Dispatch from the other side

[prog]

I don't know how I got on Sen. McCain's mailing list for potential campaign contributors, but here I am. Ineteresting peek into red-state psychology; you don't just tick a box and enclose a check, you sign a "support pledge" that begins with "YOU CAN COUNT ON ME! I am with you 100%!" (emphasis theirs) and then segues into a paragraph-long gush of thanks to the senator for answering the call to run for president once again. It's really that last bit that firmly places this outside of the turf I was used to with Kerry's campaign materials.

Then there's a letter in McCain's own voice which I guess assumes that I am as old as he is, a series of short sentences in monospace type with Over, please . . . at the botton of each page and bold and underlining liberally freely deployed throughout. Here is my summary:

The Democrats are trying to appeal to your disgust over Iraq, but they are shifty weasels looking for an opening to raise your taxes. I actually want to fight wars for reals, and my dad was an admiral and I was in a prison camp so I know how this shit works. (Also it made me anti-abortion.) Make no mistake: everyone hates us, so we must continue killing them until they are all dead. The day we pull out will be the day the landing craft disgorge innumerable howling Jannisaries onto our beaches. Let me close with some standard bullshit about how I'm going to end all corruption in Washington, kthxbi

Blecch. Why'd I ever think this guy was OK. I guess he's better than Romney.

Comments

[spatch]

I see he's playing the Batshit Insane card, but he's got a long way to go before he beats Alan Keyes in the "I Don't Know, I Just Open My Mouth And Stuff Go Out" category.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Less lunacy and more a very specific appeal to Bush supporters who are tired of Iraq. (I guess you can go ahead and call that batshit insane anyway if you know what you're getting into.) His message here is basically "I stand for everything Bush does, except I'll do it right." All while carefully avoiding direct invocation GWB's name, of course.

Half the GOP front-runners are singing the "Vote for me or DIE" song right now, but the "being a POW made me want to defend fetuses" bit was new to me.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

The Republican candidates all seem to be trying to attack Bush from the right. It's the only thing they CAN do at this point.

[radtea.livejournal.com]

For reasons that escape me I'm on an e-mail list for some conservative American PAC, which sends out hysterical missives every month or so proclaiming the dire threat to the Republic from gays, young people and degenerates liberals... well, pretty much everybody. Two minutes hate, anyone?

Somehow reminds me...

[kahuna-burger.livejournal.com]

...of those checkboxes on the back of religions tracts.

"you sign a "support pledge" that begins with "YOU CAN COUNT ON ME! I am with you 100%!" (emphasis theirs) and then segues into a paragraph-long gush of thanks to the senator for answering the call to run for president once again."

Then there should be another checkbox that says "No, I want to be led by spineless losers who eat babies and secretly want me to be murdered in my bed by a dirty ruskie jap charlie howling Jannisary....