McCain is blowing his election chances.

Obama's lack of experience, his tendency to dodge tough decisions, his penchant for associating with racists and terrorists and his insinuations of racism if he is not nominated probably have nothing to do with it.

If Obama's A "Celebrity," What's McCain?

Politico: As McCamp Camp Tries To Brand Obama A "Celebrity Politician," It's Worth Considering McCain's Own Media Status

August 3, 2008

If Barack Obama gave new meaning to the term "political celebrity," then John McCain helped define it.

He emerged as the most popular Republican in Hollywood following his 2000 presidential primary defeat, winning more screen time than the rest of Congress combined. McCain made cameos in "Wedding Crashers" and "24," saw his memoir turned into a popular biopic on A&E, and appeared more than 30 times on late night comedy shows.

So this week, when McCain cast Obama's celebrity as a disqualifier, it seemed like a curious turn.

Just one day before McCain released an advertisement interspersing pictures of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears with footage of Obama addressing 200,000 people in Berlin, actor Jon Voight told Variety that McCain had "many great, intelligent, talented Academy-winning actors standing by, awaiting a major press conference to show their support."

"[The ad] is a bit ironic given that McCain has been the most pop-culture savvy Republican candidate in quite some time," said Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety and editor of the blog Wilshire and Washington, which monitors the intersection of celebrity and politics. [..]

It's a striking line of attack for McCain, who's accepted without complaint the "celebrity" epithet from journalists for four decades. "John's been a celebrity ever since he was shot down," former McCain strategist John Weaver told The Atlantic earlier this week, "whatever that means." [..]

Hollywood warmed to him in 2000 as he ran against one of its least favorite people, George W. Bush. He endeared himself with liberals, including Warren Beatty, by taking unconventional stances for a Republican presidential candidate, such as favoring campaign finance reform and challenging the Christian right. His open-door approach with journalists made him the darling of the media elite. "You can definitely makes the case that McCain stands out among Republicans for his associations with Hollywood and his celebrity status," Johnson said. [..]

In the years that followed, he became a near-regular on the late-night comedy circuit, appearing eight times on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," 12 times on the "Late Show with David Letterman," 10 times on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and three times on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," according to imdb.com.

He hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 2002. "Faith of My Fathers" pulled in 3.7 million viewers on A&E in 2005, making it the network's most popular program in over a year. He appeared on "24" in 2006. And he made a brief cameo in "Wedding Crashers," offering congratulations to the father of the bride, a senator played by Christopher Walken. [..]

A liberal blog noted this week that the McCain campaign had scrubbed its website of an Associated Press story from last year that described him as a "political celebrity." [But] McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said the article was removed as part of routine housecleaning of the website several weeks ago. [..]

Kathy Hilton: McCain's Celebrity Ad: Frivolous, A Waste Of Money, A Waste Of Time

I've been asked again and again for my response to the now infamous McCain celebrity ad. I actually have three responses. It is a complete waste of the money John McCain's contributors have donated to his campaign. It is a complete waste of the country's time and attention at the very moment when millions of people are losing their homes and their jobs. And it is a completely frivolous way to choose the next President of the United States.

Obama blows his chances at getting elected by ducking debates with McCain.

One Week, 9-Point Lead Lost for Obama in Tracking Poll

This Politico article nicely illustrates the silliness of John McCain, long-time media darling, attacking Obama as a "celebrity".

OCCOM BILL wrote:

nimh wrote:

Lash wrote:

I guess most people see Obama and Hillary so close in their views that it does make one wonder how someone could heartily support Hillary and not transfer that support easily to Obama...unless race is a factor.

Yep

Yep. It is both stunning and disappointing how many here are able to deny the seemingly obvious merit in this observation.

Obama's lack of experience, his tendency to dodge tough decisions, his penchant for associating with racists and terrorists and his insinuations of racism if he is not nominated probably have nothing to do with it.

nimh wrote:

This Politico article nicely illustrates the silliness of John McCain, long-time media darling, attacking Obama as a "celebrity".

The celebrity issue is more than a campaign issue.

Every time I heard/hear Bill Clinton speak, I get sick to my stomach.

cjhsa wrote:

Every time I heard/hear Bill Clinton speak, I get sick to my stomach.

Must be the carrion that you eat.

