Obama can’t work without a net.

Valiant at 5:42PM

You betrayed yourself with your foolish comments! You say that McCain’s American Conservative Union rating is 50%. It’s actually better, but even 50% is a little better than Obama’s 8%, isn’t it? Yet you say McCain the same as all Democrats.

Your last two paragraphs are even more goofy. You must be a truther, too, right?

Why are you so afraid to let McCain win my vote?

Because McCain won’t trouble to do it.

Therefore, it falls on McCain supporters to try to convince people that McCain is reaching out to them while Mac is simultaneously talking up climate change, visiting La Raza, etc.

“Have you seen Humping Robot?”

Limerick on May 13, 2008 at 4:16 PM

Excellent Question.

- The Cat

Oddly enough, Brit Hume thinks it’s a bad idea, if I remember correctly from Fox News Sunday. Something along the lines of all the organizing and traveling for these debates would mean no one got to strategize properly for a general election and travel where needed, if there were too many of them. I’d check the transcript, but it was something like that. McCain would have him beat in this forum, for sure.

marykatharine on May 13, 2008 at 5:14 PM

So Brit thinks that Obama is going to wipe him out on the trail? If that’s the case than it makes sence. Nobody but political junkies watch debates.

- The Cat

P.S. I say McCain should challenge him to a boxing match.

After McCain participates in the debates, democrats everywhere will celebrate because they will realize there is no conservative in this race and it is a win-win situation for them.

In the last few decades, the Republicans who grew domestic government the most, Nixon and Bush, are the most hated by liberals. McCain will suffer a similar fate.

Each time I think I have convinced myself to take several painkillers and vote for Juan, he opens his mouth and I feel like putting a bag on my head and crawling under the bed for four years.

I see no way out of this, we will have a liberal president, senate and house of rep. for at least four years. God help us!

Mickey says, “Now you didn’t even see that comin’, did ya? And that’s comin’ from a broken down punk like me. What… what do ya think the champ would do to ya? ”

Rocky replies, “Hurt me bad, I guess.”

Mickey resounds, “Na, he’d hurt ya permanent.”

Ergo, McCain shouldn’t even consider this.

On the down side–the taller candidate usually wins the presidency–thankfully not always.

As to this continually floated canard by many here that there is little difference between McCain and Obama get some IQ. On the main issues of the country–the war, taxes, fiscal responsibility, the Supreme court, and free trade just to name a few they are night and day apart.

Sure he drops the ball on several current hot button issues but on the big stuff he’s spot on–that’s why he got the nomination. He is the only repub that has a chance in what will be a huge uphill fight. His VP pick might determine the outcome.

With Obama you get someone a few steps to the right of Marx imbued with Wright’s bigoted black separatist mumble jumble that Michelle clearly subscribes to. So don’t waste your vote.

On the other hand, the media always underestimates the Republican presidential candidate, or overestimates the Democratic nominee. That means that, combined with the big woody infatuation the media already has for Obama, their expectations for him going into the debate will be of a man who knows the answers before the moderator even answers the questions (well, unless it’s Fox, and that’s only because Brit Hume would use Karl Rove’s mind reading-blocking machine® to foil Barak’s mighty omnipresence). McCain meanwhile, will be portrayed as feeble and doddering coming in — the senior citizen version of calling GWB an idiot compared to Gore or Kerry going into those debates.

So for at least the early debates, the bar is going to be pretty low for McCain, as long as he doesn’t doze off in the middle of a question. For people watching the debate, that should help him, though the post-debate spin for Obama might fool a few non-viewers.

marykatharine on May 13, 2008 at 5:14 PM

If the candidates want to do them it could get done. We all have a general sense of what the handful of battleground states will be. There will be times when McCain and Obama will be in say Wisconsin or Ohio at the same time.

Three formal debates are scheduled, but I would like to see more (but not the 21 the Dems went through). Also, I want these events to be more than glorified press conferences. But that might me be hoping for too much.

