What an embarrassing excuse for a conservative
By Charles Bird Posted in 2008 — Comments (108) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Radio talk show host Willie Cunningham crossed the line numerous times when he introduced John McCain at a political rally, repeatedly invoking Barack Obama's middle name. There is plenty of room for criticizing Obama on policy, but inserting his middle name--Hussein--serves no productive purpose. McCain rightfully apologized for Cunningham's remarks. Cunningham's response:
"I’ve had it with McCain. I’m going to throw my support to Hillary Rodham Clinton."
What a supreme moron and an embarrassment to the conservative movement.
...with his new liberal playmates. No supper for him, though, and I'm not going to wash the sand out of his dirty clothes. No TV or computer games either, and bedtime at eight tonight.
Meanwhile, we adults will just have to go ahead and run the country.
I'm for that. Let's cause a little chaos among the Democrats.
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Am I the only one that thinks that almost the entire talk-radio movement, as it were, has gotten a swelled head and an inflated sense of their own self-importance?
Because with the possible exceptions of Michael Medved and Larry Elder, there isn't a one of them that I've listened to recently that don't strike me as having a VERY inflated ego in regards to their position in the conservative movement.
They are a part, nothing more.
"I ain't never votin' fo another Democrat so long as I can draw breath! I'll vote for a dog first!" - Leola Thomas
There are good shows, bad shows, and everything in between. It sounds like this guy has more in common with Michael Savage than Michael Medved.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
That's true, but the point I was making, a lot of people I generally thought seemed not to have an inflated sense of themselves, even if they weren't the most substantive host (i.e. Hannity), seems really puffed up lately. I just wonder where it came from.
"I ain't never votin' fo another Democrat so long as I can draw breath! I'll vote for a dog first!" - Leola Thomas
Not that Rush doesn't have an inflated ego, but he's earned it, in my opinion. There are some other fine people on the Right in talk radio but as a rule, most of them are truly awful.
I would except Rush from that though, he does have an inflated sense of himself, but it's pretty well deserved and part of his charm :) Everyone else just seem to be poor copycats.
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.
And it sure sounds like I haven't been missing out.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
Frankly, he gives conservatives a bad name. McCain is probably better off not having him around.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
What's the difference.
Barack Hussein Obama is his name. Do we have to tiptoe around the fact that he has big ears, too?
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George Soro's and company have a 20 million dollar warchest to be as nasty as they want to be and mentioning a man's middle name and his big ears are disrespectful and uncivil?
All is so lost.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
I suspect that the guy would have been the nominee in 2000.
Or, barring that, around the middle of January.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. --Voltaire
Then, just how did Ronald Reagan get to be President? By hitting his opponents hard on the issues.
This sort of stupidity is the mark of someone who just doesn't get it. Comparative campaigns are fine and effective, when they focus on substance. Silly temper tantrums will get you, deservedly, defeated.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
"Hrm. Who ought I vote for?", this undecided voter asks. "Perhaps I will google and thus find enlightenment."
Google, google, google.
On the Democratic website this undecided voter finds essays about how moving Obama's speeches are, how quality health care is something that we all deserve, and that "Yes, we can!" video.
On the Republican website she finds the statement that Obama has big ears and his middle name is Hussein. HUSSEIN!!! HUSSEIN!!!! REMEMBER SADDAM HUSSEIN??? HIS NAME WAS HUSSEIN TOO!!!! HUSSEIN!!!!!!!
Toward which direction do you think this undecided voter will lean?
If your answer is "Toward JOHN MCCAIN! Because he's a patriot, he's good on the War On Terror, he won't be bad on judges, and he'll be good on the budget and away from Obama because Obama is awful on the abortion issue, a panderer when it comes to the War On Drugs, awful on taxes, awful on health care, and awful on immigration", I'll have to say something to the effect of "dUh, you missed the part about how this undecided voter found posts about Obama's (redacted) EARS AND (redacted)MIDDLE NAME."
