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Yes, that is an actual CNN headline.
I have to say, I really wanted it to be over last night. Not that Hillary Clinton has any obligation to give up, but because people are so emotionally wound up in the My Candidate Is Awesome/Your Candidate Sucks mode that John McCain is getting a free pass. People are so busy hurling pies at each other, being obdurate and intolerant and irrational that it makes McCain looks statesmanlike and above it all in comparison.
And that is a big problem. Devilstower has a fine post on Kos about how much the media are looking forward to the return of John McCain:
The press is only human. When you stick them on a bus for weeks (or a bathroom for five hours) they're bound to develop attachments and dislikes. They create story lines for the candidates; form their own little narratives full of good guys and bad guys. Once they've decided which candidate is their champion, it's hard to get them to change.
So good luck getting them to seriously go after John McCain.
BarbinMD has already covered McCain's shindig for his press buddies, but a quick survey of how the event was treated is enlightening. First up, here's Jeff Mason at Rueters.
the Arizona senator took some time off from the campaign trail over the weekend to relax at his "cabin" in the northern part of the state, and he invited the traveling press corps over for a couple hours to evaluate his cooking skills. ...
So how did they taste?
Objectivity prohibits a good reporter from passing judgement, but let’s put it this way: everyone wants to come back.
That's actually kind of... precious. He's got objectivity in how much he loves John McCain's cooking. The same kind of objectivity that a politician who vacations with lobbyists displays when their pet issue comes up for a vote.
One of the most frightening things to me during this campaign is how effortlessly the liberal blogs have picked up the meta narratives of the mainstream media and unconsciously adopted them. Repackaged slightly for progressive consumption, but rather slavishly assumed nonetheless. Digby wrote about this much better than me, but the indifference that people show to McCain stands in sharp contrast to the hatred they feel for the Democratic candidate that ISN'T theirs. And I cannot rationally understand that.
The guy gave the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval to torture. He wants war for a hundred years. He'll put endless Alitos on the Supreme Court. But you know, folks would like to have a beer with him, and he's better than [FILL IN THE BLANK].
The protraction of the race means McCain gets a bit of a free ride for as long as it goes on. Because the media like him (Chris Matthews just told us he's got the best chance to win in November) and because the people who are going to furiously pound out comments filled with vitriol for the Democratic candidate they don't think is Teh Awesome soak that up and consequently seem incapable of working up the same level of indignation toward McCain.
If we don't care, who will?
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It will be fun watching all the news media become irrelevant as they lavish praise on the guy that gets 30% of the vote. He is going to make Barry Goldwater’s landslide look good.
When we finally get down to our final candidate the long knives will quietly be cleaned of the blood and gore and resharpened, ready for the next Dem miscue.
Huh?
Cindy McCain was addicted to painkillers for years and she keeps a “grudge list”. Yet the headline is still about her “being perfect”?
It’s going to be a long year.
She may be pretty, but man is she creepy or what?
Pretty creepy
Pills and soap
Hi Jane,
Well, as I see it, it’s not the same people giving McCain a free pass as the people really hating the other camp’s dem candidate. The people giving McCain a free pass are those media people you’re writing about and all the garden variety wingnuts we incessantly hear from. Those of us in progressive blogoshphere already know that McCain is far beyond the pale. I personally cannot even see pictures of him without psychic pain. And listening to him, like Bush, is just not possible.
And…McCain has been the given nominee of the Republicans for some time now, while the issue of who we think will best serve the progressive sphere is a very close call at this point and many of us have strong feelings about who will be better. Personally, neither of them looks very good to me, but being a progressive, these are the only choices I have at the moment.
Fast forward to the primaries being over, then I expect progressives will put on their party faces and work and vote for whomever our nominee is.
Today, now that I’ve done as much as I could yesterday working at the Texas primaries and caucuses, I’m more concerned about FISA than I am about what any of these candidates is or isn’t.
My two cents.
Jane, I think you’ve stated my biggest fear/frustration about last night. I know that democracy is not pretty–lots of hardfought, nasty battles. And I completely agree that no one is obligated to drop out.
But this election is too important to enter the general election in a weakened state. In the upcoming weeks of campaign hell, we’ll just be giving the Rethugs more ammo and contributing to this weakened state.
(I hope this is a poo-free comment!)
Hi (((Jane)))
Thanks for all your hard work & excellent use of considerable smarts, young lady.