McCain should demand that Obama debate him on Fox, just as McCain should appear on MSNBC/CNN/CBS&all.

Entelechy on May 13, 2008 at 5:14 PM

It’s ironic, but it might only be Fox that would ask McCain to explain his association with LaRaza and his position on global warming, and how that differs from liberal mainstream. I don’t think the MSM would ask those questions of him. Perhaps it will be McCain who avoids Fox.

I see on your blog that you use ACU ratings as a measure of conservative credentials. In that case, what’s 90% in agreement about (off the top of my head, might not be completely accurate) 83% and 8%?

McCain used to be conservative. The 83% is a canard. When the 2007 ratings come out, he’ll be closer to 50%. The ratings do not take into account sabotage of the conservative agenda, just voting records.

McCain is a beltway liberal and fundamentally agrees with the big-government Democrats.

Everything about his actions these last 8 years show his main passion is in destroying conservatism from within. That makes him much more dangerous than Obama who will launch external assaults.

Let McCain poke at Obama for an hour or so and perhaps we will truly see which of the two candidates actually has the temper. Methinks Obama will open mouth and insert foot many times.

‘Come on, let me eat my waffle then you can come and cover my masses worshipping me. I’ve answered like, eight questions already; don’t be distracting.’

Personally, I think the guy is a terrible speaker without his teleprompter. He’s like a little windup toy that keeps running down. You can see him winding up his little thoughts, stammering all the while, then he spews them out, then he runs down again. Yes, the Annie Oakley line was good, but it wasn’t extemporaneous. When the guy truly has to think on his feet, he can’t.

Plus there is simply no substance to the man.

Barry’s said he’d do it if they could speak about “substantive issues.” But he’ll waffle and qualify and hem and haw and backtrack on just what those issues are and when might be a good time. McCain should be all over this like a fat kid on the last piece of cake.

“Let’s step out of the soundbite politics of the past and give the American people something new. Let’s heal the divisiveness by campaigning together as Americans and offering up our visions for the future without the rancor of the past. Let’s change the old politics as usual.”

Either make Barry do it, or make him say no to that every single day.

If I only had photoshop skills. I can almost see the tiara and the sash that says “Miss Siah”

trubble on May 13, 2008 at 4:22 PM

Made this just for you!

OneGyT on May 13, 2008 at 5:31 PM

The “off the top of my head” part was from a previous edit before I actually looked it up. :-p So don’t marvel at the accuracy of my memory, because my original numbers were 65% and 5%.

What’s to debate about? Their policies are in 90% agreement. Most boil down to a matter of degree. Do we burn Rome down in a day or prolong it over a couple of weeks?

Valiant on May 13, 2008 at 5:15 PM

I see on your blog that you use ACU ratings as a measure of conservative credentials. In that case, what’s 90% in agreement about (off the top of my head, might not be completely accurate) 83% and 8%?

Tell you what Terrye…if you give me $100,000, I’ll vote for John McCain. There, I just priced prostituted my principles.

austinnelly on May 13, 2008 at 5:19 PM

Edited for accuracy.

And out of the three, don’t you see it as counter-productive to not support the one guy who most closely represents what this country needs?

JetBoy on May 13, 2008 at 5:18 PM

Don’t confuse support with slavish devotion. I support Bush, but am disappointed in many ways. Why are you so afraid to let McCain win my vote?

austinnelly on May 13, 2008 at 5:22 PM

Also they have to agree on the meaning of “comprehensive immigration reform”.

If you’re going to chuck principles out the window, why not throw them all out? – autinnelly

Exactly what MOST of us on HA here would be doing if we voted for OTHER than McLaim.

I guess you do plan on throwing all your principles out.

What’s to debate about?

Maybe they’ll tackle the burning civil rights for terrorists question that is driving the American people crazy. Don’t you stay up nights worrying about the rights of the detainees in gitmo? Personally, I’d like to know how much more in taxes I can pay so tornados will stop blowing my trailer apart. Which one of them can tax the environment into the control of the US goverment?