to 205. The problem? A handful of the seventy-five House Republicans who had agreed to support the bill backed out at the last minute. On Wall Street, where traders were watching C-SPAN, the Dow Jones instantly fell more than 600 points.
McCain says his "suspension" was meant to help the country. Critics say it was meant to help his campaign. It now seems that he's failed by either standard. |
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/29/the-bailout-bill-fails-should-we-blame-mccain.aspx
Mo: Actually the dow finally ended 777.68 points down, the largest single day point drop in its history. Personally I think its a good thing that this particular bailout plan failed. Walter and I talked about it over the phone this weekend, and I acknowledge that some sort of government rescue will be necessary. I think a bit of wait and see, especially in light of upcoming elections, is in order. I also think handling this in smaller bites is wiser, instead of authorizing $700 billion up front (that's almost a trillion) which was both politically unwise as well as practically unnecessary. I understand that the first phase in bailout plan was $250 to $350 billion which is not almost a trillion and would have made a more reasonable bill by itself. If more becomes necessary it could be dealt with then, and by then better regulation would be more obviously necessary.
As for McCain he's further proven himself out of touch and erratic, first by not recognizing the problem, then by over-reacting, and finally by failing to realize that he hadn't won over his supposed political allies before taking credit for their still uncast votes. If John McCain is really a "maverick" its only because he doesn't have the sense or political intelligence to play any other role. While he has some good heroic stories to tell about himself, he fundamentally lacks leadership skills and qualities to progress beyond senatorial status in a democracy. If there is anyone less competant to be president than GWB, it just might be John McCain.
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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MoEnzyme
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Re:A "maverick" who fails to lead
« Reply #1 on: 2008-09-29 20:35:54 » |
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I was just watching Keith Olberman's show on MSNBC and one of the commentators said it much better than me.
Keith asked Richard Wolf if McCain had bet his economic credibility and lost, and he replied, "let me count the ways he lost", and proceeded that McCain had failed in four different ways, by his own stated standards:
1. He said would suspend his campaign and get a deal, and did neither;
2. said he wouldn't debate until he had a deal, there was no deal and he debated anyway;
3. said he wouldn't "phone it in", but over the weekend that's all he did.
4. his surrogates pre-maturely claimed credit for the bill, scarcely more than an hour before it failed.
Nicely put, and unquestionably from the "straight-talk express", himself.
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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Mermaid
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Bite me!
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Re:A "maverick" who fails to lead
« Reply #2 on: 2008-09-30 19:25:26 » |
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smirking chimp on his sidebitch
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/17504
The scariest thing about Sarah Palin isn't how unqualified she is - it's what her candidacy says about America
by Matt Taibbi | September 27, 2008 - 1:57pm
[..]
The truly disgusting thing about Sarah Palin isn't that she's totally unqualified, or a religious zealot, or married to a secessionist, or unable to educate her own daughter about sex, or a fake conservative who raised taxes and horked up earmark millions every chance she got. No, the most disgusting thing about her is what she says about us: that you can ram us in the ass for eight solid years, and we'll not only thank you for your trouble, we'll sign you up for eight more years, if only you promise to stroke us in the right spot for a few hours around election time.
[..]
worth a read.
as is this clip of mccain whining about 'gotcha' journalism to katie couric.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/29/eveningnews/main4487826.shtml
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Blunderov
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"We think in generalities, we live in details"
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Re:A "maverick" who fails to lead
« Reply #3 on: 2008-10-01 01:17:47 » |
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Quote from: Mermaid on 2008-09-30 19:25:26
[Blunderov] Very much so. A splendid and entirely justified vituperation reminiscent, at times, of HST.
"Only 21st-century Americans can pass through a metal detector six times in an hour and still think they're at a party."
"Not because it makes sense, or because it has a chance of improving his life or anyone else's, but simply because it appeals to the low-humming narcissism that substitutes for his personality, because the image on TV reminds him of the mean, brainless slob he sees in the mirror every morning."
"The great insight of the Palin VP choice is that huge chunks of American voters no longer even demand that their candidates actually have policy positions; they simply consume them as media entertainment, rooting for or against them according to the reflexive prejudices of their demographic, as they would for reality-show contestants or sitcom characters."
"She's a puffed-up dimwit with primitive religious beliefs who had to be educated as to the fact that the Constitution did not exactly envision government executives firing librarians. Judging from the importance progressive critics seem to attach to these revelations, you'd think that these were actually negatives in modern American politics. But Americans like politicians who hate books and see the face of Jesus in every tree stump."
[Bl.] What fun! Thanks.
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