So, on MSNBC's First Read, this popped up (emphasis MSNBC'S):
"After I whip his you know what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain said of his upcoming debate with Obama, but seeming to consider recent criticism that his words have been too inflammatory, he quickly told supporters to be respectful.
"I wanna emphasize again, I respect Sen. Obama," McCain said. "We will conduct a respectful race and we will make sure that everybody else does too," but he also reiterated that there are "stark differences" between the two candidates.
And thus triggered my inner KO...
First off, props to the the reporter for phrasing it "seeming to consider" - but seriously, now...C'mon, MSNBC. Just call it what it is: Pure hatred-and-fear-baiting. Nothing less, nothing more. It's just as simple as that. Ask Keith and Rachel, they're not afraid to do that. This is the umpteenth-times-200 time McCain has pulled this "Oh, did I just say something inflammatory? Oops! Here's something about "being respectful" for all you reporters!" having-his-cake-and-eating-it-too crap, and it's still always reported as if he seriously didn't know what he'd just said. Bullshit. He knew what he was saying, in that quote and others, and he knows he can keep stoking the anger in his crowds while he still plays the press like a piano so they report it as if he's making an honest effort to tamp it down.
Which is total crap.
Secondly (as I veer into the first-person...): "After I whip his you-know-what in this debate?" Really, John? Really? Aside from showing the same contempt for Obama as when you called him "That One", there's also the fact that if one wanted to, they could easily construe that as another subtle race-baiting comment. Seriously, John, here's a reminder: You're an old white man. It'd be bad enough if you'd said you were gonna "whip" anything of Obama's if you were a young white man, but it just comes across as even worse when you say it as an old white man. You're not helping yourself at all.
But, of course, you don't care anymore, John. That is, if you ever cared. My grandfather (who's probably glad he died before this administration sent us down the tubes) had you pegged, way back in 2000. Dad asked him why he was supporting Bush instead of McCain in the primaries, and Grandpa said outright, "Don't kid yourself. McCain's a dishonest, angry jerk." That's a paraphrase because I can't remember the exact quote Dad told me - but that is the essence of what Grandpa said to him. Unfortunately, Grandpa was wrong about Bush - but boy, did he ever hit the nail on the head with you.
I'm not gonna pontificate on whether or not Grandpa would be voting for you or Obama in this election, because I honestly don't know. I'd like to think he'd be an Obamacan, but I just don't know.
What I do know now, Mr. McCain, is that you are exactly what my grandfather described: Dishonest, contemptuous, and wrong for this country. After the savaging you received in South Carolina 8 years ago, you have the nerve to allow your wife and your campaign surrogates to call Obama's campaign "the dirtiest campaign in American history?" You have the nerve to stoop to hiring the same people who threw you under the rug in 2000 to run your 2008 campaign? I see "the old John McCain" came back Friday. I wish I could believe that moment was one of actual honesty, and not another vapid attempt to generate positive headlines about you - but considering "the old John McCain" came back after your campaign realized catering to the racists wasn't helping you at all in the polls (not to mention you haven't stopped running your fear-baiting ads, and have just instructed Sarah Palin to switch to the abortion-fear baiting) - I really have a hard time believing that moment was truthful.
You say you aren't getting the respect you deserve. Well, after the contempt you've shown for anyone who doesn't agree with you or simply points out a contradiction in your arguments, what the hell did you expect? After these weeks of your flailing around and proving you didn't learn jack crap from being part of the Keating Five, and proving more and more every day that you have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to the economy, what the hell did you expect? After this recent line of disgusting race-and-fear-baiting of your remaining supporters, what the hell did you expect? The only respect you deserve is the respect you get for serving this country during Vietnam. But that's the only thing I respect you for. From your few appearances on The Daily Show a couple years back, I used to think you were, to paraphrase you, "a decent man whom I just happen to disagree with." I don't believe that of you anymore. Your true self has shown through these past few months, and it has led to your having lost my respect for you in every other category of your person. Utterly and completely.
You are losing. And you are doing it because you thought you could fool us into thinking you were the same person you fooled everyone into thinking you were 8 years ago. In a sense, you have done that: Everyone's beginning to realize that you ARE the same person you were 8 years ago. Unfortunately for you, they're also beginning to realize that you are the same person you were 19 years ago. That you are the same person you were 41 years ago. You had one shining moment of courage in your career way back then, but we are all now beginning to see that even that failed to truly change you.
And our country needs change.