That Circular Firing Squad, Gets You Every Time

There are days when I think the blogosphere has well and truly lost its mind. Jerome Armstrong, last seen writing a book about "Crashing the Gates" about the people-powered Democratic movement to take over the party and stop the ruthless Republicans, spends today validating a Republican meme in maybe the stupidest way possible, because the candidate on the other team is being attacked insted of the candidate on his team.

The problem of Obama's public financing 'pledge'

It's gonna get worse if he lets it fester. One way or the other, he needs to make it go away as an issue on which McCain attacks his character.

Obama is already being hammered by McCain for trying to finesse on the issue:

"I made the commitment to the American people that if I were the nominee of my party, I would accept public financing," McCain said Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. "I expect Senator Obama to keep his word to the American people as well. This is all about a commitment that we made to the American people...

"I am going to keep my commitment," he said. "The American people have every reason to expect him to keep his commitment."

This isn't the type of issue that the public gives one hoot about; but the media love this sort of process story, and will continue to air it out as McCain continues to hammer Obama on financing, making it a issue of character.

Character, yes, because John McCain is such a great bastion of character. Especially on the issue of campaign finance, right Jerome? I mean, just this FRICKIN' WEEK he wiggled his way out of the campaign finance system in the primaries.

Presidential candidate John McCain said on Monday he has rejected public funding and its accompanying spending limits as he seeks to wrap up the Republican presidential nomination.

The Arizona senator asked for public funds last summer after his campaign nearly foundered, but said on Monday he does not need taxpayer money as he seeks to secure the party's nomination for the November election.

"That was my thinking, we didn't need to," McCain said after a rally in Virginia, which along with Maryland and the District of Columbia holds primary elections on Tuesday.

The decision will allow McCain to ignore the $54 million spending limit he would have had to observe had he taken public funds, allowing him to train his sights on his eventual Democratic opponent.

So, John McCain jumps through all kinds of hoops to get out of his own public financing pledge, but somehow HE'S the one with character? And it's beyond obvious that he's hitting Obama on this to distract everyone from his own flip-flop. I thought the liberal blogosphere was all about, you know, knocking down bullshit Republican memes.

Leading to this exchange:

Huh?

McCain wiggled out of his own public financing pledge in the primaries. If you can't hit back with that you don't belong in politics. McCain is a craven hypocrite and you're VALIDATING him? Mentioning that he jumped through all kinds of hoops to get out of public financing AFTER HE ALREADY ACCEPTED IT would be nice.

Man, it's sad to see what's become of the liberal blogosphere.

by dday on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 08:37:01 PM EST
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Obama's the candidate, is he hitting back?

by Jerome Armstrong on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 08:39:34 PM EST
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Look, if you want to act above it all, that's fine. I'd rather, you know, aid a Democrat in a spat with a Republican. It's a little more people-powered.

by dday on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 09:45:38 PM EST
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He's not the nominee, last I checked, but I don't mind providing commentary.

by Jerome Armstrong on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 11:17:11 PM EST
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(then I provide the FDL example, and...)

McCain hit Obama on a supposition about the general to distract from his own clear flip-flop in the primary. And you fell for it.

This is a site about electing Democrats, isn't it?

(and "he's not the nominee yet" is an amazingly silly excuse for perpetuating groundless right-wing spin.)

by dday on Fri Feb 15, 2008 at 11:25:20 PM EST
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It's all so sad. These little groups online have become so wedded to their little candidates (who all suck, by the way) that they see nothing wrong with using whatever smear or attack is out there, even one as painfully dishonest as John McCain's "I am a man of honor" shtick. The liberal 'sphere is completely fracturing over this for no good reason. These candidates don't differ markedly on policy, so it all goes to the personal. And it becomes a long line of bullshit.

So I'm being "fair and balanced," let me call out MoveOn and DFA for unnecessarily hyping the media creation of the "eeeevilll superdelegates" who will subvert the will of the people, when this will never happen in a million years. It's media hype designed to set Democrats at each other's throats. And it's working. (I'll have more on this in a later post, as I actually went ahead and talked to a superdelegate - what a novel fucking idea! - instead of imputing nefarious motives to them.) The liberal blogosphere I know would actually push back against these narratives instead of use them as a weapon.

I feel like Kindergarten Cop or something, wanting everyone around to "SHAATTTTT AHHHHHPPPP!!!!" Sometime soon, in as early as three weeks actually, one of these two is going to be the nominee, and the people with the Obama shirts are going to have to exchange them for Hillary shirts, or vice-versa. And in the real world, where people aren't viewing this like some kind of high-stakes poker game, that's not going to be a problem; both candidates are broadly popular. But in the monkey-flinging-poo fest that is the online community, I really don't see how this fracture gets repaired. And so this people-powered movement Jerome was so fond of announcing splits into a few different ones, or eight, or ten, all with their own petty jealousies and vindictiveness and anger at insults or perceived insults or the fact that their Celtics didn't beat the other guy's Lakers or whatever the fuck motivates these people.

Was it worth it, everyone? Was it worth diluting our impact as a movement to get your candidate that extra 0.00001% in the polls that they needed? Was it really worth validating right-wing smears and things Rush Limbaugh would say? Was it worth all the hysterics?

I don't know, you tell me.