I felt thoroughly spoiled last night. I couldn’t stand to turn on the telly - too stupifyingly infuriating.
So, what else? FDL early, then when I woke up in the middle of the night. 2 quick trips to the Lake & I was caught up better than the teevee reportagers ever dreamed of, even if wolfie did start “calling it” with 2% precincts “in” or whatever.
Gotta LOVE this place. Please pat the doggies for us.
It’s all about the press now. Every pixel that the Democrats spend tearing down Clinton or Obama is going to be elevated by the press into their favorite narrative, “The Divided Democrats.” Meanwhile, here’s war hero John McCain and all the Republicans singing his praises. Gee, which one looks strong and ready to lead the country?
I am continually amazed at the Democrats’ ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Let’s hope everybody comes to their senses and realizes who the real enemies are.
Even Hillary likes McCain more then Obama.
It’s selling out at it finest.
She looks like she was stolen from Madame Tussauds. sort of waxy looking.
But if she is perfect and he is perfect… well thats just perfect
Irony…some days, it just leaps right out at you, doesn’t it?
One quick dalliance, and then I promise no more, but I just can’t help myself.
Cindy’s so… well…
It’s as if she rations her frosty smiles as carefully as Elaine on “Seinfeld” did sponges, and with about as much grace.
ewwwwww many recriminations here honest
I’m behind that pair 600%. at the very least.
*smacks self in face. yep. awake, sigh*
GO BLUE!
Two different issues here.
Underestimating McCain as a candidate, and the media’s love affair with him, is a real danger. But I don’t see the connection between that, and the separate issue of whether one candidate (i.e. Hillary) should drop out and leave the field open for the other (Barack).
Used to be that presidential election campaigns traditionally kicked off on Labor Day — with two months of concentrated campaigning between then and Election Day. Now we have this insane marathon lasting years. And as in a marathon, there’s a real danger of using up energy early, and running out of gas before the finish line. I actually think it’s to our advantage to not have a coronated candidate at this point. The American attention span is so short — and getting shorter — that even the old two-month campaign is an awfully long time. We have plenty of time before the convention for this thing to sort itself out. We’ll come out of it with a strong candidate, no doubt about that — this intramural squabbling isn’t going to damage the winner, and might make him/her more fully vetted, and sharper, for the general campaign. In which we should be able to win big — big enough to overcome the bullshit and corruption that’s bound to cut into our vote totals.
This is really going out on a limb — but in all the time between now and November, maybe the McCain fluff squad will get bored with portraying their friends John and Cindy as perfect. And maybe reality will start to replace fantasy. Now, that’s going WAY out on that limb.
This example makes my point perfectly. Weaken us, strengthen them.
Ugh.
That first link is a must read, pups.
Thank you for all your hard work, Jane.
Jane,
experienced your point not 10 minutes ago over at Digby’s place - her perfect column about McCain Manlove and there in the comments, yeppers - ____ sucks !, well, ____ really sucks ! oy
and dear gaia, how about the C & L story today of McBush greasin’ the skids and playing fast and loose with defense contracts ? that came from the head of the Kansas Democratic party, Kansas for gods sakes have their heads screwed on straight, or how about the group in ‘red state’ Ohio having a half a million to spread the McSame love ?!?!? . . .surely the DFH’s can do the same
btw, my fave response so far - perfect what ?
Why is it that Mrs. McCain reminds me of Laura Bush? The answer will arrive soon. Lahoma is on her way home. And I shall ask her. It’s tit for tat here. Always. My lady asked me this morning how she should handle our new superintendent (at our high school), (I know him more than she) on a meeting at which she will propose a new formula for dealing with not so quick children. I told her to deal with this man the same way she deals with me. Make him feel he is omnipotent, and super smart. She called me earlier and said my suggestion seemed to have worked. He told everyone that Lahoma’s ideas were a breath of fresh air. Sometime I surprise myself.
Yes, she comes very brittle and bitter.
I sense she’s had just about enough of Macky-poo to last her for a lifetime.
McVain looked utterly exhausted by yestidie, and his only competition was Huck. Imagine what … if he’d had even 1/2 the schedule pace of either of the Democratic Party candidates.
If he’s bumbling and sighing & muttering that much at this point, he’d probably do better if he DID still have opposition, if only to keep him and his fans awake.
