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Lindsey Graham Sickens, Joe Biden Dissapoints on MTP
I just listened to the first MTP without Tim Russert, and I applaud Brian Williams, who did fine it what must have been difficult emotional circumstances.
That said - I am sickened by Lindsey Graham - "Its so sad to see someone of Barack Obama's talent sink so far, so fast" Oh sure, you're seem really broken up about it - jackass. If I ever hear this guy call someone else condecending or elitist, I'm going to be sick...oh, thats right - too late.
And Joe Biden, this guy couldn't hit a beach ball with a tennis raquet. The correct answer to any questioning of Barack's puilling out of the public financing system it as follows: At least Barack told you he was pulling out. John McCain has been illegally running a general election campaign on primary dollars for months now. He secured a loan against public financing for the primary, spent the money, then pulled out. The Republican head of the FEC has said the he cannot do this without prior approval. He is breaking the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Law, you'd think he's be familiar with that one.
Is there a reason why Biden failed to hit that one out of the park?
Comments (42)
Lindsay needs to practice crying on cue. This could have been perfect if he'd just laid his head on the desk and broken down, sobbing: "Oh, dear Lord! I had such high hopes for our country! And now our young Senator Obama has turned out to be just like all the rest! Oh, woe is us! Oh, cruelty! (Rips jacket to shreds, tears eyes out with fingers and tosses them at the television camera.) Dear Lord, have mercy on us, for our hopes were raised so high, only to be thrown into the burning Hades of hopelessness and despair!"
Grandma Graham is just looking out for what's best for the country.
June 23, 2008 9:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
you crack me up.
I DVR'd MTP and haven't watched it yet - thanks for the highlights :)
June 23, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
sorry man - I should have given a spoiler alert...
June 23, 2008 9:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, it's all good! Got me excited to sit down and watch it :)
I can't wait to yell at Biden. It's so sad - he really is a good and dedicated elected official with a solid resume in office. BUT (big but), he's bad at framing and countering arguments which is why he just didn't stand out in the primary. You know it kills him to watch a young'un get the nomination, but he's just not good at making his case. Poor Biden.
June 23, 2008 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
off-topic but I thought tigers were solitary - I didn't know they travelled in pairs :)
June 23, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
no collusion here - I guess great avatars just think alike...
June 23, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
(Rips jacket to shreds, tears eyes out with fingers and tosses them at the television camera.)
That would have been so cool...
June 23, 2008 12:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Though one must wonder how he would've been able to be accurate with his eye-toss after he'd blinded himself...it'd have been worth finding out.
June 23, 2008 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Biden is not so good on the mic. Just be happy he didn't put his foot in mouth again. Remember the first time he tried to speak on Barack's behalf?
June 23, 2008 9:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Biden wasn't effective because he was trying to be too cautious in his responses to prevent another gaffe. I think the Obama message control machine got to him and put the fear of God in him - STAY ON MESSAGE. When Lindsay took a backhand swipe at Biden's Iraq partition plan, I couldn't believe Biden didn't take him to task on it.
June 23, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I found Biden to be very disappointing. I realize he was on the defensive because of the questions but he still could have done much better. I saw Richardson on another show. He wasn't that good either. We need a VP candidate who can really dish it out.
June 23, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heck, I'd just leave Biden in the Senate and put Richardson at State. Obama does need a sharp running mate. The good news is that Obama can dish it out pretty well himself.
June 23, 2008 2:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsey Graham was BRUTAL on MTP and Biden's no lightweight. He was everything a good republican should be - nasty, combative, hypocritical, faux concern for decency and trying to claim the moral high ground. He must have been a hell of a lawyer :)
I'm praying McCain doesn't choose Graham for VP. I think there's actually a rule against having two cratchety A-holes on the same ticket, so I'm not worried yet.
June 23, 2008 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsay Graham is gay, so likely that's not going to happen.
However Democrats have always done a shit job on coordinating talking points for national TV, and it looks like the massacres will continue. If only they'd buy some fax machines or a few internets...
