Think Progress

McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.»

mac.jpgPolitico reports that the impending landfall of Hurricane Gustav has forced Republicans to scramble their convention plans. President Bush may not attend at all, and John McCain may deliver his acceptance speech from the hurricane-stricken areas:

McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.

“It just wouldn’t be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain said in a taped interview for Fox News Sunday.

UpdateYglesias writes:
I know that if I lived in an area that was trying to prepare / evacuate in advance of a major national disaster, what I’d really want would be for a presidential candidate to swing by for a campaign appearance, distracting local political officials and drawing down resources of the local public safety agencies. After all, it’ll look good on camera to be engaged with the problem!



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156 Responses to “McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.”

  1. RUCerious Says:

    After picking Palin, anywhere, everywhere McIIIrd goes would be considered a disaster zone.


  2. katy Says:

    what in the hell is going on there?
    i just read this story on huffpo… why doesn’t he stay up north with his peeps and be safe and sound?
    why go to, and STAY in, a DISASTER AREA???

    W T F ? ! ?


  3. CB_Brooklyn Says:

    Perhaps McCain can arrange to be there during the disaster..


  4. muzz Says:

    hmm - I think he is looking it as a way to look “presidential” - and that is disgusting. It’s as bad - or worse - than bushie not doing a damn thing. No one will be able to convince me that the repukes aren’t looking for a way to make this into a political thing. I think I’m gonna puke


  5. RUCerious Says:

    His hucking fandlers are too stupid to tell him this is not a clever political photo op.


  6. NoOneYouKnow Says:

    Well, he looked pretty festive during Katrina when he was sharing his birthday cake with Dubya. I think that’d make a pretty good political commercial.


  7. livelongandprosper Says:

    “It just wouldn’t be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,”

    But it would be appropriate to accept your nomination in a disaster zone? Just too surreal for me.


  8. deezero Says:

    The past 3 days have been Twilight Zone material. I’m no longer surprised at anything. God help us.


  9. joseph.doakes Says:

    He’s taking another page from the Bush playbook in using disasters as backdrops for speeches. The next thing we’ll need out of him is a staged photo-op standing on top of some rubble saying that he’s ready to lead us.


  10. Shayne Says:

    They started talking about calling off the convention right after Obama’s speech, that evening. There are so many protesters there that the McCain folks had a big guy with two McCain signs standing behind the news reporters trying to block them from the cameras.

    They don’t want to go to Minneapolis because they’re afraid the only people who will care enough to show up are the protesters. And they’re looking for a way to avoid having W and Cheney speak.


  11. tbone Says:

    LLAP:
    Exactly. It’s not ok to celebrate during a disaster, but it is ok to use it for political advantage.


  12. tom Says:

    Select Failin’ Palin/jump the barracuda — check
    Acceptance Speech in N.O./jump the shark — check

    September schedule of events:

    1) buy a rug in Ossetia

    2) go quail hunting with Darth Cheney

    3) parachute into the mountains of Pakistan and hunt down bin Laden

    4) strap myself to a bomb and have the Israelis drop me on an Iranian nuclear plant

    Check, check, check, check.


  13. muzz Says:

    I it just me - or does this look like a stunt being dreamed up in the deranged mind of kkkRove? Why, for what logical reason, would you drag TV cameras, staff, Secret Service, and everything that goes into a production into the middle of a disaster zone? If they do this, I hope each and every one of them has a nice special little place reserved in hell. Pray for New Orleans - fcuk mccain!


  14. muzz Says:

    deezero Says:
    The past 3 days have been Twilight Zone material. I’m no longer surprised at anything. God help us.

    deezero - you got that right. I am seeing Rod Serling around every corner - it is all very weird. I don’t how the hell I’m ever going to make it till November.


  15. southrnbelle Says:

    Nothing like exploiting the tragedies of a natural disaster for political gain.


  16. RUCerious Says:

    This’ll seriously cut into Larry Craig’s stall concession…


  17. Krazny Says:

    The republican party is not exactly known for its subtleness.


  18. RUCerious Says:

    Muzz, just keep checking out this

    Gallup Poll daily tracking. Three-day rolling average. N=approx. 2,600 registers voters nationwide. MoE ± 2. June 7, 2008, & earlier: Based on a five-day rolling average. N=approx. 4,400 registers voters nationwide. MoE ± 2.

    McCain Obama Other (vol.) Neither (vol.) Unsure

    8/29/08
    41 49 1 4 5
    8/28/08
    41 49 1 4 5


  19. RandomChaos Says:

    Yep, exploitation. Right out of the GOP play book.
    But yet, was not Bush and McGrampy celebrating a festive occasion during the LAST Hurricane?
    Hypocrite


  20. Krazny Says:

    If CNN was as “liberal” as the retarded right claims, they would “accidently” run footage of Bush and McCain celebrating his birthday as New Orleans drowned during Katrina.


  21. DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    Right back to being Mr. Country. First.

    This is sad. This man would politicize a goat giving birth. This guy is out front on his efforts to lead; how’s that Georgia conflict going Sen. McCain, get that all figured out? It’s like he thinks no one is watching.

    I guess for this party, this candidate, this campaign - “Showing Up Is Leadership!”


  22. DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    Thats P. Country. First.


  23. stjack Says:

    someone should tell mccain that the presidential thing to do is view the disaster area after the danger’s passed.

    maybe he’s just still steaming about all the Katrina birthday cake pictures.


  24. Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    One more example of bad judgment. How many does that make just this weekend?


