They really are going to try and ram through this whole "angry black man" thing come hell or high water aren't they?

Honestly, you can't go calling him angry if he's never EVER ruffled. They just can't rile the dude, and it drives them nuts.

Ol Marshall McLuhan would just love this campaign - it's a perfect example of a hot vs cool candidate (and McLuhan rightly surmised that we prefer cool candidates)

Danger Will Robinson!
McKeating is suffering a McMeltdown!
Danger! Danger! Danger!

I was concerned before. His policies are generally crap and would do nothing for this country. But these latest examples of his break from reality really have me worried -- not so much for him, but for this country if he gets elected. I just hope that there are more of us paying attention than not. Given Americans' stereotypical disdain for information/current events/anything other than belly-button gazing, that's not really a sure thing.

Speaking of the DSM-IV, I was just reading a book called FEARS, PHOBIAS, AND RITUALS by Isaac Meyer Marks. It is an older work, but still worth reading. Dr. Marks has a section on defecation as a means of avoidance.

I'm sorry, but in watching McCain emotionally disintigrate over the last few weeks, the idea of John soiling himself to drive reporters off the straight talk express does not seem all that far fetched anymore...

-jjf

On the off chance that people fall for this lie, they will have the next two debates to remind them about who is the hot-head and who is cool and collected. It will be like Bobby McFerrin v. Mick "Mankind" Foley.

It's not projection. It's a deliberate tactic. If they know McCain has a weak spot they accuse Obama of the same thing. Now when Obame (or any sentient being) accuses McCain it's a "he said-she said" instead of a legitimate ding against McCain.

Yep, more projections from the right, movie's getting good, round two coming up, popcorn?

Obama should dish out the Keating Five in tv ads until the debate starts, then taunt the old man to come off his porch and talk about economics and health care.

And this is any different than the GOP strategy at any time because ... ?

Honestly -- they've been projecting their weaknesses on their opponents for years now.

They painted Kerry as a coward, even though it was Bush and Cheney who got out of serving in VietNam.

They convinced people the GOP could keep them safe, even though the GOP was in power during 9/11.

The GOP claims they are Christians, and the left a bunch of godless heathens, even though the GOP supports torture, loves never-ending war for no reason, argues to keep the death penalty, gives the rich the benefits, and ignores the sick and poor.

They claim being gay is a sin and gay marriage banned, yet have countless gay members who hide the fact.

In short, they should be called the PowerPoint Party, since all they do is project their weaknesses on everyone else.

Steve, please (and Josh Marshall too).

Have fun with snark if you want, but this isn't some psychological "projection" problem that has "afflicted" the McCain campaign.

It is a very obvious and deliberate strategy: they know very well what their own negatives are (e.g. "touchy" and "angry" and responding to challenges with "insults"), and they are attempting to preemptively accuse Obama of those same negatives.

This is intended to defuse any criticism of McCain on those grounds, and to feed in to the corporate media's favorite "false equivalency" propaganda strategy for promoting Republican candidates.

I sure hope that people like you and Josh Marshall don't seriously believe that this is the result of some psychological problem that McCain has. It is a deliberate strategy and it will almost certainly be effective to some degree.

Huh. Is it possible that this election is really just a Looney Tunes episode and someone has hypnotized John McCain into thinking he's Barack Obama? Then he'd ascribe all his horribleness (anger, touchiness, etc.) to his opponent, since he's "not" John McCain....

"I am Elmer J. McCain, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht..."

My friends, my opponent will never be Mrs. Congeniality. You effing pissants better vote for me or I'll never look at you again.

Are you done typing this Cindy, you insufferable hag? That was a question for you dipshit, you've been hitting the meds again haven't you? You'd better stop typing now.

Cindy!

CINDY!

It's called projection, John.

I'm afraid it's time for the thorazine again.

(Do click the link--actual ad--hilarious. And apt. H/T to this guy, with many more disturbingly weird ads).

I've been wondering for awhile if the BO Campaign would attempt to goad McCain into an absolute fit of rage in one of their 3 debates; I mean a real meltdown in public which would cause everyone to avert their eyes.

It would seem a bit out of character to BO himself, however, he seems to throwing kindling on the pile in hopes that JM sets off the conflagration himself.

It would be a sight to see, as McCain seems pretty close to gibbering now.

They'll do anything, the ridiculous morons, to the point that it is pure entertainment. I'm waiting for their attempt to arrest Obama. Please-please-please, John McCain, save America and go for it!