June 24, 2008 4:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
On the other hand, I watched Fox News Sunday, and Tom Daschle was excellent. I think he easily smoked Tom Ridge, who was on the defensive about oil drilling and Mccain's flip flop.
Daschle is very smooth. I remember him being kind of a pussy when he was the dems' Senate leader, but he kicked Wallace's and Ridge's ass yesterday.
June 23, 2008 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Graham had this funny look on his face the whole time. He seemed to be having an internal battle with himself, knowing the stuff he was spewing was what the McCain campaign feels is a necessary line "Obama is and ordinary politician, he lies, he flipflops, he's nuttin' special".... But I sensed another, more honest and decent Lindsay struggling to get out. I wouldn't have been surprised to see aLittle LIndsay pop out of his chest and start making a speech for Obama.
That said, I found I hit the "last channel' button a lot and flipped back to ABC every time the unhappy Lindsay spoke. Kay Bailey Hutchison was over there, though, so I did spend some time on the TCM classic movie channel trying to avoid both.
They do know they're going to be obliterated in Novemeber, though. You can see the flop sweat in their faces and the panic in their eyes.
Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of criminals.
June 23, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't be fooled. Lindsay Graham is 100% partisan Republican creep. He may sometimes appear to be a lamb on the outside, but inside, he's a ravening wolf.
June 23, 2008 10:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
ravening?
As in, becoming raven like?
:)
June 23, 2008 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ravening as in rapacious (L. rapina or rapidus). It's etymologically unrelated to the word raven (OE. hræfn L. corvus), which is echoic in origin.
I was paraphrasing the Bible. Matthew 7:15: "Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves."
June 23, 2008 11:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Kitty-Bunny dropping some knowledge - well done.
June 23, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just in case you were in the mood to clutter your mind with some fairly useless information...
June 23, 2008 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought it was a clever hybrid of ravenous and raging or raving.
And I don't find that information useless - likely I will use it quite often. Like high school Trig.
June 23, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
An expanded vocabulary is never useless knowledge.
One never knows what the next party will be in which it becomes useful to use the word "ravening" properly. In-laws at the buffet, perhaps? Best, I'd guess, it they are dressed in black.
June 23, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps so. But try pronouncing the word forte (as opposed to foible, and not as opposed to piano) properly at the next cocktail party you attend and see where it gets you. :)
Years ago, I met a professor of linguistics at a party I attended. We got into a discussion about language, and at some point, I made some weird observation that had something to do with the relationship between the words ostrich and ossify. I was treated to a stern, 15-minute lecture on the pitfalls of folk etymology. Believe me, being publicly dressed down by a professional linguist was no damn fun at all. I've never quite gotten over the humiliation. *:o)
June 23, 2008 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Anyone, including Graham who weighs in using the rhetoric he normaly uses is only interested in entertainment rather than substanative discussion. Graham cares very little about elevating the converasation or educating voters on the issues. He is essentially the problem whihc many of us have railed aganist and are actively trying to change in the upcoming election!
June 23, 2008 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Biden should've taken him to task more on the oil drilling flip-flop. Graham's excuse was the $4 a gallon gas. Therefore, it seems that it's ok to flip on an issue when circumstances dictate the need for change.
Yet Obama changed on public financing because circumstances changed (raising large amounts of money without special interests), and for some reason, this wasn't acceptable to Lindsay. Joe should've pushed him on explaining why Obama's decision wasn't any different than Graham/McCain's. At least Obama's decision stayed true to principle rather than bald-faced pandering.
Overall, Joe stayed on message throughout the discussion, which was probably the best given his ability to wedge his foot in his mouth. Graham looked a bit creepy, smiling big at awkward points- not unlike Andy Bernard (The Office, anyone?).
June 23, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think Graham had the funny look on his face because he was waiting for Biden to tear into him and McCain and sadly Biden never did. I too was disappointed with Biden, because the GOP crying about Obama going back on his word was ridiculous when they have McCain running as their nominee for President.
Maybe that was Biden saying he doesn't want to be VP. He was weak as hell there. McCain isn't going to choose Graham because Lindsey looks to fragile. I'm still betting on Tim Pawlenty as I have been for months.