“Those of us in progressive blogoshphere already know that McCain is far beyond the pale. I personally cannot even see pictures of him without psychic pain. And listening to him, like Bush, is just not possible.“
I agree totally.
I’ve got plenty of vitriol for McCain saved up and ready to go. He certainly gets no free pass from me.
But one of the things I enjoy here is the ability to discuss each of our candidates. Sure it gets a little heated sometimes, but I’m sure Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Hancock & the gang stirred it up a little as well back in the day.
Any criticism I ever offer of Sen. Clinton has to do with her positions on issues; not her hair style, marriage to Bill, or choices of clothing to wear, etc.
That comes with the territory when running for office.
just popped over to watch hillary re obama and experience. back when she started going negative, i went from undecided to obama and am now actively working for him. watching and reading those statements about her and mccain having a lifetime of experience and obama having a speech, fill me with dismay and disgust for what she’s doing for the democratic cause overall. is she out of her f*cking mind promoting mccain over obama?
The second point is not whether one of the candidates should drop out, but whether either can win without alienating 30-50% of teh awsome turnout the Dems have been showing.
It is a poor assumption that the Republican primary turnout is a predictor of the general election. Give ‘em some red meat - immigration, terra, unborn rights, gay marriage, and they will show up, pulling the R presidential lever as an afterthought if nothing more
especially if their convinced the Dem is a muslim or lesbian
Could it be that we have a new Nancy Reagan in the making with Cindy McCain. Recall perhaps, Mrs. Reagan’s nauseating habit of always looking up to Ronnie during their photo ops?
Totally OT
British just raised their minimum wage to $11.34 an hour.
I often wonder if Cindy McCain realizes she’s even at a rally. She seems out of it most days.
Jane,
a quick one for you and then off to work
the 17 year old found me at 1:40 am, inputing poll numbers in to a graph/trending widget, gave me a reproving look and said “I blame that Hamsher woman.”
If Cindy McCain become the power behind the throne, I may have to leave the country.
Off topic…
Did anyone see this?
http://rohrabacher.house.gov/N.....ntID=84540
One of my readers posted it on my blog earlier today and I thought I’d share.
That’s the crap I’m talking about.
She’s got to take some heat for this! It should be unacceptable to any progressive/ liberal/ Democrat regardless of who you support.
Just because of unfair treatment in the press she’s got no right hold McCain in a better light than Sen. Obama.
None.
Yeah… A drawn out primary would be fine if she wasn’t stumping for McCain.
Tell anyone and everyone you know in Pennsylvania to register or change party affiliation by March 24th so we can end this and focus on John W McSame.
Oh… I forgot to add, that Lahoma is the power behind this throne. But she’s smart. She’s confident. And she’s cool. And most importantly, she’s mine.
Was that a tape measure Cindy had in her hand? Was she measuring the curtains?
If there were any real Party Elders - they would stage an intervention.
The problem is that the most significant Elder is slightly biased towards his wife.
Can you imagine those two in the White House? McCain would be pulling around a teleprompter with him like it’s a dialysis machine, and Cindy, when asked a question from the press, would take 4 minutes to put out one sentence.
LOL. We’re in the same boat I’m afraid. Except I don’t have a 17 year old.
McCauliff:….in the middle of the night missles comin’ to America…Hillary….Rezko…NAFTA.
I really don’t like this stuff….
That is really funny.
Funny, I just don’t see the quitter in you.
Besides, Lahoma wouldn’t allow it. ;->
*ducks*
The pix at the top is chilling.
cbl2 - if you are still around
http://xkcd.com/386/
I, too, have to agree with greenwarrior@6. I don’t think that you’re ever going to be able to keep the lid on this type of discussion. People are here because they’re fed up with the state of the country and they care deeply about the proper direction in which it needs to go. It’s the messy nature of democracy and it’s been that way since Athenian times.
I believe the vast majority of us will still care enough after primaries to pull together for the war on McCain. His deluded vision for the country is repugnant to us all. Remember, the Republicans don’t need us to come up with devious and disgusting ideas.
We do, however, need to be able to call out Dem candidates when they cross the line.
Just a couple more cents.
Jane, you shouldn’t worry. Really. We reeely, reeely hate McCain for sucking up to Shrub, talking out of both sides of his mouth on torture then voting AGAINST bills to ban waterboarding and/or hold the intelligence agencies to the same no-torture rules as the Army, being a totally-phony propagandist for “the surge” and “look how safe Baghdad is!” He’s deeply ass-holic and we have plenty of time to smoke him out.
