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Just an Average John 6-pack - The School Yard Bully

There is certainly comfort to be derived from perception of strength from our leaders, or those who are vying for such a position. Strength of character, strength of one's convictions, strength in the face of adversity. All these are valid considerations, especially given our current predicaments, both in terms of economy and national security, but at what point does the show of strength become an empty shell hiding the monsters of cowardice?

When you encounter a bully, do you view them as ‘strong'? Are bullies natural born leaders?

Because if they are, then McCain definitely proved last night that he was born to lead. The disdain he showed for his opponent by referring to him as "That One" without so much as even looking at him was more revealing about his character as it is now than anything else that transpired so far in this bizarre campaign. The fact that he didn't shake Obama's extended hand when mingling with the crowd afterward was also revealing, to say the least. Or the fact that he chose to ignore screams of "terrorist" and "kill him" aimed at Obama at his rallies... Nope, McCain didn't call Obama a terrorist, but the gloating self-satisfied grin on his face at the reaction of his audience was certainly enough to know that he was pleased with the result of his segue into Bill Ayers connections, such as they are.

Someone posted a blog on how electing a leader is all about character. Issues, policies, legislation matter but not as much as knowing the character of the person, because if we trust the person to be honest, decent and honorable - the rest of the stuff there are advisers for. If this election is, indeed, all about character, McCain's so far has been utterly lacking in that department. He is showing himself to be an average schoolyard bully, who dismisses perspectives and opinions that differ from his own with the same singularity of purpose and conviction as the man occupying the White House at the moment has always done.

They say the big issues will decide this election, like the economy and housing, and healthcare. I think it will go a bit deeper than that. I think that character of a candidate will be judged more from the little details one gleans in public appearances now than any past association on either side. From what I had gleaned so far - John McCain not only lost the battle last night - he lost my respect as a man. Everything else, even his pick of Palin, was a game of politics, albeit a dangerous one. His behavior this past week was all him - none of it worthy of the Office of President of the United States.

cause i rock...

Posted by Inna Hardison-ha media group Design, Printing, Web on 10/08/2008 01:37 PM

Comments (44)

elections 08, bullies, mccain, character my ass

Post is included in group: Almost Anything Goes
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44 Comments on Just an Average John 6-pack - The School Yard Bully

OCT

2008

I whole-heartedly agree! Character is the singular quality that cannot be changed with the winds of opinion. McCain was pathetic and Palin is behaving like a common trailer park scraper. Taunts, slimy allegations and lack of courtesy seem to define the "McPain" ticket.

Most notable to me last night was Obama's ability to rise above the snarky remarks and refuse to engage when McCain became nasty. It speaks volumes...

I don't think he meant "thst one" as anything more derogatory than the rest of his tirades. But I DO think he acted foolish and childish. I actually used to have some respect for McCain before his campaign started all the negative stuff.

Inna - Welcome back! I was wondering whether the attacks on your last post would keep you from writing again until Nov 5th. For some reason, I doubted it. I hope that what kept you away was business!

Re: the blog - For the 2nd time in a debate, McCain did or said that was secondary to the message has gotten more attention than the issues. Regardless of what anyone wants to believe, this is a problem for him. The unfortunate reality is that many people will see an angry old man and not vote for him. Many others, as you point out above, will determine that it is a deep-seated character problem. This is a big problem for him since he is already trailing and he has little time to recitify it.

My Inna posted, My Inna posted. Oh happy day. : )

I didn't even watch the whole debate, became discussed with both candidates and turned the T.V. off. I don't like either one. I agree Obama has charisma, but there is no way he will be able to accomplish what he is promising without a major increase in taxes. McCain is not any better.

I'm standing by an early comment I made on another post, I'm writing in "none of the above".

