Comments on: John McCain: The dazed and confused candidate for President

By: Edgar Montrose

Edgar Montrose — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:02:11 +0000

It’s worse than that, grumpypilgrim; John McCain and the whole Republican Party seem to look back with great fondness to the Cold War Era.

Given a choice between returning to a terrible time in the past and working toward a better time in the future, why would voters choose the past? The Devil you know vs. the Devil you don’t, I guess.

By: grumpypilgrim

grumpypilgrim — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:25:36 +0000

Something else I’ve noticed about McCain: have you noticed how nearly all of his ads talk about what he has (supposedly) done in the past, while Obama’s ads tend to talk about what he wants to do in the future? I suppose each is trying to play to his own strengths, but I’m really surprised by how backward-looking McCain seems to be. Moreover, the few times he does mention the future, he never mentions any real details, nor does he explain why his past experience has almost no connection to his claimed future goals. He comes across as just some old guy focused on his own past and trying to tell voters what he thinks they want to hear, rather than someone with any real convictions or any real plans to achieve anything in the future. He claims to favor things like energy independence, lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower gas prices, etc., but where does his past work reflect commitment to these goals? It’s just not there.

By: grumpypilgrim

grumpypilgrim — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:42:14 +0000

As projektleiterin suggests, McCain was better up until about 18 months ago. That’s when he threw out his maverick personality and swallowed-whole virtually every major Republican talking point. It’s what he needed to do to win the Republican nomination, but he clearly sold his soul to do it.

By: Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:48:54 +0000

Here’s what I mean by not empathetic. Imagine placing blank sheets of paper in front of McCain and Obama. They don’t get the use of their handlers and consultants. Ask them to describe the concerns of a group of people who are not like them, for instance, middle class Americans, hourly workers, immigrants or truck drivers. Tell them to each describe what concerns, motivates, inspires and aggravates those other types of people. I don’t think that McCain has much of a clue. Maybe he did when he was younger, but he seems to be in a narrowly circumscribed cognitively stale little world that is not reliant on evidence to update it.

I’m not saying that McCain won’t sometimes try to empathize. Rather, I don’t think he retains the cognitive capacity to really get into the heads of people unlike him (the wealthy elite). Based on numerous comments Obama has made, I believe that he is deeply tuned in to the needs and concerns of people from many walks of life.

By: projektleiterin

projektleiterin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:42:32 +0000

I’m not sure if calling McCain unempathetic is fair. He has gone through a lot for his country. Nevertheless, he is too old and he displays a certain insecurity, he is very anxious to be liked. If you believe the stories that must have been different when he was younger.

By: Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Gabe: I think the American way of life is going to change dramatically in the next decade no matter who is elected. One option is that we can continue the current trend toward an invisible privately owned corporately controlled government where the people are increasingly seen as widgets for the wealthy. On the other hand, we can take the Constitution seriously. The first option, which will occur if McCain is elected involves a top-down style of government where the people are kept in the dark and no one looks out for the long-term needs of the country.

In order to plan for the long term needs of real people, a leader must be well-informed and empathetic. Only one of the candidates is well-informed and empathetic. The other candidate, McCain, has already shown himself to be a live-for-the-day pawn of the oil industry (and many other industries).

In short, I agree with what you’ve written and I feel your fear.

By: Gabe Smith

Gabe Smith — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:06:08 +0000

Erich, based on what I have seen for myself on television and the posts that you and others have written about the two candidates, I think this should be one of the most lop-sided elections in U.S. History. Based on what we know now, Obama is one of the best candidates for President that we have ever had. Everything he says seems well thought-out, he is highly intelligent, and he has excellent plans for our country. McCain, on the other hand, is a confused old man, who, if elected, will merely be a defective puppet for those same people who are currently ruining our country. Although I think this election should be lop-sided, I do not think it will end up that way. If McCain is elected, it will show just how crooked the American political system is, and will also show that race relations have not progressed as far as most of us thought. I will seriously consider moving to Canada if McCain is elected.

By: Dan Klarmann

Dan Klarmann — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:29:12 +0000

We cannot afford to elect as President a man who so rarely sounds informed or coherent. What kind of leader he would make?

Can you say, “Four More Years”?

By: projektleiterin

projektleiterin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:54:43 +0000

Oh. My. God… This is scary. I’ve never seen him talk before and this is shocking. He is senile and this is not meant as an insult. I wonder who his advisers are, he must be very deluded. Running for president is a very very bad idea.

“I will veto any beer, uh, bill”
“very cool inhumane organisation”