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John McCain: The American Comment Thread Americans Have Been Waiting For
Document the atrocities. The convention hall could not care less about Cindy McCain until she mentions Sarah Palin. The poor volunteers who are bouncing signs at the audience, rousting up applause, can get a little relief.
The post-Cindy music:
"Johnny B. Goode" - the touching story of a low-IQ child who
learned, against all odds, to play basic guitar solos.
"Celebration" - the joy that comes after a bone-grinding day of
community organizing.
"Rock this Town" - a tribute to our crushing victory over the
Islamists in Anbar province.
A fairly bland video (it's impossible to make parts of McCain's story bland, but that montage at the end... eh) ends and there's a weird moment as Fred Thompson's disembodied voice re-re-introduces McCain. "When you've lived in a box, your life is about ensuring others don't have to endure that box." Well, thanks!
9:16: Is it only happening in the hall, or is the screen behind Mac a sickly shade of green on your TV, too?
9:17: Someone heckles McCain: the actual heckle is inaudible where I sit, but it's quickly drowned out by a cheer of "USA!" Maybe he was chanting "USSR"?
9:20: Aha: It was members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, yelling that McCain votes against vets.
9:21: I have the speech now, and there's the expected distancing from Bush.
The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.
...
I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can’t turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.
As I look for more, the hecklers strike back! This time it's Code Pink. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other!" McCain says. And they scream again. This isn't bad at all for him, is it it?
9:29: When is "maverick" not a compliment?
9:31: The speech contains 34 iterations of the word "fight," which isn't actually that much for a Democratic speech. For a Republican speech, though.
9:34: Actually, go to it. Here's the speech.
...
9:35: The reference to Obama "passing corporate welfare for oil companies" is the first Obama reference that doesn't draw boos. If only he'd passed welfare for community organizers.
9:39: The boos on McCain's "my opponent" section are seriously robotic. Like, outtakes from Metropolis robotic.
9:54: I've moved the whole speech to a direct link, but here's the Cause Greater part from the ending, which is stronger and more Mark Salterish than the preceding.
If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.
Stuff that has nothing to do with McCain (or Obama!) being president. I like it.
10:01: Hrm.
I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need.
So says the co-author of Character is Destiny, Hard Call, and Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Better Life.
10:11: Fully half of the balloons have yet to drop. They're being saved for Earth, Wind and Fire's "September," I think.
|9.4.08 @ 9:51PM|#
I can't believe they ran a bio video about Cindy, and how
romantic it was when they met.
McCreepy hit on women just out of school and lied about his age,
when he was in his forties and married.
Phong|9.4.08 @ 9:53PM|#
After forty years, are Viet Nam vets finally getting their due? And if so, do they vote? To my knowledge, no one has assessed this impact of this demographic.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 9:55PM|#
I'm beginning to see the genius in Palin.
Palin is a chewey toy McCain can throw at the nuttier parts of the
base. While they're distracted by the shiny object, he goes out and
appeals to independents/moderates and they hardly notice that hes
selling them out.
It's pretty damn smart.
Limp Dick|9.4.08 @ 9:57PM|#
"McCreepy hit on women just out of school and lied about his
age, when he was in his forties and married."
Jealous, Joe? They've been married nearly 30 years. My grandfather
was 34 when he married my grandmother. She was 18. They were
married for more than 50 years. So what's you point? That there
should be age restrictions on the marital asperations consenting
adults?
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:00PM|#
"After forty years, are Viet Nam vets finally getting their due?
And if so, do they vote? To my knowledge, no one has assessed this
impact of this demographic."
If John McCain isn't elected, no Vietnam vet will ever make it to
the White House. This is their last shot. Kind of sad, really. I
thought we'd get a slew of them like we did with WWII vets.
|9.4.08 @ 10:02PM|#
No, I think what Joe is saying is that many Americans might not think it all that romantic to steal another woman's husband.
Bill\'s Dog|9.4.08 @ 10:04PM|#
"No, I think what Joe is saying is that many Americans might not
think it all that romantic to steal another woman's husband."
No, Joe was clearly denigrating McCain. Read his post again.
