John McCain's campaign today criticized Martin Luther King's famous 'I Have A Dream' speech, which was delivered exactly 45 years ago, on Aug 28, 1963.
Reached by Pony Express earlier today, McCain responded with a handwritten message on papyrus delivered to this reporter by carrier pigeon, with the title 'Martin Luther King Audacity Watch.'
My friends, I have just learned today that 45 years ago, when I may or may not have been in a POW camp, Martin Luther King delivered a speech questioning the existence of the American Dream. That speech made him into a celebrity.
Not only was this presumptuous speech delivered out-of-doors to an enormous crowd in front of classical columns, the speaker displayed obscene arrogance in reaching for the stars and hopelessly dreaming in the most unrealistic way of a day when racial harmony would reach our shores.
Tomorrow, the whole world will watch as John McCain introduces and appears with his running mate at the Republican ticket in public for the first time. The timing of the announcement is meant to achieve four key goals for the McCain campaign:
Keep Obama/Biden from getting the kajillion point bounce they need for the Democratic National Convention to be considered a success.
Dominate the weekend news cycle.
Generate a little excitement for the moribund Republican Party heading into their dirgefest national convention.
Texas Tom has already brought this to our attention with his diary on the Rec list. But I wanted to add a little extra wonk to our outrage, and hope this gets broader attention.
By now, most of us have seen, read or pored over Joe Biden’s excellent speech lat night. And in hammering home the major differences between McSame and Obama when it comes to major decisions, Biden hit on a theme that could be absolutely devastating to McCain over the next few months.
John McCain was wrong.
The beauty of this is that (1) it is accurate, (2) it puts McCain on the defensive, (3) it is simple to repeat and (4) can be applied equally to domestic and foreign policy matters. There are a number of different frames to use with respect to McCain – and while many are good, they also haven’t stuck. This is partially due to the faux image that McCain has spent years building up virtually unchallenged by the corporate media (thankfully that is starting to change a bit recently). But it is also due to the fact that it isn’t always easy to find something that sticks well.
I've been thinking about George Lakoff's ideas on framing the debate, as presented in "Don't Think of an Elephant" and I think about solar power and wind power more than I think about food.
I just heard that there was a big fight in Minneapolis over drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR. The rank and file and the "machers" of the Republican Party, the people I call "Republicanista," want to drill in ANWR. John McCain, their presumptive standard bearer, wants more offshore drilling. He wants to drill in Alaska, and in California, Florida, New Jersey, and everywhere else. McCain, however, is opposed to drilling in ANWR "at this time." (Be very careful when a politician says "At this time." This phrase, "At this time" when used during a political campaign, means "At this time during a political campaign.")
We are all quite aware of just how amazingly disciplined the Republicans seem to be when it comes to memes and talking points. It's almost as though someone sat them down and explained to them at length why it is so important for them to constantly repeat the same negative characterizations over and over again if they want to successfully 'define' the Democrats as defective and undesirable. It is my sincere hope that we Democrats will be able to do something similar during the next couple of months. I am convinced that we will be able to win a big, BIG victory this November if we can find a way to persuade the vast majority of politically informed Democrats all across the country to repeatedly say the words, "They [the Republicans] are misrepresenting the truth..." as something of a mantra between now and election day.
Tow Brokaw will be moderating one of the presidential debates this Fall. One can expect him, of course, to be tough and non-partisan.
But can he?
If yesterday MSNBC broadcast is any indication of his mind set, the answer is "NO".
In a biazare revelation, Tom Brokaw seems to endorse the notion that McCain should be immune from critisims due to his POW status, while attacking Bill Clinton.
Yesterday, I posed this riddle as a comment, and the response was quite positive. It was suggested that it get greater exposure, and so I am making it a diary. This was going to be a short diary, because there's a simple answer to this riddle. However, I like to put some content in the diary like one is supoosed to do. You will have to go below the fold for the answer while I go off on a tangent.
On Tuesday, Paul Begala posted an article on the Huffing Post (that's what I call it because that's often what I think they must be doing over there), in which he called for the Democrats to go seriously negative on McCain. Now I don't have much of a problem with that, but he said something else that struck me as odd. He claimed that after Hillary suspended her campaign he sent a check to the Obama campaign with the memo "FOR NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING ONLY" on it.
I remember, way back at the end of January, when John Edwards had dropped out, wondering who to support. And I supported Barack Obama. The reasoning was more cynical than I would like, but I do want to win - it was because his relationship with the media was going to be better than anything Hillary could hope for. Not a very bold prediction there, but there you go.
