So, the blogosphere (not to mention the Obama campaign and the DNC) is atwitter with the fact that John McCain doesn't really know how many homes he has. You can read about the super gaffe here, here, and here. Of course, Obama's already working it into his stump speeches, as well as a new ad, and obviously the DNC has dispatched surrogates all over the country to do some photo-ops in front of houses. There's even talk of some in-your-face "how many houses do you have" contests with voters. Josh Marshall has seen fit to focus nearly his entire operation at TPM into "investigating" the story.
On some level I understand why reactions to his statement are such as they are. And, I know that Team McCain would ruthlessly exploit any single thing they believed would get them one more vote (or keep Obama from getting one). I also understand that this statement illustrates McCain's hypocrisy, as he's repeatedly attempted to brand Obama as an out-of-touch elitist.
Nevertheless, who gives a damn if McCain doesn't know how many houses he has? I doubt George has much idea about the cumulative housing situation of the Bush clan, but that doesn't have anything to do with him being a horrible executive. For that matter, how closely do you think Kennedy monitored the number of houses his family owned?
I've seen this described as some huge, game-changing, event. Maybe that's true. But, if it is, that's a far more scathing indictment of the politics of American culture than it is of McCain (just like when Kerry's totally explicable verbal gaffe and wind surfing were made issues in 2004). Because you know what? John McCain is a liar. He lies repeatedly and demonstrably. He also takes politically convenient stands on torture despite his personal experiences. He's extremely frightening and confrontational on foreign policy issues, at a time when we simply can't afford that kind of temperament or outlook.
If those issues can't be made salient, either by Obama, the DNC, or the media -- but this one can, then we are truly lost.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
I'm becoming more and more convinced that no one can really be considered wrong unless they are also a Democrat.
McCain: he's got five houses, he's got twenty: what difference does it make? He's still an elitest.
He bought his daugher a loft in DC. When was the last time YOUR parents bought you a loft some place?
Lord knows, it's been a few years since mine could afford it.
Post a Comment