Woof
|9.4.08 @ 10:07PM|#
Uh, yeah, Limpy, I'm going to go bail on my wife right now. I
want to be the middle aged guy hitting on young girls. Like that
guy in The Wedding Singer.
My point? Uh, he was married. And that he was hitting on a much
younger girl and lying about his age. And this wasn't the 1800s.
And he was married.
Not exactly cult-of-personality material. It would appear that the
video editors agree with me.
Granger|9.4.08 @ 10:07PM|#
"No, Joe was clearly denigrating McCain. Read his post
again."
No. Joe was denigrating divorce and remarriage. Like all Dems, he
hates all that.
Bill Clinton|9.4.08 @ 10:08PM|#
"My point? Uh, he was married. And that he was hitting on a much
younger girl "
I do that all the time!
|9.4.08 @ 10:09PM|#
Yeah, Bill, but you don't make videos about it, and run them at the convention to show what a great guy you are.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:10PM|#
This music sounds like its from a video game circa 1992. Are they that hard up for cash?
Ric Romero|9.4.08 @ 10:11PM|#
People are often more tolerant of behavior from members of their own political party than similar behavior from members of the opposition party.
Bill Clinton (2)|9.4.08 @ 10:11PM|#
"Yeah, Bill, but you don't make videos about it, and run them at
the convention to show what a great guy you are."
Damn McCain's honesty. It scaresme.
|9.4.08 @ 10:12PM|#
Um, Limp Dick, I think he was referring to the fact that McCain traded in his crippled wife and 3 kids for a much younger and wealthier woman that he met at a party...(wait for it)... in Hawaii, vacationland for elitists. So, probably a little different than your Grandparent's romance.
Bill Clinton|9.4.08 @ 10:13PM|#
I would if I had the balls!
I was on the other side during the Viet Nam War.
Dick Cheney|9.4.08 @ 10:13PM|#
"I was on the other side during the Viet Nam War."
I had other priorities.
|9.4.08 @ 10:14PM|#
Herr McCain is coming on right now. first thing I thought: He has that Bob Dole one-arm thing going.
Col. John McCain|9.4.08 @ 10:14PM|#
"My point? Uh, he was married. And that he was hitting on a much
younger girl and lying about his age. And this wasn't the 1800s.
And he was married.
Not exactly cult-of-personality material. It would appear that the
video editors agree with me."
You have a right to kill me, Joe. You have that right. But you have
no right to judge me. For it's judgement that defeats us.
Bill Clinton|9.4.08 @ 10:14PM|#
The other side of the Atlantic, I mean.
Rhodes Scholar, KGB intern and all.
|9.4.08 @ 10:15PM|#
Wait, I'm confused, Bill.
Are you talking about the "honesty" when he left out the part where
he was married in the video, the "honesty" when he shaved five
years off his age, or the "honesty" when he left out the part about
being married while meeting Cindy?
Teddy Roosevelt|9.4.08 @ 10:16PM|#
If you could cross McCain and Palin you might have me. Except for that pot smoking fully informed jury small government stuff.
|9.4.08 @ 10:17PM|#
Oh, wait a second, are we not supposed to judge John McCain
based on the biographical intro video his campaign had produced to
broadcast on multiple networks as part of the Republican National
Convention?
See, I did not get that.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:18PM|#
"If you could cross McCain and Palin you might have me [Teddy
Roosvelt]."
That's the best reason to vote against the ticket I ever heard.
|9.4.08 @ 10:19PM|#
Oh my God. I made a joke about this. I wrote, "I hear they're
going to bring back the green screen," while referring to how much
the Republican convention is going to suck.
I was kidding.
|9.4.08 @ 10:21PM|#
"are we not supposed to judge John McCain based on the
biographical intro video his campaign had produced"
Be honest joe, you'd judge John McCain based on how long his
shoelaces are.
SIV|9.4.08 @ 10:22PM|#
If he has Roberta's longevity genes he is going to live
forever.
John McCain doesn't doubt Obama's American birth certificate.
Voros McCracken.com|9.4.08 @ 10:23PM|#
I think the "green screen" was actually a picture of a lawn (might have been the White House, couldn't tell) and you just saw the bottom part (the lawn) of a bigger picture behind McCain.