  25. miatch Says:

    And, Palin, you are doing a heck of a job


  26. Jane E. Schneider Says:

    stjack Says:

    maybe he’s just still steaming about all the Katrina birthday cake pictures.

    August 31st, 2008 at 12:20 am

    Especially since he didn’t actually get to eat the birthday cake - I heard that both men went their separate ways after the picture was taken. Just another photo op to show Bush-McCain solidarity.


  27. spencers mom Says:

    muzz Says:

    I it just me - or does this look like a stunt being dreamed up in the deranged mind of kkkRove? Why, for what logical reason, would you drag TV cameras, staff, Secret Service, and everything that goes into a production into the middle of a disaster zone? If they do this, I hope each and every one of them has a nice special little place reserved in hell. Pray for New Orleans - fcuk mccain!

    Muzz, don’t you remember King George very moving speech in Jackson Square after Katrina? When they brought in all the generators to light up the set because there was no power in the city? And they had their big photo op with the Prez in his blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up? And he promised the billions and billions of dollars to rebuild that city, not matter what? And then they turned off the cameras, pulled down the lights, packed up the generators and left the city in the dark again? And forgot to send those billions, except to their no-bid contractor friends?

    You mean like that?

    PEACE


  28. clarkorwell Says:

    To me it seems the McCain is using the hurricane for his political advantage. Is he out of ideas??? Is he lost for words??? This is pathetic. Why more Republicans aren’t hoping for 2012 is beyond me. The election, in my honest opinion, is settled. McCain doesn’t have a chance.

    VOTE!!!!!!!!


  29. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Delivering his acceptance speech in the middle of a category 5 hurricane is the only way that George McCain will be able to keep his audience awake. What a ridiculous stunt. And they criticized Obama for his columns. In case they didn’t know it, Minneapolis is nowhere near where the hurricane will hit.

    I am also wondering why Bush is using the hurricane as an excuse not to be at the convention. Does he mean to be “at the ready” if he is needed for the disaster? What is he going to do, fly over and look like a deer caught in the headlights?

    The Republicans are starting to look like the keystone cops.


  30. Jane E. Schneider Says:

    Does he have anyone with a brain advising him?


  31. TC-12 Says:

    PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!! PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!! PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!!

    Who’s your favorite weather-predicting rodent? That’s right! It’s Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog that totally ROCKS!

    Punxsutawney Borough in Pennsylvania has basically the same population as Wasilla, Alaska, 6,000+ souls. The current mayor there in Phil’s backyard is James Wehrle. I don’t know the first thing about James Wehrle, but will assume he’s a good man and a fine, respected mayor, and I wish him many successful years in office.

    QUESTION FOR YA: With no disrespect meant towards Mayor Wehrle, would you want Mr. Wehrle a heartbeat away from the presidency this coming January 20th? Would you want Mr. Wehrle staring down Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table? Would you want Mr. Wehrle’s hand on the nook-u-ler trigger?

    PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!! PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!! PUNXSUTAWNEY PALIN!!!


  32. Count Istvan Says:

    Does he have anyone with a brain advising him?

    I was just about to ask if they were trying to lose this election.


  33. Shayne Says:

    No Jane, anybody with a brain went to the Obama campaign. Except of course the guy with Bush’s brain, KKKarl Rove. Obama wouldn’t let that filth near him.


  34. LibertyLover Says:

    Jane E. Schneider Says:
    Does he have anyone with a brain advising him?

    Yep. He has “Bush’s ‘Brain’ “


  35. Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    Count Istvan Says:

    Does he have anyone with a brain advising him?

    I was just about to ask if they were trying to lose this election.

    August 31st, 2008 at 1:07 am

    I’m beginning to think that either the party leaders abandoned McCain and said, “Do what you want, Johnny. It won’t make any difference” That or McCain kicked them out and told them, “If I’m going to lose, it’ll be my own way.” Either way, I don’t think anyone’s really trying to help McCain win this election. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.



  36. Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    But, LibertyLover, has Rove demonstrated recently that he has a brain?


  37. Jane E. Schneider Says:

    Shayne, I think that maybe Rove’s brain is broken. Musta been all that crazy math of his.

    Of course, that doesn’t mean that the evil machinations that he put in place are gone. Jebus, I wish November would come now, so that I could stop living on the edge. This shite’s too effing weird.


  38. barfly Says:

    They must have thought it a good idea at the time. But they risk the media’s linking the Palin pick, his lobbyist-laden campaign, and this announcement decision, and building from it a “disastrous” campaign theme.


  39. JMOHR Says:

    Yes, this is obviously a stunt to counter the historic speech given by Obama. However, it is very likely to work. The US political system has become nothing more than a commercial process on the Republican part. All too often successful as wars and attacks on Democratic candidates are rolled out like new product placement commercials. All hype and no substance.

    How can anyone get across the fact that such a stunt will actually interfere with rescue and clean up efforts by the federal and state government. The necessary security will tie up valuable resources, close airports and clog surface highways and streets.

    Oh God, how I mourn for what my country has become.


  40. scytherius Says:

    Awesome!! it will remind everyone of the Republicans and Katrina. Also, with the hysterically ridiculous Palin choice it will just add to the obvious pandering. These guys give dumb a bad name.


  41. LibertyLover Says:

    Wayne A. Schneider Says:
    But, LibertyLover, has Rove demonstrated recently that he has a brain?

    Oh, he has a brain, but no one has said anything about any brain damage.


  42. barfly Says:

    How can anyone get across the fact that such a stunt will actually interfere with rescue and clean up efforts by the federal and state government. The necessary security will tie up valuable resources, close airports and clog surface highways and streets.

