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Friday, October 10, 2008
McCain standing up to his own supporters?
I've always kind of liked McCain... still do, in fact. Perhaps this video justifies those feelings to some extent.
Posted by Terrence Watson on October 10, 2008 | Permalink
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Terrence, don't you get it? This doesn't prove that John McCain is a decent man, it just indicates that he's in the tank for the ay-rab terrists as well.
Posted by: Kalim Kassam | 2008-10-10 10:00:47 PM
Kalim, damn your cynicism :-).
The lefties are being really cynical about it as well (the Secret Service told him to lay off Obama? What??)
Posted by: Terrence Watson | 2008-10-10 10:21:13 PM
Terrence,
In the introduction to Kurt Vonnegut's great novel "Mother Night" he tells us the story of Howard W. Campbell, Jr. Campbell is an American living in Germany before and during WWII. He is recruited to work as a spy for the American government. Later he was recruited to help the Nazis. In both cases he agreed to help not because he passionately believed in the cause, not for money, and not out of fear for his life. For him it is just a another regular job.
Campbell is politically apathetic and figures that his conscience should be clean because he never buys in to the Nazi's ideas and he could not do anything to stop them anyway. But once he ends up in jail in Israel to be tried as a war criminal he reflects on his life and comes to a different conclusion. Vonnegut tells us his new conclusion, the moral of the story, in the book's introduction: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." In the end Campbell is acquited, but decided to commit suicide "for crimes against himself".
I believe that John McCain once was a decent, honourable man. That John McCain ran for President in 2000. In this campaign he has been replaced by a man who believes that negative campaigning is the way things are done and there is nothing he can do to change that, so he just goes along with it. But in the last several days we have seen a distinct rejection of negative campaigning. This showed up clearly in the CNN biorhythm of undecided Ohio voters during the last debate and has also showed up in the polls.
So I would like to believe that McCain's latest turn is because he has decided enough is enough and is letting his better angels take over once again, but, sadly, I think it is more likely that this reversal is just a strategic response to how voters are reacting to the negativity. Like Howard W. Campbell, Jr., I don't think the real McCain is gone forever. But also like Howard W. Campbell, Jr. I think the real McCain will look back on this election when it's over and not be pleased with how he conducted himself. He will realize that we are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. He will also relaize that by pretending to be a dishonourable man, he has become that man. That is truly sad.
Posted by: Fact Check | 2008-10-10 11:01:11 PM
Thanks for the Vonnegut reference, Fact Check. Sounds like a great story, and I agree with the moral completely.
I've been thinking about this video and my post off and on for a while now. The cynical part of me agrees with you: McCain sees his numbers tanking, sees the correlation with his negative campaigning, and attempts a reversal.
It's his body language and facial expression in the video that tells me that explanation is not quite right. But I can't substantiate my feelings anymore than that. I'll try to find a more complete version of the video at some point.
I do think McCain will one day regret the way the campaign has turned out. Part of me thinks there is some tension in McCain's campaign, between him and others, and he's kind of lost control. That doesn't let him off the hook, but it does make me pity him a bit.
A long while back, I was predicting that this would be one of the cleanest campaigns in recent memory. This was based on two things. First, because of my assessment of McCain's character; second, because I thought naively that everyone would be very careful to not say anything that could be interpreted as racist or the like.
It's looking like I was very, very wrong. Damn.
Thanks for your comments, as always.
Posted by: Terrence Watson | 2008-10-10 11:53:27 PM
Terrence,
I do not doubt for a moment that McCain is sincere in the clips when he rejects false and disrespectful comments about Obama. I just think that the decision to let loose was not done because he knows it's the right thing, but because it's a political strategy. Like Howard W. Campbell, Jr. in agreeing to work for the American government, McCain does the right thing ofr the wrong resason. I think he will regret both his going along with the negative stuff in the first place and that changing course was not a principled decision. I pity him a bit as well.
BTW, to change the subject a little, it is interesting that when the woman says Obama is an Arab that McCain responds by listing virtues of Obama's. But that suggests that being Arab is the same as being disreputable. Much as the Obama campaign calling it a 'smear' to suggest that he is a Muslim, the response seems to contain its own accusation that is, at the very least, unfortunate.
Posted by: Fact Check | 2008-10-11 12:11:00 AM
Fact Check,
You have to choose your battles. If you are dealing with someone that is using "Arab" as short hand for "blood thirsty killers of Americans". That's not something you can change their mind on with a statement.
However if you reassure them Obama is a good guy. Even if they continue to believe he is an "Arab". It might one day cross their mind that not all Arabs are blood thirsty killers that want to kill Americans.
Posted by: lqz | 2008-10-11 3:37:00 AM
Terence, Fact Check, et al.:
Reading your comments, I can't help but wonder what point it is that you're trying to make here.
You seem to be holding McCain to some impossible standard of behaviour here. Are you suggesting that he is the only one of the two candidates who is running "negative" ads and questioning his opponent's character? The other side has done more than its fair share of that against both McCain and Palin – and a fair observer would agree they have been a hell of a lot more ruthless about it.
And what exactly is a "negative" ad or campaign, anyway? Is it when you naturally try to counter your opponent's public definition of himself and his record with the facts?
If so, that's not "negative" in any way. Neither is it dishonourable. Pretend all you want to the contrary, but that's just pointing out the truth.
Posted by: clear | 2008-10-11 11:14:41 AM
It seems that two United States Senators are running for the presidency of our country. Being a former marine I think it is impertinent to think that ethnic origin automatically make an individual a terrorist. I had several friends who served with me who were hispanic, caucasion, muslim and many other cultures as marines.
Now since all of a sudden we are in a presidential debate everyone in the country especially US Senators are associated with terrorist.
In my business life I have associated with many people some have even went to jail. I hope I am not a criminal or terrorist now because I am either a democrat or African-American.
Posted by: Lawrence | 2008-10-12 3:12:07 PM
Clear,
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Hope you get this.
No, McCain is not the only one who has run negative ads.
It isn't that McCain has fallen below the (low) standard of behavior we set out for _politicians_. It's that, being the kind of guy he is, I thought he'd set a higher standard for _himself._
Maybe it's unfair to expect him to do that, though. Nevertheless, there is something disappointing about it. McCain was supposed to be a different kind of politician, at least according to his own rhetoric.
Best,
Terrence
Posted by: Terrence Watson | 2008-10-12 4:16:47 PM
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