Campaigning the Long Way Around.
John McCain discomfits POTUS in a careful exchange during the healthcare chatfest. McCain first goads POTUS to interrupt and then fires off an angry wit when POTUS tries to dominate the exchange with the pejorative "John," rather than the formal, "Senator McCain." POTUS excuse is that "the election is over." Everyone in the room knows that the election is never over, because there is always another election to revisit the last one. The midterms are a referendum on the Obama adminstration. POTUS and the struggling White House team know this, and that is the only reason POTUS convened the chat fest in Blair House. POTUS is campaigning for his Democratic majority by playing at being the community organizer, and he is campaigning the long way around: talk, talk, talk -- a ponderous version of VPOTUS Biden pompous.
"John."
POTUS has not earned the condescension in his voice toward John McCain. Also, John McCain is running for re-election in Arizona, and he is welcome and correct to use the TV time on the chatfest channel to campaign against his primary opponent, the peculiarly Klingon-like J. D. Hayworth, and the unknown Arizona Democrat. McCain was careful and quick -- skills that eluded him in the presidential campaign of 2008. He scored several stinging points on POTUS with regard healthcare, and that moved POTUS to try to interrupt more than once. What is especially lovely here is that both candidates know they are forever speaking to their voters, not to those who voted against them. Since November 2008, John McCain has only gained in the eyes of the Independents and Republicans. Since the election, POTUS has only weakened in the eyes of the Independents and Democrats.
Bons Mots Test
John McCain's stinging, "I'm reminded of that every day..." to POTUS is the kind of jet pilot maneuver that comes just once or twice in a lifetime of contest. It looks like a legacy YouTube moment. We shall see. The Democrats will wince and snarl at the moment. The Republicans will wince and smile at the moment. It is the bons mots test for pros. If you make them smile, even with irony or gallows humor, you win. If you make them frown, you lose. Note that POTUS is disrespectful with his posture, the right hand on the chin, the grimace and stare, the louder tone, speaking to a man twenty-five years his senior who is the heir of admirals of the fleet and who possesses the history citation for the GOP nomination. There is no treasure to be found in disrespect for seniority, no advantage at all for impatient disdain of the loyal opposition.
Obama started his term as an empty suit. What has changed is that all those around him and the general public now know it. The question remains, does he know that we know it. I suspect not.
Don't be mistaken, he will always have fans as long as he is thought to be about to pass out freebies to the loyal following.
This reality TV show serves to demonstrate the the best and brightest are not at work on our nations problems. We don't know where such people are, but they are certainly not in that room.
John McCain is a hero; a national treasure. He is also a stumblebum who lost his quest for the presidency either deliberately or for sheer lack of nerve. We all knew of McCain’s political prowess; his quickness to anger; his wit and ability to engineer the always effective sound bite size put-down. We waited breathlessly for him to do his stuff during the candidates’ numerous pre-election debates.
It never materialized. In fact, it appeared, he deliberately sidestepped every grapefruit size opportunity to hit it out of the park. In the end, all we could do is feel sorry for him and rationalize that he had been in some way fundamentally damaged while serving his country in a Hanoi prison. Now it is commonly heard that things would be much worse if McCain had been elected.
Republicans have come to know McCain, as a has-been pol, well past his prime. Blind to the dangers his nation is facing, he remains alert for every opportunity to undermine his own party. While the national press adores him, no Republican is fooled anymore. Not even in his own state will grant him another term. If he stays in the spotlight, it’ll be Democrats who will shine it. It is they who owe him big time.
Today’s performance only serves to bolster the indictment against him. It proves that he still has what it takes; that he drew back inexplicably and deliberately withheld the winning hand when it counted most.
http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
Disagree that McCain is a has-been. He continues to score hit-points on POTUS, "e'en now". And he was awesome in the Senate HC debate. If we get saved from Reid-Pelosi, and I see it's up to about 45 on intrade right now (i.e. 55% that we get saved from it), we will have John McCain and a very few others to thank for saving our country.
At the end, in responding to McCain's complaints of prior lack of promised transparency , Obama says "We can have a debate about process or we can have a debate about how we can help the American people, and the latter is the one I think they care about a little bit more".
So, the ends justify the means? I'm sure the Left won't care if it's done behind closed doors and passed by reconciliation, as long as they get the desired result. Some of us do care about the 'democratic' process. If you can't get something passed by following the rules, don't just go around them, like having the EPA declare carbon dioxide a pollutant based on the farcical IPCC 2007 report.
What gall Barry O has. HE NEVER SWITCHED FROM CAMPAIGN MODE !!!! He flys around promoting this and stumping for that and trys to win EurAsian sympathy by bowwing to unsavory characters.
2012 can't come soon enough.
vsk
These Democrats who are saying that people care about the end results, not the process - remind me, are they the same ones who were calling Bush the "Great Satan" for using waterboarding at GITMO to get info out of known terrorists? Do these people even stop and think about what they are saying anymore?