    Not to mention putting his Secret Service protection at unnecessary risk. Their job’s hard enough, without trying to protect a potential president from a freaking hurricane’s aftermath.


  43. Xisithrus Says:

    People will still be watching football. Do us all a favor John and stay put. Using a possible disaster to gain votes is deplorable.


  44. barfly Says:

    I think even the trolls are too embarrassed to defend this ridiculous spectacle, as evidenced by their silence.


  45. spencers mom Says:

    Wayne A. Schneider Says:

    I’m beginning to think that either the party leaders abandoned McCain and said, “Do what you want, Johnny. It won’t make any difference” That or McCain kicked them out and told them, “If I’m going to lose, it’ll be my own way.” Either way, I don’t think anyone’s really trying to help McCain win this election. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

    Wayne, I think you’re probably right. John got all “mavericky” again, and the party elders probably figure that they should just let him go his own way, and save their money for 2010 and 2012. McStain’s staff has turned over numerous times already, and there’s probably another shake-up going on right now. I mean, how could there not be after the disasterous Palin pick?

    If rats desert a sinking ship, just imagine how quickly lobbyists depart if they see a scratch on the deck?

    Maybe the people who are leaving right now are the ones who did the Palin vetting, and decided to stick it to ol’ John on their way out the door.

    At least, that’s my happy dream for tonight! Later all!

    PEACE


  46. Keltoi at Night Says:

    And here I was just assuming all along that Michael Moore was a Bill Maher style atheist.

    “I was just thinking, this Gustav is proof that there is a God in heaven,” Moore said, laughing. “To have it planned at the same time – that it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for day one of the Republican Convention, up in the Twin Cities – at the top of the Mississippi River.”

    This said on KO’s show, the host chuckling along. What a sick excuse for a human being.


  47. Oval12345678 aka James K. Sayre Says:

    Strange Days… It’s Bizzarro world in the Republican Party this year… The Twilight Zone…

    What a deucedly clever idea, John, you could fly out to one of those now-empty oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and you could stand there and give Old Mother Nature’s Gustav the big McCain finger… That’ll show Old Mother Nature who’s boss: why, it’s Old John McCain, of course. Wear a life jacket and carry a GPS signaler, just in case…

    Actually, much of McCain’s life has been a moveable feast of Disaster Zones: Crashing five Navy jets, getting jailed in Vietnam for his troubles, Cheerleading for the Iraq war (disaster), cheerleading for the Afghanistan occupation (a disaster), cheerleading for attacking Iran (a disaster-in-waiting) and cheerleading for the Georgian genocide in South Ossetia (another disaster)…

    (is John McCain subconsciously trying to destroy his political career?)


  48. Cal Malenky Says:

    I can just see him, in a rain poncho, delivering his speech like an intrepid reporter, as the wind blows the trees sideways in the background and the levees collapse, flooding the same neighborhoods Katrina visited 3 years ago. They didn’t really fix those levees, did they?
    If McCain’s answer to everything is using the military, he should answer- why did the Army Corps of Engineers screw the pooch so badly in New Orleans?


  49. Cal Malenky Says:

    Maybe that would be a rehearsal for the gates of hell he brags about bringing bin Laden to.


  50. DidHeJustSayThat Says:

    clarkorwell Says:

    To me it seems the McCain is using the hurricane for his political advantage. Is he out of ideas??? Is he lost for words??? This is pathetic. Why more Republicans aren’t hoping for 2012 is beyond me. The election, in my honest opinion, is settled. McCain
    ——
    What do you think the Palin pick is about?

    McCain’s lobbyists, republicans and conservatives watched the last night of the convention too! You think Pawlenty wanted to stake his name on McOldNuts? Not a chance, he’s going to grow back that mullet and hit the lakes before the season ends. I doubt Mittens wanted to be a part of this either - he’s the leading candidate in 2012 when John Bush will be 142.


  51. Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:

    Keltoi at Night Says:
    This said on KO’s show, the host chuckling along. What a sick excuse for a human being.

    You are right, you are a sick human being (maybe to the human thing).


  52. spencers mom Says:

    Before I call it a night, I found one more little Palin firing scandal to share:

    http://hatthief.blogspot.com/ 2008/ 08/ vetting-sarah-palin-irl-stambaugh-walt.html

    And here’s a really detailed but concise rundown of the Palin baby question:

    http://menstrualpoetry.com/ pregnant?disqus_reply=1936156#comment-1936156

    Fun times, fun times…

    PEACE


  53. barfly Says:

    keltoi:

    This said on KO’s show, the host chuckling along. What a sick excuse for a human being.

    And before you mention it, yes, we also already know about the Fowler/Spratt conversation, if you were headed there next…


  54. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Keltoi at Night Says:
    This said on KO’s show, the host chuckling along. What a sick excuse for a human being.

    You are right, you are a sick human being (maybe to the human thing).

    The master of Bag End in the Shire of Ad Hominem speaks.

    I assume you find the existence of God proved in this hideous storm, then, Bilbo? You are defending Moore and KO’s disgusting smirking over the possibility of a hurricane striking the Gulf Coast?


  55. barfly Says:

    I’ve been checking the dark side (Red State, Free Republic) and the general consensus is the stunt will be effective - although I didn’t discover any worthwhile answers as to why they think so, so it might just be wishful thinking on their parts.


  56. desertflower1 Says:

    Wait…which one’s the messiah again?


  57. barfly Says:

    Keltoi:

    I assume you find the existence of God proved in this hideous storm, then, Bilbo? You are defending Moore and KO’s disgusting smirking over the possibility of a hurricane striking the Gulf Coast?

