Republican presidential candidate John McCain held a town hall meeting in New York City that was carried live on Fox News tonight that was billed as town hall with Democrats and Independents. The problem is that this wasn?t really true. The McCain campaign pre-screened the audience, and invited only supporters to attend. DNC Chairman Howard Dean said, “Once again John McCain’s campaign is trying to mislead the American people. Senator McCain should understand that after seven years of a President who has divided Americans and pursued a scorched earth policy full of misleading propaganda campaigns, we need a leader who understands he is the President for all Americans not just his supporters. Copying the Bush campaign model of stacking events with his prescreened supporters is not the transparency Americans are looking for. If that is Senator McCain’s idea of straight talk, the American people are in for a long and disappointing campaign season.”The world found out about the McCain campaign?s deception from Fox News anchor Sheppard Smith who said, ?I reported at the top of this hour that the campaign had told us at Fox News that the audience would be made up of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. We have now received a clarification from the campaign and I feel I should pass it along to you. The McCain campaign distributed tickets to supporters, Mayor Bloomberg, who of course is a registered Republican, and other independent groups.”You know, I could have sworn that I heard the McCain campaign touting this town hall meeting as featuring Democrats and Independents. I know that they are desperate to cast John McCain as a maverick with across the board appeal, but lying about the composition of his audience for town hall meetings is not the way to do it.
This reminds me of that time a year or so ago when Bush answered questions from our “troops”. These troops had pre-scripted questions provided by BushCo and they each had orders to grab the mike from anyone who went off-script. They weren’t allowed to ask about the lack of body-armor, instead they asked why so much of the country was so unpatriotic as to question the war.Now, McBush is stacking his own deck in the same “protect me from real questions” vein. Billed as a wide audience,attendes are actually supporters only. Perhaps McBush can’t stand questions about real issues like the Separation of Church and State or the make-up of the Supreme Court.
McCain’s voting record is what it is, and so is Obama’s:
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/is_it_true_john_mccain_voted_with.html
McCain is pulling a fast one by making himself seem more republican than he really is, and has been gradually doing so for about the last 8 years. I’ll bet he changes back to his old superstitious coin-flipping self when he wins though.
Senator McBush may have an IQ that is higher than Our Glorious Christian Leader, just as most Americans do, but he may be misoverestimating the dumbassity of the voters.
There are real issues to be addressed when people worry if they can afford to buy enough gasoline to get to work, where they might be laid off.
I don’t think the same old tricks are going to work for the Rethuglicans this time. That’s why I made my newest website
http://considerobama.com/
I’m reading the Audacity of Hope on my Kindle, this man is a real treat.
My view is that the choice this election is between the Democrat (McCain) and the Social-ist (Obama). (Won’t let me post that word…)
There is no traditional Republican candidate.
I’m sorry, but I categorize Obama supporters as follows:
A) True Believers – to these folks, it’s totally about the person. They could care less what he really stands for or what he may actually do as President. When interviewed, these folks can even be shown that their idol doesn’t share any of their core beliefs, but it doesn’t matter to them! When asked why they are such ardent supporters all they can ever state is that they want “change” and they think Obama can bring it about. They have no idea what kind of change, or what is so wrong today that needs fundamental change, but they want change anyway! They also have no idea what qualifies Obama to be the change agent they so desperately feel is needed.
B) The “White Guilt” Self-Loathers – These liberals of the Caucasian persuasion are full of guilt over their own ethnicity. They have an intense need to assuage the guilt which has been inculcated in them by their parents, the media, and the PC crowd. They feel an intense sense of relief now that they can vote for a Black person for President.
C) Black Power Advocates – These folks are voting for Obama for one reason.
D) Hardcore Social-ists – This is the scariest subgroup of them all. These people know and understand Obama because he is one of them! These miscreants hate America and all she stands for and will do everything in their power to destroy American society as we know it today. They are megalomaniacs who will not rest until they have control over every aspect of our daily lives. They are little Hitlers that in many cases should be behind bars. One case in particular is Obama’s associate, William Ayers.
Traditional republican? You mean like Nixon?
What policies does Mccain stand for, other than making our near-cancerous military expenditures larger and staying in Iraq until victory? Also, how does he define victory? Does he want democracy, a military ally, a trading partner, a stable government, a puppet government controlled by the U.S., a place to attack Iran, or does he not even know?
McCrazy’s supporters I classify as follows:
1. Those who refuse to realize that our mission in Iraq was a failure, and that we don’t fix something wrong by fucking it up even more.
2. Those who want our troops dead. I mean, WHO cares if they stay in baghdad longer?
3. Big oil. Those poor oil executives, always being persecuted by those mean demon-crates who think that maybe sending so much money to the crazy Saudis is a mistake.
