The Last Refuge Of A Scoundrel: McCain Goes McCarthy

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2008
Posted on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:16:19 PM EST
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See TChris yesterday. Anti-American? Socialist? Yes, the Red Scare is upon us again. Saturday, John McCain said:

You see, Obama believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that help us all make more of it. Joe [the sort of Plumber], in his plainspoken way, said this sounded a lot like socialism. And a lot of Americans are thinking along those same lines. In the best case, "spreading the wealth around" is a familiar idea from the American left. . . . At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives.

The Democratic Party as a secret Socialist cabal? I guess McCain is jettisoning the bipartisan schtick too, running as an anti-FDR Republican now (McCain like Joe the Plumber and Joe McCarthy, thinks Social Security is Socialism too.)

The last refuge of a Party of Scoundrels:

By Big Tent Democrat speaking for me only

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The Last Refuge Of A Scoundrel: McCain Goes McCarthy | 17 comments (17 topical)

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Socialism is always what the other guy does. (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by Christy1947 on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:54:49 PM EST

McCain (I'm leaving Palin out of this - she has no idea what a Socialist is, even before her Oil Trust payouts in her own state, where none of the 'lower 48' Rules apply) does not think that the US buying up bank shares and throwing billions at corporations is socialism, or 'welfare' either. It's a wonderful thing and he suspends his campaign to run back and help it get through. It's only when the little guys get it that it's a bad thing, because it gives us ideas above our station.

And it has always been the case when the McCarthyite goods are hauled out that we find that all non-white persons are inherently suspect of having foreign sympathies (Scotland is not a foreign country for Republicans, it's British after all, nor is Poland or Italy), no matter how many wars they served in and how hard they work and how decent their families are and how much taxes they paid. Every one is either a suspect Commie or a Jihadist or something else bad, and they are all supposedly walking around trying to fool the rest of us about their real sympathies, except for the alert McCarthyites who are never fooled.

MCain has no honor (5.00 / 0) (#7)
by TomStewart on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 01:01:36 PM EST

and the sad breakdown of his moral reputation has not been fun to watch.

Really, if he looses, where will he go? He'll be diminished in the Senate, not really welcome on either side. The repubs won't have him (they weren't crazy about him in the first place, and he's a looser), and the dems will have a long memory for what he pulled in this campaign. Then what? Serve out his term and then roam around his 7 homes, wearing big shorts, and working on his campaign book about how he was robbed?

A sad end to a career had better publicity than achievement.

Socialism (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by DeanOR on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 07:48:39 PM EST

I'm not sure "socialism" is a very potent buzz word anymore, in fact it might just make some Republicans using the word sound dated (unlike "terrorism"). We're not in a Cold War and terribly fearful of Russia anymore. Two extremely popular government programs, Social Security and Medicare, were once called socialism, and we hear that occasionally now but much less so. I suspect at this point, a lot people would say they like those programs no matter what anyone calls them. And we're envious of universal health coverage in "socialist" Europe and aware that Europe is not crumbling to dust because of it. The mind can tolerate only so much cognitive dissonance.

McCain believes in the politics of contrast. (4.00 / 1) (#4)
by Fabian on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:24:02 PM EST

Of course, it is ideal for a candidate to portray themselves as positively as possible while they are trashing their opponent. It has to be a two pronged attack. Between the EconomyStupid and the BushLegacy, McCain is fighting with at least one hand behind his back.

I do feel sorry for McCain. He got the big chance he's always wanted, only it is eight years too late.

McCain is a scoundrel (5.00 / 5) (#5)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:33:54 PM EST

Always has been. No sorry for that jerk.


: Politics is full of unrepentant (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by Fabian on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 02:40:24 PM EST

opportunists. We are just lucky that more of them are Republicans than Democrats.

Socialist (1.00 / 2) (#8)
by ccman0224 on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 01:16:23 PM EST

Parties are winning in numerous countries. Even like post communist countries like Czech Republic in recent elections went socialist.

problem with extreme left is they give a great story line and then do nothing, since they do not understand funding lofty social programs (research social security and how i is reallyfunded sometime).