And, remember, over six million folks voted in the TX and OH primaries, but yer not seeing six million poo-flingers on the blogs. Democrats out in analog world don’t hate each other’s candidates as much as it might appear from virtual world. We are gonna’ crush McCain, flufftacular man-crush in the MSM or no flufftacular man-crush.
“British just raised their minimum wage to $11.34 an hour.”
And that’s in a real currency, too!
No question, Cindy is on powerful meds. Time for Release of Medical Records on both of them.
Anyone know of a reliable delegate count? I got an e-mail from Obama that said Clinton netted 4 delegates last night, but Terry McCauliffe on hardball just said she netted 8 delegates.
According to Dennis Miller Rush Limbaugh told the repugs who can cross over in the primaries (I believe in both Ohio and Texas)to vote in the Dem primary for Hillary, the idea being to keep the Dems at each other’s throats. I have no idea why cross overs are permitted, but it seems Hillary didn’t win those states, the Repubs gave them to her much like the Repubs gave Connecticut Lieberman. It is hard to understand why the Dems keep playing the Repug game any more than one can understand why, under the circumstances, Hillary keeps going.
i bit. HAH HAH HAH. funny.
Unless it is “Are you really proud of your country?”
She gets real chatty then.
Hilarious!
Blog commenters love to talk about the very latest news. There’s very little going on in McCainville at the moment, so it’s not surprising we focus on Obama v. Clinton, which is perhaps one of the most interesting stories of our time.
I’m puzzled by the puzzlement about this.
Oooooo, that would be interesting to look at. I wonder how long her medication list is? Wow!
yeah but???
Sindee rarely looks at hizzoner. Usually “focussed” at that mythical middle distance to the farthest camera or somethin.
Oncet every so often she’ll look at him, and then the expression says, ‘I can’t beeLEEEVE I’m doing this. I could be doing ANYTHING else. Instead, oh #@*&. Calgone. Take me awaaayyyyy!’
Lahoma always has said, ‘I like to see you in a fight, kiddo, just make sure you win’. So far I don’t think I have let her down. She used to watch me in fisticuffs in high school. God that was so long ago.
Oh yes, those with fake patriotism in their hearts usually do have a lot to say to convince others they are when asked.
Yes… I have noticed that.
Don’t miss the mouse over comment
He just needs to be referred to as the 100 year old McBush. More of the same. What a pathetic old man he is.
John McCain must be stopped. Perhaps Cindy McCain is in nedd of hospitalization. I don’t know.
You do know, don’t you, that you will go down in history as one of the great love matches of all time?!
Congrats to you both! You raise ALL our spirits. ;->
Somebody’s gonna jump your shit for that comment. Hillary won Texas fair and square. /s
“According to Dennis MIller Rush Limbaugh told the repugs who can cross over in the primaries (I believe in both Ohio and Texas)to vote in the Dem primary for Hillary, the idea being to keep the Dems at each other’s throats.”
There’s no question a lot of this went on in Ohio.
Local wingnut radio was saying the same thing, and when I went to vote, the person next to me changed their status from “R” to “D”. Obviously, I didn’t know his motives, but that’s the first time I’ve ever overheard that in 30 years of voting.
Is there a non-biased, or liberally leaning national news organization? Does everything need millions of dollars and a republican to own it?
i had missed it. thanks for showing me the fully monty.
I’m still not convinced of the conventional wisdom that McCain benefits from being able to go on the attack while the Dems are still duking it out. Yes, he’s going to get a pass on everything awful from the press, but it appears to me that the rumble on the Dem side is getting all the attention (good and bad) and nominee McCain is just… boring.
If he’s going to “define” the Dem candidate, he’s going to need attention, and I’m not sure he’s going to get it. While the media love to hang out with him, they don’t necessarily have a lot of interest in what he says, and it may well be that by the time he really needs to get his attacks out they’ll be old news to his buddies in the media, without having been conveyed much to the rest of us.
OT, but did you hear Bushie today…
“I’ll be at Crawford with my feet up”
After fucking up America for 8 years and taking our troops
to harm’s way… this guy will be relaxing…
He is a disgusting human being!
There’s some evidence though.
I’m not so sure about the “human” part.