Candidates would do well to consider the responsibilities they hold for inciting their bases with such venom-laced rhetoric. It is not only complicit acceptance and tolerance of such hate-filled emotion spilling forth from the base. The McCain/Palin campaign has been subtly fanning these flames for months, and have now moved to direct agitation in a last ditch attempt to earn the White House. No matter which side wins this election, we are going to have to work together to get out of this economic and diplomatic quagmire. Riling up the base in such a manner is grossly irresponsible. Not only does it put the safety of all participants at risk, but it ensures bitter acrimony and gridlock once the election cycle runs its course. A true leader does not engage in such vicious, and unfounded character assassination. Win or lose, a leader comports him/herself with dignity ... not this. I am very disturbed that this side of the political spectrum sees no problem with painting the opposition as a terrorism enthusiast. Given the fervor in that base for stomping out such threats (which is not in and of itself a bad thing at all), a very real risk is run of making Obama and his supporters targets by proxy. Irresponsible is the mildest word I can use for the dangerous passion and righteous froth they hope to provoke by painting the guy with different political ideas, funny name and darker shade as the enemy they have not been able to capture or kill in the past 7 years. I am disgusted.

Inna- sorry....i typed a rather long reply. .....hit the wrong button and it is gone.....maybe i should have thought my sentences out.............maybe they were wrong..........the essence......that was a racist comment..............McCain's only hope is to move the dialogue to a black and white area............it should not surprise you or anyone else.................oh my god.....Obama is an african america...........Jim Crow is supposed to be dead..............Uncle Tom as a descriptor is supposed to be dead...........

i fear the ugliness will escalate. McCain can not understand that he is a throw away candidate in a year the republican party has surrendered. Palin is window dressing on a Titanic styled campaign. Neither of them would be where they are today if the RNC thought there was a slim chance the Republicans could maintain the white house.

The McCain/Palin ticket is a bad joke on the participants. We have to suffer through their journey to obscurity. He will retire to one of his homes and tell visitors that he was a presidential nominee one day. She will go back to running Alaska and telling grandchildren of the horrors that occur in the lower 48.

My Jen - I agree. Obama definitely exhibited composure and dignity last night. Regardless of whether or not we agree or disagree with his policies, he was the one with a steady hand on the tiller, not John McCain. MWA-

Leslie - courtesy was sorely lacking on his part, and whether "that one" by itself was derogatory or not is less relevant than the fact that at this very moment the two men are EQUALS - they are both elected officials, US Senators, last I checked. If Obama earned nothing else in McCain's eyes, he certainly earned the honorific of Senator, imho.

I'll be back with the rest in a minute.

Erik - as some on here will undoubtedly tell you - I am not so easy to get rid of. If I am not blogging it's only because I either don't have anything to say, or the time to say what I want:-)

Thank you for your comment... I think McCain is definitely not doing his campaign any favors with the latest bouts of snarky behaviour. Regardless of outcomes, I would like to see a more mature and responsible election this year, but it doesn't seem like we'll get one.

My Sandra - I doubt any president is capable of accomplishing all their promises, for one thing, if only because we are not a dictatorship:-) As for turning off the TV - last night it would have been a smart move for me to do the same. Thank you for dropping by - hugs, regardless of what you write in on your ballot.

Paul - when Palin was speaking in Clearwater a few days ago, there was a black camera man for one of the news stations who was panning the camera, standing up. Some asshole in the audience screamed, loudly for everyone present to here: "sit down, boy". It is truly unfortunate that incidents like this are not only ignored by the campaigners, but they seem to relish in these outbursts. At the same time though, I must say that in a way it is not surprising that the MCain/Palin ticket is attracting so many bigots.

J-Mac - I think that this statement was much more than simply racist. The otherness of his opponent goes to so many things that transcend the race issue alone. It is sad, though, that so many people still find it their duty to 'witch-hunt' among those different from themselves. If this society was ever homogenous, I might undestand it better. Maybe that's the direction the extreme right wingers would like to see this nation go in, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to be here if that happens. :-)

Inna - the innocence of your youth is beautiful. Nothing is simply racist. Racism clouds the ability to accept, judge, learn, share, love, grow and live. The core of the remark was racist. All the other evil depictions that can also be attributed to the comment grow out of McCains core fear of anyone that does not look, walk, talk or resemble him is at the root of his pomposity and the basis for the actions he displays. Joe Biden may casually say "God love him" but that is more a revelation about Biden's belief in an all forgiving higher power than it is an indication that any Supreme Being could love anyone that possesses a heart filled with such callous regard for others.

