What’s the Difference Between Ageism and Other Forms of Bias? Depends.

“get off the sidewalk. Misplaced the keys to his houses. Losing his bears. A half century of service. Erratic. Uncertain. Confused. First came to Washington in 1982.”
Yeah, Those are so much more derogatory than say, “terrorist, un-American and dangerous” being thrown everyday at Obama.

I guess that depends on if you think that the same old tried politics, are in fact the same old tired politics.
As far as being erratic as being old, I just call it being erratic, without a plan.
Yep McCain is uncertain, and erratic, I see it in teenagers all the time.

Jake,
There is no ‘ism’ here. McCain is old. Obama is inexperienced. Two sides of the same coin. When McCain brings up that inexperience, he himself is contrasting that to his experience and thus, his age.
Perhaps it would be more wise to report on the real question – is McCain (or his campaign) confused and erratic. I think it would be interesting if you spent half as much time documenting McCain’s back-and-forth antics over the past six weeks and the mixed messages from his campaign.

Age can have an unfortunate, but real, effect on a person’s mental abilities.
To assume that John McCain has reduced mental abilities only because of his age would be wrong. But that is not the situation here.
The situation here is that we have evidence of his inability to see the problems this nation faces clearly, and of his inabilitity to make sound judgements in order to deal with these problems.
Take for example, McCain’s not-ready-for-prime-time mortgage bailout plan. He rushed forward with this plan without taking the time to considure two major flaws:
Firstly, it would be impossible to buy back the mortgages that have been mixed together and sliced and diced into now toxic securities.
Second, buying back the mortgages at full price (“face value”) is a huge mistake. The loss that the taxpayer would assume could easily be $100-$700 THOUSAND DOLLARS per bad mortgage. The losses to the taxpayer for ALL of these bad mortgages is likely in the range of 50 TRILLION DOLLARS. Say that again, 50 THOUSAND BILLION DOLLARS.
Meanwhile the writedown to the bankers would be ZERO, out right asking for risky behavior in the future. (The plan would also invite home owners to stop making mortgage payments so as to receive the McCain Bailout.)
This problem is a huge. We need to spend the taxpayer’s money EFFICIENTLY. Buying the tainted securities (and mortgages) at the market price will allow us to rid the economy of these toxic elements.
Throwing away money recklessly, in a plan that apparently was put together minutes before it was presented last Tuesday is IRRESPONSIBLE and evidence of John McCain’s inability to do the job he seeks.
And don’t get me started on what his choice of Sarah Palin says about John McCain’s mental fitness!

By the way, Jake, I don’t see folks at Obama’s events saying “kill him” or “terrorist” in regard to McCain.

I support Obama!
But have to say the only age restriction placed on it is by your constution which says they have to be over 35 years old!
That said your retirement age is 65!
To Sill be fit for Miltary service you cant be older than 49
When you pick someone so inept as McCain has with Palin I guess its fair to remind people of his age!
In America age discrimination is inshrined in you Constition and your government agencies!
You resrict veiw of shows by age all contrys set limits on when someone is an adult!
Raceisim isnt the same as its making judgement soley on apperance and nothing more!

Rest assured, the MSM would fail to report on such goings on at Obama events, much like they fail to report on most negatives concerning Obama.

So does that mean we can blame AGE on all of Obama’s continuously changing stories regarding his relationships with Ayers and ACORN?
And, what would the explanation be for these inconsistent, contradictory statements on the same subject if not age????

JR,
You make a good case for McCain. He is indeed an elder statesman. Obama is still cutting his teeth. There’s a lot of hate in this country towards our elders. Don’t forget, though, the elders vote in greater numbers than the youth. In the end you might just get passed by.

At this point who cares about ageism or sexism or any other ism. McCain has a bunch of really fanatical religous nuts running his rallies. A pastor that professes to know what God wants. Saying God would be unhappy with Obama…what the h*$$? McCain’s whole campaign has moved past scary. I think it’s obvious Palin has brought out the worst. How any spiritual person could condone and support such hate is beyond me. I know I didn’t learn that crap in Sunday school.Country first my hinnie…Their agenda first. Talk about too much government. Next thing you know they’ll be controlling who and how we worship.We’ll lose all personal freedoms. Then we’ll see exactly how it is to live in the middle east.