Projection is the primary defense mechanism used by the paranoid.

The background behind McCain's statement come from an article written by James Fallows in the September issue of the Atlantic. At this moment I cannot find the link but in it, Fallows quoted campaign worker for one of Obama's opponents in the Democratic primary. Note: it wasn't Hillary's.

Molotov

Secular Animist: Have fun with snark if you want, but this isn't some psychological "projection" problem that has "afflicted" the McCain campaign.

I'm not so sure that we aren't witnessing symptoms of a psychosomatic disease. McCain has a history of rashness, high stakes gambling, hot-headness, and yes, he really was a POW. Now consider the stress he is under as his campaign crumbles. Add to this cocktail his advanced age. Stir and shake ever so gently...

It is a volatile admixture. He may really be tottering on the edge of sanity. Seriously: Danger!

You want to be afraid? I mean very, VERY afraid? Then forget about the emotional meltdowns.

I've been chatting with some M.D.s who keep looking at that lump on the side of McCain's face. They tell me, the closer it is to the head, the sooner it will go to the brain and kill him. They tell me, at his age, after several bouts with melanoma, it's probably still there and it's probably fatal. And in less than four years.

Come to think of it, maybe the melanoma going to the brain has something to do with the temper tantrums. There's a reason he's not releasing his full medical records with time to examine them.

Whether or not he melts down, he's likely to die in office, if he gets elected. And that means we get Ms. Moose Meat for Prez.

Crankily yours,
The New York Crank

neilt you are absolutely 110% right. McCain is going after the "angry black man" meme. From the old news of Reverend Wright to trying to associate Obama with terrorists. All that stuff is meant to scare people out of voting for a black man. McCain is really unhinged now, off the tracks.

It's going to be harder for him to avoid any eye contact with Obama in tomorrow night's town-hall style debate and if any of these personal subjects come up, McCain is going to have a hard time controlling that hair-trigger temper of his. I'm beginning to wonder how long it will be before we hear McCain just go for the N-word.

this is evolving into our first "reality tv" election. we seem to be watching mccain have an on-air breakdown.

I'm on tenterhooks waiting to learn how Obama is really at fault for the Keating Savings and Loan crisis.

Sorry to disagree with Steve and most commenters, but from what I have seen of the McCain campaign's new line of "attack", it seems to me to be very smart and likely to be effective.

On the one hand, they have Sarah Palin out on the road feeding red meat (Obama is a terrorist who hates America) to the dittohead base.

On the other hand, they have McCain himself, who darkly hints at such matters (leaving the specifics to Palin), but mostly attacks Obama for the very things where the McCain campaign knows that they are most vulnerable -- e.g. McCain is widely viewed as angry and dishonest, to have supported policies that lead to the current financial crisis, and to have been ineffective and politically opportunistic in responding to it.

So, McCain accuses Obama of being angry and dishonest, of supporting policies that lead to the financial crisis, and being ineffective and politically opportunistic in responding to it.

This sets up the corporate-owned mass media to play their standard game of false-equivalency, they-both-do-it, how-can-anyone-know-what's-true, etc. which is basically how the giant corporations who own and control America's mass media have propagandized on behalf of right-wing Republican candidates for the last three election cycles.

The goal is to reduce McCain's negatives, and boost Obama's negatives, and thereby get the election close enough to steal it. And four weeks is plenty of time to do that.

Unfortunately, this is not indicative of a psychological breakdown by McCain. It is indicative of a much smarter, and more focused, attack policy than it sounded like they had in mind, and unfortunately, it is likely to be a lot more effective than Democratic partisans, gleeful at today's transient poll numbers, think it will.

We'll know he's reached his limit when he holds his breath until he passes out, like when he was a kid.

"I know that projection is a common psychological phenomenon, especially for those who find themselves in desperate situations. But for a set piece speech that must mean it's afflicted McCain's entire campaign."

Its afflicted the entire Republican Party. A loss in Nov. is going to lead to a breakdown.

Pot. Kettle. McCain.

SecularAnimist,

I'm pessimistic to a fault, but I think you're seeing strategy and cunning where none exists. Independents are deciding for Obama in heavy numbers, due to, in no small way, Obama's steady, even manner.

These attacks are nothing more than desperation. That will turn off the middle. They'll excite the base, but the middle cares about the economy right now, not who was doing what when Obama was eight.

Unless McCain single-handedly delivers bin Laden to the White House doorstep, this election is over. Now we're just talking about how big the landslide will be.