    I having problems locating your similar comments regarding Jerry Falwell’s hurricane prognostications. Could you direct me to them?


  58. barfly Says:

    I also having problems with crappy keyboard, so, apologies.


  59. Count Istvan Says:

    I’ve been checking the dark side (Red State, Free Republic) and the general consensus is the stunt will be effective - although I didn’t discover any worthwhile answers as to why they think so, so it might just be wishful thinking on their parts.

    Would you buy a used car from those clowns?


  60. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Keltoi:

    I assume you find the existence of God proved in this hideous storm, then, Bilbo? You are defending Moore and KO’s disgusting smirking over the possibility of a hurricane striking the Gulf Coast?

    I having problems locating your similar comments regarding Jerry Falwell’s hurricane prognostications. Could you direct me to them?

    Just to be clear, Jerry Falwell was a hideous bag of hypocritical, self-righteous, homophobic, sanctimoneous ordure. Key word WAS.

    When Micheal Moore keels over, I will quit criticizing him. But I watched that interview on Countdown, and he was downright jolly about the prospect of another Katrina simply because it would hurt the RNC. It was clear that he was really happy about it.

    Defend that if you will, or repudiate as I have Falwell.


  61. kirkaracha Says:

    The last time a hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, John Sidney McCain III ate cake with George Bush while people drowned in the streets of New Orleans. Three years later, McCain puts an underqualified rookie in a position that’s way over their head, like Bush putting horse pageant expert Michael Brown in charge of FEMA. McCain wants to continue George Bush’s Peter Principle management style.


  62. the east beast Says:

    Wow. Just… wow. This is so calculated, so shamelessly political, it makes my blood boil. How much lower can he possibly sink?


  63. barfly Says:

    “Would you buy a used car from those clowns?”

    The people of the Gulf Coast have taken a test drive before, and found their product to be, shall we say, less than dependable?


  64. Buckie Boy Says:

    McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.

    Uh, that would be from any place he makes it from really.


  65. barfly Says:

    Keltoi:

    Just to be clear, Jerry Falwell was a hideous bag of hypocritical, self-righteous, homophobic, sanctimoneous ordure. Key word WAS.

    When Micheal Moore keels over, I will quit criticizing him. But I watched that interview on Countdown, and he was downright jolly about the prospect of another Katrina simply because it would hurt the RNC. It was clear that he was really happy about it.

    Defend that if you will, or repudiate as I have Falwell.

    Your “repudiation,” such as it was, is horribly late. I’m talking about your reactions to Falwell’s comments at the time he made them. Since you apparently can’t produce the comments, it’s safe to assume you’re only making them now, because you’ve been called on it.

    That’s rhetorical sandbagging, and it’s pretty obvious.

    If you didn’t criticize Falwell then, you have no right to criticize Moore, now.


  66. Chocolate Jesus Says:

    DEMS: Start Hurricance relief legislation in the senate ASAP!!!

    It will force MCccain to choose between cheap photo-ops and actually helping the victims…either way he cant win…


  67. barfly Says:

    Buckie Boy Says:

    McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.

    Uh, that would be from any place he makes it from really.

    That’s the risk he runs. His half-baked proposal to re-site the convention is pure fantasy, and he risks the media framing his over-all campaign decisions as “disastrous.”


  68. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:
    Since you apparently can’t produce the comments, it’s safe to assume you’re only making them now, because you’ve been called on it.

    That’s rhetorical sandbagging, and it’s pretty obvious.

    If you didn’t criticize Falwell then, you have no right to criticize Moore, now.

    What a load of crap, barfly, and totally beneath you. I have only been posting on this site for 18 months; it is the only site I have ever blogged to, and I have been pretty consistent that religious freaks of every stripe make me sick. When Katrina hit in 05 I didn’t even know there was such a site as TP.

    Now, quit vacillating and agree with me that Moore’s glee is demented, or I will have to assume you agree it is proof of a “God in heaven” that New Orleans is going to get slammed during the RNC.


  69. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Barfly…?


  70. Max-1 Says:

    .

    Figures that McPander Bear uses the storm to pander for mercy.

    Too bad he’ll be viewed live from the disaster zone as NOT reaching out to those in need, just out of the camera’s eye.

    Will he cry…

    .


  71. barfly Says:

    Keltoi at Night Says:

    Barfly…?

    I’m back.

    Now, if you had ever made comments at any other site, to prove your point, it would be believeable. But to say you haven’t ever posted prior to, one must conclude you’re either an adolescent, or a political neophyte. Additionally, you did not use the rhetorical tactic of acknowledgement, that there were as bad, or worse statements made by conservatives in the recent past, regarding hurricanes, and the paths they take. I didn’t criticize Falwell at the time he made those statements, and I refuse to criticize Moore, either. I simply wish to point out that conservatives also use such things for their own political gain, so anyone of a conservative nature wishing to slam Moore, better prepare for a backlash.


  72. barfly Says:

    Keltoi:

    Now, quit vacillating and agree with me that Moore’s glee is demented, or I will have to assume you agree it is proof of a “God in heaven” that New Orleans is going to get slammed during the RNC.

    I do not believe in god, so your point is misplaced.


  73. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Keltoi:

    Now, quit vacillating and agree with me that Moore’s glee is demented, or I will have to assume you agree it is proof of a “God in heaven” that New Orleans is going to get slammed during the RNC.

    I do not believe in god, so your point is misplaced.

    Neither do I, and neither does Moore. That is what makes his joke so sick.