Quite frankly, it never crosssed my mind that any of the Obama campaign comments were referencing his age. So I, honestly, don’t understand where they’re coming from on this one.
I only think of his age in relation to the proximity of Palin to the office and that has nothing to do with campaign rhetoric.
Considering the fact that I’m raising two teenagers, I see no difference in the ability of teenagers to be erratic than in McCain’s ability to do so.
This has always been my definition of erratic:
liable to sudden unpredictable change; “erratic behavior”; “fickle weather”; “mercurial twists of temperament”; “a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next” (Dictionary.com says it better than I could)
When I think of McCain and erratic, that’s how I think of it. Age has nothing to do with it.
As far as the other comments (forgetting # of houses, etc.) I NEVER put them together with age. I am truly baffled where this ageism comes from.

Just as Obama and his lies and poor judgment have been the source of his.

The reality for all of us is that we age and die. And as we age, the likelihood increases of falling victim to dementia, cancer, and other illnesses.
John McCain — or any man or woman of his age — is more likely to fall seriously ill or die in office than Barack Obama — or any man or woman of his age. That’s reality.
As someone who once respected John McCain, I find it unpleasant but not unreasonable to wonder whether McCain’s erratic behavior and apparent weariness are signs that he lacks the vigor required for the job.
If McCain’s people are so concerned about about age-related jokes at McCain’s expense, they should realize that a campaign — theirs or Obama’s — can’t control comedians.
And if they’re so offended, maybe they should have thought twice before making remarks about Obama that provoke racist and xenophobic responses from the mob.

Why try to hide the OBVIOUS.
Obama is Socialist with radical mentors Saul Alinsky, Bill Ayers, Frank Marshall Davis
Obama is a community organizer (agitator) as the basis of his ideology.
Income Redistribution
Economic Injustice
Fair Wealths (no one can have MORE than the others)
Welcome to United States Socialist of America (USSA).
I’d be damn to let this happens.
I’ll defend it with my vote.
For those blind and moron Obama supporters need to wake up and see the reality.

Hey Jake,
If you look into Jerome Corsi’s Kenyan deportment “episode” – you will find documents that “counsel” the Odinga campaign (Obama’s cousin- into who government he meddled illegally).
One of the many “pointers” included pointing out his opponent’s AGE.
Others were: appeal to the youth vote, take over the media, viral e-mails, blogging and internet.
(There’s LOTS more)
And- the “if you lose” clause (and he did and THEY did)
Cause friction between the tribes.
Promote classism.
Incite RIOTS.
After Odinga lost in Dec. 2007, there was mass violence: rape, murder and the burning of over 800 Christian churches in this attempt at creating a Muslim State.
Does any of this sound familiar and sickly distressing to you???

Personally, I would like to see more of Obama’s medical records than the one-page report his physician provided some months ago.

lee,
can you make up more to bolster you argument
deception and lies got us the the last 8 years and as we see
the same morons are trying to spin the same type of arguments now
ugh.
same team
same tactics
same logic
9th year.

There is a major difference between ageism and realism
Obama often does 3 campaign events, including the weekends. Yesterday he did 4 by 5pm
Until lately McCain did not do weekends and rarely more than 1 campaign event per day
I do not thing McCain’s age is affecting voters very much.
The Evangelical voters that keep electing Republicans that lie about making abortion illegal, but never make any effort after being elecected are major backers of McCain
We have seen in videos this week example of other voters that back McCain. People that are racists or fall for the Republican fear fueling.
Another group are the wealthy that have the most to gain from a McCain Presidency.

To MIguy,
Only McCain showed his health records and Birth Certificate.
Still Waiting for Obama’s
See what’s in it?
Also, provide a birth certifcate (real/original) not the fake one on the web site.

