England for Obama

4 Responses to “John McCain in Talking Sense Shocker”

1. Salbert Says:
   December 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm

   Yeah, I don’t know how much you paid attention to American politics before this election, but John McCain used to be a really cool guy who actually was on the verge of becoming a Democrat at one point. It’s wasn’t until he became a candidate for President that he started pandering to the right wing republican base.

2. Andrea Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 9:40 am

   Salbert – yes, I knew a little about John McCain before this election; and of course have followed the “old John McCain” narrative… but it’s strange, because it still strikes me that he’s someone who, as the adage goes, seems to stand for everything, and therefore stands for nothing. so did he ever really stand for anything; did he ever really have convictions? I can’t marry up the man in the Rolling Stone piece, for example, with the “noble” John McCain character that the media and political world seem to have carved for him (as a result of McCain carving it for himself, of course)…

3. Salbert Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

   Well, ideologically, he’s always been a conservative I suppose. But the reason he is constantly labeled a maverick is because during his senate tenure he developed a reputation of putting aside party identification and working with the other side to actually get things done (mccain-feingold for example. the right wing base hates him for that). He easily became one of the most, if not THE most disliked members within his own party. (and still is probably).

   So the convictions of the old McCain I guess were to put the needs of the country first, and partisanship second. This is why he got so much independent support and why Jon Stewart even said he would have voted for him over Al Gore in 2000 if he were the nominee.

   gah i need sleep

4. Salbert Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 1:33 pm

   I actually remember reading an article in the new york times about how mccain started to feel really bitter towards the end of the campaign because he felt like he was breaking his own principles to get elected.

   it’s kind of a tragic story.