I have made various comments here in agreement with our host et al regarding McCain’s history with various issues I think are important. I have also stated in agreement with our host et al that I would not be voting for McCain or perhaps anyone for president (although I will support my local state and national reps).
Until recently, Karl’s (impressive stream of) electoral articles have attracted only the usual knuckleheaded trolls who have tried to make fun of the consternation that McCain will be the Republican candidate. But now that Obama has become the expected candidate for Democrats, this has changed.
Karl continues to produce first class articles on both candidates which has attracted some interest outside of PW. Now that the Obama is apparently The Candidate (assuming “nothing happens to him”), there seems to be a small (but I expect growing) number of Obama-lytes who are now visiting and leaving comments.
Humorless (but confusing sarcasm for funny), snarky, dogmatic, hair-splitting , “loud”, incapable of understanding irony (especially when it occurs to themselves): religious leftists.
…and it occurs to me, I vote against these people.
I can see it now: at some point, during the next eight months, these people will cause me to decide to vote for McCain. I won’t hold my nose. I won’t need to get drunk. I may even pull the lever happily, just to piss off these religious leftists.
It all seems so simple now.
[Update (20080302): Gosh, an insta-lanche. If I’d'a known you were all going to show up, I’d'a written this thing more gooder. Thanks to Glenn and Karl and, of course, Jeff, for hosting my blather - and rest of you for reading it.]
[Update (20080302), part 2: there was a longish bit of political spam that was posted here and repeated here. I, wrongly in retrospect, removed my copy. The comments by Lost My Cookies were in reference to that removed message. He is not insane.
Comment by Lost My Cookies on 2/29 @ 7:46 pm #
I see absolutely no reason not to get drunk.
True story, Canadian men get drunk all the time.
Comment by Lost My Cookies on 2/29 @ 7:49 pm #
They made a movie about it, called “Strange Brew”, you should see it, it’s relevant and very informative about Canadian culture and the menace they represent to all that is good and right in the universe.
And Reese Witherspoon’s chin gets no screen time, but you can feel its presence.
Comment by jdm on 2/29 @ 8:09 pm #
I see absolutely no reason not to get drunk.
I’m so embarrassed I implied that I wouldn’t. For any reason. Or any occasion. Just that I won’t need to be when I eventually vote for McCain.
Corporate America is making money off the things middle-class America needs: GAS, PRESCRIPTIONS, MORTGAGES and LAUNDRY DETERGENT.
You lost me with and after this… although I did pick up the “Hillary 08″ at the end. Good luck with that.
Comment with Corporate America comment deleted as Spam - also posted here.
Comment by serr8d on 3/1 @ 1:09 am #
I’m still waiting for our official NRA endorsement.
But I guarantee in writing that it won’t be for Hillary or Baracky. Neither Democratic candidate is an NRA member or supporter. But, McCain has made some powerful enemies.
And of course McCain-Feingold, the NRA-ILA’s worst nightmare.
Comment by happyfeet on 3/1 @ 1:56 am #
I’m with jdm too. Also did you know you can use your posting powers to delete Sharon’s comment spam? I sure would.
Comment by jdm on 3/1 @ 3:50 am #
Your wish is my command, happyfeet.
Comment by Joan of Argghh! on 3/3 @ 2:38 am #
You know, with the choices we’ve been given, your logic works as well as any.
Barack-olytes kinda has an Episcopalian tone to it, too. Just sayin’.
Comment by Assistant Village Idiot on 3/3 @ 2:50 am #
Most of my presidential votes have been negative. A good many of my House and Senate votes have been as well. Even in very local elections, I am likely to vote against irritating meatheads I know personally. Negative votes are a good thing - perhaps less dangerous than positive votes. Example #1: the reasoning of the people voting for Obama scares me more than that of people voting against Hillary.
Example #2: I knew that George Bush’s “compassionate conservative” translated as “big-government sorta conservative” when I voted for him. I voted against Gore and Kerry and have never been disillusioned by George or regretted my vote.
Comment by Salamantis on 3/3 @ 3:17 am #
The real reason that the Obama camp is trying to make it a thoughtcrime to mention Obama’s middle name is because they fear this chanty slogan will begin making its appearance at Obama rallies…
Barak Hussein Obama:
Pass Iraq from Hussein to Osama!
Comment by scott on 3/3 @ 3:18 am #
Just wanted to throw in non-troll advocacy for Obama, which I hope will at least offset one flaming liberal. I believe a president needs to be smart, capable, sane, and be interested in the things that are important to me. I think Obama could produce the mandate from voters in order to make real progress on very difficult issues (e.g., healthcare, education, foreign policy). And I trust my local senators and congressmen and their colleagues to ensure that movement is measured. But why Obama, you ask. I trust his education, his experience in serving others, and his character. Though I certainly recognize that you may disagree with the vision of the left generally, I wonder if you can say you have the same trust in McCain. If you can, then you should have no trouble pulling the lever. If not, why vote simply based on the ravings of people who really don’t matter?