  74. barfly Says:

    And for a change of topic, since TP has become Talk Palin:

    Agreement on U.S. withdrawal from Iraq said to be in peril as Maliki ousts negotiators

    The Times is told that the prime minister has replaced the team with loyalists at the ‘make-or-break’ stage of talks. The two sides reportedly remain deadlocked on key issues.

    http://www.latimes.com/ news/ la-fg-iraq31-2008aug31,0,239997.story?track=rss

    While Al Maliki is enforcing a Nov. 1 disarmament decree to members of the Sunni Awakening, he’s also trying to run the clock out on the US elections (and the UN mandate for US forces inside Iraq).

    The UN mandate expires in four months, and he hopes to have strong-armed the Sunnis into submission by then, to bolster the case that US forces are no longer needed.


  75. Paul W Says:

    McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone

    One disaster following another.

    http://progressiveworldreview.com


  76. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:

    Now, if you had ever made comments at any other site, to prove your point, it would be believeable. But to say you haven’t ever posted prior to, one must conclude you’re either an adolescent, or a political neophyte.

    Oh, Balls. I am neither. You rather underestimate the cache of TP if you apply either of those labels to someone who has blogged for less that 3 years. Or for blogging in general.

    Y’know, your refusal to simply say, “Yeah, Moore was out of line by laughing at the bad luck of the people in Gustav’s path for his own liberal expediency” is very telling.

    Falwell was obviously wrong, karmicly wrong, to attribute Katrina to God hating gays. The very idea is absurd.

    There. I have said it, now, today, 2008. Care to join me on the flip side of the coin?


  77. barfly Says:

    Keltoi:

    Neither do I, and neither does Moore. That is what makes his joke so sick.

    And Falwells comments? Moore is just some rich loudmouth liberal guy - while Falwell founded conservative institutions of thought, like Liberty, and Regents.


  78. Count Istvan Says:

    McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.»

    mac.jpgPolitico reports that the impending landfall of Hurricane Gustav has forced Republicans to scramble their convention plans. President Bush may not attend at all, and John McCain may deliver his acceptance speech from the hurricane-stricken areas:

    McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.

    “It just wouldn’t be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain said in a taped interview for Fox News Sunday.

    Am I missing something? Where in this post does it bring up Michael Moore?


  79. barfly Says:

    Falwell was obviously wrong, karmicly wrong, to attribute Katrina to God hating gays. The very idea is absurd.

    Now, if you’d only started your comment in this fashion it would have been much more rhetorically effective, because you’d have already disarmed your opponent’s main rhetorical weapon against you: that Big Chiefs on the Right have also said callous stuff.


  80. barfly Says:

    And if you really want a tour of conservative Hubrisville, there’s Bush’s trifecta comment, and Cheney’s “So?”


  81. barfly Says:

    And just down the block, in glaring neon, you’ll see the “Nation of Whiners” truckstop diner sign.


  82. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Count Istvan Says:
    Am I missing something? Where in this post does it bring up Michael Moore?

    Great Cats, Count. Yes, you are missing something.

    What you are missing is that the only Hurricane that has drawn any attention on TP in 08 is the one that is occuring opposite the RNC.

    What you are missing is that the relatively quiet hurricane seasons in 06 and 07 were totally absent from the Progressive diatribe on how GW will make for more violent hurricanes. Doesn’t fit the narrative? Ain’t happening.

    What you are missing is the simple fact that Moore and Olberman revel in bad news of this kind because it advances their political agenda. They were laughing about it for Bog’s sake!

    And you also miss that TP would never in a million years point that out.


  83. Count Istvan Says:

    Soooooooo.You can’t defend your boy so you’re reaching deep into your ass for anything that will change the subject… gotcha.


  84. barfly Says:

    Perhaps you can remind me who it was who said “only the little people pay taxes?”

    Was it Mike Moore?

    Or did he say “emergency rooms are just another health-care option?”


  85. barfly Says:

    What you are missing is that the relatively quiet hurricane seasons in 06 and 07 were totally absent from the Progressive diatribe on how GW will make for more violent hurricanes. Doesn’t fit the narrative? Ain’t happening.

    So, global weather patterns - and there were no serious typhoons, either?


  86. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Falwell was obviously wrong, karmicly wrong, to attribute Katrina to God hating gays. The very idea is absurd.

    Now, if you’d only started your comment in this fashion it would have been much more rhetorically effective, because you’d have already disarmed your opponent’s main rhetorical weapon against you: that Big Chiefs on the Right have also said callous stuff.

    It is very easy to be tiresome this time of night, my would be Cicero. Bringing in Bush and Cheney when they haven’t said boo about Gustav is the last resort of a rhetorical light weight. Keep it up and I’ll have to start picking apart Clinton. But that would make me a “troll”, wouldn’t it.

    Well, I AM a Troll. A tired one.

    Once more: Do you think Moore was right to gloat over the impending disaster facing LA/NO? It wouldn’t cost you much to say that was wrong.


  87. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Count Istvan Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    Soooooooo.You can’t defend your boy so you’re reaching deep into your ass for anything that will change the subject… gotcha.

    Too late to field non-sequiters like this, my dear Count. Who is “my boy” and just WTF are you talking about? Be quick, though, it is sleepy time.


  88. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:
    Perhaps you can remind me who it was who said “only the little people pay taxes?”

    Ummm…Who is Leona Helmsley?

    Appropo of WHAT, Alex?


  89. Count Istvan Says:

    You better go to bed and think up how you’re going to change the subject on threads.


  90. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:

    So, global weather patterns - and there were no serious typhoons, either?