I’ve enjoyed most of the speeches I’ve heard this week at the convention. I feel that our party is united as it was back in 1992. And I’m confident (but not overconfident) that Obama-Biden will win in November
But I’m sick of hearing every speaker praising McCain’s "service" and telling us that he loves his country.
Don’t get me wrong, every POW deserves our sympathy for the pain they’ve endured. McCain included. And I realize that wounds from the Vietnam era are still fresh. But sympathy doesn’t always need to equal praise. McCain wound up a POW because his plane happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and it got shot down. And he wasn’t some poor grunt from a poor Appalachian town or an inner-city ghetto, he was a career military officer who got into Annapolis because he came from a family of admirals.
Most of you are familiar with Godwin's Law, the notion that if you rely on Hitler or Nazi comparisons in a debate, you automatically lose that debate.
The general election has brought us The POW. The POW is used frequently by the McCain camp and Republicans to deflect from valid criticism of John McCain's politics and policies:
When the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, a close Bush ally, publicly questioned McCain’s marital infidelities, the McCain campaign responded by highlighting McCain’s background as a prisoner of war.
When Dems attacked McCain’s healthcare plan in May, McCain responded by noting his background as a prisoner of war.
Asked by a local reporter about the first thing that comes to his mind when he thinks of Pittsburgh, McCain responded by talking about his background as a prisoner of war.
Accused of possibly having heard the questions in advance of Rick Warren’s recent candidate forum, the McCain campaign responded by highlighting McCain’s background as a prisoner of war.
As with Goodwin's Law, the utterance of "POW!" this campaign season is a surefire sign that it's game over for the Republican trying to defend John McCain. After all, if you can't respond with substance, but rather have to resort to raising an issue McCain himself has previously said shouldn't be exploited in a campaign, you're pretty much backed into a corner.
So what should we dub this diversionary tactic? McCain's Law? POW'd? Share your ideas below, and in the meantime, check out this brilliant video:
John McCain seems set to announce his Vice Presidential pick Friday morning. So I've got a couple lists for you: his best options and his worst. Let's hope he chooses from the list of worst picks. Also, why not visit my blog. I vent daily and it's nice when I know someone has heard me. Comments on this post also very welcomed.
John McCain owns more homes than he can remember. John McCain pays at least 3 times as much per year for the salaries of household servants as the average American household earns. And John McCain thinks Americans are too lazy to do strenuous work for $50 an hour.
In April 2006, John McCain taunted workers at an AFL-CIO meeting who were concerned that immigration tends to depress wages in the US. Here's a transcript of his comments from an audio tape of the meeting:
John McCain: "I don't think I need to tell you that there are jobs that Americans will not do. I don't think I have to tell you that there are ... the backbone of our economy...
Audience members: "Pay them the right wages."
John McCain: "You know I've heard that statement before. Now, my friends, I'll offer anybody here fifty dollars an hour if you'll go pick lettuce in Yuma this season and pick for the whole season. So, ok, sign up! Ok, when you sign up, you sign up, and you'll be there for the whole season, the whole season, ok, not just one day. Because you can't do it, my friend."
Two days ago a video became available (h/t to PaulVA).
John McCain, scion of a privileged family, has been surrounded by servants his whole life. That's all John McCain really knows.
We had a great time last week with the Democratic VP Prediction Thread, where the bold and the foolish could go out on limbs all over the country (substantially burdening America's trees) and just... "call it". There weren't any shockers, but good times were had - we laughed, we cried, we called one other stupidheads - we'll tell our grandchildren all about it some day.
So here we are again. McCain will pick his partner in (war) crime today or tomorrow, and make as much noise as possible to distract everyone from the good vibes emanating from Denver this week.
Nationwide there are 2.1 million American Indians of voting age. Native Americans make up only one percent of the total U.S. electorate.
Historically, American Indians have had very low rates of voter registration and turnout. On some American Indian reservations in the western United States as few as 10 percent of all eligible voters are registered.
But in several states the American Indian vote, if mobilized by the Obama campaign, could give a good boost to Obama's efforts to carry the state.
• The biggest target is New Mexico. There are 60,000 registered American Indian voters in the state of New Mexico, making up 9.5 percent of all voters. More than two thirds of those American Indians are registered as Democrats. Only 15 percent are registered Republicans.
Unfortunately for Messrs. Scherer and Carney, the man famous for having the press as his base, no doubt enticed by dry rub and an endless frosty mug of Bud Light wasn't in a talking mood...
