WARNING: This diary contains harsh language and Tarantino-esque imagery not suitable for children or Prudy McPrudes. Because that's how I roll. Reader discretion is advised.
It just happened again.
Okay, maybe not "just": I have Tivo, so what I'm talking about actually happened Thursday and I just saw it.
But it just happened again! And BELIEVE ME, this won't be the last time, so I think this diary is still relevant as a motherfucker.**
I just finished watching the Service Forum on Servicing Service by happy accident: I had found out about it just that day but when I tried to schedule it to record online from work, none of the cable nets' ad wizards who came up with that one, had it on Tivo's schedule. Luckily, I tape Olbie & Madds each day, so I got it anyway...
Once again, McCain brought up his ludicrous idea about he and Obama holding "a series of 10 joint town hall meetings across the country," just like Kennedy and Goldwater planned to, blah, blah, blah. And once again, the talking heads just sat there with their fucking 'attentive listening' faces on, while we all just sit here living in a wikiality where John Sidney McCain puts "Country First."
Hell, even "The View" chicks, standard-bearers of the TradMed after their recent performance, and who cut his nuts off real nice Jesse Jackson style, said it was a good idea.
Puh-leeze. The introduction of that town hall scheme was possibly the most patently transparent, nakedly political gambit I'd seen since McCain became the nominee, until... well, until Miss "In what respect, Charlie?"
Let's list some ways this mavericky and noble proposal really is just about putting "McCain First," wrapped snugly in a faux fur of voter concern:
-- It keeps Obama from introducing himself in person to a large part of the country who doesn't know him well, especially when compared to their familiarity with John "he was a POW maverick" McCain.
-- Oh, and we learned in the primary that where Obama goes in person, support for Obama follows.
-- Town halls are where McCain (thinks he) is strongest and Obama is weakest.
-- It would allow McCain to play to Obama-sized crowds, without attending a Harleys-n-Hookers Ball.
-- It would allow McCain to bask in Obama-size media coverage, which means never having to visit a "sausage haus" ever again.
Gee, I wonder why Obama didn't go for it? Yeah, newflash, GOP fucktards: Obama ain't no chump.
Now, the media knows it's bullshit, too, but they play along because not calling McCain out on his ham-handed attempts at chicanery has been all they've known for so, so long. Sure, when he first floated the idea, one or two articles mentioned the "home turf" advantage embedded in the offer, but most parroted it back at us as yet another sign of McCain's desire for direct Straight Talk above all else.
(Although, as is being widely pointed out, perhaps the hackery existence of the "pro-McCain" media may be FINALLY reaching end of days, since even the AP is bitch-slapping him, and I do believe that is one of the signs of the apocalypse. But we'll see. Don't get me wrong: I'm giddy about it. But to quote 'Pulp Fiction', "Let's not all start sucking each other d**** quite yet." Hey, don't look at me like that, I warned you right in the disclaimer!)
Here are just two articles of many I found using teh Google, both of which gobble down and then regurgitate McCain's political vomitus on this issue:
(Oh yeah, and btdub, the second article, whose title takes on a more pro-McCain tilt once the pull quote is taken into account, was written by... the AP. mmmmmHMMMMM! See my earlier penile reference.)
Obama, McCain at Columbia: 60 minutes of questions, 5 seconds of hugs
Gross money quote #1:
Both candidates lamented the negative turn the campaign has taken in the last several week. Sen. McCain placed that blame squarely at his Democratic counterparts feet.
--AM New York
McCain Blames Obama for Campaign's Tone (registration required)
Gross money quote #2:
At the same time, McCain said the negativity that has infused the presidential race — on hiatus for one day in observance of the 9/11 anniversary — could have been avoided had Obama accepted his proposal for the two to tour the country together doing town-hall meetings, a format in which McCain shines best.
"I think the tone of this whole campaign would have been very different."
--The Associated Press via The Arizona Daily Star (online)
Okay, so in their blurb the AP throws us the tiniest nugget of truth with that last sentence about McCain's 'shiny format', but c'mon! Even though there are far stinkier fish to fry coming out of the McCain campaign, in every bit of coverage I've found about this outrageous statement, the TradMed, as usual, peddles their same special brand of pro-McCain half-assery.
Where the fuck is the REAL follow-up question to this town hall statement, which goes something like:
"So... you're retaliating with false smears because he didn't want to do your town hall idea exactly as you proposed, because, oh by the way, you failed to mention, he did agree to some of them?"
--/Snark News
Okay, a bit much for our news media in that edit, but even cleaned up and tamed down all respectable-like for some grew-some-stones journalist to ask:
"But Senator, how does that 'refusal' by Senator Obama connect to the tone of the campaign now? Do you worry that statement may give some the impression that you're saying that you don't have control over the content of your campaign ads or the people who speak for your campaign?"
--/Snark News
I mean, what could he say to that?! "Oh, I have control, you little jerk! These dick moves are all my doing, becaues 'm punishing him!
But for me, there's an even more signifiant buried lede, if you will, to this story, and that is how, while on a completely different topic and far larger scale, the same sort of hypocritical self-interest is also on display in McCain's mind-boggling statement about knowing how to catch Bin Laden.
Olbermann let him have it but good the other day on just how horrifying a statement that is when taken at face value. Meaning: I guess he'd rather lose a terrorist than a good campaign bargaining chip. That kinda sounds like treason.
But still, IMO, there's a parallel here to this town hall bullshit that no one is drawing to the Bin Laden anecdote, and that is this:
McCain's apparent desire is actually to be PCIC, or Petulant-Child-in-Chief.
To wit:
-- "If you don't elect me and the greatest VP pick of all time, then I won't help you win this critical war on global radical Islamic extremism and those terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying our nation (Charlie!)!"
and
-- "If you won't let me mooch some of your campaign's hard-earned enthusiasm like a hypodermic injection of adrenaline to the heart of the rotting corpse that is MY campaign, then I'm going to douchebag it all the way to November 4th, and it's all your fault!"
Seriously, half of freaking America? SERIOUSLY?
You know, in that same forum, John McCain also said the following about the vitriolic turn this campaign has taken, which of course, is largely because of him:
"This is a tough business. Has it been rough? Of course. The people make the final judgment with their votes."
Yeah, truer fucking words...
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**PRE-PUBLISHING UPDATE: I guess this diary is still somewhat timely after all, despite my Tivo laziness. I started it earlier today, then took a break to walk the best dog in the word. When I came back to finish and publish it, I saw a great "all things Obama" diary on the Rec List by Muzikal203, which opens with this paragraph:
"Tomorrow morning Obama will be on "Good Morning America" and he finally does some pushback on the McCain townhall BS. For those who may not know, John McCain has been blaming Obama's non-acceptance of his invitation to do townhalls as the reason why his campaign has gone so negative. Outside of the fact that "Obama won't travel around the country with me" is the LAMEST excuse ever for being an asshole, it just doesn't make sense. Well, we've been waiting on SOMEBODY, ANYBODY to ask McCain what exactly Obama not doing joint townhalls has to do with the price of tea in China, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, so Obama has taken the situation into his own hands." (emphasis mine)
Amen, Muzikal203! And Halle-fucking-lujah! While the silence of the press is no surprise, I've only heard Obama himself make this point once before, so I am thrilled. Now if it will just lead a journalist to follow-up, perhaps with some of the questions I've helpfully provided above...