    Oh Yes, there were. And y’know what happened on TP when the cyclone that submerged a good part of Burma hit? And the Junta deliberately denied foreign aid to the people affected so that up to half a million (we’ll never know) died? They said it was no different than Katrina.

    Now really, last chance, Moore’s comments: Right or wrong?


  91. barfly Says:

    Bringing in Bush and Cheney when they haven’t said boo about Gustav is the last resort of a rhetorical light weight.

    Ah, but that wasn’t the issue, was it? Nice try for this late, but no cigar. The issue was Moore’s statements, which left you open to the counter-charge of political myopia: that you only see bad stuff when the other team does it.

    And speaking of wrong, your bogus points about hurricanes in the Gulf is rebutted, when typhoons are also considered:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ 2006_Pacific_typhoon_season


  92. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Count Istvan Says:
    You better go to bed and think up how you’re going to change the subject on threads.

    Roger. And when I wake up I won’t mistake you for a serious debater, Count Non-Sequiter.


  93. barfly Says:

    Ummm…Who is Leona Helmsley?

    Appropo of WHAT, Alex?

    Conservative hubris - if you’re making the point that Moore is incredibly hubristic, you leave yourself open to examples of conservative hubris. You opened the door. It works in a court of law, so it also should be valid in simple debate, yes?


  94. Count Istvan Says:

    Trust me I haven’t taken you seriously since I got here. You’re just another suicide troll that never dies.


  95. barfly Says:

    Please tell me how your hurricane statement jibes with the data at the link I provided. Or does it only count as global warming if it happens in the Gulf of Mexico?


  96. Count Istvan Says:

    Barfly, I think he’s gone to bed to think up how to disrupt tomorrows threads.


  97. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:

    And speaking of wrong, your bogus points about hurricanes in the Gulf is rebutted, when typhoons are also considered:

    Sigh. There are Atlantic and Pacific cyclones. No one in the US gives a good golden god damn about typhoons, because they tend to hit places most Americans couldn’t find on a map if you put a gun to their head.

    Tell me, barfly, do you think that storm issuing from the smokestack on the cover of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ was a hurricane or a typhoon? Gimme a break. Your team has been totally let down by the lack of major hurricanes in the last two years and are lickig their chops at the prospect of a bad one now opposite the RNC. Moore’s comments prove it, as does TP’s posting these threads in the first place.

    Why don’t you look at the previous thread and think about Barack9 and his plight?


  98. barfly Says:

    Sigh. There are Atlantic and Pacific cyclones. No one in the US gives a good golden god damn about typhoons, because they tend to hit places most Americans couldn’t find on a map if you put a gun to their head.

    Once again, global weather patterns. Does a place vanish from existence because Americans are ignorant of its location? What part of GLOBAL don’t you get?


  99. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Count Istvan Says:
    You’re just another suicide troll that never dies.

    A suicide Troll that never dies….sweet. Such a critter could do a lot of damage.

    Keep complimenting me like that and I’ll have to reconsider my opinion of you, Count.

    Anyway, G’night you two. Let’s hope the Storm doesn’t cause too much damage and pray it takes no lives.


  100. Keltoi at Night Says:

    That’d be praying to Fortuna, the Lady of Fates, BTW, barfly…


  101. Floyd Says:

    I wish they had felt like this when Katrina struck, just politics. But maybe just maybe, if a disaster hits during an election year the folks will get some help at least as long as the spot light is shining.


  102. barfly Says:

    You don’t really think there is someplace called “the Third World,” do you, Keltoi? What happens on other parts of the globe are all part of the same pattern, and cannot be isolated for rhetorical purposes.


  103. barfly Says:

    Anyway, my late-night fish stick repast is getting cold, so I’ll say goodnight to Special K, and the inestimable Count…


  104. Keltoi at Night Says:

    barfly Says:

    You don’t really think there is someplace called “the Third World,” do you, Keltoi? What happens on other parts of the globe are all part of the same pattern, and cannot be isolated for rhetorical purposes.

    ARGH! Okay, so when I see Moore clapping his pudgy little hands together saying “Can you believe how this typhoon is going to destablize the Junta in Burma and give the US a chance to help people in need?” and Olberman guffaws in ribald agreement, you will have a point. Until then? Not so much.

    TP, BTW, was strangely silent on the Burmese typhoon and the humanitarian disaster that followed. Funny, no?

    Trying to go to bed…


  105. Keltoi at Night Says:

    Hmmmm…fishsticks….


  106. DallasNE Says:

    Using the suffering of people as a political prop will show everbody how much he cares. Or rather that his only care is his election. And what happens if the storm slows down or stalls? It could be his temple of doom.

    The pandering is sickening.


  107. sacopenapa Says:

    I hope this way he will reminds us on how the Republicans in the WH dealt with ‘Katrina’!


  108. sacopenapa Says:

    Is taking cake with him?


  109. sacopenapa Says:

    “Is he taking cake with him? I meant…


  110. Nashoba nowa Says:

    Why? All it is is a political stunt. He has no idea of the reality of a hurricane or what we went through during Katrina.
    Barbour, our lobbyist governor will invite him they will stand side by side and make a speech of utter drivel. Simply put, Do Not Come Down Here, many of us will not forget you standing side by side with THE REVEREND HAGEE. God did not send Katrina because of Gays. What is Hagee going to say the reason for Gustav hitting our coast?


  111. Max-1 Says:

    I’ll pitch in a nickle for barfly and keltoi to go get a room.