Potts|9.4.08 @ 10:23PM|#
Seriously, who's recording? They're asking for it with that chroma key green.
NotThatDavid|9.4.08 @ 10:25PM|#
Is it me, or are the "USA! USA!" chants coming completely at random?
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:25PM|#
It was a South Vietnam flag, our ally. It is probably one of those nutty POW activists who hate McCain.
|9.4.08 @ 10:29PM|#
"Is it me, or are the "USA! USA!" chants coming completely at
random?"
Not at random, they're trying to drown out hecklers when they act
up.
|9.4.08 @ 10:29PM|#
Be honest joe, you'd judge John McCain based on how long his
shoelaces are.
That doesn't make me wrong.
Mary|9.4.08 @ 10:32PM|#
Should I be stunned a heckler managed to get in?
How can McCain protect our nation's borders, when he can't even
protect the borders of the Excel Center?
Kidding.
Someone needs to tell the hecklers that they are just making this
thing go on longer.
SIV|9.4.08 @ 10:32PM|#
This is better than I expected.
Not what I want
but exceeding expectations
so far
NotThatDavid|9.4.08 @ 10:33PM|#
Not at random, they're trying to drown out hecklers when
they act up.
That makes sense. I couldn't figure out why they'd start cheering a
comment about high unemployment.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:33PM|#
Ok, which politician started the cutesy personal stories of economic hardship? Because I really hate him.
|9.4.08 @ 10:33PM|#
BDB,
BDB | September 4, 2008, 10:16pm | #
So in the 1992 election they attacked Bill Clinton for being a KGB
agent?
Yup. The Washington Times came out with the story about a student
trip Bill Clinton took with a group of other students to Moscow,
while he was studying at Oxford, I think.
That's when they recruited him, doncha know.
|9.4.08 @ 10:35PM|#
I couldn't figure out why they'd start cheering a comment
about high unemployment.
Ha! "U-S-A! U-S-A!"
SIV|9.4.08 @ 10:36PM|#
Bash Republicans !!!!!
Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Democrats too !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John McJoel|9.4.08 @ 10:37PM|#
"Sergeant O'Leary is walking the beat; at night he becomes a bartender. My friends, I'm fighting for Sergeant O'Leary and his Cadillac ack ack ack ack ack!"
|9.4.08 @ 10:39PM|#
Oh my god. I have the speech. I don't need to watch this douche bag anymore. thank god.
javier|9.4.08 @ 10:40PM|#
I think the first guy was actually a speaker at the ron paul convention. This guy
|9.4.08 @ 10:41PM|#
Talk more about economic policy, John. Make sure everyone is
real clear that you are a down-the-line Republican on economic
issues.
Really. Explore the space.
|9.4.08 @ 10:43PM|#
Read the speech. To enhance the effect I changed my desktop background to a solid green and sat between two old people.
|9.4.08 @ 10:44PM|#
My fellow Americans, when I'm President, we're going to
embark on the most ambitious national project in
decades.
When he say this, it is going to be bullshit. How much of my money
does he intend on spending.
Four legs good. Two legs baaaa|9.4.08 @ 10:46PM|#
Someone heckles McCain: the actual heckle is inaudible where I sit, but it's quickly drowned out by a cheer of "USA!"
They were trained to do that, no matter what the protest was.
SIV|9.4.08 @ 10:46PM|#
Just out of curiosity, do any of you think Obama will
actually win?
Not in MY America !!!!
NotThatDavid|9.4.08 @ 10:46PM|#
Did he just rip off Obama's entire energy-policy passage and pencil in "and we'll drill more!"? Because that's what it sounds like.
Mary|9.4.08 @ 10:47PM|#
Just out of curiosity, do any of you think Obama will
actually win?
Yes. Just as a practical matter, even though the Republicans may be
fired up and ready to go (heh) now, two months is not enough time
to get the vote out to the extent Bush did in 2004. They are very,
very far behind.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:47PM|#
"Did he just rip off Obama's entire energy-policy passage and
pencil in "and we'll drill more!"? Because that's what it sounds
like."
You're correct.
"drill now" is turning into a punch line.