Jeez louise.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. --Voltaire
I voted early in the Florida primary. Find out who and why.
1) She is the one who decided to use the name
2) Rodham is her maiden name, not her middle name
3) Her actual middle name is Diane. I had to look it up since I've never seen anyone use it.
4) Rodham isn't any kind of smear. There's no point to be made by using it (or not using it).
5) It's not the name of some dictator we recently went to war against.
Still can't see any difference?
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
wow that's long...no wonder we all say HRC.
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I was brought up to believe that how I saw myself was more important than how others saw me. (Anwar al-Sadat, President of Egypt, 1970-1981)
N/T
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"You can't save the Earth unless you're willing to make other people sacrifice" - Scott Adams (speaking through Dogbert)
...Cunningham continually referred to McCain as John Sidney McCain III. He didn't, so he's being a hypocrite, plus he's throwing down the Muslim card AND the fear card by inserting Obama's middle name. Cunningham looked even more idiotic on Hannity & Colmes last night by insinuating that Obama was a "Manchurian candidate". A basic Google search would tell even the most simple-minded that Obama is not and never was a Muslim. There are countless policy-oriented ways to take down Obama. There's absolutely no reason to play to people's emotions by using Obama's middle name or raise any issues about skin color.
1. McCain, 2. Thompson, 3. Giuliani, 4. Romney
The guy has no chance against Obama if he thinks he has to apologize for this. McCain will be getting new buttholes ripped for him daily and he's worried about somebody saying Obama's full name? Good Grief.
And he's just reminding Conservatives again why he's hard to get enthused about.
You've got it exactly bass ackwards. If he has any hope at all, he needs to distance himself from people who are obviously willing to engage in bigotry and other such stupidity as this idiot is.
If "Conservatives" are required to be mini-Mike Savages, count me out.
"I ain't never votin' fo another Democrat so long as I can draw breath! I'll vote for a dog first!" - Leola Thomas
You think the Obama campaign is going to be gentle with Senator McCain? Do you really don't think there wont be some hard, hard shots (some cheap shots, too) taken? Do you, in your right mind, think there will be immediate apologies coming from Barack?
I don't know when Republicans became afraid of their own shadow, but it's time for them to grow a spine.
And I don't even think the Hussein thing is terribly effective, but it's not some gigantic withering personal attack that McCain had to apologize for before it was even paid attention to. Now it's more of an issue than it ever would have been.
Actually, it might be a clever stroke of fortune. McCain came out smelling really good (especially among moderates) and if Obama does not doe the same against the Kos-Moveon types, he will look really, really bad.
McCain needs to appease the base, yes. However, even with the base intact, only about 20% of the independents control the election.
Remember, if we debate on the issues, not the Cunninghams of the world, not the 'hopechangehopechange' mantra, THAT is when Obama will be revealed as the empty suit liberal that he truly is.
I'm of the mind that most people who want "change" see that as one of the things they want changed. The Bush/Clinton Partisan Lens style of politics has not made either very popular.
I for one am happy to see someone trying to bring politics up a notch in civility, integrity and respect.
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On his show, I have no problem with what he said. That he assumed he could do that in that venue showed some stupidity!
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Well, when Obama annihilates McCain in November, you can go to bed at night satisfied that "civility" was brought up a notch.
I'd rather win dirty than lose clean. And I still don't see how saying Barack Hussein Obama is dirty campaigning. Not terribly orignal or inspiring, but no big deal. And I'll enjoy seeing how the "nice guys" here react when the broadsides are launched against McCain.
RT
If you win dirty, then your sheet is bound to get dirty.
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
but we nominated someone who still believes in integrity. And it's one of the reasons I'll be voting for him in May and November.
As for your "it's just his name" defense, context matters.
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... it was that Cunningham's "hit" would have been to McCain's chin not Obama's.
Obama is no doubt perfectly happy (even if he denounces it) to have a bunch of morons trying to remind everybody that his middle name is like Saddam's surname. Most Americans know how stupid it is to think someone's middle name is relevant to choosing a President, and are thus less likely to vote for a candidate who is stupid enough to think so.