Thanks
Comment by homeboy on 3/3 @ 3:19 am #
I guess that it’s obvious that the media is much more influential in the nomination process, but is there any way to beat it the next time around? I can vote for McCain, with dislike, but as you say, anything to piss-off people who would actually want to vote for Hillary or Barak.
Comment by will on 3/3 @ 3:28 am #
Scott,
Trust and politician do not go together in my world. As for character, he seems to lie a lot.
Comment by ed on 3/3 @ 3:32 am #
John Kerry was, almost certainly, the most despicable candidate in the history of this nation.
Comment by Wildmonk on 3/3 @ 3:34 am #
The thing that attracts me to McCain is that he seems genuinely committed to cleaning up government and getting rid of corrupting influences. He’d probably be better at “change” than Obama (McCain earmarks=$0, Obama earmarks>$90m).
The thing that scares me about McCain is the fear that he’ll focus all his “cleaning up government” energy on something like extensions of McCain-Feingold. In a related vein, I *hope* that he would never train his cross-hairs on the NRA or similar groups. Whether you like the NRA or hate them, you cannot deny that they are truly a citizen’s advocacy group. You don’t boast millions of dues-paying members if you aren’t representing their interests.
Thing is, though, you *know* that Obama’s version of “change” includes a reversal of 2nd amendment rights. It is also reasonable to entertain the fear that an Obama presidency will bring a vast expansion of government and an escalation of taxes unlike anything we’ve seen since in half a century. All the people mindless changing “Change” scare me as well: get specific, please, before you get excited.
Comment by Wildmonk on 3/3 @ 3:36 am #
That last sentence should be: “All the people mindlessly CHANTING “Change” scare me…”
Comment by Karl on 3/3 @ 3:39 am #
Insta-lanche!
That may be a first for the Pub!
Comment by Karl on 3/3 @ 3:43 am #
BTW, that’s about 1000 extra visits and 300 extra page views per hour.
Comment by rockdalian on 3/3 @ 3:46 am #
Comment by scott on 3/3 @ 3:18 am
Perhaps you are unaware of this side of Obama’s character while serving in the Illinois Senate. Obama voted against partial birth abortion, the born alive bill, and against parental notification. You shoud know underage children need parental authorization for a tattoo,but not an abortion.
Now that’s some character we can get behind.
Comment by Dr. Ellen on 3/3 @ 3:49 am #
Being on the side with the fewest idiots and lunatics is a Good Thing. We must thank the trolls for piping up and telling us what side they are on.
Comment by Bart on 3/3 @ 3:55 am #
ed - yep. George W. Bush was certainly lucky in that he faced probably the two major candidates least qualified to be president in recent history. One, a wild-eyed, minor intellect with delusions of genius, and the other with an ego larger than Rosie O’Donnell’s undergarments, both of with whom most normal people would rather drive 18″ steel needles into their eyes rather than spend an evening. Obama, assuming he is the candidate, is at least likeable, and will be a formidable opponent for McCain.
Comment by Steven Jens on 3/3 @ 4:01 am #
John Kerry was the reason I voted for Bush in ‘04, the first time (out of three) that I voted for a major-party candidate for president. Occasionally he makes me feel a twinge of regret, but I usually think about Kerry for a moment and reaffirm my decision.
Comment by Lou Minatti on 3/3 @ 4:04 am #
Trolls are the best sign of a successful blog or website. You haven’t “made it” online until you have one or more obsessive dipsh!ts posting goofy stuff just to get an angry response. So, congratulations for being important.
Comment by docweasel on 3/3 @ 4:04 am #
Now you get it!
Comment by Tantor on 3/3 @ 4:06 am #
You mean that you are not the change you’ve been waiting for?
Comment by MPH on 3/3 @ 4:20 am #
“Humorless (but confusing sarcasm for funny), snarky, dogmatic, hair-splitting , “loudâ€Â, incapable of understanding irony (especially when it occurs to themselves): religious leftists.
…and it occurs to me, I vote against these people.”
You hit my nail on the head. Exactly what I’ve been thinking..great post..
Comment by drill on 3/3 @ 5:30 am #
Sounds like you are really going to show those snarky, dogmatic, hair-splitting, “loud,” incapable of understanding irony religious leftists! (Anyway, if they are so annoying to you, why not just require login to comment?)
Comment by Kejda on 3/3 @ 5:36 am #
Spot on!!
Speaking of religious leftists, got to LOVE this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xtNr5-up0U
Comment by David Ross on 3/3 @ 5:46 am #
Whenever I hear a desire to make “real progress on very difficult issues (e.g., healthcare, education, foreign policy)”, I want to know what specific changes the speaker means by “progress”. I assume that such people are arguing in bad faith, because otherwise they would say outright what it is. I further assume that they want to nationalise healthcare and education, because if someone’s willing to lie then he might also be willing to steal.
Comment by TmjUtah on 3/3 @ 6:03 am #
jdm -
I’ve got one of these on the way.
It’s a pure “vote against” election cycle for me.
I’m just praying that McCain doesn’t be an ass when selecting his VP candidate.
