Sam Stein, Huffington Post: Underlying suggestion of "confused" + "angry" = "John McCain is old"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Obama Takes Cues From Bill Clinton In Handling McCain's Age

July 29, 2008 01:01 AM



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/29/obama-takes-cues-from-bil_n_115479.html

They have been the preferred adjectives for the Obama campaign when going after its opponent. Following a John McCain misstatement, policy shift, or harsh attack, the Senator is usually labeled "confused," "angry," or a hybrid of the two. Aides to the Illinois Democrat insist there is no deeper meaning to their word choices. But it is hard not to notice the underlying suggestion of such remarks: John McCain is old.

It is a standard fare in politics to raise hay over the competency or experience of an opponent. But the methods by which the Obama folks have raised the age issue -- whether deliberately or not -- have reminded many political veterans of the playbook used by Bill Clinton in his 1996 reelection campaign. Like McCain, Bob Dole was a war veteran in his early 70s whose medical ailments caused real-time health concerns. And like Obama, the Clinton camp, according to those who were there, subtly turned age concerns into, at the very least, a political nuisance that impacted the campaign.

"I think there are some parallels," said Scott Reed, Dole's '96 campaign manager. "What is interesting is that McCain pretty much got through his primary battle without his opponents making age a big issue. And it hasn't shadowed him like with Dole. During our primary battle our opponents made it a big issue and Clinton was able to pick it up."

McCain, in response, has used humor to dismiss the issue. Back in 2004, he joked about leaving a hearing chaired by Sen. James Inhofe not out of protest but rather because his age forced him to "make frequent trips to the men's room." More recently, he pretended to fall asleep during an interview with Conan O'Brien.

But there are real political concerns about the Senator's age -- he will turn 72 the day after Obama gives his Democratic convention speech -- and they are not just trepidations over McCain's medical developments. (On Monday, the press latched unto news that a mole was removed from McCain's left temple.) Several prominent outlets have reported that there has been a surprisingly low ceiling to the Arizona Republican's youth appeal. And every rhetorical gaffe, however innocuous, is treated by some as reflective of a diminished mental capacity.

"What is at issue is not so much McCain's age," explained Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, a progressive think tank, "but his repeated misstatements about important issues, facts and even his own voting record. These series of mistakes about serious matters facing the country means either he doesn't do his homework, or he has lost a step."

[ErinBerin84]

1. interesting.

But while McCain's age maybe should be an issue, I don't like Republicans who cry agism when we say that McCain is confused. He IS confused about his positions, I don't know if it's just bc he's not bright or bc of his age. Could be a little bit of both? And he's always been an angry man. Those don't neccesarily bring to mind that McCain is elderly to me , just that he's batshit crazy and incompetent.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

2. It's two issues that meet in the middle...

...in terms of his age, McCain certainly is not a "teen." The degree to which it matters, the degree to which it "qualifies" or "disqualifies" him as a candidate for POTUS, is all up for debate. Some people think such a debate is ageist, others think it is necessary.

But no matter how young or old he is, that man is capital "C" Confused. Once or twice here or there simply makes him human. But when you look at his track record, we are talking about one highly confused individual.

So McCain is a confused man or McCain...who will turn 72 on August 29th...is a confused 72 year old man. As long as "confused" makes it into the final analysis, I'm OK with focusing on that and leaving the age discussion to those who want to engage in it.

:patriot:

[ErinBerin84]

3. yeah, I just remember the bullshit backlash when

the Dems called McCain on him not knowing the facts about the pre-surge levels, and the media tried to say that the Dems were using ageist "buzz words". Oh well, they'll make up stuff about Dems in either case I suppose.


Hopefully, his confusion and anger will be on FULL display at the debates! ;-)

[justgamma]

4. Either he's confused or he's lying. n/t

[karynnj]

5. This ignores that Clinton was an incumbent President

They were in a far better position.