Now the dust has settled, it’s clear the attempt by the NYT to hit McCain not only failed, it has indeed done what nothing else could–cast McCain as sympathetic in the eyes of Conservatives. I’m one who was surprised to find myself feeling protective of him and his wife. I also found it slightly apropos as a lesson McCain needed to learn–when you cozy up to the Establishment Media, it’s like letting a scorpion ride on your back across the pond–the scorpion will kill you, even when the end result will include its own demise. It’s simply the nature of the EM to reach out and destroy. The NYT in particular is the primary tumor of the malicious leftist EM in this country. Their attack on McCain makes it clear, they hate not just Conservatives (McCain is certainly not that) but will try to take out the one candidate who has refused include surrendering to the enemy as part of his campaign platform.
Some of you may not be moved by this event. My final decision about McCain still rests on his Veep choice, and other actions he must take to win me, but I’m certainly more sympathetic to him, if only because the NYT has confirmed he is not as much in their pocket as I imagined.
Here’s a Politico piece assessing the McCain response and Conservative reaction. Is it, though, your reaction?
McCain turns tables on Times
Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign claimed vindication Thursday night after a sophisticated 24-hour counterattack turned a potentially lethal story in The New York Times into a conservative call to arms.
The piece about McCain’s friendly relations with a telecommunications lobbyist — long-discussed in political circles and planned for weeks by McCain operatives — was the first test of his ability to confront a public-relations crisis since becoming the GOP’s presumptive nominee.
But the reaction may have said as much about the mindset of the conservative movement on the brink of the general election as it did about McCain and his team.
Tammy: while you are making up your mind about whether to support McCain, you might want to consider Obama’s position on gun control:
“In his answers to the 1998 Illinois State Legislative National Political Awareness Test, Obama said he favored a ban on ‘the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.'”
I’m not saying McCain is good on 2nd Amendment issues (I voted against him in the 2000 primary for precisely this reason, even though I didn’t particularly like Bush) but at least he has shown some evidence of support. In my view, the conservative cause has already lost the presidential election. What we need to do now is cut our losses and elect the guy that will do the least damage.
Also, now would be a good time to focus on getting Senators and Representatives that will take back the Congress. My belief in the strength of our country is too strong for me to accept the rhetoric that we really are on the road to serfdom. But if we are, a little gridlock might be a good thing, hmm?
I’m in the same spot in which you find yourself about McCain, Tammy. A lot rides on his V.P. choice but this hit piece by the Times has made me a bit more sympathetic to him.
I do find myself becoming increasingly disturbed by the prospect of a President Obama and therefore have been hoping that Hillary rallies and takes the Democrat nomination. I believe she’s more beatable than Obama in the general because of her high negatives.
The “Stepford Democrats” enraptured by Obama must be defeated.
I’m with JACK OF CLUBS. I like to think of the second amendment as a “RESET” button. No one likes to re-boot and start over, but, when you gotta, you gotta. We best keep that option.
I’ll echo that I agree also with Jack of Clubs that the election is lost for the conservative side this time. The conservative main hope if if Hillary somehow overcomes the odds against her at this time and defeats Obama. Not only do I not see this happening, I believe she is in her last 2 weeks once Texas and Ohio decide on Obama.
I listen to Obama and then I listen to either McCain or Hillary, and honestly there is no comparison. Obamania has grabbed hold in America, because the typical pols like McCain and Hillary are about to be exited out of the picture, and a fresh perspective started anew. No I don’t agree with everything Obama proposes, but I see nothing inspiring coming from the GOP this time, absolutely nothing. Be prepared to take a defeat in the general, in the 55-57% range for Obama nationwide I would estimate by the time this is over. I can’t wait to see Obama line up against McCain to dramatize the new versus the old.
The cynicism runs deep in American politics, and Obama never tires of promoting uplifting and hopeful messages to millions (and growing). What the country needs now desparately is inspirational leadership, the experience argument is not wearing with large numbers of Americans. Obama is cool in just about every debate or situation I have seen him in, he takes political hits in stride and keeps message.
Bush has soured many (and I voted for him twice and would do so again since Kerry and Gore were so poor as candidates).
Keep an eye on potential assasination windows of Obama, much like was implied today in Drudge. The establishment views Obama as a threat to the current order, and may take him out in advance. Bush has something to gain by this, so does McCain so does Hillary, if Obama was taken out by an assasin. I am not normally a conspiracy advocate, but frankly this news on the Obama rally and lax security smelled today since the government was involved in relaxing security when they are so anal about it everywhere else.
I am kind of a conspiracy nut…I know of a couple I back (April 19, 1995, Murrah Bld. google, Jayna Davis and you will see what of I speak…BTW: these are logical conspiracies backed by facts, not loony 9/11/JFK conspiracies. But I believe that even talking about assasinating a public figure can bleed into a self fulfilling prophecy…I won’t even go there. However; I think the kid (as I call the young messiah) is going to peak in the very near future. In fact, I will go so far as to call this election a similar situation as my first election…Nixon vs. McGovern….Nixon took 49 states to 1. Obama is given far too much credit for simply being a good speaker…it won’t be long until the boomers and the oldsters start realizing that there is nothing there. And the young people will follow sooner or later…and, if the very young rally go’ers do as they did in 1972, they will go to the rallies and swoon, listen to the rock n roll, and then forget to show up at the polls in November.