Comment by Al Maviva on 3/3 @ 10:26 am #
Glad to hear you don’t need to be drunk to vote for McCain. I’m told that if you need to be drunk to vote, it’s the first sign of being an alcoholic political junkie.
Ps. I am the eye I’ve been eyeing all along.
Comment by Terrye on 3/3 @ 11:32 am #
I will vote for McCain any day rather than jumping on this creepy bandwagon the Obamaites have got going on over there on my left. And I do mean left.
I do not worry about McCain pushing some legislation against free speech through, that is nonsense, after McCain/Feingold was created to curb corruption. It failed to do that obviously but the legislation did not kill freedom of speech either. It sure does not seem to have cramped Obama’s style in the least.
I think McCain is a decent man who has a strong set of principle and he is dedicated to standing up against Islamists and jihadis and other assorted violent nut jobs out there. Obama on the other hand will do his best to pretend they do not exist and if forced to confront them will no doubt go belly up and beg for forgiveness for something or other and promise American has learend its lesson…etc while his increasingly creepy fan club cheers him on and cheers him and cheers him on. Obama does not like the United States and neither do a great many of his supporters. That is not a way to lead a country, it is a way to ruin it.
Pingback by The best case for McCain is…. Democrats | BitsBlog on 3/3 @ 12:07 pm #
[…] at Protein Wisdom is coming to the conclusion I mentioned some weeks ago about McCain; THe one thing that can push […]
Comment by BD on 3/3 @ 12:17 pm #
Ah, yes, the trolls ….
that goofy look on their face, the weirdly colored hair shooting in all directions like Don King …. the lack of clothing (yeech!!!)
Obama has a cult of personality going here. There isn’t much you can do about it - those already under his spell aren’t about to change their minds (and they’ll resent / insult you for arguing that they should). We’d better hope the cult doesn’t get to 51%.
For the rest - - - - let’s see what “change” looks like.
He says he can work with Republicans …
What kind? RINO only? Where’s he going to reach out to those of us who’d rather not have Uncle Sam’s bite increase? Who don’t think declaring defeat in Iraq is a good idea? Who don’t think Chavez is a wonderful leader?
How ’bout some examples instead of happy talk?
Comment by anonymous on 3/3 @ 2:15 pm #
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/106471.html
For McCain, [Andrew] McKelvey’s willingness to devote millions of dollars to influence lawmakers on issues such as gun control is something to be lauded rather than criticized. “I’m glad a guy with a billion dollars, or two billion dollars, wants to spend is money on an issue he feels strongly about,” McCain says.
Comment by nishizonoshinji on 3/3 @ 2:25 pm #
i embrace my inner troll.
i wear it as a badge of honor.
of course u cud always bann me, and then i’d have a clean sweep of Known Blogspace to rest my laurels on.
Comment by jdm on 3/3 @ 3:07 pm #
scott (#10): I’ll take you at your word, but I find my probable choice for this electoral go-round to be worse (McCain) and worser (Obama). As I wrote and had declared, I was going to sit this one out. The problem is that I and others like me here find the election interesting (sort of like living history or a car crash, take your pick) and like writing/reading about it. If, however, the least little anything that can be construed as anti-Obama is stated, we are demonized as fascistoid theocon McCain-o-bots blah, blah, blah. My point was that while I’m not there yet, I can feel that by the end of October, I’m going to want some payback.
nishi (#35): console yourself that you’re not one of reasons I’ll vote for McCain - you’re annoying to be sure, but not nasty
Comment by Lost My Cookies on 3/3 @ 3:30 pm #
Hold on,
What happened to the first comment? Now I look insane.
Comment by John Lynch on 3/3 @ 3:40 pm #
The Ron Paul internet trolls motivated me to go to the caucus and vote against him. GG.
Comment by Sarnac on 3/3 @ 3:59 pm #
Normally I am torn between voting against the socialist or against the religious nut …
Thank you, Barack Obama … for once, this is easy to decide whom to vote against.
Comment by Thomass on 3/3 @ 7:36 pm #
I voted for Bush the second time (re: not the first, I didn’t vote at all). In large part due to the left’s BDS. I figured they shouldn’t get to win an election by virtue of being insane.
Comment by Bane on 3/4 @ 1:54 am #
Gosh, voting this time, is going to be like pushing your fingers down your throat, and trying to puke up a hedgehog. I haven’t had this sensation since I was 12, and my Dad said to go get the belt off the hook, and bring it to him.
Buy stock in Preparation H.
Comment by scott on 3/6 @ 9:09 pm #
jdm and david,
Jdm, But the payback you get will be against me, as well; and I only ask that you consider that. I vote with my head and heart in it, and wish not to be “cancelled out” by someone voting out of spite.
David, progress is what comes after the recognition of a problem. If you think we have no problems, then there need be no progress. Perhaps I should have said “solutions” so as to avoid the apparent baggage of progress. And it’s a little weird to assume bad faith because one does not attempt an essay on healthcare or education.
Trackback by Guaranteed Motgages on 6/5 @ 1:12 am #
Guaranteed Motgages
Being pre-equippedwith a budget, one knows his limit, which helps him to choose the gu