He will not have to campaign as much as the dems, which is good for an old fart like him, he will also have a lot of time to raise a lot on money and not have to spend it. He will still get lots of “media” attention because it is in their interest to have either he or clinton2 in there as prez….. to keep the gooper WH doncha know.
The thing is folks are mad that we don’t have a nominee yet. It was clear that Both Obama and Hillary were the two most divisive candidates to get picked. If you were asked in ‘05 the two people that would give the republicans the best shot to beat in ‘08 out of candidates who were recognizable Hillary and Obama would have tied for the top picks.
Edwards lost; too bad; He bowed out. No it’s Hillary’s turn. McCain is not getting a pass by Democrats (sure by the media), but the democrats are not using the MSM’s hate-bites to say their candidate is better. They want this to end and the original biases pre-judgments and arguments against the two candidates running in the first place, (b/c we were forced to swallow them as the only real choices by the MSM) are re-surfacing, and being overheard by the neighbors, when it should be keep in the bedroom and private.
Hillary step down already.
Don’t know ’bout the rest of you but any comment prefixed
“According to Dennis Miller Rush Limbaugh…” gets so wadded up in drug-addled disfunction the rest of it has to be suspect at best.
Brilliant. Yes, I believe we (liberals and conservatives alike) have been trained as consumers of the right-wing propaganda machine.
We need a lot more deliberate critical thinking. We need to stop and say “Waitaminute, what AM I thinking? And who stuck that meme in my head? And what do they get from it?”
A very important post by Jane, I wish everyone would read it and take it to heart.
And to all those people who say “I just can’t vote for Hilary”, I say to you “Then don’t vote for Hilary - vote AGAINST McCain.”
And I’m an Obama supporter. But I’ll vote for Hilary if she pulls out the nomination.
Yesterday when I was explaining the caucus process to folks waiting in line in Austin, TX, one Republican cross-over was questioning me very closely about how it worked. He wanted to vote for one candidate in the primary and THEN crossover for the caucus. I told him he couldn’t do that. He could be registered as a Republican and vote Democratic in the primary, but then he’d have to caucus Democrat. Or vice versa. He said, well since it’s a secret ballot, “How will they know?” I told him when they were going to give him his ballot, they were going to ask him if he wanted a Democratic or Republican ballot and then stamp his voter registration card Democratic or Republican for the caucus. He was quite dismayed hearing that info. I assured him they wouldn’t let him into a Democratic primary with Republican stamped on his
foreheadvoter card.
“Once every so often she’ll look at him, and then the expression says, ‘I can’t beeLEEEVE I’m doing this. I could be doing ANYTHING else. Instead, oh #@*&. Calgone. Take me awaaayyyyy!’”
Respectfully disagree. I’ll even bet she’s the engine behind most of his political ambition. There’s no place else she’d rather be.
I’ll bet she went to the White House today tape measure in hand.
When you have the money she has, power is all that’s left to acquire.
Why can’t we call McCain’s bus the bullshit express?
And let’s just call the pool reporters on the bus “lap dogs”.
Truth in messaging!
Bob in HI
it just gets curiouser and curiouser.
should we warn the pugs to be careful what they wish for?
have they thot this’n thru & throooo?
do they think?
Try sneakin’ up behind one and whispering “8 more years a’ Clintons!”
Then, when ‘e turns around, u be turned around looking over yer shoulder too, looking real scared. Mebbe say somethin’ like, “OMG You hear anythin just now?!??”
Stop whining.
i didn’t know he was into yoga.
We must defeat Mr. McCain. This is the objective. I demand my political party understand this.
So what is really being asked is that the resolution of the nomination should not await a concerted attack on McCain. WE NEED TO MULTITASK. Underlying this assignment is an assumption that the particular Democratic candidate we nominate is secondary to beating McCain. But it seems for sure that the Clintons are a high risk and probable losers to the Repubs and certainly I, for one, could not stomach another eight years of the Clintons if I have a choice. And I do. Obama. So the sole priority now is to get him nominated and to keep the Clintons off the ticket. Which was made more problematic today when Senator Clinton sought to write an insurance policy for herself be suggesting she should be on the national ticket with Obama, top or bottom, it does not matter to her but she would prefer to be on top. The Democrats must keep the Clintons off the national ticket.
McCain is a secondary issue at this point.
barf.
here it is:
(bold mine)
he’s not “done yet”– be afraid, be very afraid.
the ‘(laughter)’ is also puke worthy.
Clinton and Obama are jewels compared to McCain.
