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336 Comments
- ChessPieceFace, on 09/12/2008, -5/+200FTA: "It got so bad the day before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that FactCheck.org -- one of the nonpartisan journalism websites heroically trying to strain truth amid all the sound and fury -- had to put out an extraordinary news release.
It chastised John McCain's campaign for -- now get this -- distorting FactCheck’s debunking of distortions.
News organizations and these admirable truth-squadding outfits, including PolitiFact.com, do not collaborate. But in independent news reports and commentaries this week, they seemed to reach a consensus to say "enough" to the McCain camp's efforts to demonize Barack Obama."
ENOUGH! - rewinn, on 09/13/2008, -9/+106Q. How many lies does it take before you know McCain is a liar?
A. For his supporters: infinity. - NoDrama, on 09/12/2008, -8/+103No more lies.
John McCain said he'd run an honest respectful campaign.
James Carville (of all people) defended McCain this week, saying he couldn't possibly know what was running in the ads despite the "I'm John McCain and I approved this message" taglines. Part of me hopes Carville's right.
However, if he IS, that means either McCain is utterly clueless and out of touch, an image he's fighting to erase, or simply incapable of controlling his campaign and his party despite being the nominee... is that leadership we can put our faith in?
I'm a long-time fiscal conservative who respected McCain in 2000, but either he's not the same man now he was then, or he had me totally fooled 8 years ago. Either way, the Republicans don't have a ticket I can vote for. - JMaj, on 09/12/2008, -7/+95You can't teach an old McCain new tricks.
- cadmiumpaint, on 09/13/2008, -8/+70McCain obviously believes that Americans are so stupid they believe whatever they see on a commercial or soundbite and so they have free reign to lie about everything. I hope this catches up to them.
Since this article is criticizing McCain i expect it to be buried by the neocon propaganda machine in 5,4,3,2,1,0 - aaronirwin31, on 09/13/2008, -1/+50I'm convinced it doesn't matter anymore. When I hear people talk about McCain and Palin, they have a tone that is reminiscent of something you would expect to hear from someone voting a character on or off a reality show. I hear things like, "I don't know... she seems like a real person to me. I just like her!" and my shoulders drop. These aren't people looking for facts. They aren't concerned with the actual direction of the governance of the country. They are cheerleaders hoping their team wins and nothing else. I've seen them ignore facts, spin or downplay questionable deeds and overlook obvious character flaws like children with their heads in the sand. There's no cure for being willfully ignorant. You can't polish the truth up in some special shinny way that will force them to recognize it. The truth just sits there being the truth, and they just keep walking around it like the pink elephant that it is.
With the economy on the brink, I fully expect the American majority to hire a man who has admitted that he doesn't know much about it to fix it. They will hire a man who admitted that he would rely on established Washington insiders as his advisers on economic issues and somehow expect different results; somehow expect things to change. As much as it leaves my head spinning, I fully expect them to do it. No amount of facts will change it for them. - inactive, on 09/13/2008, -2/+47I'm almost done with this campaign on John McCain's. It's so sad to see someone stoop to such a low level, and try and get away with it. But, to think that half of Americans will see these ad's and think "wow, he really did that?", is sad. If John McCain is going to run a dirty campaign like this, I wonder how he will run this country.... seriously. Think about the low-life tactics that he and his campaign are embracing, and look at Obama. Obama, although sometimes may stretch the truth about McCain, he has never launched such out-rageous attacks, not even against Palin and her family. All Obama does is launch attacks about their reform policies, yet nothing extremely personal or misleading. John McCain doesn't know how to use a computer, he has even admitted it. He has voted with bush 90% of the time, he's ADMITTED it. So Obamas ads are following along lines of truth. But there are a few, like I said, that could be misleading.
It's sick to me to see such dirty ***** going on, and to think that no one CAN hold McShame accountable for these actions. I wish there was some Campaign discretionary board or something where there was a un-biased counsel of equal party members divided between the 3 parties that could oversee election ads before they are aired on tv and the internet. - inactive, on 09/13/2008, -14/+58***** McCain.
- inactive, on 09/13/2008, -9/+51We need a hero to save us.
Where's Stephen Colbert? - thegrantman, on 09/13/2008, -6/+45McCain will just distort this information too.
- charm803, on 09/13/2008, -2/+40I am glad that Obama still hasn't stooped so low even though he has this coming at him full force.
Stick to the issues, McCain! - GregFD3S, on 09/13/2008, -6/+42It's about time a reputable news source recognizes this.