4. Those who can’t hold their breath any longer for the apocaylpse. Bring on the whore of babylon.
Tim, do you seriously think that I’m voting for Obama because he is black and I’m riddled with guilt from the 1860’s? He has so much youth support because he is the first canidate to actually act like those who aren’t baby-boomers still matter. Also, his first change has been to show tremendious patience and not engage in political mudslinging (despite clinton’s attacks). Seems a good start to me.
I will not vote for a man who “stumps” in church. If he had any respect for the separation of church and state, he would not be doing that.
Nader seems like a better choice to me.
Augustine,
O.K., I’ll bite (at least on few…)
“1. Those who refuse to realize that our mission in Iraq was a failure, and that we don’t fix something wrong by fucking it up even more.”
Oh, you mean the war that we are winning so convincingly that even the New York Times admits it? You mean the war that liberated hundreds of thousands of people from tyranny? Are you referring to the war which has decimated Al Qaida by their own admission?
“2. Those who want our troops dead. I mean, WHO cares if they stay in baghdad longer?”
No one wants men and women of the United States armed forces to die. Even supporters of Barack Obama must realize he will not be pulling the troops out either! He’s already admitted this.
“3. Big oil. Those poor oil executives, always being persecuted by those mean demon-crates who think that maybe sending so much money to the crazy Saudis is a mistake.”
Well, that’s not why the oil companies are being persecuted (and they most certainly are being unfairly treated.) Oil company profit margins are among the LOWEST of any industry. The oil companies should be getting praise, not condemnation as they are providing a vital product to our nation’s economy despite all the obstacles!
Wow Dave…are you ever naive…
Do you really think those fainting at the Obama rallies were real?
Do you honestly believe Clinton’s appearance on Letterman was spontaneous…?
They all do it…
Sep of Church and State you say? (The “myth”)…Why doesn’t it bother you that Obama is the ONLY candidate that referred to the “myth” as a lie…?
Which is more important to you…
Your hatred towards the republicans? Or your standards and moral conviction to defend your beliefs?
…and my conscience won’t allow me to vote for a man who doesnt support gay marriage.
Ron Paul 2008!
UnGodly,
I too am reading The Audacity of Hope. I was hooked during the introduction. If this guy is anything like the person in the book, there might be hope for the US.
Incidentally, I also read McCain’s book a while ago, and was reasonably impressed with him. However it doesn’t compare well to Audacity.
McCain doesnt have a chance in Nov….even Rupert Murdock said it about 2 weeks ago….
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/20951/Barack-Obama%E2%80%99s-Unlikely-Supporter-Rupert-‘Fox-News’-Murdoch?tickers=nws,msft,yhoo,nyt
I believe the economy will be worse than what it is today….higher inflation and higher unemployment will not be good for McCain….
So far as the original topic is concerned:
If McCain’s message is that he’s a “maveric” who get support independents and democrats as well as republicans, then the fact that the people in the audience were all supporters (by itself) means nothing.
Did Shepard Smith also inform us that those in the audience were all registered republicans? No? Was it billed as being “open to anyone”, or was this a McCain rally?
This sort of complaint can only be seen in one of two ways. Either the observer doesn’t possess enough logical skills to see the problem with their argument, or they do, and aren’t honest enough to pass up the chance to rev up his audience. Dean seems to be treading a pretty thin line of hypocracy here, trumping this up as a deception when his argument itself can be seen as one.
Top 10 reasons to blame Democrats for soaring gasoline prices
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/top_10_reasons_to_blame_democr_1.html
i fear for the country because we have so many lunatics who might do something rash.we need to remind folks if wrong candidate is elected in four yrs you get a chance to undo the mistake.
There is no traditional Republican candidate.
I would disagree with this statement completely.
There is a flip-flopping, lying scumbag who will say anything at all out of either side of his mouth in order to get electorated. Who also happens to be a rich son of the privileged elite who won’t allow anyone who doesn’t think he walks on water within a country mile of him when the cameras are rolling. Johnathon Sidney McCain the Third, Esq.
All the weasel words coming out of all the Republican’t fluffers in the multiverse won’t be able to change that.
Comment from: phreedm
Wow Dave…are you ever naive…
Do you really think those fainting at the Obama rallies were real?
Do you honestly believe Clinton’s appearance on Letterman was spontaneous…?
They all do it…
Sep of Church and State you say? (The “myth”)…Why doesn’t it bother you that Obama is the ONLY candidate that referred to the “myth” as a lie…?
Which is more important to you…
Your hatred towards the republicans? Or your standards and moral conviction to defend your beliefs?
Isn’t it funny how morally deficient lying scumbags like this seem to question everyone else’s moral convictions, while exhibiting morally deficient behavior themselves?
Phreedm
Are you sure that soaring gas prices are a bad thing? Clue: Think medium to long term.
The market is talking – are you listening?
Every time my republican friends try to make me feel stupid for backing a party uninterested in causing long-term harm to gain short-term benefit, I can’t help but wonder if they understand their own argument.