Inna - McCain is looking more and more like an angry old man yelling at kids to get off his damn lawn. And Palin comes off like a bitchy high school cheerleader who smiles fetchingly as she smears those who aren't in her pretty-girl, pretty-boy clique. The condescension, the distortion (though both sides distort), the lying, the tolerance -- even encouragement -- of bigotry among their followers show that they are not qualified to be around other human beings, much less run my country.

Fair enough, J-Mac. Sadly, you are right...

Ed - bitchy, huh... Was wondering when you'll speak up. Now, tell me how you really feel:-) Thanks for dropping by here, and your comment. Very very true, indeed.

Inna,

Admittedly, you're preaching to the choir with me, but again, you have eloquently articulated the thoughts that have been swirling around in my little brain today.

As recently as a year ago, I thought McCain would be very tough to beat in the election. His years of experience and willingness to vote against his own party made him a moderate Republican even I, a stalwart Democrat, could live with.

Well, for all his promises of sticking to the issues and not getting into mud-slinging, he has shown time after time that he's in it to win it, at any cost. I honestly am shocked at the complete u-turn he's taken during the last several months.

Its disgusting and blatant! His smugness last night, with the constant "my friends" inserted into every other sentence showed how insincere, intolerant and condescending he truly is.

Bravo to Obama for rising above the ugliness!

Thanks for helping me get a handle on all those random thoughts...!

I was actually stunned and stopped typing when I heard McCain refer to Obama as "That One". It was such a throwback to the days of master to slave. What a stunningly degrading comment. I am appalled that McCain is actually representing one of the two major political parties. This is an unacceptable and racist comment. It may be as J-Mac said above, a pitiful last ditch attempt to garner some support but who, except Klansman and Nazis could support someone who makes such a reference. Shame! Shame on you McCain for such an obvious attempt to interject race baiting into such an important event as a Presidential election. You remind me of one of the characters in this famous poem from the 1920's Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen:

“Incident”

Once, riding in old Baltimore,

Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,

I saw a Baltimorean

Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,

And he was no whit bigger,

And so I smiled, but he poked out

His tongue, and called me “Nigger.”

I saw the whole of Baltimore

From May until December;

Of all the things that happened there

That’s all that I remember.

-Countee Cullen

Hello Inna,

Just stopped by, you know we agree on hardly anything but that doesn't lower my opinion of you one bit. Hope all is well.

Rich - Love the poem.

Inna I'm so glad you posted I was afraid that after the negative backlash of comments on your last post you would not post on AR again. You are very brave.

I shifted in my seat a little when McCain said "that one" it felt very demeaning like he was trying to say "this man is beneath me". I'm not sure if it was intentional but it was rather inspiring how after each attack McCain made, Obama just smiled and kept on rolling....dare I say like a champion.

Amy - hey. Thank you for stopping by my little bit of the blogosphere. You are absolutely right that Obama definetely rose to the occasion in choosing not to lower himself to the level of blatant bigotry displayed. He certainly proved himself to be more Presodential than his opponent.:-)

Rich - that seems to be oddly a fitting poem to reference, given the cirmustances. J-mac always tends to be right in matters I am still growing to understand. Thank you for stopping by. Let's hope the shame we feel will translate to not voting for those we are ashamed of.:-)

Hugh - good to see you here, disagree or not. :-) hugs-

Justin - you are not the first to bring up some degree of concern that I may not be blogging here again after my latest foray into political matters, but let me reassure you that so long as I have something to say and the means to say it - I am not going anywhere.:-) That's a promise. As to the premise of your comment, I think it was intentional. I think McCain underestimates the diversity of the people he speaks to and wishes to be the President of. Thanks for being here.

Inna, I believe McSame made that comment in an attempt to belittle Obama to his face. And I believe it really doesn't matter to him what the issues are, as he seems to have a napolean complex. Rolling Stone just did a very good on him, and apparently all his life he has been a bully and a womanizer. He apparently has admitted his short stature has bothered him. Last night he reminded me of the character Tim Conway played on the Carol Burnett show, the old man who tottered around the office. He just couldn't sit still, and seemed to be constantly wandering, and at one point he was making hand signals to someone in the peanut gallery. And people think this "man" is capable of being president. Something I'll never understand.

