It's very hard to get a handle on the McCain Campaign anymore. Is Barack Obama, Johnny Ahab's personal Moby Dick, in a campaign which has the kind of deep, existential, Herman Melvillian meaning behind each and every syllable employed by the crew...OR...is Johnny Sitcom running a "Campaign About Nothing" which is being managed by George Kostanza, and about to be cancelled by NBC?
One thing is for certain. Johnny Copycat was so very impressed with Sarah Palin's ability to simply refuse to answer any specific debate questions...that he decided to sing from the same hymnal at his own debate.
Despite my obvious confusion over the focus of the McStain Campaign, or lack thereof...several things are more glaringly apparent than ever.
Johnny Cantankerous should spend his last 19 days as a candidate dwelling exclusively on Bill Ayers, ACORN, and the fact that he has no personal regard for the "health" of any pregnant woman.
It was not particularly surprising to me that the Post-Debate Polling on every network, including Fox News Channel showed that Obama had been identified as the "Winner" of the debate, regardless of whether the polling was done by telephone, as part of a focus group, or by a non-scientific text message poll.
It WAS surprising to me, that almost none of the CNN Commentators witnessed the same debate as the rest of the known universe.
For the life of me, I could not understand why Wolf BlitzKrieg found the need to ask Hillary CLinton how she felt about being at a debate, and not being on stage, "in light of the fact that you came sooooo close" to getting the nomination. To Hillary's absolute credit...she was not only professional in her response, but managed to work in the phrase "President Obama" three or four time during the course of her answer.
Perhaps Vooolfie forgot that Mrs. Clinton is a Senator, FROM NEW YORK...and that the debate happened to be in her home state?
What was even more confusing about the CNN Post-Debate coverage however, was the participation of the CNN Electoral Count Guru...John King. King had JUST FINISHED revealing the CNN Projection which has Barack Obama essentially having 277 Electoral Votes in his pocket...AND a long discourse on how even if McCain won each and every one of the remaining "toss-up" states, he still could not win the election...AND THEN, spent four or five minutes discussing how Johnny McUnderdog "JUST MIGHT WIN THIS THING."
I know I have said this before, but...listening to Blitzer rattle on as though Hillary still had a shot at the nomination, hammering her for a commitment to join the Obama Cabinet, having their own Electoral Guru tell you that McCain can't win, but then expalining what he has to do TO win...and, being virtually the only pseudo-legitimate news network to invite twelve commentators to participate in a Post-Debate discussion that, with the exception of David Gergen and Roland Martin, amounted to a Johnny Psychidelic Love Fest...well...it just goes to show the lengths that a struggling network will go to to attempt to drum up interest in a race that was over two weeks ago.
At one point, I actually thought I heard Dana Bash, Alex Castellanos, Wolf Blitzer, King, Sanchez, Bennett, Campbell Brown, Candy and even Gloria Borger break out into a "Go Johnny gop" chant.
Sad...
I'm getting into a little trouble these days. Not really anything new for me, in a sense. I've been writing for a little bit now, about the race being over. Yes, I now about Gore and Kerry. For God's sake, one would think that no election had been stolen by any political party prior to the turn of this century.
Anyway...I had been doing some targeted volunteer work for the Obama Campaign. And, last Monday, I was part of a group of Obama Workers who were asked to be interviewed for a Post-Election Documentary being produced, not by, or for the Obama Campaign...but, by an indepndent filmaker from Los Angeles. There were twenty or so Obama people, paid staff and volunteers, who had been asked to participate by giving interviews. The session started out with a group interview, followed by individual interviews.
During the "Group" portion of the exercise, I used "The L Word." While the producer was somewhat aroused by what he saw as my being frank, or at least candid...my fellow Obamans responded as though I had just changed my name to Johnny Superstitious, whipped up a corned beef and cabbage for everyone, and pledged my allegiance to Charles Keating. Tonight, in the Pre-Debate, nearly every network played a clip of Michelle Obama reminding the faithful that Barack would "be the underdog until he gets to the White House."
Friends...I am well aware that neither Johnny Desparately, nor Sarah Tundra Trash will ever "go gentle into that goodnight". I know all about hacking voting machines. I saw "Man of the Year". I know the 527s have probably not taken their best shots yet. Hannity used his sparsely viewed weekend TV hour to talk about Bill Ayers. et al. I know Greta is going to do another hour on Saturday fully devoted to Rev. Wright.
I also know that as I write this Posting, the Dow is 733 points closer to a Five Alarm Depression, the Nikkei dropped by nearly 1000 points tonight, and the Hang Seng lost nearly 1300 points. I also know that the polls which show Obama with a double digit lead STILL aren't making calls to cell phones. I know that the Republicans abandoned two more states today, that until yesterday, they had been telling the world they would win. I know that McCain and Palin have actually bought a condo in Pennsylvania...another state where they trail by double digits.
More importantly...I watch republicans who were part of focus groups in Missouri and Ohio, tell the world after tongiht's debate that they are supporting Obama. They were young, old, white, black, male, female, first-time voters, and veteran voters...and at least one might have been a NASCAR Fan.
And, whether they came in either uncommited, OR supporting Johnny McTurnoff...they left the event stating a preference for Senator Obama.
On every network which used "Dial Meters," Obama's explanation of his health care plan, tax plan, positions on education, and women's health, had almost all viewer categories scoring his performance literally, off the charts. The gender gap is widening, McCain is running out of time, money, and has quite clearly, never figured out what is really important to people who do not own 9 houses and 14 cars. His borderline psychotic pandering to "Joe the Plumber" was perhaps the single most offensive display which I can remember in the three decades or more that I have been a student of Presidential Politics.
In fact, I think Joe the Barber, Joe the Cop, Joe the Building Super, and Joe the Unemployed Hewlett-Packard Employee whose job was sent to India by Carly Fiorina...should be SERIOUSLY PISSED that Johnny Streetwalker didn't spend equal time asking each of them if they "wanted a date".
In all seriousness...this has been a lengthy campaign. It is a far, far different campaign that it was that first day on the steps of the Old Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. I felt that Barack Obama was a good, decent, and sincere human being on that day. With all that has happened to our Country in the interim period, I am more than convinced that Barack Obama is either a living Saint, or destined to become one...given the economy he will inherit, and that be charged with repairing.
While I DO HOPE that Americans will be at least kind enough, during the course of our suffering, to afford Barack a reasonable amount of time within which to cause necessary events to occur...I also know that as bad as things seem on October 15, 2008...they will be FAR worse for all of us, by even NOvemeber 4th...and most assuredly by January 20, 1009
I not only believe that this election could see Barack win in the largest LANDSLIDE (There...I said it) since at least the Reagan era. I also believe that bulletproof majorities in both Houses of Congress will be the ONLY way that all of us can assure that Barack has ALL of the tools he will need to make ALL of our lives better.
I stopped really writing about Palin while most others were still obsessed with whatever number of Dingle Digit IQ Types she might momentarily impress. And, while I won't stop WORKING my "you know what" off in order to elect Barack Obama...it really is time to stop WRITING about Johnny McDole...and focus at least as much attention on getting to HUGE numbers in the House, and at LEAST 61 in the Senate. Yes, I know "60" will get us a Filibuster-Proof Majority in the Senate.
But...61 will give Harry Reid the ability to make sure that "Joe the Lieberman" knows just how NOT WANTED he is in the Democratic Caucus.
Another Great Debate, Barack! Your "eloquence" is exceeded only by the extent to which your opponent needs to never again forget to take his meds before the red light shines on Cameras 1, 2, and 3.
Thanks for the read, My Friends...keep the faith and work even harder!