Liberal Burblings

Archive for the ‘John McCain’ Category

John McCain tweets. He tweets about meeting this or that official, or being interviewed by KTVK 3TV News in Phoenix AZ etc etc

But what he is seemingly tweeting most about is his favourite subject: Earmarks. Just look at his recent earmark tweetings listed below (all taken from the Fiscal Stimulus bill, I imagine). The man’s obsessed. He ran a substantial part of his Presidential campaign against earmarks and now he continues it day in, day out.

Just one small point, however. Let’s just take one example which he ridicules – $900,000 for fish management. It is his Number Two Porkiest project for today. He comments: “How does one manage a fish?” As Indavisable says: “Is he really this stupid?” Perhaps McCain, from land-locked Arizona, doesn’t know much about fish. But you don’t need to know much about fish to know what “fish management” is – roughly. The grant is for Mobile, Alabama, which is a very significant water area:

The Mobile Delta consists of approximately 20,323 acres of water just north of Mobile Bay. Second only to the Mississippi River Delta in size, the Mobile Delta is an environmental showplace that is 30 miles long and 12 miles wide. It covers more than 200,000 acres of swamps, river bottomlands and marshes. Congress named the Mobile Delta a National Natural Landmark in 1974; fewer than 600 sites have received that honor. It is formed by the confluence of the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers. The Mobile Delta is a complex network of tidally influenced rivers, creeks, bays, lakes, wetlands, and bayous.

John McCain just doesn’t get it, does he? He seems to see all “earmarks” or “pork barrel projects” as evil wastes of taxpayers’ money. But the money isn’t wasted is it? In this case, the $900,000 will buy goods and services which will employ people who will then spend money to employ other people who will then spend….see Maynard Keynes’ Accelerator effect.

The other thing, of course, is that if you live in Mobile, Alabama, you’ll be delighted by this news. And the other earmarks which McCain tweets are sprayed all over the States, resulting in a lot of grateful communities which will get an economic shot in the arm. That’s hardly evil is it?

#8. $118,750 for a building to house an aircraft display in Rantoul, IL5 minutes ago from web

#9. $380,000 for a recreation and fairground area in Kotzebue, AK6 minutes ago from web

10. $190,000 to build a Living Science Museum in New Orleans, LA34 minutes ago from web

#1. $951,500 for the Oregon Solar Highwayabout 19 hours ago from web

#2. $900,000 for fish management – how does one manage a fish…about 20 hours ago from web

#3. $380,000 to revitalize downtown Aliceville, ALabout 21 hours ago from web

4. $380,000 for lighthouses in Maineabout 21 hours ago from web

#5. $819, 000 for catfish genetics research in Alabamaabout 23 hours ago from web

#6. $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, WYabout 23 hours ago from web

#7. $400,000 for copper wire theft prevention effortsabout 24 hours ago from web

#8. $47,500 to remodel and expand a playground in Ottawa, IL8:29 AM Mar 3rd from web

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#9. $209,000 to improve blueberry production and efficiency in GA8:20 AM Mar 3rd from web

#10. $285,000 for the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, ID8:06 AM Mar 3rd from web

It’s great fun to ruminate on all the ways McCain “cocked up” his campaign. But, of course, he did very well and it is almost impossible to think of any member of the Republican party, save perhaps Colin Powell, who could have done better.

Anyway, let’s have a bit of fun.

The first thing that occurs is that the McCain campaign didn’t stick to one message.

They didn’t stick to two messages.

Final totting-up is still going on but at the current count it is reckoned that the number of messages McCain’s campaign, had, over the last six months, was:

9,230,300,998,230,348,234,123,666,238,190,001

In one day alone, 15 messages were counted. McCain went round the houses with umpteen negative stories and then, in the last few hours, finally returned to “fight, fight, fight, and fight again” not being particularly specific about what it was he was fighting for, except for John Sidney McCain III.

And then there was the state strategy. Even when Obama was into a double digit lead in Iowa, a few weeks before election day, McCain insisted on visiting Des Moines, Iowa and, excruciatingly, giving the editorial board of the Des Moines Register “what for”. A complete waste of time.

And even in the last few days he insisted on returning to New Hampshire! Obama won it by nine points.

Mind you, I suppose McCain didn’t have many options.

McCain’s campaign was characterised by impulsive behaviour. The return to Washington to stay silent at a meeting, and the choice of the monumentally, pathetically ill equipped Sarah Palin, were clear indicators that the man was simply not suited, temperamentally, to be President.