McCain's entire campaign

WTF? McCain still has something that can be legitimately called "a campaign?" You have got to be kidding me---he comes across as a really old Ozzy Osbourne, freebasing Metamucil and "skunky" beer intravenously.

They used to put people in McCain's "condition" in asylums for the insane, out of fear that they might lash out and hurt people in the greater community. Padded cells, straight jackets, heavy doses of mood-control drugs, and the occasional lobotomy were all the rage, once upon a time.

Isn't there a country we could send McCain to---a country that still employs those dark-ages medical practices? Somewhere away from America?

We'll know he's reached his limit when he holds his breath until he passes out, like when he was a kid.

McCain is a wild-eyed erradical.

That's Just What I Said

Actually reading the text of McCain's speech makes it very clear that what is involved here is a deliberate campaign tactic, not the product of some psychological phenomenon.

It was plainly written by staff (most campaign speeches are), for one thing. For another, it shows more calculation than McCain generally has in the past -- Sen. Obama, for example, actually can be touchy when questioned, something he deals with by restricting his contacts with reporters. Finally, it shows marked resemblance to some of the tactics used in George Bush's national campaigns.

That is really the key thing about it; McCain's campaign is being run by people who used to work for Bush, and this speech is evidence of that. The foundation of its argument is the line "the status quo is not on the ballot," which directly contradicts the main Democratic argument against McCain, that he would continue the policies of the very unpopular Bush. Partial disavowal of the less popular aspects of one's own party is a trademark Bush tactic: the elder Bush used it in 1988, in his call for a "kinder, gentler America," and the younger Bush's 2000 posture as a "compassionate conservative" was a clear (and very successful) effort to put distance between Bush and the unappealing ideological conservatives on display during the Washington battles of the 1990s. McCain, claiming to represent change without repudiating anything President Bush has actually done, is doing the same thing in his New Mexico speech.

Now, if one were anxious for reasons to feel superior to John McCain or felt the need to justify being frightened by John McCain, the alternative and thoroughly offensive explanation that he must be mentally ill might be attractive. I'm sure the DSM-IV has something to say about that.

I could only stomach 30 seconds of McCain's tirade this morning, but I just realized who he reminded me of- George Wallace in '68 and '72. Like Wallace, McCain oozes contempt, malice, and anger. Unlike Wallace, though, McCain's fury is directed not at an America in transition, but at an individual. Bar the starker racism of the late Alabamian's rhetoric (that was soft soaped in its own fashion), McCain's inflammatory accusations are calculated to inflame the the same hateful passions that carried Wallace so very, very far.

For the record, I'm voting Obama this year. I've known I'm voting Obama since about May. However, I've divided my vote relatively evenly among Republicans and Democrats (especially at the state and local level) with a large minority (numbers-wise) of votes for Independents. I think we need more independent parties in the system.

Why I say all this before my real remarks, is because I want it clear I'm not registered as a Democrat.

Everything I hear from John these days seems to be to "fire up the base". This doesn't make sense to me. Either the base is going to vote for him because they're rabidly anti-Democrat party or they're not. Just as Obama cannot win on Democrats alone, McCain cannot with on only the Republican base. They both need to reach to people like me... middle of the road, non-committed (party-loyalty wise) and not automatically buying talking points.

Obama, it appears to me, is doing this. John McCain is still preaching to the choir. Republicans may get a charge out of Obama knowing some guy who was a radical teenager in the 60's, but I don't care. Everyone was f-ing crazy then. And none of that is helping me keep my job so I can pay my mortgage.

John's Rovian-Trained team doesn't seem to get it either. They're still playing those games that got George and Dick elected... those of us not knee-jerk party-loyal aren't hearing anything relevant to our circumstances right now... except from Obama.

John -- come out of the past, dude. The 90's are over!

I read the block quote over at TPM, and I wasn't sure who had said it. It sounded uncharacteristic of Obama to get so personal, but the only candidate I knew was touchy and angry and who responded to questions with a barrage of insults was....McCain.

He really is projecting. Or we've gone down the Rabbit Hole.

I agree that it's not projection, but deliberate calculation by the McCain campaign to paint Obama as an angry black man.

But I think it's doomed to failure. This is not like calling someone a coward for something they did or did not do 30 years in the past. Calling someone angry (and having it stick) depends on them *looking* angry. As long as Obama stays cool, calm and collected--and McCain looks about 3 seconds away from going postal--the effort will fail.

