Your Stupid Lies, It Just Makes Me Wince

by Eric Martin

Another day, another couple of howlers from John McCain.  I particularly like the utterly shameless lie about Palin never accepting an earmark as governor.  Wow.  That one was so bad that even Jake Tapper took notice.

Seriously, John McCain has decided to completely sell out.  He's just going to lie over and over again about his record, his positions and his proposals from now until November in the hope that the American people won't catch on.  Sarah Palin is marching in duplicitous lockstep.

It really is a remarkable thing to observe.  Obviously, all politicians embellish and bend the truth.  Some outright lie on occasion.  Still, and perhaps I'm being naive, but I don't recall another high profile campaign that was as committed to telling untruths, whole untruths and nothing but untruths.  So help us all, God.

Imagine, for a moment, if McCain was confident enough in the merits of his policies, and the soundness of his record, such that he didn't feel the need to lie about both incessantly?  Imagine if McCain had enough belief in his own strengths as a candidate that he didn't feel compelled to lie repeatedly about Obama, and Obama's platform, in order to get an edge?  Imagine the media actually made McCain pay for this parade of lies?  Imagine enough Americans were paying close enough attention to punish him for it?

I know, I know. I'm starting to sound like a quixotic John Lennon song.  But since I'm down that path already, how 'bout a little instant karma?

Comments

[cleek]

O'Sanity, Here We Go Again.... more Mind Games from McCain. Whatever Gets You Through The Night, i guess. but How Do You Sleep ??

but me: I'm Stepping Out. I Don't Want To Face It. come Cleanup Time, we'll all Come Together, I'm sure. until then, maybe a Visit To Canada is in order? at least until the Hard Times Are Over.

[eyesonthestreet]

Even more insidious is the ads by McCain. How dare he use Obama as a man who would harm young children or dishonor a woman? The man who did harm children and a woman was McCain, abondoning his disabled wife and young children.

[stvk]

In a way, his explosive lying seems to reflect on not just his political strategy, but also on his personality and how he responds to stress. His reputation for a "quick trigger" and a temper seems to have translated into, what seems to me from viewing clips from The View, etc, as impulsive lying. Whether or not his reputation for having a temper is deserved or whether it even matters (having a temper doesn’t mean you’re going to push the button impulsively – here’s hoping!), his seemingly uncontrollable lying seems to be a true reflection of how he responds to stress. I’m not trying to be a backseat psychologist here, it’s just my impression from how quick he is to spat out a lie when put under pressure. Perhaps the fact that his campaign as a whole has made a hard right onto fib street is the somewhat slower manifestation of his more obvious impulsive reactivity.

[ThatLeftTurnInABQ]

Eric,

This contest certainly does seem like it is reaching new lows of mendacity (and how knows what will happen in terms of vote suppression techniques come November, not to mention the foreclosure based voter rolls purge already in progress in Michigan), but some of that may be nostalgia talking. Nixon was pretty awful, both rhetorically and in terms of dirty tricks. The Willie Horton ad in 1988 was disgusting. Add other example as you see fit.

But right now, in the thick of it, I’m seeing red (as in anger). If I still feel this way 6 months after the election (and assuming McCain wins), then I’m thru with any sort of compromise with or outreach to the GOP – this election will have done for me what the previous 3 decades of dirty nasty US politics were not able to do, which is to force me against my better instincts into calling the people who I used to think of as "the opposition" what they have become, which is "enemies". I don’t recognize the dregs of today’s GOP as fellow Americans. They are not my fellow countrymen, they are evil scum who are trying to do everything in their power to destroy my beloved country.

I hope that feeling passes, but this time I'm not confident that it will.

[NonyNony]

This contest certainly does seem like it is reaching new lows of mendacity ... but some of that may be nostalgia talking.

I don't know. I'm not old enough to remember Nixon, but I do remember Willie Horton and while the campaigns I do remember have been bad I don't think I can remember a single campaign where one of the actors was so completely and utterly running on nothing but lies and personal biography.

At least in '88 HW Bush ran as the successor to Reagan and you knew what that meant. Here McCain doesn't even seem to want to try to make a case for his Presidency, preferring to just slander his way into the office. I just don't think it compares to any of the presidential runs I've seen in my lifetime.

[Anthony Damiani]

I dunno, I think the media is beginning to catch the narrative here. Did you see the View? The AP today?

"The moral arc of the universe is long" and all of that...