I have waxed lyrically about it before and will no doubt dine out on this in future. If only McCain had chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison as his running mate he might not have gone down to such an ignominious electoral college defeat.

Anyway, one fascinating aspect of the campaign is McCain’s “balls out” strategy in Pennsylvania. In the last few weeks, he threw everything at the Keystone state.

Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire (at which altar many genuflections from moi) teases us with the fascinating thought that Obama’s campaign “tricked” McCain’s campaign into throwing everything at PA:

A Political Wire reader suggests Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign tricked Sen. John McCain into competing in Pennsylvania.
1. Obama’s campaign learns McCain has just $37 million entering October.2. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says he’s “nervous” that McCain is gaining ground.3. Obama’s team “leaks” an internal poll proving Rendell’s anxiety.4. McCain pulls back in other states to “flood” Pennsylvania with resources.In the end, Obama won Pennsylvania by double digits. As First Read notes, “Lost in Obama’s impressive 11-point win in Pennsylvania is that McCain’s Western PA strategy worked. The problem? There weren’t enough votes out there.”

And if I might throw in an extraneous personal thought, one thing which McCain’s campaign has proven is that the stupid, idiotic theory that negative Rove/Atwater negative campaigning always wins has, at long last, had a stake driven through its heart.

So, what now for the Republican party? Well there are plenty of answers now for the GOP. But, sure as hell, one of them is NOT Sarah Palin. However, I will suspect we will have great fun, because I suspect that many Republicans will be convinced, for a long period, that she is the answer.

It’s great fun to ruminate on all the ways McCain “cocked up” his campaign. But, of course, he did very well and it is almost impossible to think of any member of the Republican party, save perhaps Colin Powell, who could have done better.

Anyway, let’s have a bit of fun.

The first thing that occurs is that the McCain campaign didn’t stick to one message.

They didn’t stick to two messages.

Final totting-up is still going on but at the current count it is reckoned that the number of messages McCain’s campaign, had, over the last six months, was:

9,230,300,998,230,348,234,123,666,238,190,001

In one day alone, 15 messages were counted. McCain went round the houses with umpteen negative stories and then, in the last few hours, finally returned to “fight, fight, fight, and fight again” not being particularly specific about what it was he was fighting for, except for John Sidney McCain III.

And then there was the state strategy. Even when Obama was into a double digit lead in Iowa, a few weeks before election day, McCain insisted on visiting Des Moines, Iowa and, excruciatingly, giving the editorial board of the Des Moines Register “what for”. A complete waste of time.

And even in the last few days he insisted on returning to New Hampshire! Obama won it by nine points.

Mind you, I suppose McCain didn’t have many options.

McCain’s campaign was characterised by impulsive behaviour. The return to Washington to stay silent at a meeting, and the choice of the monumentally, pathetically ill equipped Sarah Palin, were clear indicators that the man was simply not suited, temperamentally, to be President.

I have waxed lyrically about it before and will no doubt dine out on this in future. If only McCain had chosen Kay Bailey Hutchison as his running mate he might not have gone down to such an ignominious electoral college defeat.

Anyway, one fascinating aspect of the campaign is McCain’s “balls out” strategy in Pennsylvania. In the last few weeks, he threw everything at the Keystone state.

Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire (at which altar many genuflections from moi) teases us with the fascinating thought that Obama’s campaign “tricked” McCain’s campaign into throwing everything at PA:

A Political Wire reader suggests Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign tricked Sen. John McCain into competing in Pennsylvania.
1. Obama’s campaign learns McCain has just $37 million entering October.2. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell says he’s “nervous” that McCain is gaining ground.3. Obama’s team “leaks” an internal poll proving Rendell’s anxiety.4. McCain pulls back in other states to “flood” Pennsylvania with resources.In the end, Obama won Pennsylvania by double digits. As First Read notes, “Lost in Obama’s impressive 11-point win in Pennsylvania is that McCain’s Western PA strategy worked. The problem? There weren’t enough votes out there.”

And if I might throw in an extraneous personal thought, one thing which McCain’s campaign has proven is that the stupid, idiotic theory that negative Rove/Atwater negative campaigning always wins has, at long last, had a stake driven through its heart.

So, what now for the Republican party? Well there are plenty of answers now for the GOP. But, sure as hell, one of them is NOT Sarah Palin. However, I will suspect we will have great fun, because I suspect that many Republicans will be convinced, for a long period, that she is the answer.

