Is John McCain Wearing Gay Sweaters?

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Is John McCain Wearing Gay Sweaters?

Posted Jul 11th 2007 5:57PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Politics, Elections, George Bush, Young Turks, John McCain, Gay and Lesbian, Jerry Falwell

Radar Online is reporting that John McCain has a gay sweater problem (look here for pictures of his so-called gay sweaters and the "controversy" surrounding them). He apparently wears too many of them. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But there is something wrong with that if you're doing it because your handlers told you to.

I believe in balance. You shouldn't always ignore your handlers. Sometimes they have very relevant poll results (like 70% of the country wants to withdraw from Iraq, you will lose the race if you support that position -- not that there's anything wrong with that either, if you really believe in staying in Iraq you should fight for it even if you're going to lose). Sometimes they tell you about facts in a policy debate that might help shape your opinion. Sometimes they tell you whether you have schmutz on your tie.

Some people make fun of anyone who listens to their advisers. That's ridiculous. You know what you get when you don't listen to anybody? George W. Bush. So, there is value in advisers and consultants. They have specialties and you should take their advice. But that's all it is -- advice. Then be a man, and make up your own mind.

If this report is right -- and that's a big "if" given how many stories get made up about people on the campaign trail, including the worst story ever made up against any candidate, which fittingly was a story the Bush campaign smeared John McCain with in 2000 -- then this falls in the category of advice that should have been ignored. Don't let people tell you what to wear, unless of course you're badly clashing. You have to be comfortable in your own skin.

I don't care if the sweaters were gay or straight, or transgendered. The point is you can't be led around by people who think the way to win over voters is through false appearances. Unfortunately, this is the biggest problem in John McCain's campaign. His flip-flop on the Christian right was so severe and sudden that it lacked all credibility. The best defense anyone could muster up for McCain was that he didn't mean it. But that's precisely the problem.

If John McCain had stayed John McCain, he wouldn't have half the problems he has now. The problem isn't the sweater he changed into, it's the man he changed into.

Listen to The Young Turks While You Jog

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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)

1. I don't get your "gay" sweater reference ... is this just a word you threw in to get some attention? And ... what makes a sweater gay? Do you expect anyone to take take your article seriously when you throw in stuff like this?

Bates at 7:59PM on Jul 11th 2007

2. Excuse me: I do not know what a gay sweater is.
Please elaborate?

Anne Winkler at 10:51PM on Jul 11th 2007

3. My sweat socks have been speding alot of time with my sweater lately. As a parent, should I be concerned?

Wade Williams at 11:37PM on Jul 11th 2007

4. My sweat socks have been spending alot of time with my sweater lately. As a parent, should I be concerned?

Wade Hunt Williams at 12:00AM on Jul 12th 2007

5. As i said in an eairlier post...these Young Turks may be the dumbest folks alive. What in the hell are these low IQs talking about?

kurt at 1:21AM on Jul 12th 2007

6. I was just watching the Fox News show "Red Eye" and they said McCain's sweaters were gay so it must be true. What Fox lacks in accuracy, they balance with a lack of fairness.

Bubba S. at 2:44AM on Jul 12th 2007

7. If you did not know, the sweaters are made from wool so that makes John McLain a wolf in a sheep's clothing. I herd (heard) he is so gay that everyone is saying how baaa..d he is because he supports the right wing president breaking laws so he can do the same if elected. Problem here is that he is the sheep and the one in the butt of the sheep. I say this all rather sheepishly too.

Richard at 7:46AM on Jul 12th 2007

8.
WHO CARES,

bob moffa at 8:03AM on Jul 12th 2007

9. Good lord you guys, you used five paragraphs of hooey to say the one thing that really matters. When you turn people off with a long nonsense lead into what you want to say, most people don't read the whole article. I know I was skipping from the first paragraph to the comments when I say the one thing you wrote that meant any thing.

"If John McCain had stayed John McCain, he wouldn't have half the problems he has now. The problem isn't the sweater he changed into, it's the man he changed into"

Mackie at 8:20AM on Jul 12th 2007

10. Cenk,

You seem to know about this better than most, but what is a "gay sweater"?

Willet at 9:07AM on Jul 12th 2007

11. Well it wouldn't surprise me one iota if John McCain has taken his bat and balls over to the over to the other team to play for a while. He never has been anything but a RINO so if he starts wearing glittery tops and concealer I wouldn't be shocked at all. I thank GOD that the Republicans are weeding out sissies like McCain.

Mrs. T.D. Gaines-Crockett at 9:42AM on Jul 12th 2007

12. I repeat, get a life!

Wally Lind at 1:36PM on Jul 12th 2007

13. Those sweaters don't look gay to me at all. Wouldn't a gay sweater be more stylish? Those look like frumpy old fart sweaters to me.

Janice at 8:11AM on Jul 13th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.