Cafe Talk | Talking Points Memo | McCain Promises Bottled Hot Water for Dehydrated Babies

My favorite part of that video is the very end, where it looks like he's turned off camera to ask someone, "What the hell did I just say???"

Posted by hrebendorf
June 7, 2008 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink

Or maybe "What the hell did you bastards put on the teleprompter?!?"

Posted by codegen86
June 7, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink

Well, you know, at least he's not promising cold water!

Posted by codegen86
June 7, 2008 7:25 PM | Reply | Permalink

McCain's dehydrated babies go viral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XpFb6n7-Yo

Posted by AdAbsurdum
June 7, 2008 10:25 PM | Reply | Permalink

OMG!

Seriously, I came in here thinking Christopher was going to play some heavy snark.

Never expected that!

Posted by Cricket4
June 8, 2008 12:57 AM | Reply | Permalink

Reality can be snarkier than fiction.

Posted by codegen86
June 8, 2008 6:16 AM | Reply | Permalink

I'm thirsty! Where's McCain??

Posted by Allsburg
June 8, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink

Oh, did you think the water was meant for liberal babies as well as for conservative ones? Of course not, you silly. No water for you, Unity Baby!

Posted by codegen86
June 8, 2008 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink

Yeah, Baby, you get COLD water. See how you like THAT!

Posted by anneeliz
June 8, 2008 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink

Democrats should be thinking with political precision about why McCain's numbers are so good. These mistakes would knock
Obama out were it he who were making them. How is it that McCain holds his good numbers? What part is anti-Obama sentiment? How far can one go making fun of McCain? Is there a line beyond which he gathers sympathy votes?

Posted by donnerpass
June 8, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink

I believe the issue simply is in definition of candidate. Obama is inexperienced (thanks, Hill) and so if he made any mistakes like that the press would be all over it, egged on by the
Republicans. There would be press releases and talking points galore. But McCain's gaffes don't fit into the narrative about him and don't get covered. Someone needs to get in and change the narrative.

Posted by anneeliz
June 8, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink

Or, he could be your new Dan Quayle.

Just sayin'.

Posted by Darkmoth
June 8, 2008 5:33 PM | Reply | Permalink

I wish I'd know about this last night at 3am when i was arguing with a republican my friend was trying to pick up at a bar. It was a good lesson to me on why I should really not be allowed to talk to Republicans. I just end up yelling at them that they don't care about anybody but themselves (which was basically what the guy was saying, so I don't know why he was so upset I pointed it out to him). in fact, if that guy saw this he'd probably say that we shouldn't enable the babies by giving them the hot water. They should really learn to heat it up themselves. How do the bottles not melt?

Posted by AM
June 8, 2008 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink

AM:

Your argument needs a bit more sophistication. I know many GOPers who are firefighters. They risk their lives to help others. And they give money the GOP to help defeat Dems.

Blanket statements demonizing the other side are rarely truthful.

Posted by clearthinker
June 8, 2008 12:55 PM | Reply | Permalink

Oh, you don't have to tell me my argument needs more sophistication. Actually, it did have slightly more substance than I let on here, but it was also very late at night and there was drinking involved. But what it really taught me was that even under the right circumstances I need more experience in arguing my points. Specifically this arguement was about health care, something I care a lot about, and I should probably get some better, well, talking points for myself. It is really hard to argue with somebody who sees things so differently. Now I didn't really know this guy, but he made some pretty offensive statements about basically anybody who doesn't have health insurance for whatever reason.

Posted by AM
June 8, 2008 6:18 PM | Reply | Permalink

One of the wonders of the Obama campaign has been its success in reaching out across the ideological divide to many Republicans and libertarians as those in the mountain states. It seems that many Republicans are amenable to Obama's appeal to hard work and education in his speeches, and his stipulation of government's role as one of encouraging and rewarding these.

Posted by AdAbsurdum
June 8, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink

Are these Republicans and Libertarians supportive of Obama's plans for health care?

Posted by AM
June 8, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink

AM only caring for themselves is a feature not a bug of the Republican value system. They think everybody should take care of him or herself, the government inherently can't help anyone because it's inefficient, corrupt and socialism to even try.

Their problem is:

A. the American people disagree with them about government being able to help people and won't give up the social safety net.

B. they've proven government is corrupt and inefficient when we let Republicans run it.

C. A + B = a $9 trillion dollar national debt since the Republican the Republican revolution started in 1981.

When you run across a pompous ass like you did last night point that out to him or her.

Or as one of their sainted philosophers PJ O'Rourke says, "Republicans say government doesn't work and when they get elected they prove it."

Posted by markg8
June 8, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink

I realize now that this guy was probably more of a libertarian. And they tend to get to me the most. Your points are that Republicans have kept spending up and efficiency down. I have a feeling if I argued those points to this guy (and those like him) it would, if anything, influence him against Republicans but not do anything to increase his opinion of Obama or other Democrats. He, and most of my "Republican" friends, claim to be "socially liberal and fiscally conservative." But how can you really divide social responsibility and finances?
And if someone doesn't believe in social responsibility, and votes based only on what goes in and out of their bank account, then how can you argue with that?

Posted by AM
June 8, 2008 6:25 PM | Reply | Permalink

McCain had better hurry up with my water. I'm a thirsty truthy-kitteh. I am quite finicky about my drinking water. Water must be cool, not warm. It must be from the tap, not bottled. More importantly, the water needs to be in a feline drinking fountain that makes nice splashy sounds.

Posted by Evainne
June 8, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink

If your current avatar is a cat, it must have escaped from some gallery of modern art.

BTW what is the right expression that should be used instead of the horribly misleading euphemism "cat owner"?

Posted by codegen86
June 8, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink

"Cat slave." ;)

I did not mean to install the cat avatar so soon. I tried to load a teeth-baring zebra and TPM software wouldn't let me. Instead it took me back to the previous avatar and I haven't had any time in the last few days to fiddle with it.

Posted by Evainne
June 8, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink

Oh yeah, that's the term I was looking for. I think "cat's human" is a slightly less daunting version.

Did you make sure the avatar you tried to use was no more than 64 pixels wide?

What is your avatar anyway? Water? Fog? A collection of gray and white pixels?

Posted by codegen86
June 8, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink

McCain Promises Bottled Hot Water for Dehydrated Babies

Comments (23)

Post a Comment

Coming Soon	Nov. 30-Dec. 4
January 12-16