Terry - fitting parralel to the Carol Burnett show.... Thanks for that. In a strange way I must admit I felt as much sadness at McCain as disgust last night. Should he lose the election, this will, indeed be his legacy, and no one should want a legacy such as this. On a purely human level, it is truly sad. I would, indeed, feel bad for Palin's part in this charade, but I doubt she even gets what's going on, and that she is being used at the moment. Thanks for stopping by! and may the best man win - literally...

:-)

Hi Inna. Good to read another post.......my but you have a way with words. When does your book come out? :)

I am glad McSame can't help but be who he is. I have Republican friends who were FLOORED by his behavior and are now starting to see that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. This is his last ditch effort to try and get daddies approval and at the cost of what is best for this country. He behaved like a petulant child last night and I say.........thank goodness. There are to many people that need to wake up.

I think McCain misspoke when he referred to Obama as "that one" last night. I don't think he is or meant anything bigoted by it. However, that one, as in McCain, got on my nerves all through the debate last night with his pacing around and his horrible attempts to be funny. The only thing that could have made it worse would be if he had mentioned that f-ing pen of his. I am so sick of that pen that I am prepared to stab myself with it if I hear of it again.

Mandy - You get the pen, and I'll remove "change" from the lexicon. Deal?

OCT

2008

Too tired, so I am off to sleep. Will get back to you all tomorrow.:-)

Hi Inna,

Arrogant seems to fit the bill....McCain is impressed with his own importance. His lofty position does not give him the right to be flippant, or in your words "snarky behavior"

Dick Beals

Inna - I couldn't agree with you more! John McCain isn't fit to lead this country. He is a broken old man with tired ideas and a hatred for progress.

Pamela - sweet of you, as always:-)

A petulant child he was. I doubt too many people who ought to 'wake up' will put any stock into any of his recent behaviour though. They find it so much easier to keep dwelling on his POW record, dismissing the same basic personality flaws that got him there in the first place.

Mandy - even if he 'didn't quite mean it in a bigoted way' he still came off as a jackass for it, and that is pretty darn irresponsible considering what's at stake:-) I am with you on the pen thing! Hugs-

Dick - hi, and good to see you here:-) It seems that wisdom doesn't grace us just because we age. He would have done so much better for his campaign if he was able of feigning some degree of respect for his opponent.

John - hi, and thank you:-) Makes it all the more scary that he has so much support - old I could live with. Broken, in this sense, is too darn dangerous.

Hi Inna. Thank you. :) Actually a couple of my friends who are Republican emailed me a link to the Rolling Stones article on him (which I had already seen) and sited that as one of the main reasons they are now voting for Obama.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

Inna, So good to read your post. You are such a well spoken woman.

Pamela, Thanks for the Link. I just read the entire article. McCain is FAR more Dangerous than Obama could ever be. I believe more than ever that Obama is God's Choice in this election and McCain works for the devil.

God Bless America and God Bless Obama

I love lamp.

Pamela, thank you for that link. I just read the whole thing, and must say none of it really surprised me. I guess there are a few very fundamental characteristics that just don't disappear with either time, experiences or age. A scary verdict on the human race as a whole, really.

Linda - glad I found the time to write one:-) Good to see you here and posting again:-)

Amanda - what happend to the love affair with the sexy Stapler beast? :-)

Off to watch SNL primetime:-) Later gang.

Ina,

I found it illuminating in scrolling through the comments to your post that no comment was made by Nick, Mike, Kevin, Simon and my other favorite "mouseketeers". I suspect that your post and the comments elicited by so many would make their participation a charade. In any event, I share some of the comments by the others but I have to say that I will be happy with the vote of the American people for either of the candidates. Both are, in my opinion, honorable men. But, unlike Brutus, they have much more to contribute to our democracy and we are fortunate that both of them have made a commitment to us to run for this high office in spite of the venom and demagoguery they both have to endure. We are a better nation because of John McCain and Barach Obama!!

