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If Not Hillary, Then McCain? Really?
By Tommy ChristopherMay 13th 2008 6:28PM
Filed Under:eHillary Clinton, Republicans, John McCain, Featured Stories, 2008 President
That line is what we in the biz call a logical fallacy. As logical fallacies go, it's pretty innocuous, even comical. I picture an apoplectic bureaucrat somewhere screaming into the face of the 987th person to come to the window and ask, "What's wrong with my Driver's Manual?"
A far more dangerous logical fallacy is all the rage now, and it has a lot to do with intentionally blank pages. The press has given John McCain a free ride for years now, and as a result, 45% of Hillary Clinton's supporters have something like this to say:
If Hillary Clinton doesn't win, I will vote for McCain in November.It is a happy accident that David Knowles wrote about this phenomenon earlier today, unbeknownst to me. This serves as an excellent companion to that story.
Now, I understand disappointment, and a certain amount of bitterness toward an opponent in a hard-fought contest, but this makes about as much sense as rooting for the Red Sox if the Yankees lose, unless you're Rudy Giuliani, or saying that if you can't have your favorite flavor of ice cream, you'll take cyanide instead.
My theory is that many of these voters have the same general idea about McCain that the rest of America does, that he's a free-thinking, maverick moderate who even leans to the left here and there, a great down-the-middle choice. Let's test that theory out. This poll is for Hillary Clinton supporters only. Take it, and then read on.
Now, let's try to fill in some of those blank pages. First of all, I must make two basic assumptions: - There are many substantive reasons for your support of Hillary Clinton - Your decision to support McCain is predicated on a belief that he is not that divergent from Hillary Clinton where it counts, and even leans liberal in some cases.
Let's see how well McCain and Hillary stack up.
Reproductive Choice
Hillary: A woman's right to choose whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is a core Democratic value, and is such a linchpin in Hillary's campaign that she attacked Obama on choice back in January, despite the fact that the Illinois Senator is absolutely pro-choice.
McCain: Many Republicans try to mask their extremism on choice for the general election by using coded language like, "I will appoint strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court."
Rudy Giuliani is a good example of this. Guys like that are a roll of the dice. Reagan, for example, disapointed a lot of conservatives with his appointments.
McCain, however, tattoos his extremism all over his platform, saying:
John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states.I've seen people say, "I'll take my chances on Roe." You do realize these are lifetime appointmentsm don't you?
Can you go from being pro-choice to inviting John McCain under the stirrups to peer into your uterus and decide what you and your doctor can and can't do?
The Economy
Hillary: Proposes taxe relief for the middle class and repealing the Bush tax cuts on the most wealthy Americans. She also wants to end the billions of dollars being spent each month in Iraq, which the current administration doesn't even include in its budget.
McCain: An admitted novice on economics, it shows. His idea of tax relief for the "middle class" is to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax, which only affects people making more than $150,000.00 a year.
After speaking out passionately against George Bush's tax cuts, he voted to pass them, and now wants to make them permanent.
Then, of course, there's Iraq. He claims he was misquoted on the "100 years" thing, but his explanation is no better.
Healthcare
Hillary: Plans to provide universal health insurance to all, while maintaining incentives for employers to continue to provide insurance to employees making less than a quarter-mil a year.
McCain: Plans to take away tax incentives to employers who provide healthcare to employees, to the tune of about $12,000 a year, in order to pay for a $5000.00 tax credit with which to purchase a more expensive, less comprehensive plan on the individual market. He hopes that costs will be controlled by the invisible hand of the market. I feel that hand every time I go to the gas station, and I want to turn my head and cough.
He also wants to rid the market of "needless and costly regulations." You know, like the one that says that if you get really sick or pregnant, your insurance company can't dig up your application, look for an undotted "i", and retroactively cancel your policy, making you pay back every dime they ever laid out for claims. What a pain in the ass that rule is!
Smears and Associations
If this kind of thing floats your boat, you should probably stick to voting for Sanjaya, but here goes.
Hillary: Has been linked to every factor in the decline of Western Civilization, up to and including those "Head On" commercials.
McCain: Since the press have given him a free ride, and I possess neither the inclination nor the hypocrisy to dig up the kinds of weak associations that get used against Democrats like Hillary, I'll just go with what little they have reported. Jerry Falwell and Pastor John Hagee, whose endorsements McCain sought and received, both said that America deserved 9/11.