McCain wasn't being "nice" to Obama when he apologized for having anything to do with Cunningham's antics. McCain was making it clear to the American people that he wasn't as stupid as Obama would love to portray McCain as.
good god it would be liking having Ann Coulter open for you...and then being shocked that she said something "outrageous"...big shock that would be. It does not bespeak intelligence on someone's part...so I guess if you are stupid enough to invite a "shock jock" to open for you...you in turn must be prepared to apologize.
Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
Big difference between being gentle and being underhanded and bigoted.
If you don't understand the difference, I suggest you go ask your mother. I'm sure she could tell you. Most of the rest of us learned the difference when we were 5.
"I ain't never votin' fo another Democrat so long as I can draw breath! I'll vote for a dog first!" - Leola Thomas
In football, everybody respects a hard shot, but nobody respects a cheap shot. Emphasizing "Hussein" is a cheap shot; it has zero relation to substance. McCain does well in polls because Americans RESPECT him. Would be pretty stupid to undermine that respect just to get in some transient cheap shot digs.
McCain handled this one exactly right.
"If all men were just, there would be no need of valor."
- Agesilaus
rt
If the idiotic screeds of a third rate radio shock jock is what you define as a being conservative then I'm afraid we seriously disagree with the word conservative.
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
amen
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
He was being civil about it. Not "playing nice."
I don't expect a McCain-Obama lovefest to emerge out of this incident, but I do anticipate (with relief) that we might (MIGHT) just have an election on the issues...and not just petty personal attacks.
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I was brought up to believe that how I saw myself was more important than how others saw me. (Anwar al-Sadat, President of Egypt, 1970-1981)
Cunningham only says what about 3/4 of the so called republican's wouldn't say. That's why the Republican party will walk in "darkness" for along time. They will continue until they grow some "johnson's".
Rush was the only one who could make a big ego and bluster seem charming. The others tried to copy the approach.
It's not only not working for them but I think it has tarnished Rush's brand.
They are attempting the same caustic punditry with half the natural intelligence. It has failed miserably and is only going to grow as an embarrassment.
McCain's people called Cunningham because they wanted him to fire up the crowd. Anyone that listens to Cunningham and knows who he is will just about know what he's gonna say. If you don't want Cunningham to say what Cunningham says, then don't call him.
The Conservative radio talk show listeners aren't going to forget this one.
Cunningham is right. He got thrown under the Straight Talk Express.
And so did we.
McCain is going to lose the election for the Republicans because he provokes a rebellion led by talk show radio hosts. It seems so familiar a scenario. But why? Why do I feel like I've heard that before? Wait, is that what happened to Jimmy Carter or something? No, that's not it...
And Googling this one is mostly giving me umpteen billion different screeds about how George W Bush is a tool of the Illuminati for trying for immigration reform. Help me out, here.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
...as McCain rose to be the presumed frontrunner right wing radio hosts went a little overboard in their rhetoric. It was assumed that they would potentially stop him from getting the nomination, but certainly be an "issue" in the election. But he kept getting votes. And then the NYTs posted its idiotic article and it became very clear that right wing radio hosts themselves would not sabotage McCain's candidacy at all. So when someone posts,
The Conservative radio talk show listeners aren't going to forget this one.
I just note that it seems a little familiar. And a little debunked.
[Jimmy Carter has nothing to do with anything, I was merely feigning forgetfulness of the big "conservatives hate McCain" battle of two weeks ago]
Also, George W. Bush is a tool of the Illuminati in so many areas that to limit it to immmigration reform is simply foolish.
I was thinking "historical," not "current events."
And you shouldn't be down on the Illuminati. We offer full dental.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Maybe you could grease some wheels and help a brother out?
In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead. (Rule #11 of the public policy process)
As said by Winston Churchill:
“ An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last."