Bush:
ONLY 100 Days More In Office (the world anxiously awaits the departure of this criminal)
GOP Leaders Worried McCain Headed For Defeat
“Our Message Isn’t Connecting” … Confusion And Turmoil In Campaign
Troopergate Report Shows Palin Administration “Shockingly Amateurish”
Rollins: Obama Headed For Landslide Win

Lee,
Thanks for the lack of specifics.
As one measure of John McCain’s erratic not-ready-for-prime-time behavior, you might want to consider this fact:
Virtually every economist that McCain listed as ‘economists for McCain’ have condemned his idea, apparently put together minutes before it was announced, to buy bad mortgages at FULL VALUE (“face value”).
Just google “Economists For McCain Trash McCain’s New Mortgage Plan”
JUST AS HIS GAS TAX PANDER WAS CONDEMNED by virtually every economist is the nation.
IF YOU WANT erratic leadership, then you should vote for McCain!

Well, let’s see. John McCain insinuates Obama is a terrorist. Palin refers to Obama in the same manner. McCain’s campaign stirs the crowd into a hate-filled fear inducing frenzy. Someone calling out kill him. Obama accuses McCain of losing his faculties. Somehow Obama’s rhetoric doesn’t seem to be so bad. And McCain is old. For those among us that have passed the 50 mark, know what it’s like to search for your car keys for an hour only to find them in your pocket. Not much of a stretch of the imagination, really.

More economists than then ones you mention regarding McCain are panning Obama’s economic and tax plans, including Nobel Prize winning economists.

yelling “old” is a lot different than yelling “terrorist” or “kill him”

“If you weren’t already convinced that John McCain’s team had no idea what they were doing when they chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, you will be after reading this story.
Meet Sarah Palin’s best Alaska pals:
Though Chryson belongs to a fringe political party, one that advocates the secession of Alaska from the Union, and that organizes with other like-minded secessionist movements from Canada to the Deep South, he is not without peculiar influence in state politics, especially the rise of Sarah Palin. An obscure figure outside of Alaska, Chryson has been a political fixture in the hometown of the Republican vice-presidential nominee for over a decade. During the 1990s, when Chryson directed the AIP, he and another radical right-winger, Steve Stoll, played a quiet but pivotal role in electing Palin as mayor of Wasilla and shaping her political agenda afterward. Both Stoll and Chryson not only contributed to Palin’s campaign financially, they played major behind-the-scenes roles in the Palin camp before, during and after her victory.
Palin backed Chryson as he successfully advanced a host of anti-tax, pro-gun initiatives, including one that altered the state Constitution’s language to better facilitate the formation of anti-government militias. She joined in their vendetta against several local officials they disliked, and listened to their advice about hiring. She attempted to name Stoll, a John Birch Society activist known in the Mat-Su Valley as “Black Helicopter Steve,” to an empty Wasilla City Council seat. “Every time I showed up her door was open,” said Chryson. “And that policy continued when she became governor.”
So let’s get this straight. John McCain’s team chose someone whose political career was tightly interwoven with – and supported by – extremists. Not just average wingnuts. Extremists. Radicals. A secessionist and a paranoid militia organizer.”

Republicans,
Is it fair to say that Sarah Palin ‘paled around with terrorists’ when she gave supportive speaches to the Alaska Independence Party?
The founder of this group Joe “I’m an Alaskan, not an American” Vogler was murdered in 1993 during an illegal sale of plastic explosives that went bad.
Who was Vogler planning to bomb with these plastic explosives?

McCain released one page of his health records. Obama released one page of his health records. Just because you’re young dosen’t mean you can’t have health issues. But, I’m sure if Obama had had any major health crisis,say, like melanoma, someone would surely know about it.

“The Alaskan Independence Party has got links to almost every independence-minded movement in the world,” Chryson exclaimed. “And Alaska is not the only place that’s about separation. There’s at least 30 different states that are talking about some type of separation from the United States.”
This has meant rubbing shoulders and forging alliances with outright white supremacists and far-right theocrats, particularly those who dominate the proceedings at such gatherings as the North American Secessionist conventions, which AIP delegates have attended in recent years.

To Jake Tapper,
You forgot Gibbs saying McCain was yelling get off my lawn. He said this before the last debate.
But this country has a doubled standard. Obama can say anything and everyone else better salute and respect him.

and lets be clear
the people with the biggest issues with his age not his policies…
are the people that ARE his age.
they may not like obama for his policies
but if they have hesitation about mcCain
it is because they know what it is like to be that age
and most of them will be the majority of people who say that is the factor that concerns them.