  112. sectionop92 Says:

    So will Glenn Beck have a special edition of his show on Monday, where he lines up all the global warming deniers to make up reasons for the Gulf’s water temp? For example, like the Gulf if God’s boiling pot of water and he’s going to empty it on the “hedonists” and “colored people” in Louisiana…FOR PASTOR HAGEE! Because that’s how God makes his spaghetti.

    See, that sh!t didn’t make any sense until I put Hagee’s name in there. So that is what the deniers’ arguments will sound like, except less sound.


  113. TXProgressive Says:

    So…he and miss congeniality and their entourage are going to head down there and get in everyones way. Geez mccain - think beyond the photo op!!!


  114. tarazan Says:

    McStorm:”I gotta beat that guy from ‘Windy City”…!


  115. Tahut Says:

    If McStupid had the ability to do something, then I could see him being there. But, he can’t do anything but “feel their pain and sorrow”. He’s chasing votes with empty promises.


  116. thomthum Says:

    I hope he has boots…gonna need ‘em!


  117. Mugsy Says:

    In my minds eye, I keep seeing McCain delivering his acceptance speech like one of those local weather reporters standing in a hurricane, struggling to stand in the heavy wind & rain.


  118. stewarjt Says:

    John McCain may deliver his acceptance speech from the hurricane-stricken areas

    Great news for Gulf Coast people and all Americans: Two disasters rolled into one great big clusterf**k!


  119. John Kerry Says:

    WHat is sick is that you libs couldn’t care less about the people of NO but this is all just another way of you hoping that there will be a disaster as you think it will reflect on Reps! But the simple truth is that it was your lib Gov and School Bus Nagin who were responsible for all of the problems last time.

    It is so damned sick that you all represent the Michael Moore contingent!!


  120. tom Says:

    Anywhere that McNumbNuts delivers his acceptance speech will be a disaster zone.


  121. S.D. Says:

    (sigh)
    Call me cynical, but this is just a cheap attempt at Sen. McCain’s campaign to leverage more human suffering in the name of power.

    I had a thought: Some of the religious extremist in the GOP liken Hurricane Katrina to a message from G_d.

    I wonder: Are they saying this is a new message? Smack Dab during the RNC?

    Hmmm…


  122. John Kerry Says:

    HA!!

    Zogby: Palin Gives McCain Big Boost

    Saturday, August 30, 2008 7:51 PM

    Republican John McCain’s surprise announcement Friday of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate - some 16 hours after Democrat Barack Obama’s historic speech accepting his party’s presidential nomination - has possibly stunted any Obama convention bump, the latest Zogby Interactive flash poll of the race shows.

    The latest nationwide survey, begun Friday afternoon after the McCain announcement of Palin as running mate and completed mid-afternoon today, shows McCain/Palin at 47%, compared to 45% support for Obama/Biden.


  123. stewarjt Says:

    I notice schizophrenia on the part of right wingers concerning the humanitarian disaster that was Katrina. On the one hand the Dinkledonk White House claims no one could have foreseen the breach of the levees. On the other hand NO’s poorest residents are blamed for not getting out of the way of a hurricane. Well, if no one could have predicted the levees would break, why should they have evacuated?


  124. pluege Says:

    just like a republican to exploit disaster for political purposes.


  125. Bobwurst Says:

    We’ll see who’s laughing come November JacKass


  126. Game of Life Says:

    Gawd what creeps the repugs are. They are turning a tragedy into a campaign prop. mcchimpy is going to milk the unfortunate hurricane victims for every last drop.

    mcchimpy will follow hurricanes to the gates of hell.

    This stunt is despicable.

    OT — mcchimpy just said that Sen. Obama is for torture. (I know, I know it was on faux, chris) Can you believe it? Also as one poster pointed out, mcchimpy never says what he going to do or how he will do something, he just acknowledges the problem.


  127. Bobwurst Says:

    Keltoi says:

    Just to be clear, Jerry Falwell was a hideous bag of hypocritical, self-righteous, homophobic, sanctimoneous ordure. Key word WAS.

    When Micheal Moore keels over, I will quit criticizing him. But I watched that interview on Countdown, and he was downright jolly about the prospect of another Katrina simply because it would hurt the RNC. It was clear that he was really happy about it.

    So you wait until falwell keels over to critize him, but you’ll stop criticizing Moore when he keels over? In what world does this make sense?


  128. MCMetal Says:

    Actually , I think it’s pretty appropriate………

    What better way to shine a light onto the issue of global warming and the resulting influence it has on the weather , than to let the loser accept his party’s nomination in the wake of the destruction it causes , the very same group that is in absolute denial of its effects , and indeed , its very existence……..


  129. MCMetal Says:

    John Kerry Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    HA!!

    Zogby: Palin Gives McCain Big Boost

    August 31st, 2008 at 9:27 am

    Why didn’t you just post a FAUX Comedy Channel poll ; it’s probably just as accurate , jackass……….


  130. Bobwurst Says:

    And Keltioi, moore was/is happy about the abundant ironies of a national disaster exposing the ineptness of republican governance coming back to bite them in the ass, as well as all the wingnut prayers for a storm to disrupt Obama’s outside acceptance speech. Your peeps were asking God to repudiate Obama by chasing him indoors. They were looking for a storm to be a sign from God that Obama is the wrong choice, and lo and behold the storm disrupts your convention.


  131. Bobwurst Says:

    Tahut Says:
    If McStupid had the ability to do something, then I could see him being there. But, he can’t do anything but “feel their pain and sorrow”. He’s chasing votes with empty promises.

    Yah, just like when he went to Iowa right after the floods hit even though the gov of Iowa asked him to stay away because he would just be in the way. He doesn’t give a rats ass about anyone but himself. He doesn’t care about the country, his party, his family, anyone.