Can we not find just one person with enough ego to run who is not an actual idiot. we are voting for 2 right now. one old and angry, one young and wrong.

Yet McCain is the candidate urging (none / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:18:24 PM EST

fixing those lousy mortgages.

Indeed (none / 0) (#3)
by Big Tent Democrat on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:21:43 PM EST

Socialist?


: It's socialism for banks (none / 0) (#11)
by independent voter on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 06:08:37 PM EST

because he wants to buy the mortgages at what is owed on them, then reduce the balance for the homeowner. This preserves the banks balance sheet regardless of whether they made a good lending decision.

Thing is, I think socialist policies (none / 0) (#2)
by andgarden on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 12:19:26 PM EST

would probably win today--not that Obama is running anywhere close to socialism.

And Bachman is despicable. Honestly, she was the first person who came to mind when I heard Sarah Palin speak this year.

yep, because those wonderful, (none / 0) (#10)
by cpinva on Sun Oct 19, 2008 at 04:44:51 PM EST

(McCain like Joe the Plumber and Joe McCarthy, thinks Social Security is Socialism too.)

unregulated banks and investment companies have done such a wonderful job with all of our savings!

adam smith must be just absolutely twirling in his grave.

McCain's ignorance is showing. (none / 0) (#13)
by JohnRJ08 on Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 11:02:43 AM EST

Clearly, John McCain has never read Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations", which talks in great detail about how the capitalistic system leads to an accrual of wealth in the upper class, i.e. where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Smith warned, more than a century before the emergence of our middle class, that taxation has to be used to "cycle" this wealth down to the lower economic strata in order to maintain the fiscal health of the entire system and avoid the widespread discontent brought on by the rich aristocracies that he saw in Europe. As Colin Powell said in his endorsement statement, taxation is a form of wealth redistribution which is essential to our economy. What John McCain is doing is using an "ism" word he doesn't understand as a scare tactic. This isn't meant to clarify his own position. It is only meant to mislead and frighten voters about his opponent. And that is classic McCarthyism.

You would think.... (none / 0) (#15)
by kdog on Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 12:35:59 PM EST

the uber-wealthy, like the top 5%, would see the advantages of paying a little more in taxes to avoid a widespread discontent amongst the lower classes.

A few extra percentage points in taxes sure beats getting the Marie Antoinette treatment from an angry populace...no? Then again, greed does trump logic quite a bit.


: Not to mention (none / 0) (#16)
by CST on Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 12:38:52 PM EST

Trickle-up economics.
Give your "average Peter" (sick of Joe) a couple bucks and he may go out and buy a car, or a couch, or whatever. And guess what, the uber wealthy make money and Peter now has something in his house to sit on. Win-win.

I see... 95% of American are not American (none / 0) (#14)
by mt1985 on Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 12:23:48 PM EST

McCain remind me of dictatorship countries. They see everyone who is against them as someone against his country.
Really, after I heard that McCain calls the socialism as a kind of terrorism, I ask myself if the cold war was between the freedom and the dictatorship or it was between the governments who stand with the big companies and the governments who stand with the society and middle class families.
Is this the real America which everyone know???

I feel sympathy for McCain... to a point. (none / 0) (#17)
by JohnRJ08 on Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 01:03:16 PM EST

To an extent, I feel great sympathy for McCain. He suffered greatly in the service of this country. Where my sympathy ends, however, is at his obvious sense of entitlement to the office he seeks. Only a belief that the country owes him its devotion and its votes could explain his overt anger during this campaign and his demonstrated lack of respect for his worthy opponent. And only it can explain why he has pursued such a dishonorable, McCarthyesque campaign, even after its failure to work became evident in every poll. McCain, who is probably suffering from long term Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is using every "ism" he can think of to frighten voters away from Obama, and it is a sad spectacle to watch. Unfortunately, what would be even sadder would be to see him and his grossly inadequate running mate elected in November. It says a lot about our culture and our educational system that these two people are as popular as they are.