What’s happened to the NYT is similar to what’s happened to the Clintons: they’ve all become parodies of themselves. The conservative movement has exposed their essence over and over, and the message has finally stuck. We now just glance at the NYT to see what the left is thinking; the paper itself is still almost good enough to line a cat box.
Meanwhile, we know the Clintons in such a disgustingly intimate way, that now we just laugh at all of their “inside jokes” because we know they are true. Some of us have even come to develop a soft spot for Ol’ Hill, in our depression about BHO becoming our next Commander-in-Chief. She’s lead a horrible personal life all the while hoping it would pay off and result in her becoming President and Katie Couric establishing a national religion to worship her. And now… :'( What’s going to happen to Our Lady of Ice that we’ve loved to hate for so long? The race just won’t be the same without her. Perhaps after it’s all over, the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy can take Hillary under our “wing” and guide her to becoming a Goldwater Girl again. Welcome home, my sister!
I could not disagree more about the nothing there comment. He is no messiah, like many in the conservative side want to brand Obama as. Obama is brilliant however, and if there is any 49 to 1 state difference coming, it will be his way and not McCain. McCain offers little but more of the same old, I will not be supporting the same old this time.
On one hand, this confirmed what I knew, as you say, Tammy, the EM will eat its own if it will get them what they want. On the other hand, I also felt for McCain because he got bitten and I hate to see that kind of pain. It made me very angry and I guess there was some protectiveness in me too in a way. I claim him. loosely. Still I wait to see what he will prove himself to be, and I cannot help but think as I type, that I must finish that sentence: Still I wait to see what he will prove himself to be . . . this time.
I don’t know if Don Juan McCain woos lobbyists. I do know he has a weakness for dalliances with liberals. He was carrying on a flirtation with the Gray Lady and got slapped. She sure wasn’t protecting her honor. In this case conservatives are just being consistent in pointing out the loose morals of the NYT. They aren’t taking McCain into their loving arms now that he’s gotten the inevitable Dear John letter from the EM. Ultimately conservatives may need to have a working relationship with McCain, but nothing more. We know how he loves to—how does he phrase it?—reach across the aisle. He’ll do whatever he thinks he has to for one wink from the NYT editorial page.
tammy: Do you think that this will cure McCain of sucking up to the MSM? Or will he keep on going back to the well to see if it is really dry?
Tammy: Do you think that this will cure McCain of sucking up to the MSM? Or will he keep on going back to the well to see if it is really dry?
I’m glad Juan got a boost out of this. Let’s see if he gets a boost out of all the stories like this he has coming his way once Hillary get the nomination. Those of you that don’t know, right now Hillary’s investigators are getting the goods on all those “Superdelegate”. Not a big challenge. She’s already got the goods on Juan. And after she is elected preident by default, we will have a good ‘ol terrorist attack wherewith she will use the patriot act and S.1959 to take all the guns away from us “dangerous rightwing evangelical extremist.” Obama & McCain are bost puppet hoaxes, Get It !?!?!?!!?
That the NYT printed a hit piece on McCain does not change the fact that McCain is a Washington insider, corrupt as they all are, kowtows to special requests of lobbyists as they all do, and is generally a malignant narcissist with a temper who is too old and too grafted into the P.C. and “good ole’ boy” network of Washington D.C. to honor his oath as President. He has no respect for the Constitution or US sovereignty, and way too much respect for himself and his own election. I’ll be g**damned if I will vote for him for President no matter who he chooses for Vice-President or how much insincere BS he shovels out in an attempt to pander to conservatives.
Whoever made that final decision to print the story with absolutely no solid ground and nothing but speculation behind it had to have known that it was just going to put another nail in the fish wraps coffin. Utterly mystifying.
And Ashleymatt, I will be the first in line to welcome Ol’ Hillary back to the fold and slaughter the fatted calf if she came back to the light after spending so many years on the dark side. Goodness knows she deserves some happiness after 35 years of sheer misery.
You just never know. God works in mysterious ways .
Out of the three candidates left in the race, we have no alternative but to support McCain. There is no conservative candidate. McCain is the best candidate to protect the country. The Mainstream Media is the soviet-style propaganda arm of the Obama campaign. They never ask him “how” he would accomplish anything, what the results would be, or call him on anything he says. For example, during the debate, Obama said that American troops are capturing arms from the Taliban because it’s easier than getting them from the current Commander-In-chief. This is nonsense. If American soldiers didn’t have arms and ammunition,how could they capture ANYTHING from the Taliban? They would be forced to surrender to the Taliban.
But the media says nothing and runs this hit piece on McCain to knock the Michelle Obama story out of the news. There is something very wrong with Obamamania. It is a cult of personality. He simply is not qualified to be President of the United States. An Obama Presidency would be catastrophic in the dangerous world we live in. We need to suport McCain and elect as many Republicans to Congress as we can to reign in his “maverick” impulses.