Potts|9.4.08 @ 10:47PM|#
Just out of curiosity, do any of you think Obama will
actually win?
McCain and co. are doing a pretty good job of ensuring it.
|9.4.08 @ 10:49PM|#
Knowing how much more of this speech there is, and how much it sucks.... is depressing.
MJ|9.4.08 @ 10:49PM|#
"The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these
problems isn't a cause, it's a symptom. It's what happens when
people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you."
Partisan rancor occurs when people have actual different ideas
about how the government is supposed to be run. The competion and
advocacy of those differing ideas is how a democratic republican
form of government is supposed to work. It is a messy, ugly
inefficient process. It's supposed to be. The assumption that
partisanship is just some kind of meaningless political
gamesmanship and problems could be solved easily if not for it is
simpleminded populism.
|9.4.08 @ 10:50PM|#
I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we
need not fear a return of the Cold War.
Is that what we're calling kicking thm out of the G-8 these
days?
Nick|9.4.08 @ 10:51PM|#
I actually think McCain is kicking some ass. First promising to veto all pork-laden bills, then arguing that school choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century, then calling for more nuclear power plants. He's highlighting the areas where he is best and silencing doubters on his economic capabilities.
|9.4.08 @ 10:51PM|#
For someone who hates war, hasn't he been behind nearly every single one we'd launched, and advocated more?
|9.4.08 @ 10:52PM|#
"drill now" is turning into a punch line.
Worse than that. With oil prices falling through the floor, it's
becoming an irrelevant issue. I'm still waiting for the Larry
Kudlow article saying that the market fell almost 350 points
because it hates Sarah Palin.
Bob Dole|9.4.08 @ 10:53PM|#
If you added up all the killed and wounded in all the Democrat Wars in the last century...
MJ|9.4.08 @ 10:53PM|#
"I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can."
Gee John, that's a bit strong. Can you tone it down a bit?
deja|9.4.08 @ 10:54PM|#
another list of all the things government will do for me! is it last week again?
|9.4.08 @ 10:55PM|#
This bit about reaching across the aisle and whatnot might have worked better if Palin had gone all Rush Limbaugh for half an hour last night.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 10:55PM|#
Yeah, SIV, McCain is showing real passion in front of that blue screen! Watch out!
|9.4.08 @ 10:56PM|#
Er, "hadn't gone all Rush Limbaugh"
So, when do you think Sarah Palin is going to drop John McCain?
SIV|9.4.08 @ 10:56PM|#
Mo,
Not Kudlow but some tool did
http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/09/markets_boo_mccains_vp_choice.html
|9.4.08 @ 10:57PM|#
John McCain hates using his POW experience for political gain, every bit as much as he hates war.
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 10:58PM|#
hehe...joe, i was thinking along the same lines. she seems like a tough broad. tougher than the viet cong, perhaps!
|9.4.08 @ 11:00PM|#
I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in
someone else's.
Oh, man, are we back on his wedding story again?
|9.4.08 @ 11:00PM|#
Gee, with that Cause Greater stuff, it almost sounds like stuff a whatdoyacallit, right, a Community Organizer would do.
|9.4.08 @ 11:01PM|#
I think everything about McCain is to justify his experience in Vietnam. It's become an obsession to not let his torture be in vain, but his mission became sort of sad and pathetic. And misguided.
NotThatDavid|9.4.08 @ 11:02PM|#
Seriously, this "I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really love America" thing is profoundly strange. Even if you're going to avoid outright saying "I like this country more than Barack Obama does," he's laying it on with a backhoe at this point.
|9.4.08 @ 11:03PM|#
Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to
serve a cause greater than yourself.
Obviously, he has never got a good blowjob.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 11:04PM|#
He doesn't know how to control a crowd very well.
Watch the MSM pronounce it a home run.
|9.4.08 @ 11:05PM|#
That supposed-to-be-thrilling "fight for..." bit at the end, with all the forced cheering, was a pathetic impersonation of a charismatic candidate.
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 11:05PM|#
you know the funny thing about community organizer, ACORN. real funny. they pressured congress to pressure banks to loan more sub prime loans. definitely a contributor to the mortgage mess that we're in.
