fossten on December 12, 2008 at 6:33 AM

drop dead

Puritan1648 on December 11, 2008 at 10:34 PM

ausgezeichnet

Janos Hunyadi on December 11, 2008 at 10:57 PM

…gesundheit!

…a little honey and lemon in hot whiskey should clear that right up….

…a little honey and lemon in a lot of whiskey, hot or cold, and you won’t care….

Listen, politics is for grownups. There was little or no chance that any Republican was going to win this election.

mikeinamman on December 12, 2008 at 4:28 AM

…and here we have demonstrated why the Republicans lost…the belief, put forward daily by the establishment media, that the Republicans were doomed…opposing an empty suit with more skeletons in his closet than Jeff Dahmer, and they lost….

…they talked themselves out of victory…once again, allow me to point out: a species of treason….

…don’t like it? Sorry…just a little more history for you….

wise_man on December 11, 2008 at 10:43 PM

…first, “country first” is a ringing slogan…but, running a campaign which limited its own ability to campaign — the oft-mentioned “bringing a knife to a gunfight” — was, to quote myself, a species of treason…how is the country now better off?

Parties exist to win elections and then govern according to a commonly-held set of values. Firstly, he didn’t and doesn’t share the values of either his party or its majority supporters. Secondly…well…he lost. After at least one excellent and savvy decision — Palin — he allowed himself to be talked into neutralizing her, and then into being so “decent” that he allowed an empty suit get elected. Well done.

Everybody salutes his service. Everybody trips over themselves to salute Powell’s service. Neither is of much bloody use now, so let’s drop the salutes and get on with the search for a viable, ideologically flexible but solidly rooted candidate….

…you seem to talk like a party man…what’s the party done for us…lately…?

I was one of the handful of people on this forum who strongly questioned the wisdom of having McCain as our candidate, and for that I was roundly berated for “not being patriotic” and had my conservative bona fides questioned for not supporting this sh*t sandwich of a candidate.

In spite of there being two wars ongoing (one largely unpopular), a sitting president with the lowest approval rating in history, and the chance to help make history and vote in the first black president, Obama didn’t win in a landslide, and I question the sanity of people who call a 53% to 47% margin a “mandate”. On Nov. 4th, people held their nose and voted for what they thought was the better of two lousy candidates. If we had ran Romney instead, we would have won the election – particularly after the financial meltdown on Sept. 9th. But people didn’t want to go with Romney because they thought he was a “flip-flopper”. Romney’s political instincts were honed by pragmatism – first as a successful businessman and secondly as a Republican governor in a Blue state. McCain was (and is) a pure opportunist; he’ll say and do whatever is in his own selfish political interest (he’s a “maverick”) and has no qualms of sticking it to his own party. It’s no wonder he’s such good friends with Lieberman – he’s the mirror image of him.

Oh, McCain has that ability, but only against fellow Republicans.

ddrintn on December 11, 2008 at 10:24 PM

Exactly, my frustration with McCain is ignighted with a shot of steroids when I consider the fact that the same man who fought one of the dirtiest primary fights I’ve ever seen, happily smearing members of his own party later believed it was undignified of him to fight with anything less than two hands tied behind his back.

It was as if he was purposely trying to sink the Republicans this year.

I guess, we’ll get to see how well the presidency “functions” with a corrupt Chicago politician running it, won’t we.

heh, heh, heh

And some have been called “traitors” here for voting for McCain, and that vote has somehow been blamed for Obama’s victory.
mikeinamman on December 12, 2008 at 4:28 AM

Anyone who thinks voting for McCain in the general was traitorous is simply ignorant. Conversely in the primary, a vote for McCain was uninformed and counter-productive to conservatism. I appreciate your service both in the Marine Corps and as a McCain supporter….but McCain is not and never has been (nor will he ever be) a conservative. His philosophy on politics is one of appeasement and not leadership. The reason we got McCain was because the conservative vote was split between Huckabigot and Romney.

