Tag: John McCain

Congratulations, President Obama

It will be an event I will tell my children about. Given this country’s race history, it is undeniably important to elect our first Black president.

It helped that John McCain wasn’t running as John McCain. Growing up as a McCain fan and trained to support defensible nonpartisanship, I can report that I do believe Obama-Biden was the better choice for American progress than McCain-Palin. It became easy for me — even if it is uncomfortable to discuss political decisions as a journalist — to vote for Obama.

Similarly, unfairly, unjustly untruly or not, it seemed the media – particularly in Europe, from my experience – wanted Barack Obama in the office. That is perceived as a liberal bias in journalism but McCain made it easier with a Vice Presidential pick. Journalists should be wary of being perceived as being “for” a candidate.

Still, Obama confronts outlandish expectations for a new president. He has already been anointed as part of a great achievement of American freedom. As a supporter of the U.S. presidency, I hope he can do it. But he has to exceed the level of excitement around him that prompted one supporter to tell a CNN TV camera: “you hear about people seeing Ghandi and Martin Luther King…”

Continue reading Congratulations, President Obama

Capitol Wire: McCain criticized in small Capitol rally

I continue to cover the State Capitol for Capitol Wire, a service for which you don’t have a subscription, so I can only give you a taste.

HARRISBURG (June 20) The trade policy of Sen. John McCain was criticized during a small rally Friday, the same day the Republican presidential nominee gave a policy speech at the Economic Club of Toronto.

“Sen. McCain doesn’t need to visit Canada,” said Bill George, the president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO. “He needs to visit Cleveland and Pittsburgh…”

McCain’s support of NAFTA was condemned by George, while less than 10 supporters, some from organized labor groups, stood on the rotunda steps of the Main Capitol holding signs like “McCain = McBush”

John McCain ad: oh, you like Roosevelt and Churchill, too?

John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for President, has released a sexy new TV advertisement.

In what critics are calling the biggest surprise of all, McCain splits his face time on the ad with such obscure names as Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchhill, who are coincidentally perhaps the two most beloved independent conservatives who aren’t abhorred by centrist and even left of center voters and students of history.


It is a strike at putting McCain in that category. There is little question that that will be a common theme throughout the coming election, is John McCain the straight shooting/talking, populist man of the people (i.e., President Roosevelt the senior and Churchill) or is he a hawkish, opportunistic hack.

John McCain, surprisingly Liberal

I saw an attack advertisement run by a political action committee that could only speak to the seeming electability of John McCain anytime outside of primary season.

The issue, of course, is that since Ronald Reagan’s tenure, the national Republican Party has been more able to rally behind a single candidate than the Democrats, like McCain supporting his occasional rival George W. Bush after losing to him in the 2000 primary. Of course, the exceptions come when a charismatic Democrat has energized the disparate party voters, many of whom have no whims about skipping out on an election, like Bill Clinton.

Kazaam: Everything is the same

kazaam-frnt.jpgGood movies come to resolution after a heightened climax.

With the stage of Super Tuesday coming to a close and no clear Democratic winner coming out on top, the presidential primary season has all the high drama of Shaquille O’Neal’s Oscar worthy portrayal of a “rappin’ genie with an attitude” in the 1996 classic Kazaam.

Though Hillary Clinton is winning in the delegates column, no one is putting Clinton over Barack Obama with any sense of assuredness.

John McCain came out on top for the GOP, but, let’s face it, his competition was Martin Sheen’s stunt double from ‘The West Wing‘ and Chuck Norris’ running mate.