- cadmiumpaint, on 09/13/2008, -0/+32Digg is not the Obama campaign.
McCain's official campaign strategy is negative smears and lies....no issues. - 8isEnuf, on 09/13/2008, -2/+28Wake up, America there is video proof and written proof that McCain is running a lie-based campaign. Stop the insanity!! The only thing I trust McCain and Palin to do is to get us into another war that we should not be in.
- inactive, on 09/13/2008, -9/+34News outlets and independent truth squads may agree, but the Digg Republitards will still mark this as inaccurate.
- mecharabbit, on 09/13/2008, -1/+26Nothing that you are saying changes the fact that McCain is intentionally misleading the voters. Is that the kind of person you want as president?
- kerosion, on 09/13/2008, -1/+25I try and convince myself that the majority of America sees through Rove-ian tactics, but the lessons of history leave that nagging doubt in my soul.
- johnleemk, on 09/13/2008, -1/+25As a Christian who actually shares most of Palin's beliefs, I have to say, I'm embarrassed. Her behaviour has been thoroughly unChristian and hypocritical - she might be a good Christian in her private life, but the lies she tells are indefensible. That she would lie about another Christian, and that her campaign even pretends at times that Obama is not a Christian, really rankle, even though a lie is a lie. Jesus was a community organiser, Pontius Pilate was a governor. Go figure.
Then again, I'm not American so I guess whatever I think doesn't count. Still, I can't ***** believe that Americans are seriously considering giving the trigger for the only weapons likely to annihilate our planet to this woman. McCain I can sort of trust. But Palin...the mind boggles. I'm ashamed. How can America, a beacon of enlightenment and freedom be so ***** stupid? - charm803, on 09/13/2008, -1/+25I think you missed the point.
McCain is distorting information about Obama.
Obama is NOT the one distorting information about McCain.
HuffPo, Jedreport, etc. are not Obama campaigners. - inactive, on 09/13/2008, -4/+25Screw that. We need Stewart.
- drew52686, on 09/13/2008, -0/+21Last line of the article (referring to American's reaction to the campaign distortion):
"But I suspect that many Americans' reaction comes closer to sadness. Or anger."
Perfectly summarizes my feelings on all of this. After the Palin acceptance speech, I was so upset. Not as a liberal or democrat, but as an American. Her speech tried to incite a culture war that doesn't exist. She belittled the grassroot heroes of our nation (community organizers). And she stepped on the throat of Mother Nature ("drill, baby, drill").
No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you must admit that Obama has tried to remain positive in regards to all his opponents. What America needs right now is not more culture war or party politics, we need to acknowledge our differences and work together to solve the problems that are facing our country. Why we sit here and call each other names like eight year-olds, the rest of the world is gaining on us (or passing us by!).
We need another president like Abe Lincoln who isn't afraid of putting people in his cabinet (or work with people) with whom he disagrees. We need someone who realizes that rivalries are not something that should be minimized and cast aside but rather exploited in order to reach the best possible outcome. Neither party has all of the answers and we are going to need participation from both sides.
If only there were someone like Abe Lincoln. Someone who we know could heal our country and rebuild our city on the hill. Someone, who like Lincoln, has only served in one term of Congress. I guess it wouldn't hurt if that person was too from Illinois. Only if... - charm803, on 09/13/2008, -1/+22"We have yet to dispute any claim from the Obama campaign about Palin."
I can't believe the McCain campaign is so conniving rephrasing and distorting things that are just not true.
How can people still defend this? - sinurgy, on 09/13/2008, -1/+22Well...that was ***** stupid.
- bugsy187, on 09/13/2008, -1/+21Osama bin Laden endorsed George W. Bush in 2004. Did/would that affect your vote?
- twiztidsinz, on 09/13/2008, -2/+21The Bill Ayers as he relates to Barack Obama is this man:
Ayers is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Education. His interests include teaching for social justice, urban educational reform, narrative and interpretive research, children in trouble with the law, and related issues.[33]
He began his career in primary education while an undergraduate, teaching at the Children’s Community School (CCS), a project founded by a group of students and based on the Summerhill method of education.[34] After leaving the underground, he earned an M.Ed from Bank Street College in Early Childhood Education (1984), an M.Ed from Teachers College, Columbia University in Early Childhood Education (1987) and an Ed.D from Columbia University in Curriculum and Instruction (1987).[33]
He has edited and written many books and articles on education theory, policy and practice, and has appeared on many panels and symposia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_ayers#Academic_c ... - kerosion, on 09/13/2008, -2/+21The McCain camp owes Republican constituents better than what they have offered in recent weeks. It's time to get this campaign off of attacks and onto concrete issues.