Real suspense. What will McCain do during the debate? He said he "was going to take the gloves off." If he slashes at Obama to no visible effect, will McCain then throw a tantrum and say something memorable for its "inappropriateness," to use the most benign word? Nothing is more temper provoking than to insult and denigrate your opponent and have him dismiss you with a faint smile.

deliberate calculation... to paint Obama as an angry black man.
Or calculated to piss Obama off, to make him an angry black man. I watched some of the speech and I know that if I was Obama, I would be foaming at the mouth. Which is of course why I'm not a politician.
I trust that Senator Obama has the sense to see through this shit, and not fall for it.
One more point: if Obama can keep his cool through this campaign, we know for sure that we don't have to worry about him standing up to other world leaders.

Nothing is more temper provoking than to insult and denigrate your opponent and have him dismiss you with a faint smile.

Or a gently mocking anecdote--I'm thinking now of the way Obama keeps turning these meltdowns of McCain's into easygoing stump speech fare. His amusement looks effortless. McCain's attempts at looking amused suggest he's trying to remember the last time he pooped.

Obama doesn't lose his cool. It's why we are where we are.

Obama does get mad, as well he should. But the charge that he does not disclose his record is patently false. Obama is one of the most transparent candidates I've ever witnessed! And, unlike McCain, he admits his regrets, admits when he's wrong--he actually has humility!

You will likely not ever hear Obama so enraged, so hostile while insisting to a reporter something as arrogant and ridiculous as "I'm 100% always honest and put America first..and I deeply resent (take issue, whatever) that you even suggest this..."
(paraphrasing here).

Since were talking DSM: To repeatedly use such black and white absolutes is a red flag of an what they call in Psychology circles and Axis II disorder--the personality disorders, which are notoriously harder to treat.

Both he and Palin are classic Axis II.

Huh. Sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle ... swarthy.

I don't have time to roll through the comments just now, as much as I'd like to (because, doggone it, I love y'all!), but I wonder if anyone else has wondered whether Obama is actively TRYING to drive McCain crazy before tomorrow night, by rolling out the glorious details of the Keating 5.

That Obama. He's a practical guy.

I LIKE IT!

McCain's attempts at looking amused suggest he's trying to remember the last time he pooped.

Warn a girl! Seltzer exiting via the nose...not a pleasant sensation.

@Micheline at 5:14 -
please do supply the link to the Fallows statement in the Atlantic. I believe you are mistaken: here's Fallows on 9/27/08 saying quite the opposite (http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/on_strategy_and_tactics.php)

Definitely projection AND a double doozy one--cause Obama is clearly not 'touchy' nor 'evasive' about his record.

While on the contrary, McCain is as about angry and dodgy as you can get.

He's also no doubt trying to get Obama riled up.

And trying to incite fears.

And he's just plain desperate--he is trying everything and anything at this point.

bcinaz wrote:

> I've been wondering for awhile if the BO Campaign
> would attempt to goad McCain into an absolute
> fit of rage in one of their 3 debates; I mean
> a real meltdown in public which would cause
> everyone to avert their eyes.

I've been thinking about this as well, for some time. It's what I like to call the "Richard Pryor" tactic. Years ago, Pryor had a standup routine where he talked about how he was completely outclassed when he argued with his wife/girlfriend: "and the madder you get, the calmer she gets!"

It's certainly not his style, so far as we've seen, but it would be remarkable to see Obama subtly push McCain's buttons, over and over, until the spittle starts flying.

So what would you say that sounds imminently reasonable, but would absolutely infuriate the senator from Arizona?

What the McCain campaign is trying to do is to give voters an excuse, a non-racist one, not to vote for Obama. And I know that this meme has been effective in the past.

I was at a friend's going-away party four years ago, and her parents' friends -- who were mostly conservative -- had many conversations about how "angry" liberals were. And they were content to stop there, too; nobody said "I wonder why they're angry," or seemed to think that there was anything about being angry that could be valid. They had drunk the Kool-Aid, in short, and the McCain campaign knows that there are folks like that out there.

They're no longer talking to the nation, FYI. They're talking to the .01 percent of people who are going to make their decision at the voting booth, on impulse, and hoping that that's enough. I so, so, SO can't wait to help prove them wrong, so I'll be driving voters to the polls on Election Day. But I'm not taking it for granted.

And don't forget: whenever McCain's record is called into question, he reminds you that he's above question because he's a POW.

Unless McCain single-handedly delivers bin Laden to the White House doorstep, this election is over.
Posted by: doubtful on October 6, 2008 at 5:34 PM |

Darnit, you just ruined our October Surprise!!!