Thick Skin, Self-Esteem Not Protecting White House Candidates
WASHINGTON — If the presidential campaign were kindergarten, rude people could be sent for a time-out or made to write “hope and change” on the blackboard until they are nice.
In kindergarten, you’re not allowed to call anyone a monster or make fun of someone’s middle name.
But this is politics, in a land where freedom of speech is carved into the rock of the republic, and these are grown-ups with thick skins stretched over awesome amounts of self-esteem.
It’s a land that has known and survived the scorched earth politics of the late Republican Lee Atwater, the shark grin of Democratic strategist James Carville, the “rhymes with witch” and “Ozone man” wisecracks of recent years, and the ghosts of distant ages who knew what nasty campaigning was really about.
It’s America. You got a problem with that?
A cycle of insult and puffy indignation has taken hold in the contest between Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, with supporters of Republican Sen. John McCain gleefully pitching in.
It’s been a time to denounce, dissociate, distance and regret, to nurse tender sensitivities, and to see the occasional offender cut from a campaign. Geraldine Ferraro, who resigned a Clinton post Wednesday, was the latest to go.
Obama is generally sanguine about fur flying around him and claws coming at him. But he pays people to get angry on his behalf.
Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, for one, was outraged when Ferraro declared that Obama has only come this far because he’s black. Now Ferraro is outraged at Axelrod’s outrage.
She stepped up a campaign crowd repeatedly invoked Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and called him “the great prophet from Chicago” who wants to sing Kumbaya with “world leaders who want to kill us.’
The talk show host was outraged at McCain’s apology.
Now McCain has rebuked Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa for saying Obama is viewed by terrorists as their savior. King couldn’t resist using Obama’s middle name, too. McCain said through a spokesman that King degraded civil discourse.
As for insulting McCain himself, opponents might as well forget it. By now, he’s heard it all and said it all.
This includes the innuendo spread in 2000 suggesting his adopted daughter from Bangladesh was his illegitimate child — an echo of the 1884 whisper campaign against Grover Cleveland.
A man who calls himself “older than dirt” cannot be easily put out when someone else raises questions about his age. A snippy display with a reporter revealed a temper he’s known to have. He rode out reports that he had inappropriate links with a lobbyist.
As far as is known, his aides are not outraged at anything at this time.
McCain survived torture in Vietnam. In this campaign, sticks and stones are not likely to break his bones.
MC CAIN, FOR PRESIDENT,FOR FREEDOM WE HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE..WE NEED A PRESIDENT
WITH WISDOM,AND CORAGE.MC CAIN IS THE ONE.
THANK YOU FOX NEWS TO OPEN THIS WINDOW OF COMMUNICATION. I’LOVE MY NATION USA,THE BEST NATION,A NATION OF FREEDOM AND LOVE..I’M SO PLEASE THAT McCAIN IS THE CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.TOMUCH FOAM IN OBAMA,AND HILLARY CLINTON..WE NEED A PRESIDENT WITH CONVICTION,LEALTY,INTEGRETY,VALLOR,CORAGE,AND WISDOM.FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION WE NEED A GENUINE LEADER,A PRESIDENT WHO BE ABLE TO ANSWER A EMERGENCY CALL AT ANY TIME,WITH CORAGE,VALOR AND WISDOM…WORDS,THAT WALK THE TALK.I LOVE YOU ALL.I’ VERY PLEASE OF GERALDO,MY PAISANO. LOVE,GLORIA TREVINO….FROM FLORIDA..
WITH ALL THE DEMOCRATIC HOOPLA ABOUT THE RACE CARD BEING PLAYED BY
OBAMA AND THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN, THINKS THIS RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
IS IN THE BAG? THEY WILL BE SADLY MISTAKEN.
THERE ARE REAL ISSUES BEING DECIDED THAT WILL MAKE THEM
THE FOIL FOR THE SPOILERS.
THEIR ANTICS AND TACTICS WILL BACKFIRE ON THEM COME NOVEMBER.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOT STUPID, NOR IGNORANT OF THE CHARGES
BEING LEVELED AT THE DEMOCRATS, AND, THE REPUBLICANS, ADMINISTRATION.
THEIR OWN TACTICS AND OBSTRUCTIONISM IN THE SENATE AND THE CONGRESS,
HAVE MADE THEM AND BACKED THEM INTO A CORNER.
NOW THE REPUBLICANS, ALSO HAVE THEIR FAIR SHARE OF BLAME,
BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT.
IT IS ABOUT WHATS BEST FOR THE COUNTRY AND THE NATION AS A WHOLE, NOT AS SEPERATISTS AND DEVISIVENESS OF; THE, PARTY LINE. NOT, WITHSTANDING THE BACKLASH OF THEIR NEGATIVITY AND CONDENSATION TO THE FAR LEFT WING AND ADAMENT POLITICAL RETORIC.