Limbaugh couldn’t motivate people to vote against McCain; I don’t believe he can motivate significant numbers of people to vote for Hillary. I’m willing to believe that Republicans crossed over, just like in a bunch of other states, but I’m not willing to believe that they followed Limbaugh’s instructions without any evidence. Giving credence to it just sustains his illusion of influence and plays into his game of undermining legitimacy of the Democratic candidates.
The fact is, Republicans who crossed over probably voted for a mix of reasons — trying to vote for the weaker Dem so that McCain can win, trying to vote for the stronger Dem because they hate McCain, trying to vote for the Dem they like better because they think the GOP is going to lose either way and they actually care about their life and the country, or voting for the Dems because they also hate Bush, and McCain has declared he’s going to continue everything Bushian.
Need a lot of ads like this about McSame Mcain:
http://tpmelectioncentral.talk.....irdpar.php
And we need to think up nice chants to go with it, like:
Got no shame?
Got no game?
Really lame?
Then vote McSame!
You’ll be to blame.
If McCain were somehow to be elected we are perhaps looking at 16 years of Republican rule. And I do mean ‘rule’.
Try Slate’s Counter.
It’s over; someone tell Hillary.
Sharp disagreement here.
Assign Senator Clinton all the responsibility you wish for the fuckery of the last 16 years, but she doesn’t hold a candle to McStain.
you’re right of course…
… and security and lots of walls between you and the people who do it all for you.
hypnotizing, really, to imagine all that.
mebbe it’s not meds.
*SNAP!*
Ohio has an “open” primary. When you go to your polling place, you sign your name and the pollworker asks which ballot you want: Dem/Issues, Repub/Issues, or just Issues for the independants.
So you get crossovers…
It’s time that Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton and Obama had a serious talk. A very serious talk.
Sprint to the finish? Isn’t that what Gonzo said?
Doesn’t Bush need to attend a meeting in Brattleboro VT?
Keep your eyes on the prize, guys and gals. The White House.
About what? Edwards losing or Hillary pulling a Huckabee?
Forgot about that STTP, that’s another area that requires substantial due diligence. Where’s her money from, how wealthy is she, who was she married to before McCain, who is her father, how much land does she own, how much water does she take for her land, how much federal subsidies does she suck up for her water and land? Like shooting fish in a barrel…..
And all those bucks pay for a LOT of good anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds. Believe me. She is stoned out of her gourd half of the time. Power-hungry, efficiently evil, possibly a political genius, but stoned half the time ….
Bottom line at this point is still… delegates accrued.
Shrub has always laughed at inappropriate moments — frequently after mentioning death or threats to the country. Ick.
I know what the Republicans are up to. Problem is, I don’t know what my party is up to. Is it time to unite yet?
Jane,
As I posted over at Digby’s
Yep. The Warcrimes Extraordinaire is going to kick back and enjoy the rest of his life. I bet he’s hoping either MCCain or Hillary will get in to seal his records from public viewing too. Bastard!
The Clintons are not an option.
Perhaps the Republicans can just sit back and watch us lose. I think it’s happened before.
I don’t think there is a reliable delegate count yet. The results from the Texas caucuses are not going to be final for a while. But I think it’s pretty well established that the maximum change in the delegate counts from yesterday’s contests will be a gain of about ten for Clinton, and probably less.
And some Republicans voted for Obama. It’s a wash. She won that one fair and square (as things go).
One other benefit of the continuing campaign: both candidates have been forced to shift leftward to appeal to the Democratic base (that’s us, peeps!).
Lahoma just breezed through on her way upstairs to change clothes. As she passed by me I said this Democratic thing is getting messy. And I asked her what we should do? Lahoma said, ”end it”. And off she went.
This is the only one I don’t completely agree with. I agree that it will be good practice in dealing with attacks, but there are plenty of areas of attack where Democrats won’t go, because they have to have some concern about pissing off their Democratic supporters, and the Republicans don’t. It’s good practice and good preparation, but it’s still just a warm-up for the ugliness we’re going to see out of McCain and company.
try door #3
Be real careful Kiddo. Is that new stove operational yet?
My feeling is I don’t want to assume the Democrats will beat McCain. There’s work to be done.
Yep. I specifically didn’t mention candidates in those reasons, because there’s the additional confounding factor that each voter makes their own judgment about which Dem candidate is stronger/weaker and better/worse.