Well Jake, we certainly watched while the OBama campaign aided by the media went on an all out assult on Hillary Clinton, a lot of which was downright sexist. It’s not okay to question a black person’s positions, associations or past when he’s running for office, but you can say whatever you want to about a white woman. Women are still second class citizens in this country. Look at what’s been said about Sarah Palin, now I am no supporter of her politics, but did she deserve some of the attacks? And were they attacks that a man would have contended with?
We’ve created a politically correct world run amok where a black politican (as long as he’s male) cannot be questioned at all or it’s racist.. and a white woman can be called the B word on national TV and no one says “boo”. And it also appears, if you are an old white man, you can also be the target of mean spirited nonsense based on your age. Can you IMAGINE the outrage if anyone made an outright statement about BO that could be construed as racist? The liberals would go crazy. But those same people never stood up for Hillary, and apparently it’s okay to insult an older person as long as he’s a republican.
Go Figure

and also lets be clear
it is not just about racism
these Palin “terrorist” comments.
It is about pouring gasoline on ignorant matches.
It is Palin saying Obama may be evil.
whether that is racist or not…whatever…
if it absolutely irresponsible and revolting for America to see a person running to be in the white house …trying to strengthen their case by encouraging the mindsets of the values and anger that Timothy McVeigh and Joe Vogel had…
that is the ultimate in anti-Americanism
parading as something American.
throw this moron back to Alaska.

Subprime lending was at its height vrom 2004 to 2006.
Federal Reserve Board data show that:
_ More than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private lending institutions. [NOT FANNIE and FREDDIE]
_ Private firms made nearly 83 percent of the subprime loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year.
_ Only one of the top 25 subprime lenders in 2006 was directly subject to the housing law that’s being lambasted by conservative critics.
The “turmoil in financial markets clearly was triggered by a dramatic weakening of underwriting standards for U.S. subprime mortgages, beginning in late 2004 and extending into 2007,” the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets reported Friday.

Jimmy, nothing can be compared to lynching. I think they are just trying to make a comparison to some of the reasons people are treated unfairly. Both are bad in respect to being fired 5 years before you can collect your full pension, therefore the employer dosen’t have to continue your benefits, not being hired, how much money you make,not being hired, etc. Though both scenerios are disturbing, I don’t think the two issues can really be looked at the same. But, there’s no mistaking someone in their 70′s, no matter how spry, will show some signs of aging.I remember them trying to cover for Reagan when he started showing signs of Alzheimers during his last term.I’m only 49 and I have to constantly reprogram myself to keep up with technology alone. If anything just being out of touch is reason enough for me not to vote for him.

jock59801
so would you like a 93 year old to perform open heart surgery on your mother or father?
or yourself?
age can be a legitimate factor
especially when the individual you are talking about has had cancer 4 TIMES!

dl:
I believe Dr. DeBakey was performing successful open heart surgeries well into his 90′s.
Your point is not well taken.

Thanks for bringing this up Jake but we get the picture on Obama smear tactics which are smarmey and often barely recognizable. And I for one don’t like any of the mud slinging about Ayers from McCain. Ayers, although despicable, is more like a keystone cop rather than a successful terrorist and had the man not been from a wealthy family he would been a nice wife for many lonely men in prison. McCain should have simply made a point of how Obama and Ayers took the Annenberg donation that was suppose to help education and squandered it.
All or us or at least most of us know we are known by the company we keep, we don’t need McCain telling who is or is not a scoundrel.

Sources close to McCain are confirming what most commedians have been joking about for a long time, that joke McCain at 72years old suffers from incotinence, urinary incontinency, contrary to popular believe that he has been wearing an adult diaper, he hasn’t been, Senator McCain has been wearing a leg strap catheter that he empties every few hours. His staff and doctor opposed to the idea that the media will be able to pickup on the adult diaper idea.
What else are not being told about McCain’s medical history?

Lee
so you can name 1 heart surgeon from his 90′s who can perform heart surgery…
ugh.
would you like another 93 year old performing heart surgery on you?
spin all you want but age of course should be a factor…
and anyone who says otherwise is being disengenuous.
so should someone who has a mental challenge by subject to analysis of their mental capabilities when voting…
because they can be good judges on occasion?
this is stupid
same team
same tactics
same logic
9th year.