Then, there's the herbally monikered Rod Parsley, who believes America was founded to destroy Islam, and is McCain's "Spiritual Guide."
Back to Hagee for a second. I'm from a long line of Irish, Catholic (I am not practicing), working-class Democrats My Dad was a carpenter. My people are spread all over this country, from the Northeast, throughout the Midwest, and I can tell you fact positive that none of them goes to mass on Sundays to fellowship with The Great Whore. That's Hagee's pet name for the Catholic church.
So, let's take that poll again. There's a lot more where that came from, but let's see if this is enough.
McCain Learning Curve; MLK, Rebel Flag, Slavery
McCain Learning Curve: Recipe For Success?
McCain Learning Curve: The Mortgage Crisis
McCain Stood by David Duke in '90, Still Does
'Don't Say Obama Beats His Wife'
McCain Not What the Doctor Ordered
McCain: 'Why is Chelsea Clinton So Ugly?'
John McCain: The Audacity of 'Nope!'
HillaCrats for McCain: Ready to Sacrifice Roe?
Recent Comments
(Page 1 of 19)kaflooey7:04PMMay 13th 2008
I decided to support one candidate. If that candidate is no longer on the ballot in the general election, I will not vote. This seems incredibly simple to me. Why is this such a difficult concept for so many to grasp? Just because I happen to be registered Democrat I am supposed to follow the other sheep to slaughter and vote for someone I don't believe in? That's absurd. I need to believe in the person I vote for. If I don't, I don't vote just for the sake of voting.
Pete7:12PMMay 13th 2008
Maybe, just maybe Tom, those Hillary supporters who will vote for McCain are simply "smart" enough to vote for someone Hamas DOES NOT endorse.
Katherine7:22PMMay 13th 2008
"If not Hillary, Then McCain? Really?"
REALLY.
La Mano Fresco7:43PMMay 13th 2008
Would you feel better, Pete, if Obama retracted and denounced his support of Hamas?
If you really want to play the associations game, by the way, then please tell me outright that those Hilary-to-McCain supporters are willing to vote for a guy endorsed by fringe religious wingnuts like Hagee. C'mon! Do it! Say that they'd accept endorsements from guys with blatantly irrational attitudes against Muslims and (in Hagee's case) Catholics and state that horrific American disasters are the gays' and lesbians' fault. So tell me directly: yes or no?
Switching from Hilary Clinton--a tough-as-nails woman with unbelievable ambition and just as much stubbornness that does the Mule proud--to John McCain--a pushover with the spine of a freezepop who has thrown away his "centrist" positions to outright pander to the pro-Bush Republican base--is downright STUPID. Thanks, Tommy, for an article on the contrasts between these two clearly different candidates.
robert garcia7:44PMMay 13th 2008
talk about brain washing people with a poll to vote for obama really sad
Katherine7:46PMMay 13th 2008
TC:
Everybody knows that you officially endorsed Obama. There are too many reasons to list why I won't vote for Obama, and I listed some on DK's similar forum today. One (out of maybe 100) reasons why I will not vote for Obama is National security. No way. Never Obama.
_______________
Also, not only is your article slanted, but so is your crap poll! Look at the silly answer choices:
If there was no change in your answer from the first poll, was it because:
a. I don't believe what you're saying about McCain
b. I don't care that much about these issues
c. Not sure
-------------
WHAT? It's NONE of those.
The Truth Hurts7:47PMMay 13th 2008
You don't want to vote for Obama simply because your bottom line is that you are racist, you and everyone just like you use whatever excuse out there to hide behind, whether it is Rev. Wright, Fox News coverage, Rush Limbaugh,a Flag Pin, Mispoken statements, whetever. Funny how issues on McCain, don't make you think. His Rev. Hagee, Liberal, quick temper, age, unprofessional relationship, possible affair that was quickly hushed. If you don't like Obama because of his skin color, or that he is highly educated, I am sure more than you, don't be jealous and hate even though that is what most racist do, just go and vote for McCain and stop hiding and lieing to yourself.
Denise Williams7:48PMMay 13th 2008
I guess I'll hold my post "Why would pro-choice, anti-war women choose McCain" for later in the week...
Steven7:52PMMay 13th 2008
If the author is so incapable of understanding McCain's explanation of his "100 years in Iraq" quote, then I'd love to explain it.
If American troops are able to successfully win the war in Iraq and bring peace to the country, then McCain has no problem with leaving troops there for the next 100 years. Is the author angered over the fact that we can expect to have US troops in Germany for the next 100 years? No, he is not, because there is peace in Germany, not the fighting of WW2 that was the cause of our invasion 60 years ago.