If appeasing those who will resort to the basest form of racism and moral assault instead of relying on their intellectual to make there case might will result in a loss, well I'd rather support a looser with class than support a petty demagogy and those that support it.
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
go to sleep!
smile
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
McCain certainly was feeding the NYT and the rest of the MSM plenty of material with his bashing of Conservatives.
And enjoy supporting the classy (is McCain really classy?) loser because he is definitely losing in Nov.
mccain's ignorance and
cunningham's stupidity
the election is not lost
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Yeah, I bet he doesn't get called again. And I think you mixed things up. Talk radio may not get as much outreach if they think they can use situations like this to personally attack people.
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He doesn't have to schmooze up to the liberals..they're not going to vote for him anyway.
If anyone ever again wants to know "Dude, you don't seem *STUPID*, why do you vote so stupid by going third party?", I will probably link to this post.
Man is free at the moment he wishes to be. --Voltaire
and others who think politics suck because of the lack of honor and civility. They happen to be swing voters a good bit as well. It's generally partisans who think politics should be ugly.
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Politics is ugly. And it is dirty. And it is partisan.
You need a reality check, my friend. McCain tried to play kissyface with the NYT and what did that get him?
All honor and civiltiy will get McCain is a 3-5 pt loss to Obama.
Come back when he is afraid to use Obama's record or lack of experience against him and you'd have a point. I'm afraid you don't have one here. Childish insults are not the way you win elections... especially when they come with anti-Arab or anti-Muslim baggage.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I have a hunch McCain will be harsher in his criticism of Cunningham than he is of Obama and the Dems. But we will see soon enough.
He "apologized" for Cunningham's remarks. And he says Hillary is "waiving the white flag of surrender."
Sorry Cunningham can't handle the harshness of the word "sorry."
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disappointed in his criticism of Cunningham. Typical McCain I'm afraid, too PC and way too careful with the MSM (surprise!).
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
The 2008 election will go to the candidate who can impress voters that he/she is the most bipartisan.
That's the winning word for '08, BIPARTISAN. It's not Independent. And it is most definitely not "Democrat" or "Republican". And as for 'liberal' or 'conservative', you're almost talking insider jargon these days.
Voters aren't going to vote on a candidate's political theories but on his/her ability to get cross-the-aisle work done.
I realize that politics is a dirty business and it can be ugly and partisan, and in all the time I've been here at RedState I've never known it to be anything other than that. Knowing how the sausage gets made and being an activist, blogging here day in and day out and participating in this melee on a daily basis with the Kossacks and the trolls and the rest of the ne'er-do-wells has left me with no illusions about that.
But there is also a point when I step away from my keyboard and live in the real world: I use my real name here, by choice, and I run a business in the most liberal state in the Union. I work with Democrats and Liberals and people from a wide range of political backgrounds as a matter of survival and to grow my business and pay my bills. Anyone can type my name into Google and find the things that I've written here on RedState, and when I write, either here or at TMR, or anywhere else, I do it with the assumption that everything I say will live forever and ever with my name attached to it.
Because of that basic reality, I cannot and I will not be too much of a bloody bastard here on this weblog, or anywhere else. Blogs are not the entire world: when I wake up in the morning and check my email, the first ones I respond to are from my account executive in New Jersey, who helps to bring me business so that I can keep the lights on. He's a liberal Democrat, more than ten years older than I am, and one of the best salespeople I've ever met. I want to continue working with him. I want to continue working with the clients he brings me. I value his friendship not just because it's convenient and not just because he helps me pay the bills, but because I would be an idiot and a fool if I acted like so much of a jerk online that it offended him so deeply he decided to work with someone else: there are a lot of companies in my area of business, and he's been around long enough to most of them.
I can't speak for Adam, but I know that pragmatically, living in the real world as opposed to the virtual world, there is a certain amount of respect you need to pay for the fact that sounding like a rabid partisan using indefensible rhetoric just isn't possible for most of us. Anonymous users have it much easier: they can say whatever they want, and never pay the piper. I'd like to keep my friends and business contacts, personally, because I have big bills to pay. If that means I'm not going to always meet someone's litmus test for being hyperpartisan enough, tough.