OCT

2008

Bill - thank you for your comment. The "mouseketeers" have been conspicuously MIA these last few blogs I wrote. I'll be humble and just assume that they found more eloquent writers to disagree with:-)

As your point that we will be equally well served by either or both of these men running- I have to disagree, of course. Unfortunately, McCain is not revealing himself as an honorable man after all. Never mind the very real possibility that we could actually be governed by that Hockey mom beofre the first term is up, and God will be her co-pilot when it comes to foreign policy. Not something I am ok with...:-)

Inna, having read the Rolling Stone article, and hearing how McSame treated his fellow service personnel, and of course the comments he's publicly made to his wife and others, I have no sympathy for him. If he really CARED about this country he wouldn't have sought the office. He knows he's a dottering old wanna be, who was never able to live up to his Admiral daddy. And because of that he's made a lot of people suffer.

Evening Inna, This thread seems so much more civil and rational than some I've skimmed. Does it strike anyone else that the strategy of the McCain/Palin campaign is only aimed at the far right of the base. Surely they must know that their recent antics, and those of Paris HiltonSarah Palin only serve to push the moderates and undecideds away ? Shouldn't the rest of us hope they continue what they are doing as the presidential bid spirals out of control ?

Terry, hi:-) Good to see you. I suppose in a lot of ways pity is, indeed, warranted. Presidency, of course, is too big of a consolation prize.

Bill G - we try to keep it civil here... As for the strategy employed, if it is, indeed, a strategy to incite violent outbursts against your opponent during rallies, then I would sincerely hope that it stops. While McCain may lose this election in part because of it, it seems there are people already being shot at for simply wearing Obama t-shirts. Thank you for commenting:-)

OCT

2008

Inna, I thought we had more in common, but I guess not. I don't look at either candidate on the surface, but the party they represent. I prefer capitalism over socialism, that is why we left Yugoslavia to come to America. I prefer a president who is going to protect the country and not a president who wants to take care of the people within it.

Not that i have a problem with protecting the people within the country, it's just that social programs run by gov't do not work. They always sound and look good until they are enacted. Then everyone complains, how did this happen?

Peter - I am not sure what in this blog prompted this comment from you. This is not about the issues, admittedly per the blog in question at all. It's about a personality type that has been rearing its head over the last few weeks, and the best way I can characterize that type is a school yard bully.

There are plenty of blogs on here that discuss the issues you bring up, none of which were relevant to the point of what I wrote.

:-)

Inna, don't look at me like that you know what I'm talking about ;-)

Inna and Bill,

Hi.

Peter, so does that mean that you are voting for the republican ticket no matter who is on it? Not that there is anything wrong with that, but like I said earlier, this post was about something rather specific - temperament and personality. In a leader, none of these are 'shallow', in my opinion. We have just had a cowboy bully at the helm for 8 years... I feel better protected by someone with a steady hand and cool head, for example. As for socialism, still not sure why you are equating it to the democratic party. Weird.

Kevin - what gives?

NOV

2008

Hi Inna, yes, in this case I would have voted for anyone who was a republican. this country was built on checks and balances, if the president, senate and house are all democrats, where's the checks and balance? if the senate and house were majority republicans, then I would want a democrat president (most likely).

In either case, we know who won so it doesn't matter any more.

I beleive now that Obama won, I am happy for him and wish him the best. I will also respect him as the president of this country. I am optimistic in thinking that he will not do some of the things he promised (most politicians don't) and whatever the result of his presidency, we will deal with it.

socialism and democrats seem to align very closely, but the topic is too long to discuss (maybe another time:-)

Peter - I get the concern about balance of power, and I am actually glad the dems didn't get to 60 for that very reason. As for dems and socialists aligning, as you put it, I have to disagree. I think that a lot of ideals of the old GOP are now better represented by the dems, hence the republicans had such a hard time this election season. It seems that the republican party has forgotten what it stood for, and now cares for nothing but social conservativism issues, i.e. my priavate life:-) That's an unfortunate change for them, and I am hoping that they realize it and recover from it.

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