BDB|9.4.08 @ 11:06PM|#
The balloons didn't drop on time.
You know who else that happened to?
McGovern, Dukakis, and Dole. Just sayin'.
|9.4.08 @ 11:08PM|#
No they did not, idiotface.
ACORN, and every other CDC in the country, has been trying to get
people in poor neighborhoods to avoid subprime loans for decades.
Mortgage counseling and affordable mortgages are part of the core
mission of housing-finance CDCs.
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 11:09PM|#
i'd like to see a dem attack ad of mccain being a buffoon and knocking down cans at the super market. anything wrong with that?
|9.4.08 @ 11:10PM|#
idiotface, that is a damning, damning anecdote. Why, all
community organizations should be disbanded immediately.
Loved you in Rain Man, by the way.
|9.4.08 @ 11:12PM|#
The boring bullshit of tonight's speech was WAY less
entertaining than the insane bullshit of last night's speeches. The
"USA! USA!" and "Drill Baby Drill!" chants weren't nearly as
enthusiastic, either.
Ann Curry: "There are men in tears on the convention floor."
Any man moved to tears by John McCain (other than those that
vacationed in the Hanoi Hilton with him) needs a swift kick in the
nuts.
|9.4.08 @ 11:13PM|#
I want to see a Dem attack ad explaining that McCain is the "underdog" because his policies suck, Americans are sick of it and he deserves to be behind.
|9.4.08 @ 11:18PM|#
Well damn, it is all over.
I guess the next big chunk entertainment is going to be the
debates. I hope Palin kicks Biden's blowhard establishment ass off
the stage only because I think he is an authoritarian just like
Herr McCain. I think Herr McCain is going to kick Mr.
President-of-the-Harvard-Law-Review ass off the stage.
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 11:21PM|#
mantooth, i do ok. i buy my own toilet paper. however, if you need someone to buy some toilet paper for you, please head down to your ward leader. the ward leader will work with a community organizer. one or both of them will talk to your committeeman. the committeeman will check your donations and party affiliation. depending on those results the committeeman will talk to your councilman's office. at some point, you'll get your toilet paper. have faith, your shitty ass will get wiped!
Seward|9.4.08 @ 11:22PM|#
Adamness,
Can Obama still win? Sure. I always assumed that this would be a
rather close election (just like every other election since 1992).
We just don't seem to live in a country of blowouts like had in the
1980s.
|9.4.08 @ 11:25PM|#
You nailed it idiotface, I'm a Communist. Tell me, will the Ward Leader have access to keyboards with a shift key? I can pick one up for you.
Stephen the goldberger|9.4.08 @ 11:26PM|#
Interesting speech. McCain at least recognized that the
republican party has done an awful job in Washington over the past
several years and that they needed to "get back to the basics." At
the very least that gives me hope that after they are completely
embarrassed this election they will get their act together.
With that said, I'd give it about a B-.
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 11:32PM|#
another thing. if your mom had sex with her dad like mine did. you think you would worry about that stuff. real funny. see you later crocodile.
|9.4.08 @ 11:33PM|#
The coolest thing about tonight was 2 things:
1) Seeing the speech ahead of time and
2) Seeing Joe's commentary in real time.
Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet.
Dreamin\'|9.4.08 @ 11:33PM|#
I hope McCain/Palin wins and he vetoes every piece of shit congress hands him. Maybe have a multi-year standoff over nominees with multiple Supreme Court vacancies. The public decides Government blows and we have way to much of it.And in 2012 we elect President Palin who makes Barry Goldwater and Ron Paul look like Statist Liberals.
|9.4.08 @ 11:36PM|#
i buy my own toilet paper. however, if you need someone to
buy some toilet paper for you, please head down to your ward
leader. the ward leader will work with a community organizer. one
or both of them will talk to your committeeman. the committeeman
will check your donations and party affiliation. depending on those
results the committeeman will talk to your councilman's office. at
some point, you'll get your toilet paper. have faith, your shitty
ass will get wiped!
I love this blog
idiotface|9.4.08 @ 11:44PM|#
BDB, mccain delivers a speech like mantooth delivers an insult, i.e. totally weak.
|9.4.08 @ 11:45PM|#
And in 2012 we elect President Palin who makes Barry
Goldwater and Ron Paul look like Statist Liberals.
