By Hanlon, on September 14th, 2008 at 09:12 PM
 Sometimes we bandy about phrases like “contempt for our democracy” when we take umbrage with something the other guy’s doing politically, but every once in a while it’s an accurate and downright unavoidable phrase.
The HuffPo has an analysis of McCain’s recent stretch of dishonest ads, pointing out that even the generally lockstop media outlets are calling him out on it. But here’s where the most is exposed:
So far, based on polling over the past two weeks, McCain’s roll of the dice has paid off. Not only has McCain made substantial gains, pulling modestly ahead in most national polls, but his assaults on Obama appear to have damaged the Democratic Party as well, raising Republican hopes of minimizing House and Senate losses.
Keep in mind that the phrase “paid off” is being used in reference to “lying”. As a matter of fact, Edsall uses the phrase twice, later saying “Preliminary evidence suggests the McCain wager to abandon restraint is paying off.” Unfortunately, that’s how this is all getting spun, and the numbers at 538 certainly support Edsall’s statement; McCain’s polling better than ever. The line is that McCain’s “gamble” is yielding results, and thus we see how side A sees elections versus side B.
We know from McCain’s campaign, their own words mind, that they’re in to win it and will say anything to get there, and they don’t think the election is about issues. We’ve hit a point where it’s a “by any means necessary” campaign, with one side fighting dirty and the other side trying to pull everything back into the realm of the “ethical”.
Read More ->
Sometimes we bandy about phrases like “contempt for our democracy” when we take umbrage with something the other guy’s doing politically, but every once in a while it’s an accurate and downright unavoidable phrase.
The HuffPo has an analysis of McCain’s recent stretch of dishonest ads, pointing out that even the generally lockstop media outlets are calling him out on it. But here’s where the most is exposed:
So far, based on polling over the past two weeks, McCain’s roll of the dice has paid off. Not only has McCain made substantial gains, pulling modestly ahead in most national polls, but his assaults on Obama appear to have damaged the Democratic Party as well, raising Republican hopes of minimizing House and Senate losses.
Keep in mind that the phrase “paid off” is being used in reference to “lying”. As a matter of fact, Edsall uses the phrase twice, later saying “Preliminary evidence suggests the McCain wager to abandon restraint is paying off.” Unfortunately, that’s how this is all getting spun, and the numbers at 538 certainly support Edsall’s statement; McCain’s polling better than ever. The line is that McCain’s “gamble” is yielding results, and thus we see how side A sees elections versus side B.
We know from McCain’s campaign, their own words mind, that they’re in to win it and will say anything to get there, and they don’t think the election is about issues. We’ve hit a point where it’s a “by any means necessary” campaign, with one side fighting dirty and the other side trying to pull everything back into the realm of the “ethical”.
Read More ->
By Hanlon, on September 14th, 2008 at 04:45 PM
I’m adding this to the list, I just had to put it on the front page.
So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, [Governor Sarah Palin] appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency.
By Hanlon, on September 14th, 2008 at 04:26 PM
 This is the kind of thing I wouldn’t believe if I didn’t see it in print at Politico.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Rove said McCain had “gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100 percent truth test.”
McCain has come in for scathing criticism from many in the media and independent fact-check organizations for his recent hard-edged campaign tactics. But few Republicans, and none as prominent as Rove, have criticized McCain.
Keep in mind this is a guy who had a whisper campaign started that accused McCain of having an illegitimate black child. Also he was working the controls when the Swifties started talking out of their asses about Kerry’s war record. This is a dude who has a record of launching terrifyingly false attacks on Vietnam veterans, and he’s saying McCain’s gone too far. That’s basically like Joseph Goebbel’s reviewing a video and saying “that’s too propagandizing, there.”
Note: not calling Rove a Nazi or connecting him to the Third Reich in any way. So calm down.
Read More ->
This is the kind of thing I wouldn’t believe if I didn’t see it in print at Politico.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Rove said McCain had “gone one step too far, and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100 percent truth test.”
McCain has come in for scathing criticism from many in the media and independent fact-check organizations for his recent hard-edged campaign tactics. But few Republicans, and none as prominent as Rove, have criticized McCain.