The biggest effect age has is about learning new things. New learnings are imperative to lead the US.
McCain cannot use a computer, although audio controllers exist for computers. It is not about his arms. It is about his brain. He can afford to buy audio controller software. New learnings and the ability to engineer our society are beyond John McCain.

Lee,
DeBakey was NOT performing surguries in his 90′s! Get your facts right!
FACTS are stubborn things.
For example, right from factcheck.org, you can see that 1) McCain’s tax plans offer little or no help to the middle class (big surprise, I am sure!) and 2) McCain nevertheless increases the federal deficit MORE than Obama:
We spoke with Len Berman, director of the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, which has produced one of the most authoritative analyses of the two candidates’ tax plans. When we asked him if Obama’s claim that he would “cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families” was true, Berman told FactCheck.org that it was “consistent with our estimates.” Overall, the TPC found that Obama’s plan would produce a tax cut for 81.3 percent of all households, and a cut for 95.5 percent of all households with children.
Under Obama’s plan, the TPC estimates that people (or couples) making between $37,595 and $66,354 a year would see an average savings of $1,118 on their taxes.
Under McCain’s plan, on the other hand, those same individuals would save $325 on average — $793 less than the average savings under Obama’s plan.”
JOHN MCCAIN IS WONDERING AROUND, clueless, just as he literally wondered around the stage during the last debate!

There are a lot of claims of different isms being thrown out there in the political world today. I hear that obama and the media is using sexism about Palin but nobody who says this gives examples of sexism. I hear racism from the media and there are some examples. I here ageism being used against McCain but if a younger person was to say these same thing wouldn’t it raise the same questions

comparing “ageism” with the racism happening in this campaign is ridiculous.
even if obama were to make explicit references to mccain problems associated with his age, why would that be problematic or wrong?
if someone is physically infirm, they can be prevented from performing all sorts of activities in this country.
is it ageism to prevent someone who is incapacitated because of age to not have a driver’s license?
if they cannot pass the licensing test because they cannot see anymore, or because they are physically debilitated, are we supposed to ignore those problems?
why is it wrong to point out that mccain has had several incidents where he does appear to be suffering because of age issues?
racial prejudice involves assigning general characteristics to a specific individual simply because he/she is a member of a particular group.
however, if you point to specific acts and omissions by a person and argue that those acts indicate a particular problem or trait, there is nothing prejudicial about that, and if you draw certain conclusions and act on them, there is nothing discriminatory about that either.
this is more mccain spin designed to prevent legitimate scrutiny of his very real problems related to age.

and Lee
lets be very clear on the Annenberg foundation
leaders from Reagan and other republican administrations chose to give this
“unrepentant domestic terrorist”
50 MILLION dollars…and the entire city of Chicago (the third largest city in the US) chose to name him Citizen of the Year.
unlike Joe Vogel or Timothy mcVeigh or Mccain’s buddy Liddy…all of wehom are regarded horrifically for their beliefs and actions…
all of whom were and are unrepentant in the true sense of the word.
2 of whom are linked to mccain palin more directly than Ayers ever thought of being with Obama.
this election is a joke
people are ebing spun like they were the last time
luckily most Americans got smarter.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE CURRENT ELECTIONS
BEGUN WITH THE PRIMARIES……..
OUR SYSTEM FOR NOMINATING A PARTY
LEADER WITH THE PRIMARIES,CAUCUSES
MUST CHANGE FOR THE NEXT ELECTIONS…
WE MUST ALLOW ONE DAY FOR BOTH PARTIES
TO VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE JUST LIKE
WE DO ON GENERAL ELECTIONS……
WE MUST STOP THE PROLONG PRIMARIES AND
CAUCUSES TO GO ON AND ON FOR MONTHS AND
STATE BY STATE,BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THE
MANIPULATION OF THE SYSTEM BY THE
CANDIDATES,JUST LIKE OBAMA DID……
WE END UP WITH OBAMA WHICH OVER 40%
OF WHITES DON’T LIKE HIM AND WITH
McCAIN AND OLD MAN 72 YEARS……
WE MUST PUT A STOP TO THIS SYSTEM NOW..
BY REFORMING THE PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES
TO ONE DAY ELECTIONS…….

