08.17.08
Celebrity?
We’ve heard it so many times from the McCain camp, beginning with the Paris Hilton/Britney Spears ad, but certainly not ending with it. The message is not that Obama is a celebrity in the sense of “a famous person”, but in the sense “a person who is famous but has done nothing to earn his fame”.
But this is intended to contrast with McCain, who…what?
- Isn’t famous? McCain is a total media whore.
- Is more intelligent, knowledgeable, sharp, consistent, or accomplished than Obama?
- More intelligent? Nope. Graduated at the bottom of his class, probably thanks to daddy’s influence. He wouldn’t have even been at the Naval Academy if his father and grandfather weren’t admirals.
- More knowledgeable? A guy who can’t remember his own position or voting record, and admits he knows next to nothing about foreign policy and economic? A guy who clearly does not know enough about geography to save him from making embarassing gaffes?
- Sharp? People are only questioning his cognitive state because he seems to be impaired on a regular basis.
- Consistent? McCain agrees with the current Administration that a true leader never changes his position in response to new facts and changing circumstances. It’s okay to sell out and lie about his record, though.
- Is McCain accomplished? Aside from his war record, where he became a “hero” due to a trick of fate - surviving in a prison camp where they treated him better than the other prisoners - his achievements seem to be debatable. Many of his “achievements” in the Senate don’t look that impressive up close.
McCain is petty, partisan, and vindictive. His handlers limit him to 38 minutes a week with the press to keep him from shooting off his mouth. “Straight talk”? Maverick? How about “loose cannon”?
Do we want somebody for President who hasn’t earned his fame? If you do, McCain’s your guy.
Is it really some kind of virtue to consider even mediocrity in some way elitist? I consider myself a very intelligent person, but I agree with Jon Stewart. I want someone for President who is smarter than me.
The more McCain tries to establish himself as one of the common people and Obama as a member of some “elite”, the further he slips from reality.
Genetics is heritable, no question. But it’s clear that McCain did not inherit any of the leadership qualities of his father or grandfather. In fact, looking at his record - and that of our current President - it becomes clear that if you come from the right family, you can buy your way to the top with money and influence, regardless of how unqualified you are.
I wouldn’t buy a used car from that man. That’s how qualified he is. I might take a cart from him at Walmart, if he wasn’t giving me that creepy “gramps is grinning now” look. But maybe not.