It is beyond obvious that this is what McCain meant when he made the now-infamous "100 year" quote. He is not suggesting that he would support 100 more years of the current debacle that is Iraq.
In twisting what McCain meant by his quote, the author is resorting to the most simplistic of persuasive strategy. Mr. Christopher, that may work on some, but for those who do their homework, like myself, you are going to have to actually discuss topics of substance to convince someone on the fence, like myself, to vote for Obama/Clinton over McCain.
CC7:52PMMay 13th 2008
KAFLOOEY---HURRAY- HURRAY -- YOUR STATEMENT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY BETTER --- AND IS OH SO TRUE AS YOU SAID DEMOCRAT OR NOT - OBAMA IT WILL NOT BE !! IT IS WHAT IT IS.....
B Marx7:55PMMay 13th 2008
In your voting options regarding reasons for still voting for McCain over Obama, you left out a major issue:
d) I don't TRUST Obama.
Katherine7:57PMMay 13th 2008
Denise, 'cause those women don't want to wind up in a mushroom cloud.
(lol--sorry, but that's kinda MY answer.)
pssst....according to AOL, Hillary already won W. Virginia and 0% precincts are reporting...? I guess it's the exit polls...
King Solomon8:00PMMay 13th 2008
If so then you are not voting for Democratic reasons or issue reasons because as was said over and over again in the 21 debates Obama and Hillary are 90% the same on the issues! If you vote McCain, and Hillary will actively campaign for Obama, you vote for different reasons, which I wonder if you would publicly admit to! It doesn't matter anyway, the entire country is tired and fed up with the GOP, when things are bad, the country always elects the other party! Based on the state of the nation, Bigfoot or donkey in Shrek could beat McCain! Hypothetically speaking (cuz it would never happen) if McCain't became President, I wonder how much you will like McCain when you or your relatives are killed in an Iraq explosion or sustain life-changing injuries! Obama will not abandon Iraq either, he will stabilize it, "We will leave Iraq as carefully as we were careless going in." I don't even know if the implosion of our economy can even be stopped, given the environment, but if you vote McCain, then you must enjoy and be a proponent of the current economic conditions, etc, etc... Doesn't matter anyway, you'll see once the fall campaign is underway and November comes and goes! If you still have the same attitude when you must say President Obama, because it has become fact, I'll be thinking, that's why you're not President and he is!! Food for thought! :)
David8:01PMMay 13th 2008
I am from Florida, The Democrats screwed me by not allowing my vote to count. The date change was done by Republicans in charge of the elections in Florida. Instead of the DNC stepping up to protect my vote, they declared they don't care or need the 2.5 million votes at stake. The reason I would cast a vote for McCain is to screw them back, after all it's only 4 more years right!
www.nikabako8:05PMMay 13th 2008
We love YOU HILLARY FOREVER !!!!!!!
betsyfromtexas8:05PMMay 13th 2008
All of you Obama 'fluffers' (you number among them, Tommy boy) seem to have parts of your brains missing---or is it the O'soma all of you 'brave new worlders' have taken? If you think that we Hillary supporters will fall into line for Obaaaama because the DNC or Hillary asks us to, you're sadly mistaken. Obama is UNFIT---get it?! U-N-F-I-T.
Obama is a WIMP, as evidenced by his refusal to compete with Hillary in WV.
HILLARY OR 'OTHER' FOR ME IN JANUARY!!!!!!!!!
B.C.8:05PMMay 13th 2008
Surprisingly I never thought I would not support the Democratic nominee but I am a Hillary supporter and do not support the positions heretofore stated by Obama. If Hillary is not the candidtate for President, then I will vote for McCain. Sorry Obama fans but I don't want to be in a trans-like state being led by a wishy-washy pied piper black or white or red or yellow.
King Solomon8:07PMMay 13th 2008
P.S. I wouldn't, myself, mind fighting personally in Iraq, and dying for the cause (if God allowed it to get that far) if I inherently believed in it, but we all know what an intelligence fiasco that was, to say the least... (We also know that Obama is the only one who took a leadership stance and opposed it! So much credit is due, just for that alone!) Moving along...
norma8:07PMMay 13th 2008
I do not trust Obama! It is Hillary or Bush's third term.
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sblum6:44PMMay 13th 2008
can't even answer the last trick question