McCain on MSNBC

I no longer have any illusions that words I write, opinions I have, or proof I present will have an effect on how other people choose to vote. You're either a glass half full person or a glass half empty person, you're either a morning person or an evening person, you're either a thinker or a doer. You're either for Obama or you're for McCain.

And from where I sit, if you're for McCain, you're either willing to give up a lot for one issue, or you're voting for a McCain that no longer exists. It's completely clear to me that most everything McCain and his campaign says is a purposeful deceit. He looks foolish to me as he tries to defend things he or his campaign has said with diversions and poor excuses.

I feel I completely gave McCain a chance too. Not that I was ever going to vote for him, but I watched the Republican Convention start to finish and I reviewed the policy papers on McCain's website. I wanted to find out if the only difference we have is one of perspective; is he a traditional fiscal conservative who believes in small government and freedom of the capitalist market? But, I found his policies are not helpful or well thought out. He mentions creating commissions to study things - he mentions that a few times as I recall - he doesn't offer a solution, he offers a commission.. That's his idea for government reform. He'll stop spending for one year and then a commission will study the government programs and only reinstate spending on those programs that pass muster based on the commission's findings. And one of his bullet points for solving our energy problem is to let the world know we're not going to keep buying their oil. He feels the suggestion alone is enough to begin lowering the price of oil.

On MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning (I don't get MSNBC so I watched a 7 minute segment on the Internet) he had a defensive disposition. He said "...and I know you're a supporter of Senator Obama, if you would urge him, if you would urge him to come and do Town Hall meetings with me as I've asked him to do time after time, the whole tenor of the campaign will change."

To me, that statement has so many problems with it...
1. ...and I know you're a supporter of Senator Obama". He's on MSNBC which is getting hit pretty hard for being obviously liberal (again, I don't get the channel on my Comcast cable system [which is another story altogether, I'm sure] so I don't know what's happening there anymore). He's answering Mika Brzenski's (sp?) question about negative campaign ads. I think the fact that he brings up that he think she's an Obama supporter is him being kinda whiny - like "I know you won't listen to me anyway 'cause you support Obama, boo hoo". I thought that sounded childish. But, also, to presume to know who someone supports is a bit presumptuous (and it turns out she takes offense as well). He insults her by questioning her credentials as a journalist (I don't know anything about her).
2. "if you would urge him"...because everybody in the 'liberal media' talks directly to Barack Obama. And Barack Obama listens to people in the media so "if only you would talk to him he would agree to do this thing I want him to do". Like there's no possible way Barack Obama might have decided, for very good reasons, that he doesn't want to do it. Its like John McCain thinks Barack Obama is ignoring him.
3. "as I've asked him to do time after time"...Its like he thinks he's trying to get one of his kids to clean up his room. Its not a requirement that Barack Obama has town meetings with you John McCain. Why should he? You won't let Sarah Palin be intereviewed by the press. And people have been asking time and again. Your comment presumes there's something wrong with Barack Obama not saying yes to your offer. But, I repeat, he doesn't have to. And you, acting like he does have to, makes you sound like an unreasonable person. Is this how you'll run your foreign policy?
4. "the whole tenor of the campaign will change". Hey - from my perspective McCain and his campaign or campaign surrogates are the ones who started all this trash talk. So, if he wants to change the tenor of this campaign he can change it. And even if Barack Obama had started it, McCain could still change the tenor of the campaign on his own. And its like he's saying "boo hoo you're not playing the game the way I want you to so you've forced me to become a negative campaigner - I have no control over the matter, I'm a reactionary".

Back to the point of my post...it doesn't matter what I say. Nothing I say will sway anyone who is already voting for McCain. They're hearing the exact opposite of what I'm hearing. And who could possibly be undecided at this point? Really. An undecided? I don't get that. So, there's no point in talking about this or getting angry. I'm getting angry with people who are angry with me. Nothing changes in that. I think I'd have a better chance making a difference if I meditated 30 minutes a day.