End of rant. Don't take it personally. :)
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Not to mention that one ancient conservative thought, not often expressed here of late, is that perhaps the most effective way of altering the thinking of a hostile culture is by direct, not necessarily even spoken, personal persuasion.
soli Deo gloria
And I'm an eternal optimist and I think we will, one of the gifts I'm considering for my liberal Democrat account exeuctive/salesman for the 2008 holiday season is one of these Gentleman's Knives from Spyderco. I think it makes the (ahem) point exceptionally well, plus it's utilitarian and virtually indestructible when you need to open those boxes of paper or cut through the BS. I know he'll appreciate it. Just as good in the genteel boardroom or the outback, as it were. ;)
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And I may yet entice him to blow of some steam shooting some .45ACP at the range. He'll love it. It'll do him good.
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does tend to realistically modify viewpoints somewhat, such is life. Understand but of course it does not mollify the retired (and those that just don't care)...heh. May your career expand exponentially!
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Question - what is a "swing" voter? Are these voters who can't stand on one solid principal. One day I'm left and then the next day I'm right. We call these people "ifees". One day I'm for you and the next day I can't stand you. Not my kind of folks. I understand you need them to win but it doesn't mean I'm going to invite them over to dinner.
The base is what got you here
But they choose between the candidates and neither party has 50% without some (or usually most) of them.
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I think it was and is wrong to try and attack Barack Obama by using his middle name. There are plenty of legitimate things to attack him for, like his record (or lack of one), and the silly things he says.
However, it is probably a good thing that McCain will likely be facing Barack Obama, and not Hillary Clinton, in the general election. This kind of attack, which McCain is so quick to repudiate, is still rather tame for a political attack. Luckily enough for McCain, unlike Hillary, Barack has no real history of nasty politics, and he might continue this streak into the general.
PS: I wish people had called Jim Webb on this in 2006. He made a big deal of George Felix Allen's middle name. No doubt, he thought it sounded prissy, and perhaps "too Jewish".
Not that the media cared about that, of course. Allen was a Republican.
To not vote for McCain because he doesn't want to use Barack's middle name as an attack is ridiculous, and yet these people claim to be conservatives who vote on issues! Even if you do think McCain was wrong to say what he said, to not vote for him because of it, that's just ridiculous - especially coming from people who are suposedly conservative and vote on issues. And some people here are saying McCain is going to lose because of this. Why, because the only way to beat Obama is by mention of his middle name or because there's a bunch of people who are going to be upset about John McCain being against that line of attack.
There are a lot of uneducated voters out there that don't know anything about issues or policy. They will literally look at the ballots and vote based on people's names, what names they like, who is at the top of the ballot and things like that. Candidates go to court just to determine ballot order sometimes and whole elections are re-done because of spelling errors.
Names are very important its essentially branding. Clinton inherited a well know brand name and so did Bush.
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Conservatives were just coming to grips with McCain so he goes ahead and attacks a conservative talk show host with more energy than he does Obama (or Hillary, for that matter). His repudiation won't get him a single vote he didn't already have, but I'll bet some of the base have more cause to stay home.
....except for his occasional appearances on Hannity and Colmes, where he comes across as a loud-mouthed idiot. This won't lose McCain any votes.
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
I wouldn't worry. I don't think McCain is remotely serious in his calls for civility. He will be civil throughout. So was George Bush. So was Reagan. Other people will make the hard hitting attacks. They have to. 527 groups can't campaign for anyone. They have to campaign against people. That's under a little piece of legislation called McCain Feingold, about which the GOP candidate is extremely well-informed.
The result of Cunningham's attack is that a handful of politically motivated people who were never going to vote for Obama learned what Obama's middle name is.
The results of McCain making an issue of it are that a much larger group of people are aware of this, and they are simultaneously aware that McCain sanctimoniously disapproves of this sort of thing.