Any honest person will admit that McCain viewed the nomination as his vindication for the drubbing Bush gave him in 2000 primary. He wasn’t interested in winning the general at all costs to save this country from a socialist and seemed more focused on losing with honor so he could give the mother of all concession speeches.

McCain, as I predicted when he was building support in the primaries, would lose to ObaMcCarthy because he was not a conservative. He, as a democrat lite, was too old and too much like Bush to give the country a viable alternative to a clean articulate vibrant black dude.

You hitched your wagon to a burnt out star and in the general the rest of us jumped on with you because a burned out star is better than a black hole (no pun/racism intended).

did a drunk driving mexican kill your family?

wise_man on December 11, 2008 at 10:59 PM

you are one messed up, stupid mother f*cker.

Seek help.

wise_man on December 11, 2008 at 11:29 PM

Take your own advice. And while you’re at it, find another blog. You aren’t welcome here. You spew more hate than the lib trolls.

Listen, politics is for grownups. There was little or no chance that any Republican was going to win this election. A study of history alone would have made that clear, in spite of our belief in our fantasy candidate–Huckabee, Thompson, Romney. When my older brother, a 20-year Marine officer with combat service dating back into the 80s against Libya, began speaking of voting for Obama–and I dare you to call my brother a “traitor”–I knew we were in trouble. As someone already posted, it was a miracle McCain did as well as he did. Hillary would have wiped the floor with him.

And after the woulda-shoulda-coulda of the primaries and the embarrassingly childish use of the passive-aggressive FIFY on sites like this one, the fact remains that there were two candidates on the ballot, Barack Obama and John McCain. And some have been called “traitors” here for voting for McCain, and that vote has somehow been blamed for Obama’s victory. Tell me how a vote for Bob Barr or a non-vote had less to do with Obama’s victory than a vote for McCain. That makes absolutely no sense, and is the product of a childish mind who simply cannot accept that his party lost. Are you still angry over your Little League defeats as well, and still blame the poor kid who struck out when he was 9 years old, in the bottom of the ninth, in a game you were losing 52-0 anyway?

Nah. I’m done with the $ stops there stuff. We are the party. The party chose Mac. Mac lost.

Plain, pure, simple.

This civil war the Reps are in is welcome (to me). I’m done with the rah-rah-sis-boom-bah stuff. They either have a plan or they don’t. Any candidate who says they have a plan better be prepared to chisel it in stone or this Texan’s wallet stays in his back pocket.

Limerick on December 12, 2008 at 12:36 AM

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The primaries were set up to elect the most liberal Republican. Winner take all means that the conservatives split the vote and McVain won. The Democrats had a proportional representation primary system and they got a candidate who represents the majority of the Democrat party. We got a squishy RINO.

May he never work another Republican campaign again.

Well, I doubt it would have worked. But still, that’s relatively cowardly to only want to govern with you have a mandate. If you don’t believe that you can do a better job, mandate or no, then you shouldn’t run in the first place. Instead we get Obama. Thanks a lot.

Spirit of 1776 on December 11, 2008 at 10:14 PM

Amen.

McCain (obviously) could not afford to just talk about the issues that polled well. He needed to talk about the issues that mattered, and why they mattered, and why you should then vote for him.

Sound too hard. George W. Bush was able to do it. Which is why McCain lost to Bush in the first place. Bush is a better campaigner.

That’s right. Bush is better able to articulate what he believes and why it matters than McCain is. Even with his low approval rating, Bush could have won this election over Obama, and McCain … couldn’t.

hey douche, i really would look forward to an actual coherent explanation of how someone who fought and worked very hard for the GUY WHO WAS THE ONLY OTHER VIABLE CHOICE ON THE BALLOT OTHER THAN DUH1 is “responsible” for duh1 winning.