- DigitalPimptres, on 09/13/2008, -3/+22"FactCheck, however, found "no evidence" tying Obama to the anonymous Internet attacks. The muckrakers announced Wednesday that McCain & Co. had been "less than honest.""
Less than honest... - charm803, on 09/13/2008, -2/+20If McCain doesn't know, that's being careless and we can't afford a careless President again.
- charm803, on 09/13/2008, -0/+18It's official!
McCain became a noun and an adjective. - johnhummel, on 09/13/2008, -4/+22Can I ask an honest question: what the hell are you talking about?
You've got McCain claiming that Obama wants to teach "comprehensive sex education" to 5 year olds, when the bill would teach 5 year olds how to avoid predators and "stranger danger" - the same thing I've taught my 9, 6, and 4 year old.
You've got McCain claiming that the Obama campaign has attacked Palin on "sexist" lines, then the quotes they pull up are people *complementing* her, or it's people not even associated with the Obama campaign.
You've got McCain lying over and over again about the "bridge to nowhere" and "Palin will fight earmarks", when she's lobbies and taken more than nearly any other state per capita.
You've got McCain saying "Well, if Obama had met me in town halls I this campaign wouldn't be so negative." Let me get this straight - if you don't meet him for debates, then its fair game for him to lie and smear you?
And your excuse is "Well, Obama's stretched the truth too." Like - what? Saying that McCain can't use a computer (which he's admitted)? That McCain isn't an economic expert (which he's said himself)?
Yeah. Obama's campaigning harder. But the "Well, Obama's just as bad" is *****. And its a lie. - Hoodooz, on 09/13/2008, -5/+22ENOUGH of the LIES already! The Republicans haven't figured out yet that America is in deep doo-doo and they're still playing their games like some hellish Lord of the Flies brats.
- whodoes, on 09/13/2008, -0/+17
The John McCain of 2000 ran an "honorable campaign". To the degree that any politician can claim to be a "straight talker"... John was.
John McCain didnt win the Republican nomination and we'll never know how he might have fared against Gore in the general election. What we do know is that John's genuinely honorable campaign was ended in South Carolina by a Rove led smear operation on behalf of George W. Bush. He was the victim of what had been some of the foulest dirty dealing in modern politics. Whisper campaigns were started on local talk radio programs. Fliers were left on the windshields of parishioners while they attended church. Rumors spread that John McCain had become "unhinged" during his imprisonment in Vietnam. In conservative counties especially, they pushed the idea that John had had a black love child , counting on voters having seen pictures of John's family (including his adopted Bangladeshi daughter Bridget ). So called Push-polls were used where residents would receive a political survey type call whos only real purpose was to present these false allegations to undecided voters in the form of "questions". Would it effect your voting decision if you knew that John McCain had born a black child out of wedlock...
Vile and reprehensible stuff and it worked. Thats the real take away message. No one ever called the Bush campaign on it. No one ever held them accountable, there was no reckoning even after the fact.
THAT is the lesson McCain learned. He learned how to win and maybe after all of that he thinks he's earned it. Rove is actively consulting with the McCain campaign. Many of Roves political understudies have been welcomed into the fold and now lead the McCain machine. Its no coincidence that the Bush 2000 and McCain 2008 campaigns mirror each other so well in tactics and content.
Do NOT expect that the press will ever lift a finger in opposition to this sort of behavior. They will never think deeper than the superficial narratives. They will never dig deeper than the false controversy of the moment. They exist to service the established political orthodoxy.
- missingdigits, on 09/13/2008, -0/+17Well said. Americans ( I am American) are idiots. It does not matter how much one lies as long as it gets regurgitated by Faux News, Rush and Bill and the Media will only say "there you have it folks- you decide". The fact that McCain is even close to Obama is so scary. HOW S THIS EVEN ***** POSSIBLE?!?!?! America is imploding and the idiots in our country don't even see it. I live in Kansas and you would simply not believe how stoopid people are. Quick example, the other day at work a guy said that AL Gore's house uses more engery than ANY OTHER house in the entire country. So ridiculous that it is beyond even answering.
- Mononuclear, on 09/13/2008, -0/+16If it is true it is equally sad. You don't authorize an ad that you have no clue the content of. You don't allow other people to authorize ads for you. His campaign can screen ad ideas etc but when they decide on an ad they want to show then McCain needs to watch it. The "I approve this message" should only be on there if McCain himself has seen it and approves it. I understand he doesn't have time to watch every ad proposal out there but he does have time to watch a 30 second clip of an ad that everyone else has decided should be aired.