If you really believe that going around saying "I would not stoop to revealing that my opponent is a child molester and a satanist" is going soft, you are unbelievably naive. This is a little more subtle than Huckabee's "this is the sort of thing I wouldn't stoop to" attack on Romney, but it is certainly not going soft.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
He did nothing wrong at all! It was nothing. You'd hear that all day long on talk radio. I actually thought he did a great job!
All this is RIDICULOUS! McCain blew it, he totally brought this on himself by reacting without even knowing what was said or anything! No body would have batted an eye. Stupid of him. This thread should have been aimed at McCain for that, not Cunningham, he was fine.
See why here...
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." ~ Von Goethe
One of the two people expressing opinions in that video seemed like a sane, reasonable, thinking, human being. Good for him. He was right to distance himself from Cunningham who comes off as a ranting moron.
But what exactly did McCain 'blow'? He got coverage for Cunningham that the fool could never have got for himself and at the same time positioned himself as a decent human being. The only thing that might, possibly, hurt McCain is that CNN labelled Cunningham as a "McCain backer". Think about it. They didn't do that to do McCain any favours. But McCain himself diffused that slur, so, I wouldn't worry if I were you.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
Mike "Gamecock" DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
http://thehinzsightreport.com
www.theminorityreportblog.com
www.race42008.com
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
I apologize preemptively for what I about to type:
This entire thread is idiotic. We are sitting here debating the value of using a candidates name as a device for attack. Is it wrong to try and paint Barrack Obama as a radical jihadist because his middle name is Hussein? YES. But I must say that it is just as wrong that this same name is some how now forbidden from any sort of political speech. If I refer to Barrack by his full given name that does not automatically make me a bigot, just overly accurate. I do not know the context of the Cunningham statement nor do I care enough to even look it up. If I were to say that Barrack Hussein Obama is a websters dictionary socialist would I be a bigot? Within the context provided I would hope not.
Anyhow "What's in a name? That which we call a socialist
By any other name would smell as rancid." Stolen from Shakespeare's evil conservative twin.
"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
Barak Saddam Hussien Obama Bin Laden. That would be wrong.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Let's not compare him with vicious mass murderers again.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!
The clearly pejorative use of Obama's middle name plays right into the Democrats' hands and enables them to paint Republicans as a pack of race-baiters. Cunningham's remarks would have been ok if they had not included repeated use of Obama's middle name.
McCain was justified in disassociating himself from Cunningham's introduction. What McCain might have done was to note that the rest of Cunningham's comments about Obama were valid, but that the use of his middle name was unacceptable.
Using Obama's middle name is not the same thing as when Democrats enjoyed using Nixon's middle name (Millhouse). This is different, and everyone knows it.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
You overgeneralize.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
"And everyone knows it." No, you're wrong. You overgeneralize.
Ok, everyone but you knows it.
Mike Griffith
Let Freedom Ring website
http://ourworld.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id47.htm
The use of Obama's middle name is seen as Muslim baiting by conservative talk show hosts only when it is used by former Senator Bob Kerrey - a Democrat.
Did Nixon have an "e" in his middle name. I've seen it written out at "Milhous"
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I was brought up to believe that how I saw myself was more important than how others saw me. (Anwar al-Sadat, President of Egypt, 1970-1981)
I guess I'm the only one who thinks that if McCain had said nothing, none of us would even know about this.
And for the talk that this scores him points with the moderates/independents--they aren't paying attention now anyway.
So, who really was McCain's audience for this repudiation? The same audience McCain has spent a career trying to please, the same ones who just got done smearing him.
I guess I'm the only one who thinks that if McCain had said nothing, none of us would even know about this.
That's what I said, above. Cunningham's nasty smear has more coverage because McCain repudiated it.
And for the talk that this scores him points with the moderates/independents--they aren't paying attention now anyway.
That's true of a lot, but not all.