She's libertarian-leaning on some issues, but I bet she'll end up a
drug warrior and interventionist. The truth is, we don't really
know a lot about her, and everyone is looking at Palin however they
want her to be, rather than how she is. Much like Obama.
Bill\'s Dog|9.4.08 @ 11:50PM|#
"She's libertarian-leaning on some issues, but I bet she'll end
up a drug warrior and interventionist. The truth is, we don't
really know a lot about her, and everyone is looking at Palin
however they want her to be, rather than how she is. Much like
Obama."
Thread winner.
Woof
Nick|9.5.08 @ 12:03AM|#
I don't understand this thread. I'm no fan of John McCain at
all, but really, did he do anything wrong in this speech from a
policy perspective? There's a lot of ad hominems here, but I'd be
interested to hear more response to his actual policy
proposals.
He emphasized reform/vetoing pork, stopping corporate welfare,
school choice, cutting taxes, increased competitiveness in
healthcare, increasing nuclear power and drilling and ending the
big spending that has killed the GOP. He mentioned the foreign
policy but was less hawkish sounding than usual. Purely from the
policy proposals alone, this was as libertarian of a speech as I've
ever heard McCain give. Of course, the criticisms still stand and
his foreign policy is still insane. But I think between Palin's
selection and this speech, McCain seems to be moving towards a more
populist/progressive Reaganism with less emphasis on the social
issues. I was impressed and found his policy proposals far more
substantial than in Obama's speech.
If McCain would stick to the economic issues, he'd fare much better
with libertarians. I do think this slight libertarian shift may be
an attempt to shut off any threat from Bob Barr at making any
impact.
|9.5.08 @ 12:19AM|#
Nick, because everything in McCain's record shows he's either a
statist or ineffective on where he overlaps with libertarians. I
can't think of one thing McCain has accomplished that was a step
for liberty. We have no reason to believe a thing he says.
Secondly, the promises will be empty anyway since he'll have a
Democrat Congress. He can promise any damn thing he wants, knowing
full well that he can end up blaming Congress for his failings.
There's truth to that, but it's also disingenuous of McCain to give
that speech.
Nick|9.5.08 @ 12:24AM|#
Adamness,
Isn't the fact that he'll have a Democratic congress all the more
reason to consider voting for him? If he uses the veto pen moreso
than Bush has, and if the Democrat obstruct his foreign policy, I
think Washington will be better than an Obama-Democratic Congress
lovefest. Trust me, I don't like or trust McCain and more than
likely won't vote for him, but from a libertarian standpoint, if he
wants to refashion himself as primarily a reformer and staunch
fiscal conservative, I'm all for it.
Seward|9.5.08 @ 12:24AM|#
Nick,
He emphasized reform/vetoing pork...
Every politician does that.
...stopping corporate welfare...
Every politician does that.
...school choice...
The Presidency has little power over public education in the
U.S.
...cutting taxes...
As a general rule, when a politician talks about cutting taxes I
wonder if that means they'll eventually increase some other revenue
garnering scheme which won't be called a tax.
...increased competitiveness in healthcare...
By doing what exactly?
..increasing nuclear power...
Via the market?
...and drilling...
What I love his how suddenly the government is going to make
private entities drill, particularly as the price of a barrel of
oil continues to plunge.
...and ending the big spending...
That will happen pigs fly.
Nick|9.5.08 @ 12:28AM|#
Plus, the whole "criticizing the GOP for renegging on it's promises" thing was pure gold to me. And I do think he actually has some credibility on that issue, what with his opposition to pork, agricultural subsidies, corporate welfare, etc. The speech may have not been the strongest from a technical standpoint, but for me it was very effective. Now if he'd just get back on the rational immigration reform bandwagon.
Nick|9.5.08 @ 12:35AM|#
...increased competitiveness in healthcare...
By doing what exactly?
His healthcare policy deserves a lot of praise from libertarians.
It's actually probably one of the strongest parts of his
platform.
...school choice...
The Presidency has little power over public education in the
U.S.