I’ve been dusting off my little spreadsheet, looking at how the land lies for Tuesday’s US Presidential election.

What is extraordinary, when you reflect back on the tasks which Kerry and Gore had in 04 and 00 respectively, is that Obama doesn’t have to seize Ohio or Florida to win – although they would help.

If he wins all the states that Kerry won in 04 plus Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado, then he is over the 270 mark and home to tea.

To win the Kerry states, the one potentially vulnerable state is Pennsylvania where McCain has been tightening Obama’s lead in the last week. However, electoral-vote.com gives the average of the 10 most recent polls there (from 30th October) as giving Obama 52% and a 9 point lead.

Obama has led all year in Iowa and New Mexico and is currently 13 and 8 points ahead respectively in those states.

Obama is 7 points ahead in Colorado.

If any one of those states goes Pete Tong, then Obama has strong prospects in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana. Or he has a shot at Montana and North Dakota.

So Obama has quite a bit of room for manoevre.

McCain has to win, without fail, in Florida, Ohio, Virgina, Colorado, North Carolina, Indiana, North Dakota and Montana.

As Votemaster puts it:

If we assume that all eight of these states are 50-50, then McCain has to flip a coin and get heads eight times in a row. The chances of this are 1 in 256. But it is worse than that since a number of these states, especially Colorado, look a lot worse for McCain than 50-50.

Or to put it another way: There is going to have to be one hell of a “Bradley effect” for McCain to win!

The Washington Post confirms all this today:

Barack Obama and the Democrats hold a commanding position two days before Tuesday’s election, with the senator from Illinois leading in states whose electoral votes total nearly 300 and with his party counting on significantly expanded majorities in the House and Senate.

John McCain is running in one of the worst environments ever for a Republican presidential nominee. The senator from Arizona has not been in front in any of the 159 national polls conducted over the past six weeks. His slender hopes for winning the White House now depend on picking up a major Democratic stronghold or fighting off Obama’s raids on most of the five states President Bush won four years ago that now lean toward the Democrat. He also must hold onto six other states that Bush won in 2004 but are considered too close to call.

I’ve been dusting off my little spreadsheet, looking at how the land lies for Tuesday’s US Presidential election.

What is extraordinary, when you reflect back on the tasks which Kerry and Gore had in 04 and 00 respectively, is that Obama doesn’t have to seize Ohio or Florida to win – although they would help.

If he wins all the states that Kerry won in 04 plus Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado, then he is over the 270 mark and home to tea.

To win the Kerry states, the one potentially vulnerable state is Pennsylvania where McCain has been tightening Obama’s lead in the last week. However, electoral-vote.com gives the average of the 10 most recent polls there (from 30th October) as giving Obama 52% and a 9 point lead.

Obama has led all year in Iowa and New Mexico and is currently 13 and 8 points ahead respectively in those states.

Obama is 7 points ahead in Colorado.

If any one of those states goes Pete Tong, then Obama has strong prospects in Florida, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana. Or he has a shot at Montana and North Dakota.

So Obama has quite a bit of room for manoevre.

McCain has to win, without fail, in Florida, Ohio, Virgina, Colorado, North Carolina, Indiana, North Dakota and Montana.

As Votemaster puts it:

If we assume that all eight of these states are 50-50, then McCain has to flip a coin and get heads eight times in a row. The chances of this are 1 in 256. But it is worse than that since a number of these states, especially Colorado, look a lot worse for McCain than 50-50.

Or to put it another way: There is going to have to be one hell of a “Bradley effect” for McCain to win!

The Washington Post confirms all this today:

Barack Obama and the Democrats hold a commanding position two days before Tuesday’s election, with the senator from Illinois leading in states whose electoral votes total nearly 300 and with his party counting on significantly expanded majorities in the House and Senate.

John McCain is running in one of the worst environments ever for a Republican presidential nominee. The senator from Arizona has not been in front in any of the 159 national polls conducted over the past six weeks. His slender hopes for winning the White House now depend on picking up a major Democratic stronghold or fighting off Obama’s raids on most of the five states President Bush won four years ago that now lean toward the Democrat. He also must hold onto six other states that Bush won in 2004 but are considered too close to call.

Have a look at this (below). Notice anything? Nearly all the audience behind McCain are kids. That’s because 4,000 of them were bussed in to make up the numbers! And the other hoot is that McCain announces his hero Joe the Plumber and asks him to come up on stage and er……….er…………………….er………………….there’s no Joe the Plumber there!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1TT7gt5F0w&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&fs=1]