There is no excuse for him not knowing the contents of the ad if his name is on it. - cadmiumpaint, on 09/13/2008, -1/+17McCain is not running on issues. His own campaign admitted that.
- inactive, on 09/13/2008, -2/+18He is getting dugg down because two wrong don't make a right, but McCain has made 1000 wrongs and Obama 10. Someone saying "but but but... he did some wrong things too!" when trying to defend McCain's record is a ***** blind shill.
Quad knows what he is doing. He is working for the McCain campaign and trying to distract us. I wish he could feel remorse for what he is doing, but he won't. So just like lying criminals, I wouldn't feel a thing if he died, because he doesn't feel bad in the least for what he's doing.
The consequences of his desired intent will be the downfall of America at the hands of conservatives for another 4 to 8 years. The deficit will continue to grow as we give tax breaks for corporations that are pouring money out of our borders. Companies aren't going overseas for taxes (they still have to pay the taxes to do business in the US anyway).
They go overseas for cheaper labor. Unless the US wants to allow child labor and destroy unions and minimum wage, we can't compete with the world on labor. So the alternative is services and technology. But being the luddites most conservatives are, the US continues to waste the opportunity space exploration and green technology offers as far as making the US economy enviable again.
THAT is what Quad is trying to stop, either through ignorance or willful deceit, and neither will garner any semblance of respect from me. - pimpofpixels, on 09/13/2008, -5/+20God, I hope America is smart enough for McCain's lies to backfire on him
McCain : LIAR! - inactive, on 09/13/2008, -0/+15Reality has a liberal bias.
- amoirae, on 09/13/2008, -2/+16Get your ass back to Stormfront, you freak.
- alex98101, on 09/13/2008, -0/+14i know you probably think you're getting buried because diggers are so liberal and we're all in obama's camp or whatever. really though--it's because that was ***** long and stupid. you could have stated your opinion and even your "punch" line in a substantially less moronic way. it's like if the last line of war and peace was "that's what she said"
- Viperidae, on 09/13/2008, -0/+13@Quad
If you want to a troll carry on but please plagiarize someone other than Sean Hannity. - deadbaby, on 09/13/2008, -2/+15It's too bad the Obama campaign hasn't been able to do a better job deflecting these attacks. It's not like they were a surprise. We've had the last 8 years to prepare for the typical Republican strategies to win elections and in the last month or so the ball has been dropped. Obama needs to be a little less low key. He needs to be pissed off and respond accordingly. Most of the non-partisan voters in this country do not care about the truth -- they vote based on perception, not reality. Obama needs to get his message out there that he won't roll over and take the high road on these types of attacks. He needs to dig in and say enough is enough and take a stand on it.
- lolwutpear, on 09/13/2008, -0/+13As a conservative, I'm insulted that someone would be dumb enough to write this up.
- IphtashuFitz, on 09/13/2008, -3/+16McCain/Palin supporters to start digging this story down as inaccurate in 3... 2... 1...
- TigerStar337, on 09/13/2008, -0/+12Don't McCain to me.
- netneutrality, on 09/13/2008, -1/+13I wish it was against the law for the president or a presidential candidate to lie.
- Mononuclear, on 09/13/2008, -2/+13factcheck.org debunks those lies as well. How do you see far more distortion? Do you have any more examples? Go look at the factcheck.org site and see the lies from the RNC and the DNC and also TV spots. McCain and the GOP have many more lies and are not only lying and stretching the truth but they are using such attacks as "Obama wants to teach 5 years about sex". IMO sugessting McCain thinks 5million is middle class is not as bad as comparing Obama to someone wanting to teach 5 year olds about sex. They are both lies and they both should be ashamed but is Obama really worse?
- foofightrs777, on 09/13/2008, -0/+11So, anyone want to make a 529? We can run false ads about how McCain votes against veterans, recklessly picked a light-weight for VP, took bribes as a senator, committed adultery, dumped his disabled 1st wife, crashed 5 planes as a pilot, hired lobbyists to run his entire campaign, renegged on his promise to run a clean campaign, flip-flopped on just about every issue he stood for 8 years ago......oh, wait........I guess We wouldn't even have to make anything up. McCain's record speaks for itself. (cue senile grandpa voice) Now that's not change we can believe in.
- thekingpenguin, on 09/13/2008, -1/+12The scariest part of this is that the man who comes on at the end of the ads and says "I approve this message" could be the leader of the free world in a few months.
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