YUP!! What we witnessed here was a good ‘ol “BITCH SLAP!!”
Sorta like watching a bride-to-be throw the engagement ring back at her lover’s face!! OUCH!!
But then again…there’s nothing more fierce than a woman scorned!! I hope the “Honeymoon” is REALLY over this time for Juan McAmnesty and the NYT. With friends like this, who needs enemies??
Maybe another CD is in order here???
http://blip.tv/file/25682
Well said Tammy.
I am still not going to vote for a liberal RINO. But you made some good points. I will vote for the liberal who has the integrity to tell me he’s a liberal – not for the liberal liar who tells me he’s conservative. If he lies about something as basic and important as that what other lies is he telling me?
Rod
Then enjoy the Ahamdinejad invitation to the Obama White House. Enjoy the surrender to Islamofascism. Enjoy a Jimmy Carter-like foreign policy. I have a lot of issues with McCain but at least he is solid on the war with Islamosfascism. I did everything I could do get first Rudy Giuliani then Mitt Romney the nomination. Your ideological purity will bring on defeat over seas and a recession at home with high taxes and high unemployment.
Since Tammy often posts photos of beautiful women (and frequently actresses), I thought she’d enjoy this show: http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=womenfilm
Hat tip to Ann Althouse who is temping at Instapundit.
WOW!!! Antonk!! That link was absolutely amazing!!
It was one beautiful face after another (except for Susan Sarandon). That broke the spell for me.
THANKS ALOT!!
Hey Tammy! I feel no sympathy for John McCain.He is still the same politician he was before the newspaper hit piece and I don’t recall him denouncing the New York Times for their endorsement of him several weeks ago.He was fine when they supported him but was shocked when they turned on him. Unless I see a sincere effort on his part to change his positions on certain issues,he will not get my vote,plain and simple. And I don’t believe that his choice of a running mate will in any way affect McCain. Does he really seem like the kind of man who can be manipulated or controlled by a lowly vice president?? If he chooses a strong conservative for veep,he will always clash with him or her,on fundamental conservative issues. Consider the following ficticious conversation—
……………………………………….
President McCain:(dials VP’s cell)Hey veep,get up to my office as soon as you can,I got something I wanna discuss with you…and don’t keep me waiting!(Hangs up the phone and paces around the Oval Office)
Vice President:(Arrives at the office,out of breath) What’s the problem sir?
McCain:Still doing those conservative talk radio interviews,huh? Who was it today?
VP: It was Tammy Bruce,sir.
McCain:(squinting at veep) Tammy who?? Well anyway,my new secretary was on his way to work this morning and heard some snippets from that radio interview you did with Brucey what’s-her-name.He said that when asked if we should torture bin Laden to get info on that attack he was planning before the Marines captured him last week,that you said we should do whatever was necessary?? Did you really say that?(walks to his chair and sits down,looking up disapprovingly at the VP)
VP:Well yes sir,I did…but let me explain…
McCain:(becoming upset)…hold that thought.I want my secretary in the room. I never lose my temper when he’s around me.I feel like I’m sinning or something.(Taps the intercom button)Mike,get in here…
Secretary Huckabee:(walks into oval office)Yes John,what’s up? Oh did you hear the one about the chicken and the…
McCain: Already heard that one…now shut up and just sit there…(turns to VP)ok look,it’s like this,I am the President,not you. I know you have strong opinions on torture but my decision is final.We got lucky catching bin Laden when we did.But torture never works(slams fist on desk)damnit!
VP: But sir,the FBI has concrete intelligence that bin Laden has activated the sleeper cell somewhere on the east coast.His capture was the activation code sir! We must be willing to do anything…yes,including waterboarding…to save..
McCain:I said NO!! We are Americans…we are above that kind of $&!*#! If it wasn’t for me,we would still be torturing people!
VP:But millions of Americans could die sir,if we don’t get the information we need.Sir,if you’re not going to listen to me,then why am I your vice president??
Secretary Huckabee:(mutters quietly)…I was supposed to be VP…
McCain:(Glares at his VP)Don’t be so naive,you know why I picked you.All that matters is that I’m President now and my decision is final.NO TORTURE!!(McCain and VP just stare at each other)
OK well if there’s nothing else you want to add to this conversation,I’m really busy.See yourself to the door.(VP walks out) Mike,now you see why I distance myself from the conservatives of my party…and that’s a shame ‘cus I wish they were more like me.What a freakin’ pity.Ok,you’re excused. I’ve got alot to do.Goodbye
…………………………………………
Tammy,I just don’t believe that any VP will make John McCain change his views or behavior.
On the above slideshow, it could have stopped at Ann Margaret or Raquel Welch for me.
STORYTOLD….
May I add that as Mr. Veep left the Oval office, the “First Lady” put her arm around him and whispered:
(Actual Quote): “More importantly, my children and I not only trust my husband, but know that he would never do anything to not only disappoint our family, but disappoint the people of America. He’s a man of great character,” (un-quote).
OH YEAH?? Ask wife #1!!!!
(Great storytelling BTW!!)
Antonk, I’m in heaven!!