McCain's passive aggression
| By David Lore, Licking County Pro-Active Citizens - Sep 26th, 2008 at 11:24 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Appalachian Populists | Interfaith Peace Coalition | Licking County Pro-Active Citizens (www.licopac.org) | Ohio 12th Congressional District | Ohio 18th Congressional District | Perry County Democratic Forum |
What is John McCain's problem?
That was my reaction to tonight's first presidential debate in Mississippi. It wasn't really about the policy or even the political language - that was pretty predictable on both sides. It was about body language.
For nearly two hours, McCain ignored Barack Obama, having a conversation with moderator Jim Lehrer, even when Lehrer urged him to respond directly to the Democratic candidate. Obama talked directly to McCain, referring to his opponent as "John." McCain, grinding his teeth in a tight smile, never looked at Obama and always referred to "Senator Obama" as though Obama was not sharing the stage.
It struck me as a clear case of passive aggression on the part of McCain, which made my teeth grind. By passive aggression, I mean avoiding direct confrontation with those who disagree with you, preferring to smirk and stonewall and diminish another's abilities.
Why would McCain act so dismissive?
He's the guy who supposedly wanted a series of 10 town hall forums with Obama, and has frequently complained about being dissed on that by his Democratic opponent. Is this how he'd behave in a casual format?
McCain is a guy who says he'd be a President who could conduct his office in a bi-partisan manner. And yet, he wouldn't even look at his Democratic counterpart in this election race, or recognize his presence. That seems a poor way to demonstrate bi-partisan tendencies.
McCain didn't blow his top, to be sure, but he did come across as an angry old guy who bottles it all up to the point of not even acknowledging an opposing point of view. At one point, in an otherwise predictable argument over meeting with foreign leaders, McCain said he'd meet "anybody" with proper pre-conditions. But now we have to believe that if a President McCain sat down with Putin or the leaders of China, Korea or Iran, he wouldn't look them in the eye.
We all knew McCain doesn't like Obama. A quick, chilly handshake at the end of the evening didn't change that. But who thought that McCain's resentment about this younger and more articulate rival would result in a debate freeze-out rather than a boil
That was my reaction to tonight's first presidential debate in Mississippi. It wasn't really about the policy or even the political language - that was pretty predictable on both sides. It was about body language.
For nearly two hours, McCain ignored Barack Obama, having a conversation with moderator Jim Lehrer, even when Lehrer urged him to respond directly to the Democratic candidate. Obama talked directly to McCain, referring to his opponent as "John." McCain, grinding his teeth in a tight smile, never looked at Obama and always referred to "Senator Obama" as though Obama was not sharing the stage.
It struck me as a clear case of passive aggression on the part of McCain, which made my teeth grind. By passive aggression, I mean avoiding direct confrontation with those who disagree with you, preferring to smirk and stonewall and diminish another's abilities.
Why would McCain act so dismissive?
He's the guy who supposedly wanted a series of 10 town hall forums with Obama, and has frequently complained about being dissed on that by his Democratic opponent. Is this how he'd behave in a casual format?
McCain is a guy who says he'd be a President who could conduct his office in a bi-partisan manner. And yet, he wouldn't even look at his Democratic counterpart in this election race, or recognize his presence. That seems a poor way to demonstrate bi-partisan tendencies.
McCain didn't blow his top, to be sure, but he did come across as an angry old guy who bottles it all up to the point of not even acknowledging an opposing point of view. At one point, in an otherwise predictable argument over meeting with foreign leaders, McCain said he'd meet "anybody" with proper pre-conditions. But now we have to believe that if a President McCain sat down with Putin or the leaders of China, Korea or Iran, he wouldn't look them in the eye.
We all knew McCain doesn't like Obama. A quick, chilly handshake at the end of the evening didn't change that. But who thought that McCain's resentment about this younger and more articulate rival would result in a debate freeze-out rather than a boil
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