  132. Game of Life Says:

    OT–

    But I can’t hold this one in…lawdy.

    pawlenty (MTP) said palin sits around her kitchen table budgeting her family budget so she will be good on the economy.
    UFB


  133. kasinca Says:

    They still haven’t done anything to fix the disaster from three years ago. Who the hell are they trying to fool? Oh I know the answer, silly me, it is the wackos on the fringe reichwing.


  134. MCMetal Says:

    Game of Life Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    OT–

    But I can’t hold this one in…lawdy.

    pawlenty (MTP) said palin sits around her kitchen table budgeting her family budget so she will be good on the economy.
    UFB

    August 31st, 2008 at 10:14 am

    How tough is it to have to ‘budget’ a $125 thousand dollar a year salary (Palin’s) , and the $100,00 to $120,000 a year her BP-employed husband makes ?


  135. Game of Life Says:

    mcchimpy says he not a marvick, doesn’t know where its coming from. But on the talkinghead shows, his unhealthy followers are calling him one over and over again. WTF


  136. aquarius2 Says:

    McCain doing this makes sense to me. First he is showing Palin there really is a lower 48, after all she is not “well traveled”.

    Then there is the “on the job training”. Palin needs, as a GOP player, to know how to look concerned while exploiting the hell out of a disaster.

    Just call this GOP101 for Palin


  137. ljm Says:

    Where the Hell is Hagee and his power of prayer to stop Gustaf?! (Oh, sorry, I meant where IN hell)


  138. bigeugene Says:

    Will he have cake at the speech? Isn’t this concept a bit presumptuous?


  139. Hawkeye Says:

    I hope he does it. He’ll lose by 20% in November if he does. Exploiting a human tragedy for political gain doesn’t go over well in the polls :)


  140. Game of Life Says:

    mcchimpy makes absolutely no sense. If he’s concerned and is fretting because of the what the storm can do is fake at best. he can’t do his thing at the convention while people suffer, then why even give his acceptance speech in the first place when there is his 100 yr war going on? LIARS! SHAMELESS! FAKE ASS INBREDS!


  141. beltman713 Says:

    Bush did the same thing during Katrina, it disrupted the rescue effort going on at the time.


  142. Saint Augustine Says:

    Facing the chance of protesters outnumbering attendees to their convention and perhaps dreading Chimpy’s appearance, is calling the game on account of rain an unreasonable option, to a republiscum?


  143. barfly Says:

    Max-1 Says:

    I’ll pitch in a nickle for barfly and keltoi to go get a room.

    Don’t quit your day job.


  144. Dr. Hussein Matt Says:

    Just imagine the fake outrage from the reich-wing if the DNC convention stayed on schedule during a massive hurricane hitting NOLA. Hypocrites.


  145. LibertyLover Says:

    Why this isn’t like President Bush at all. Bush wouldn’t politicize New Orleans after a disaster…. oh wait, He did, didn’t he? Never mind.


  146. Above the Clouds Says:

    Which image is worse? McCain and Bush chuckling it up on the airport tarmac with McCain’s birthday cake as Katrina raged in New Orleans or Bush staging his “flyover” of the disaster zone in Air Force One?


  147. nofltwlt Says:

    Why on earth would John McCain give a speech from NOLA?

    First of all he is not the president. Second of all he represents the party that disowned NOLA.

    The only reason for his grand-standing is that it will keep him from speaking before an empty venue.


  148. madstork123 Says:

    I really enjoyed the exchanges between barfly and the troll.

    Having said that one of the overwhelming parts of the thread was the response to Katrina. It should be noted that in 2004 there was an overwhelming response ot Florida’s major hurricane damage by FEMA. I’m sure that had nothing to do with 2004 being an election year and Florida being a swing state.

    Remember: They have no shame, they’re Republicans.


  149. hussein toasterhead Says:

    Keltoi at Night Says:

    Now, quit vacillating and agree with me that Moore’s glee is demented, or I will have to assume you agree it is proof of a “God in heaven” that New Orleans is going to get slammed during the RNC.
    August 31st, 2008 at 2:21 am

    _______

    I’ll agree with you on this. It’s the kind of comment that should be beneath Michael Moore, or any progressive. That’s the kind of thing conservatives say, not liberals.


  150. republicanSScareme Says:

    McCain is his own disaster zone.


  151. jb Says:

    Maybe he is trying out to be one of those weather reporters they send out in the wind and rain….since he knows he’ll never be POTUS. My friends, the wind is really blowing.


  152. jb Says:

    “My friends, the surge is working”.


  153. Dr. Hussein Matt Says:

    It’s official, McGrampa will give his acceptance speech from the storm area. Once again reich-wingers prove they are scumbags and will politicize even a tragedy. Losers.


  154. Kgprophet Says:

    Two-Faced Politics strikes again:

    Barack makes a speech from the disaster zone, he is chastised by the right-wing mouthpieces for politicizing a human disaster.

    McCain makes a speech from the disaster zone, he is honored for putting politics aside in this time of human disaster.

    “Heads I Win, Tails You lose”


  155. EugeneDebs Says:

    Keltoi at Night Says:

    What you are missing is that the relatively quiet hurricane seasons in 06 and 07 were totally absent from the Progressive diatribe on how GW will make for more violent hurricanes. Doesn’t fit the narrative? Ain’t happening
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    What YOU are missing TROLL, that is besides a functioning cerebral cortex is that those were el Nino years and those have the effects of dampening hurricane seasons, thats alright we expect rightwingnut trolls to be ignorant so no one expected to know, well, anything


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