McCain Favoring Local Reporters As National Press Sour On One-Time Straight Talker

KANSAS CITY While the traveling press corps was shipped off to a barbecue restaurant here, John McCain charmed his way through an interview with a local TV reporter. Surae Chinn of KCTV posed such less-than-penetrating questions as "How important is Missouri?" and "Have you chosen a running mate?" and -- addressing the candidate's wife, Cindy -- "How do you make your marriage work?"

Moments later, though, the Republican candidate seemed to grow annoyed with the Kansas City Star's Steve Kraske, who pressed him on his recent comment that "nothing is off the table" when it comes to strengthening Social Security.

When Kraske said that McCain presumably wasn't ruling out a payroll tax hike, McCain interrupted: "That's presuming wrong." When the reporter rephrased the question, McCain said: "If you want to keep asking me over and over again, you're welcome to."

It was a brief moment of friction that highlighted how the captain of the Straight Talk Express is having a bumpier ride with journalists than when he ran for president eight years ago. The popular image of the campaign -- McCain bantering with national journalists in the back of his bus -- has, in reality, all but vanished. The traveling press is now routinely stiffed in favor of five-minute sit-downs with local reporters.

McCain is better than the campaign he has run so far. Most people admit that McCain is an inspirational figure - even Obama has admitted that - so why isn't McCain telling voters where he wants to lead them?

Instead, his campaign is all about his opponent.

Lash,

Obama's comments in SF ( just a few days before the PA primary) made reference to those 'who cling to their guns and their religion and their antipathy to those who aren't like them'.
Yeah. I remember that. I thought it was pretty bad, too...
This is a slick way of saying those who don't support him are racist.
...although I think the link to the racial angle is unproven. Maybe I should find the quote in context.
And no, I'm not kidding about racists and terrorists. You surely are aware of Obama's friendship with Bill Ayers, Bernadette Dohrn, Jeremiah Wright, James Meeks.
I think all the candidates rub elbows with racists. I did not know about the people you mention other than Wright. I'll have to educate myself about them before commenting further. I do know the Wright story, and I just don't give it the weight you do. You don't think there are people with similar viewpoints in McCain's and Clinton's lives?
My reference to dodging tough decisions was not about dodging tough questions (like in an interview) . It was a reference to his habit of voting 'Present' in the Illinois legislature when a tough vote would occur.
This is a major thing to me. The worst thing about Obama. Good point.
I'll grant you that experience is definitely lacking with Hillary AND Obama, but I'd say that her experience (and more importantly her connections due to her marriage to Bill) , would give her much more leverage in getting things done with Congress. She's been a public figure much longer, including her tenure on the board of Walmart, her experience as first lady of AR where she was a force to be reckoned with.
Again, noted.
I just think blowing off all criticism with 'you're just racist' is not legit. But that doesn't keep the O team from continuing to play the race card over and over again.

It's much easier than addressing the issues.

real life wrote:

Lash,

Obama's comments in SF ( just a few days before the PA primary) made reference to those 'who cling to their guns and their religion and their antipathy to those who aren't like them'.
Yeah. I remember that. I thought it was pretty bad, too...
This is a slick way of saying those who don't support him are racist.
...although I think the link to the racial angle is unproven. Maybe I should find the quote in context.
And no, I'm not kidding about racists and terrorists. You surely are aware of Obama's friendship with Bill Ayers, Bernadette Dohrn, Jeremiah Wright, James Meeks.
I think all the candidates rub elbows with racists. I did not know about the people you mention other than Wright. I'll have to educate myself about them before commenting further. I do know the Wright story, and I just don't give it the weight you do. You don't think there are people with similar viewpoints in McCain's and Clinton's lives?
My reference to dodging tough decisions was not about dodging tough questions (like in an interview) . It was a reference to his habit of voting 'Present' in the Illinois legislature when a tough vote would occur.
This is a major thing to me. The worst thing about Obama. Good point.
I'll grant you that experience is definitely lacking with Hillary AND Obama, but I'd say that her experience (and more importantly her connections due to her marriage to Bill) , would give her much more leverage in getting things done with Congress. She's been a public figure much longer, including her tenure on the board of Walmart, her experience as first lady of AR where she was a force to be reckoned with.
Again, noted.
I just think blowing off all criticism with 'you're just racist' is not legit. But that doesn't keep the O team from continuing to play the race card over and over again.

It's much easier than addressing the issues.

Thank you so much for fleshing out your opinion.