THAT WILL AFFECT NOTHING BUT, MOORE AND MOVE-ON, THEM TO DEFEAT
AND MORE GRIDLOCK IN THE CONGRESS AND THE SENATE!
WITH VETO AFTER VETO FROM THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THEIR OBNOXIOUS AND ARRAGANT CONDUCT; OF THE COUNTRIES BUSINESS AND OUR, INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY, INTERESTS AROUNT THE WORLD.
DON’T EVER FORGET, AND NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ADMINISTRATION WHEN THE
PARTY POLITIC OF THE (DEMOCRATS) ARE THE INSTIGATOR OF THE CURRENT CRISIS
IN THE ECONOMIC SECTORS. AS WELL AS,
“THE DEFENSE! OF THIS NATION, AND THE BORDERS.”
AND THE ILLEGAL IMIGRATION, ISSUES ALL ARE THE DECIDING FACTORS!
THEY MUST ADDRESS THESE ISSUES BEFOR THEY GET TO THE NOVEMBER GENERAL ELECTION.
AND MR. McCAIN; IS OUT DOING THE JOB OF THE COUNTRY WITH HIS UPCOMMING
OVERSEAS VISITS THAT, WILL HAVE THE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW TO
STRENGTHEN OUR DEFENSE AND INTERNATIONAL ALLIES SUPPORT FOR THE WAR ON TERROR.
IN OTHER WORDS, BEING THE RIGHT CANDIDATE TO DATE; FOR AS HE IS CONSENTRATING ON; THE WORLD VIEW, AND THE BIG PICTURE, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE IGNORED AND ARE BLIND TO, WITH THEIR HATE OF BUSH AND BASHING THIS COUNTRY WITH THEIR, SOCIALIST DOGMA AND AGENDA.
THEIR CONVENTION AND THE SUPER DELEGATS, WILL NOT GET EITHER ONE OF THEM ELECTED, IN NOVEMBER. FOR THE REPUBLICANS AND THE PEOPLE WILL TAKE ALL THIS INTO CONSIDERATION; FOR THEIR SELECTION IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
END TRANS: MARV!
RePUBICans are funny!
Yes, Cllinton has never been called a N*****, but has Obama ever been called a Be-haaach? So, by Obama’s preacher’s logic, neither deserves to be President. Sounds good to me. Vote John McCain, the only qualified Commander in Chief still in the race! Niether Clinton nor Obama can even spell “military,” let alone find their butt with both hands in matters relating to national security.
So many Democrats are like a pack of young children. They miss the important things while getting their panties bunched up about stupid social issues that should be FIDO (forget it, drive on) matters. Who gives a rat’s arse that somebody has been called something. Are you going to throw down your toys, sit down, and cry about it? Big deal. Since I have been called a cracker by Blacks, does that make me qualified to be President? Of course not. Neither does being First Spouse for eight years. That only qualifies you to be a good scrapbook maker (unless you paid someone else to even do that). Hillary failed at her one major leadership role during that whole 8 years (Health Care reform), and yet she has the gall to claim to be the most experienced candidate? As far as I can see, she and B. Hussein O. are about even. Both are inferior to John McCain. Period. Wake up, people. Neither of these two Democratic Bozos should be getting the kind of support they are. Are all of the Dems braindead? Well, I suppose this bodes well for the Republicans in November, doesn’t it? Let’s hope that there are still enough thinking people around to prevent a Demo disaster. And they look down on Bush?????
” Comment by Jennfizz
March 13th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
If “thick-skin” is the criteria for selecting the best presidential candidate, then Bush should be a shoo-in for an unprescedented third-term.
We’re doomed!!!”
Unprecedented? FDR was elected to four terms…
Hey
The third county over from where I live, which is about 48 miles, has no black population, and black people are not allowed to live there. The town is Robbinsville, NC, if you never have heard of it.
Jamestown, TN is the same, no black folks. Those people that do live there are Americans nonetheless, as a matter of fact, many people in Robbinsville are Indians, wherea I think the proper name now for them is Native-Americans.
An American is an American, and we should drop all this African, Native, Latino, stuff. If a feller is black and wants to be called an African-American, then he should go to Africa, because that is where Africans live. If he wants to be called an American, he should drop that ‘African’ stuff, and just be an American.
Same way with Native-Americans, they are simply Americans, and if they don’t want to be an American, then they should leave.
This Islamic crowd is the ones we got to look out for, because they are tring to kill us, and Obama is definitely “hooked -up” with that crowd. He just ain’t the man, people think he is. You just wait and see!!
Regards,
Keith Gibson