Ah yes, if only they'd follow the Constitution. Still, I'd much
rather have a president advocating for school choice than for
appeasing the teachers' unions.
..increasing nuclear power...
Via the market?
There is no "market" currently because it has been regulated away.
Any move back towards a nuclear power market is good in my
book.
Nick|9.5.08 @ 12:37AM|#
Seward,
My question to you is: do you actually disagree with anything he
said here?
|9.5.08 @ 12:44AM|#
Isn't the fact that he'll have a Democratic congress all the
more reason to consider voting for him?
I don't think so. With McCain's record, I don't trust he'll be any
different than any other president. He's not the maverick or the
anti-Bush type. He might veto something here and there, but in the
end, he'll go along with most of it, just like Bush did.
I do think he actually has some credibility on that issue, what
with his opposition to pork, agricultural subsidies, corporate
welfare, etc.
And he's been completely ineffective in that for 26 years in the
Senate. He's not going to veto the farm bill, the energy bill,
water bill or any of those other things. He certainly won't veto
the military spending bills which are loaded with pork. He won't
veto the foreign aid to Israel or Saudi Arabia, some of which is
technically pork.
Besides, the whole 'national greatness,' anti-individualism,
country first mumbo jumbo creeps me out. He's talking about
nationalism and state worship, and I don't see how a libertarian
can sign onto that, even for strategic reasons.
Seward|9.5.08 @ 12:49AM|#
Nick,
There is no "market" currently because it has been regulated
away. Any move back towards a nuclear power market is good in my
book.
Actually, much of the reason that nuclear power flopped in the
1970s was because the government wasn't willing to subsidize it
more than it already was. There was a lot of overbuilding of
plants, etc. due in part to said subsidization (the government
sponsored insurance is a pretty good example of this).
So again I ask, via the market?
My question to you is: do you actually disagree with anything
he said here?
Sure. I'm not interested in government programs to incentivize
drilling (if that is indeed what the McCain campaign is
proposing).
Of course a more appropriate question would be whether I actually
believe anything he said here.
Seward|9.5.08 @ 12:53AM|#
Nick,
Any move back towards a nuclear power market is good in my
book.
FYI: Roughly 20% of the electricity in the U.S. comes from nuclear
power.
Nick|9.5.08 @ 1:07AM|#
I don't disagree with either of your opinions at all. I don't
trust McCain, I doubt he'll fulfill much of his promises, I
absolutely loathe his foreign policy, etc. I can't answer whether
he plans to let the market do its job or whether he plans to
subsidize nuclear energy and drilling.
My problem is that Reason, which I love, seems to have an editorial
policy of not giving McCain credit on the areas where he has done a
good job or when he tilts libertarian on issues. Maybe it's because
of the editor-in-chief's book, I don't know. But you've got to give
him credit for at least putting the earnest foot forward in this
speech. One of the biggest failures of Bush has been his
de-emphasis on healthcare reform, school choice, social security
reform and government spending. He essentially capitulated on all
the issues where he used to be promising on. If McCain decides to
re-emphasize these things, he's got my support.
I remember seeing a Nolan chart a few years ago where it ranked all
the members in the Senate. There were one or two Democrats in the
top half (mainly due to Bush obstructionism) and McCain was one of
the only Republicans in the conservative quadrant (in the middle
between libertarian and authoritarian) and not in the authoritarian
quadrant. If McCain were to return to that, it would be superior to
following in Bush's footsteps.
I'd say both candidates in this election pan out about even in my
book - McCain does pretty good on fiscal issues, horribly on
foreign policy and isn't very moralistic or ideological on social
issues. Obama does pretty good on foreign policy, horribly on
economic issues and so-so on social issues. Now I'm left to decide
whether economics or foreign policy is more important. As both
candidate have their worst policy as their primary issue, it's
doubtful I'll vote for either one.
I wonder if I'll be able to vote for Barr for Pres and Palin for
VP?
|9.5.08 @ 10:25AM|#
Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the
ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an
illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights
of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be
the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than
to serve a cause greater than yourself.
Notably absent, open a business and become wealthy. Develop your
skills and become wealthy. Both of which do far more for others
than McCain or Obama realize.
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