/not gonna hold my breath tho …

Over here, though, even if you’re April Orit, don’t blame the French. Blame the conservatives, the ‘independents’ and the formerly sane Democrats, including those who stayed home, or voted for Barr, or their goat.

Hey now Entelchy, I wasn’t running and I blasted McCain with all barrels through the primaries. I voted for Romney and then Palin, f**k McCain and the donkey he tried to ride.

Spirit of 1776 on December 12, 2008 at 12:44 AM

As disappointed as you are you can take heart in the fact that the Obama years will be the end of the Democratic Party. Yes, to any blue trolls out there in HA-Land, I believe you are Darwin’s next victim. Unless we are careful we might be on that list too.

Each of us must look at the fella in the mirror and figure out what we need to do right instead of all this mamby-pampy Johnny-did-it finger pointing.

No, but that’s pretty much verbatim from his Leno visit the week after the election isn’t it?

meltenn on December 12, 2008 at 12:14 AM

He refused to stand up for her though she has repeatedly said what a great man he is. Disgusting and typical. She’s a class act, and he’s classless. I used to think it was unfair to mention the way he treated his first wife. I’m beginning to think it’s fair game now.

Nah. I’m done with the $ stops there stuff. We are the party. The party chose Mac. Mac lost.

Plain, pure, simple.

Yeah, you’re right. I’m just disappointed. I don’t think the product matched the packaging…I mean ‘stand up and fight’ had me juiced, but in a few short weeks I felt like that A-A radio guy at the McCain rally who was imploring McCain to fight. But now that’s my problem, not his:)

Agree with 2nd part too.

The whole campaign was totally fubar from McCain and senior staff on down. There were bright spots (the ‘Cuda for example) that could have turned the campaign, but they somehow managed to screw even those up.

meltenn on December 11, 2008 at 11:51 PM

McCain lost this election all by himself. He performed worse in the debates than Bob Dole did against Clinton. McCain couldn’t articulate any economic message at all. We were in the middle of an economic meltdown, and the Republican candidate couldn’t speak coherently about the economy. Instead he put us all to sleep with heroic tales of how he saved the American taxpayer from $3 million earmarks for museum projectors. When he was asked a softball question about what the economic advisers he would surround himself with, the only name he could come up with was Meg Whitman. Now, Whitman is a smart lady, but she’s not exactly a Milton Friedman! McCain made no sense in those debates. He got a vote of no confidence from the American people.

Unfortunately most Americans couldn’t see through Obama’s rhetoric. I knew he was full of crap, as did most of the people here, but the average American bought it all, and McCain never called Obama out on his nonsensical economic plan.

Four days before the election, Palin gave an interview with Greta Van Susteren in which she was asked to give the reason for why people shouldn’t vote for Obama. She said:

I believe they are going to put this nation on a course that will erode the work ethic and the entrepreneurial spirit that has grown this country into the greatest country on earth. Because their idea of taking more from our families and more for government from our small businesses will kill job creation opportunities and it will kill that idea that you will be rewarded for your hard work ethic. Unfortunately that kills opportunity, too. for us to be generous and compassionate with our fellow Americans. The Democrats, it seems, on this ticket anyway, led by Barack Obama, seem to want government to mandate that we be generous and compassionate with one another via spreading the wealth. That is not the American way. We don’t need to go down that road. John McCain has a better idea that’s spreading opportunity by allowing our businesses to keep more of what they earn and produce so that they could hire more people, grow the economy that way, provide more for their employees…

Why couldn’t McCain articulate that message? And why in the world did his staff hide from the media the one person on the ticket who could articulate the message? I think the focus on Palin was in part due to a subconscious assumption that she was the voice of the ticket because she was the only one really making the case. But she wasn’t the one calling the shots. McCain was, and McCain failed.

McCain lost this election all on his own, and, pardon me for saying this, he deserved to lose. Unfortunately, the country does not deserve to suffer under Obama.

We deserved better.