It could be also be called the McRove Show, because we all recognize his particular filth, but Johnny Mac's made the Faustian bargain with full awareness of the consequences. Power, or the promise of it, along with a place in history, will do that, I guess.
Still--sigh. I was emailing a friend yesterday and mentioned that I never thought it possible I'd just plain HATE the process. I've had at least some awareness of elections since 1972, my college major is political science (emphasis on Int'l Relations, but still)...and I've got a pretty decent knowledge--for someone who isn't an academic or policy wonk--of what issues dominated national elections going back to...well, going back to the establishment of the Republic...I dunno, it's just a hobby, I guess.
But watching John McCain and Sarah Palin morph into the two headed monster of a media driven process that dumbed down democracy to a level even below the lowest common denominator--an extended Jerry Springer marathon, but with a $500 billion dollar military budget instead of folding chairs--it's beyond infuriating, particularly in light of the last eight years. I mean, good heavens: with this campaign, McCain's almost managed to make George W. Bush look...presidential (I wonder if that's not a little something extra for Karl as he continues to steer the country into the mother of all ditches.)
And that's about as dishonorable as it gets.
One of the first blog-based books, the anthology Special Plans examines Feith's role in misleading America into war. Buy from 
I'm getting tired of the Rove-ist tactics.
Not "Rovian", "Rove-ist". They can eat it.
Posted by: mdh | September 11, 2008 at 13:01
more like mcPenis wolf, is palin sheep clothing, but palin might be worse.she's certainly a shield.
Posted by: pansypoo | September 11, 2008 at 13:03
i watched the jim lehrer program the other night on the subject of presidential campaign debates. in his interview, bob dole seemed actually palatable when viewed against the current republican candidate john mccain.
Posted by: karen marie | September 11, 2008 at 16:22
Rove especially seems to enjoy a sort of one-upsmanship, that is, he gets away with something, so he tries to take another step. In 2004, it was the Swift Boat nonsense, now it's McCain and Palin themselves just flat out lying.
The real key, though, is a media that's become so puerile and so craven that they'll put pen to paper and dutifully record whatever tripe spews forth...professional cretins like Sean Hannity or Pat Buchanan then spend hours "analyzing", which is the REAL effect of the Swift Boat tactic--not the supposed non-response from John Kerry...or Michael Dukakis (as Glenn Greenwald points out.) This "analysis" becomes de facto justification for the more dumbing down...ultimately, it becomes screeching over flag pins, pledge posture...or, to repeat, with McCain-Palin, flat out lies.
Meanwhile, there are two wars, a city--New York--that still bears the scars of 9/11, another city that bears the enormous scars of 8/29...and, not to equate, but in my smaller city people are still without power or have structural damage to their homes from Gustav...and Ike is about to whollop Houston.
And of course you've got stuff like the mortgage crisis, the overall anemic economic picture, the decline of the public education system, the health care crisis, inflation...but I guess that doesn't compare to the media reality, which is...lipstick on a pig.
Un-effing-believable.
Posted by: Michael | September 11, 2008 at 17:20
I like the comparison between Palin and Spiro Agnew.
Posted by: Pompeo Posar | September 13, 2008 at 23:10