[gwangung]

What I don't get is that there's a narrative they could have used without so blatantly lying about the facts. Reducing the number and dollar amount of earmarks fits into the reformer image and has the advantage of actually being true. Why go out of their way to lie about it?

[Fledermaus]

Like personal responsibility, karma is for the little people

[AndyK]

The few clips I saw of McCain on The View had the regulars grilling McCain in a manner I haven't seen any news people doing. I mean, I don't watch The View, but it's not a news show, right? Some kind of talk show?

So now we've got two comedy shows, one talk show, and a bunch of bloggers doing the job of the press, which has turned into an even worse rubber stamp than it was during the early Vietnam days.

In one of the clips, McCain asserted that the sex ed ad and the lipstick/pig ad were true. So we have a choice: Either a complete liar or someone with diminished intellectual capacity. Neither would be my first pick for president.

But the semi-trivial thing I'm now wondering is: Will James Carville and/or Chris Matthews finally admit that John McCain knows what's going on? And that they were wrong to extend him the benefit of the doubt?

[MobiusKlein]

McCain has turned into a Prick. (or shown true colors)
Why else would he buy an ad play During Obama's acceptance speech? And schedule his VP announcement for the very next morning. Not to better inform the electorate, but to piss on Obama's moment.

[lamh]

I haven't watched the View since Rosie O left, and that twit Hasselbeck became the darling of FOXNews, and little Sean Hannette.

But man was Barbara Walters on fire or what? Man it was brutal. Barbara Walters was back in her old form it seems. She was obviously channeling pre-Oscar special/"The View" Babara Walters. Seems to me she had a flashback to her Fidel Castro, Sadaam Hussein, Khaddifi, days.

Who would have figured that the hardest campaign interview for McCain thus far would come from the ladies at "The View"?

I'm just happy, that someone finally got McCain to voice his real views on Roe vs Wade

And the whole Obama shoulda done townhall defense is so seedy, dishonest and I'm sorry criminal.

McCain is basically using the classic "why do you make me beat you" battered spouse defense, or the "if she had not been dress that way" rape defense.

It is condescending as all hell. As if Obama is a child, and McCain is the abusive parent just trying to show him some "tough love", "It aint' hurting him, just making a man outa him".

[Lewis Carroll]

At least the Willie Horton ad had the figment of a virtue of actually being true. Not that it was in any way in good taste...

[Miles]

Was that a Fishbone reference in the title?

Who cares about politics, I want to talk ska bands.

[Eric Martin]

Yeah, that was Fishbone.
I was seriously considering You're Nothing But a Little Lying Ass B***h, but I thought that was the wrong tone to set ;)

[Gary Farber]

"McCain has turned into a Prick. (or shown true colors)
Why else would he buy an ad play During Obama's acceptance speech?"

I tend to think I'm about as staunch an Obama supporter as there is within reason, but I don't get this complaint: what's out of the range of ordinary politics about that? There's no obligation to be deferential to the other candidate's timing.

[liberal japonicus]

Gary, I think the complaint is that here was the opportunity to recognize something historic, something that could change the patterns of race relations in this country, and the McCain campaign realized to grant that this is some historical moment would mean that they would accept defeat. Viewed from the rational perspective, informed by history, it might seem silly, but I do have a hard time imagining that Bob Dole, or even Bush the elder would have done it. Of course, you will point out that these are hypotheticals, but that's just my feeling.

[...now I try to be amused]

Viewed from the rational perspective, informed by history, it might seem silly, but I do have a hard time imagining that Bob Dole, or even Bush the elder would have done it.

I have the same feeling. Unfortunately, the lesson the GOP took away from those two was "Nice guys finish last."

[Gary Farber]

Incidentally, this isn't something the Obama campaign or Democrats should get into, but one notes in passing that Cindy McCain seems to have some truth problems of her own.

[spartikus]

That's out of line, Gary. Cindy McCain was a POW....of love.

[Fraud Guy]

And Gary, don't kick her while she's down, as she's just heard that her husband has found a new soul mate.

[Gary Farber]

Why are you all such haters?

Stop blogging! Stop blogging right now!

[VenomousCrone]

I know this comment is going to sound naive and I understand the whole "grey" of politics where one side says it's "black" and the other side says it's "white," but when it comes to outright lies and misrepresentations, then why are there no real ramifications for this? Why are you just allowed to come out on the national stage and boldly lie about your (or your opponents) record?? Why are you allowed to lie your way into the presidency? In other arenas of our life, wouldn't this be called fraud? Seriously, I am practically spitting fire about the McCain/Palin lying machine. I am so frustrated.