May 15, 2008
McCain Lays Out His Vision for the First Term of a Presidency
John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, looked into the future and described today how he would want it to look if he were to become president.
His speech laid out an idyllic version of the state of the nation as he said he would like it to be at the end of a first term of a McCain administration.
Among the things he said he would work to make happen by the end of four years: Community colleges and technical schools would have developed worker re-training programs that helped millions of unemployed people find new jobs; Congress would have stopped passing spending bills that contain earmarks; and more enthusiastic and innovative teachers would have entered the classroom, thanks to an emphasis on programs like Teach for America and Troops to Teachers.
Sara Hebel | Posted on Thursday May 15, 2008 | PermalinkComments
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You can imagine that McCain will actually do these things, because he has been getting significant legislation through the Congress for a quarter-century. It’s reasonable to vote for or against him depending on whether or not you agree with his plans.
If, on the other hand, you like the Clintama policies, then you have a problem. Neither Democratic candidate has ever pushed through a major idea (Clinton tried once — remember?) and shown mastery over the difficulties and complexities of even the legislative process, let alone the executive end of government, to which they seek election.
When all that becomes clear in the Fall, Obama will have to Clintonize himself but sternly and argue along the following lines:
“I do dislike saying this, Folks. It’s not pleasant. But this election is about the future and not merely about being pleasant.
“You’ll have to think it through and decide for yourselves; for me, the evidence is very clear: More than one reputable person saw Sen. McCain with that woman in 1987 (when I was eight years old, by the way). Two of the witnesses providing sworn statements actually saw them walking out of a meeting room in a Washington hotel. The Daily Kos has made much of the fact that this was the same hotel where President Reagan had been shot only a few years before, but I won’t go there. I won’t go there.
“Think what you want about McCaingate; I can’t control this man’s behavior. All I can say is that I have never been in a Washington meeting room — in a hotel or motel, up on Capitol Hill, at the White House, never, ever, nowhere, no-time!
The first wild applause in his faltering campaign.
“Thank you ladies and gentlemen! Oh, thank you very, very much!”
— S. Britchky May 15, 04:33 PM #
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— MsSwin May 15, 04:51 PM #
Madman McCain’s first term would be four long years of more Republican plundering of the nation’s fortune and future. This country is one god-awful mess right now, so after 8 miserable years of Republican leadership, choose carefully.
— original marcii May 15, 04:54 PM #
Madman McCain, finger on the nuclear button, lying awake at night, sweating, his chest heaving, heart thumping, his jaws clenched. His head jerks toward the bedroom window. “What’s that? Who’s there?” No one. Just the crickets, the crickets, unceasing, a hundred million crickets surrounding him in the jungle, everywhere, in his linens, his hair, his toilet, his food. The sound of the bamboo gate k-klonk k-klonk, all night long, all the hot, humid, night long.
— original marcii May 15, 05:05 PM #
I appreciate the fact that original marcii wants a party change for the presidency. However, isn’t it mean spirited to use a man’s status as Prisoner of War to demean him? Whether you believe in the Vietnam War or not, the man honorably served his country and paid price far beyond that required of the average faculty member. I not a fan of McCain politics, but I do respect those who served their country. I hold those who suffered for their serve in an even higher regard. Attack the man’s politics, not the man’s pain and suffering
— Charles May 15, 06:03 PM #
Why is original marci even permitted on this blog? Her rantings are more suitable for an alumni bulletin of a mental institution than for a university forum. If I were the Chronicle’s editor, I’d bleep out such sick tirades. As academics, we should understand the difference between attacking one’s ideas and one’s age, one’s wartime experience, etc. I wonder if original marci ever performed even a thousandth of John McCain’s heroism or loyalty to this country.
— Joy May 15, 10:55 PM #
liar
— youngprof May 16, 01:33 AM #
My objection to McCain is his McCain-Kennedy amnesty for illegals. But I will hold my nose and vote for him because God help us if we get Obama (who will invite the terrorists to tea in New York) or Clinton (who will have her round-heeled husband back in the oval office for cigars) – they are both socialist tax raising goof-balls.
— Muap Conners May 16, 08:29 AM #
Marci, first marci, original marci, action figure marci, marcie with Kung fu grip:
I’m bored with your posts. They have taken a turn to the ignorant and unfunny.
— Susan G. May 16, 09:23 AM #
McCain:
“And I believe that the success will be fairly easy” and “There’s no doubt in my mind that… we will be welcomed as liberators.” [3/24/03]
“I think we could go in with much smaller numbers than we had to do in the past… I don’t believe it’s going to be nearly the size and scope that it was in 1991.” [9/15/02]
“There’s not a history of clashes that are violent between Sunnis and Shias. So I think they can probably get along.” [4/23/03]
“Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.” [12/8/05 (Exactly one year before violence in Iraq peaked)]“By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and -women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom.” [05/115/08]
McDENIAL or simply McFOOLISH?
— MsSwin May 17, 01:21 AM #