Keep in mind this is a guy who had a whisper campaign started that accused McCain of having an illegitimate black child. Also he was working the controls when the Swifties started talking out of their asses about Kerry’s war record. This is a dude who has a record of launching terrifyingly false attacks on Vietnam veterans, and he’s saying McCain’s gone too far. That’s basically like Joseph Goebbel’s reviewing a video and saying “that’s too propagandizing, there.”
Note: not calling Rove a Nazi or connecting him to the Third Reich in any way. So calm down.
Read More ->
By Hanlon, on September 14th, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Bazang.
McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said this to the Politico about the increased media scrutiny of the campaign’s factual claims: “We’re running a campaign to win. And we’re not too concerned about what the media filter tries to say about it.”
By Hanlon, on September 14th, 2008 at 11:15 AM
 There seems to be a change in the wind with our news media. For the first time that I’m aware, a major media outlet is using the word “lies” attached to John McCain. Sure, it’s “Obama Camp Suggests Lies”, but even that’s a step forward. Normally we’d get a headline like “Obama camp raises questions” or “Disagreements mount over.”
I know I’m not the first to mention this, but the parallel (maybe perpendicular) to the media treatment of Al Gore is absolutely glaring and damn near impossible to ignore. The 2000 campaign centered itself around Al Gore the liar and exaggerator, and his famous “lies” are ubiquitous enough now that even people who don’t follow politics in the slightest are aware of at least one: “Al Gore Invented the Internet”.
In marked contrast to the current situation, Gore’s lies were barely lies and were generally either an overstatement or he just misworded something. In the case of his famed internet quote, the actual wording was “I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” Well, in the Senate, he championed the cause, pumped funding toward it, got it made into the phenomenon we know today. Did anyone actually think he sat up late at night, bothering college roomie Tommy Lee Jones with the light and sound while he wrote the code? No, he worded something funny and it was a “lie”.
Read More ->
There seems to be a change in the wind with our news media. For the first time that I’m aware, a major media outlet is using the word “lies” attached to John McCain. Sure, it’s “Obama Camp Suggests Lies”, but even that’s a step forward. Normally we’d get a headline like “Obama camp raises questions” or “Disagreements mount over.”
I know I’m not the first to mention this, but the parallel (maybe perpendicular) to the media treatment of Al Gore is absolutely glaring and damn near impossible to ignore. The 2000 campaign centered itself around Al Gore the liar and exaggerator, and his famous “lies” are ubiquitous enough now that even people who don’t follow politics in the slightest are aware of at least one: “Al Gore Invented the Internet”.
In marked contrast to the current situation, Gore’s lies were barely lies and were generally either an overstatement or he just misworded something. In the case of his famed internet quote, the actual wording was “I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” Well, in the Senate, he championed the cause, pumped funding toward it, got it made into the phenomenon we know today. Did anyone actually think he sat up late at night, bothering college roomie Tommy Lee Jones with the light and sound while he wrote the code? No, he worded something funny and it was a “lie”.
Read More ->
By Will, on September 14th, 2008 at 02:13 AM
 A lot of liberals, myself included, have been pretty darn nervous about the Obama campaign these last two weeks. McCain’s gone on the offensive, and Obama’s been taking the licks with little more than a web ad and a memo. Obama’s run a great campaign so far, but considering how often the Democratic party has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, it’s easy for us liberals to become immediately and severely fatalistic.
However, it looks like the kid gloves are coming off, and in hindsight it looks like the perfect time to do so.
It’s the old rope-a-dope. Fall back on the ropes and take some hits until it’s finally the right time to come out swinging, when your enemy gets tired and sloppy and lets his guard down. Absorb the blows on your terms andd then introduce the other guy to your fists when he’s in no shape to take them.
Read More ->
A lot of liberals, myself included, have been pretty darn nervous about the Obama campaign these last two weeks. McCain’s gone on the offensive, and Obama’s been taking the licks with little more than a web ad and a memo. Obama’s run a great campaign so far, but considering how often the Democratic party has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, it’s easy for us liberals to become immediately and severely fatalistic.
However, it looks like the kid gloves are coming off, and in hindsight it looks like the perfect time to do so.
It’s the old rope-a-dope. Fall back on the ropes and take some hits until it’s finally the right time to come out swinging, when your enemy gets tired and sloppy and lets his guard down. Absorb the blows on your terms andd then introduce the other guy to your fists when he’s in no shape to take them.
Read More ->
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