June 23, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain will not choose Graham as a running mate because Graham's sexuality would become a topic in a presidential campaign. As far as I can tell, Graham is gay, and I personally don't care. But a lot of Republicans would, and a public outing would impact both the presidential race and Graham's career as a Senator.
June 24, 2008 3:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think Biden did OK when he made this point:
June 23, 2008 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed, that was a good point, but it misses the mark. Why refute a campaign finance attack with an oil flip-flop? Refute it with a campaign finance crime. (thats right, crime)
June 23, 2008 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I completely agree. I suspect this may be an Obama rule. He doesn't like cheapshot attacks and tries to avoid them. Too bad--McCain's history provides such fertile ground.
June 23, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsay Graham and his mush mouth forlorn WHINING voice made me want to puke. He kept saying the same thing over and over like he was trying to brainwash the audience. I wish Joe would have pushed him out of his chair. (I know violence solves NOTHING - but it would have been fun to see Lindsay cry!!)
Why does manly man John McCain surround himself with all the closeted gay Republicans?? Does it make him look tougher?
Before anyone bites my head off ... I have plenty of gay friends!!! What makes me sick is people who act and behave holier than thou while denying themselves their TRUE desires and sexuality. If the church stopped shoving sexuality (lack thereof() down everyone's throat ... I think there would be more room for honest dialog (and a lot less repression!!!!)
June 23, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
**The whinyness probably comes from curling up in Lieberman's lap while Joe reads them stories on their road trips. Probably doesn't even know he's doing it. Just three whiny amigos. Even McCain is doing it.
June 23, 2008 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Biden's home turf is on foreign policy. You'll note that once the topic shifted to Iraq, all of a sudden, he was whacking Graham all over the place.
June 23, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Joe Biden is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
June 23, 2008 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsay is such a pathetic wuss! It must make him sick to have to keep lying for McCain, who has no respect for the little pecker head. Actually, Lindsay likes being told he is a little wimp by McCain. Go figure that one out!
June 23, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsay Graham had fear in his eyes. Saddam Hussein looked less fearful standing on the gallows. The Republicans know the game is over and their calloous acts, laying waste to America are coming to an end.
June 23, 2008 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
How come no one called out Graham when he put a new twist on the already disproven GOP talking point that China is drilling off Cuba story by subtly changing it to China is in negotiations with Cuba to drill off Florida?
June 24, 2008 12:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that Graham was sickeningly creepy--I wanted either Biden or Williams to stop talking in the middle of a sentence and say, "You think the future of this country at this point in history is FUNNY?!" I agree that Biden should have hit harder, ESPECIALLY with McCain's own financial flip-flops... seriously, Obama's campaign may not want to go all negative, but they've GOT to counter like with like at moments like these.
But where I disagree with you, MassDem, is that I had two problems with Brian Williams (about which I already wrote MTP). One is that they used the Clinton quote about Obama and public financing--we all knew the Republicans would be pulling this shit, but MTP?! In what way is Clinton NOT a biased source?! The other is that they had quotes by Obama, to challenge Biden--and quotes by Graham, to challenge Graham. It was as if their idea of equal time was, half spent attacking Obama, and half spent attacking Graham.
Did nobody notice that they didn't actually call out McCAIN on anything?
June 24, 2008 4:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
I should have said, "with MTP as run by Brian Williams." I have no idea if BW himself made the decisions on what quotes to use in his challenges of the senators.
June 24, 2008 4:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rec'd. This thread is fall-down funny.
June 24, 2008 5:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lindsey Graham reminds me of every barf-mouth Vacation Bible School counselor I ever had as a doughy, awkward pre-teen trying to quash my burgeoning hormones and beansprout-like pubic explosions through weeks and weeks of intensive exposure to The God™: Pandering, touchy-feelie, condescendingly "concerned" about me while certain that I'm going straight to Hell, and so up his own ass you have to listen to him through his belly-button. I'd feel sorry for him if the mere sight of his droopy milquetoast face didn't make me throw up in my own mouth.
June 24, 2008 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
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