McCain seems to win this both ways. Anyone who will be played by the smear gets to hear of it because of McCain's actions. Anyone who will be offended by it knows that McCain denounced it.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
A bit of a history lesson:
Back in 1990, Ann Richards and Clayton Moore were running for governor of Texas. More seemed to be unstoppable, even after making some truly moronic statements like “Rape is like the weather, you can’t do anything about it so you might as well lay back and enjoy it”. That is, he was unstoppable until someone accidentally booked them both at the same event. That was the evening when Ann Richards walked up to Moore (on camera), and extended her hand. Moore refused to even acknowledge her presence. The film was major news across the state. Moore began an immediate tumble in the polls and ended up losing the election.
Lesson: Texans will forgive a lot, even a caveman mentality on violence against women, but not refusing to shake a ladies hand.
Think that’s an isolated case? Try http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1732304/posts"> this one
Earlier a reader blog entry covered a little controversy in the Minnesota Governor’s race. Judi Dutcher, who is the running mate of Democrat Governor Candidate Mike Hatch, was asked a question about E-85 fuel. Dutcher responded by asking what E-85 is. Now this is a pretty major blunder here in the agriculture states. E-85 is a major issue for us, so the fact that Dutcher apparently doesn’t know what it is is significant. Tim Pawlenty’s campaign, the incumbent in the race, responded to the blunder by criticizing Dutcher for being ill informed on the issues. Amazingly, The Hatch/Dutcher campaign responded to that criticism by accusing the Pawlenty campaign of “attacking a woman.” The absurdity of that response was covered by the original reader blog entry, but today there’s yet another chapter to the controversy. Hatch's anger overflowed during a Thursday morning telephone interview. A Forum Communications reporter asked Hatch about Dutcher's knowledge of ethanol and why she wasn't available to discuss the issue. Hatch abruptly ended the interview with: "You're nothing more than a Republican whore. Goodbye." He then hung up. Television crews following the Duluth native Thursday reported other sharp comments when reporters pressed him for response to Dutcher's comments. A “Republican whore,” eh? If criticizing a female candidate for not being knowledgeable on an important campaign issue is “beating up on a woman,” then what is calling a reporter a “Republican whore?” Of course, Hatch is now denying that he made used the term “Republican whore,” but I’m not buying it. That’s not something a reporter is going to lie about, nor is “Republican whore” something that is easy to misinterpret.
I believe Hatch had a slight lead when this dust-up started, he ended up loosing the election by a comfortable margin. Admittedly, this episode substantiated the rumors about him having a vicious temper, and Minnesotans are unnaturally polite to begin with, but the lesson here is that people will simply not vote for a candidate they wouldn’t want to invite over for dinner.
Given all of the rumors about McCain’s temper, I think it’s a good idea for him to act with as much civility as he can.
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"You can't save the Earth unless you're willing to make other people sacrifice" - Scott Adams (speaking through Dogbert)
Clinton's slide began when her surrogates made similar remarks about Obama, and then she would apologize, only to repeat it the next day or week. I'm not saying that McCain put anybody up to this, it doesn't seem like he did. However, I'm getting deja vu regardless, and using the kiddie gloves on Obama allows him to keep that holier than thou campaign going.
Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney
Look at how McCain hit Obama today. McCain will hit him hard on the issues, not on his middle name. You know until the last couple of days I thought Obama would win a close race. Now, I think McCain take him; I really do. McCain has character; Obama is a character.
Think about this one; John McCain was a POW longer than Obama has been a US Senator. Yes, McCain is the cript keeper, but he knows that and he jokes about his age, just as Reagan did. He brings stature, Hillary brought bitchness. They tuned her out.
When these two men stand or sit side by side, I believe is McCain keeps his cool and is not condescending, his stature will shine as his character does.
He will point out the policy differences, while being respectful. I don't know if he will win, but I have a better feeling today than yesterday.
Look at Obama's video; I just can't believe Americans want Jimmy Carter on Steroids in the WH!
Willie was being childish and was called out on it. What a little baby.
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Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.