Obama has promised to bring us all together…yet, he has already caused more division and hatred than any candidate in history. The great uniter will actually be the great divider. I can tell you for sure…even if he is elected he will never be President to me! I will never respect him or that hateful Michelle!

WE MUST PUT A STOP TO THIS SYSTEM NOW..
BY REFORMING THE PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES
TO ONE DAY ELECTIONS…….
Posted by: Nicholas | Oct 12, 2008 2:10:49 PM
No way. That is the path to getting the richest and most famous elected. We would have Steve Forbes and the Clintons if it were a one day winner take all nomination.
By having New Hampshire among the first, any person may campaign and be heard.
NO thanks to your effort to re-elect the insiders and billionaires by having to run in all states at once. It is a terrible idea. Even having Michigan first is a dumb idea. Or Florida. Too big, too expensive. Only the rich and famous could do it.

liberati
Crying racist for anything said against Obama is no more sad than crying sexist for anything said against Palin or Clinton. There is a great deal of both racism and sexism in America, as well as people taking the backlash too far in the other direction. People are people.

Dl, You are pushing the same line of reasoning as the obama camp (now there’s a surprise, huh?). Trust us– Obama is fine. Nothing to see here, move along.
Yes, most likely Barack Obama is a perfectly healthy 47 year old. But a one page letter from his doctor stating this just won’t cut it, thank you. If there’s nothing wrong with him, then what’s the harm in releasing his medical records, as other candidates have done in the past. I used to know George Bush’s heart rate, for criminee’s sake (and it was impressively low, btw).
You see, Obama is a middle-aged black male. that group has higher levels of high blood pressure and heart disease than the general population, so what are Obama’s numbers like, we’d like to know. Obama is a past (and occasionally present) smoker of cigarettes, which has health consequences. Has it done any damage to him? And, by his own admission (lest I be attacked as a thug slandering the man), Obama has taken drugs in his past, including cocaine, which can often damage the heart muscle. So, it makes perfect sense for people to ask that he be transparent about his health.
If there’s nothing to worry about, a complete release of records, or at least a more thorough release than we have had so far, would easily lay the matter to rest. Sorry, but if you are going to get all exercised about my candidate’s health even though he has been closely monitored his whole career and has been open about health issues as they arose, then you are going to have to show me that your candidate does not require the same scrutiny. Telling me he is healthy because he says so isn’t going to cut it.

WOW – For a really dumb article, this one sure brought out some of the best comments I have read EVER. Great job Patriot: “Every adult human body, becomes less competent with greatly advancing age. It IS NOT ageism to recognize that fact and act accordingly.” Kudos to TRW: “I see next week is going to be false equivalency week. This is the repeated cycle in the campaign. When McCain acts out, the media feels that it is there duty to try to find equally damning behavior from Obama to appear fair and balanced.” And bravo Bemused: “4. Concerns about McCain’s health and consequently his ability to serve out the term he is running for is made much more salient by the presence of Palin as his running mate, since she is patently unqualified to step into the role of president. No false equivalences please.”
It is heartening to know that SOME Americans still have higher level thinking skills! Best comments EVER!

OH, dl, I forgot to address another of your rantings– that tired old chestnut about the chances of McCain dying in office. You claim that one in three presidents does not serve out his term and his vp steps in. Let’s get serious here. FOr the moment, we are focusing on McCain’s FIRST TERM. Everyone will have a chance to reevaluate after 4 years, when he will be 4 years older and Sarah Palin 4 years more experienced, to decide if they want to give him another term, with as always the possibility of him not finishing his term.
So let’s look at how many presidents did not survive their first term. It isn’t just 2/3 of them, now is it? In fact, 8 presidents have died in office, out of 42 men who have served (Grover Cleveland held two non-consecutive terms). So that’s not 33 percent for openers– it’s more like 20%. But three of those who died in office– Lincoln, McKinley, and FDR– were not in their first terms. First term deaths? Less than 12%. And that includes three men who were assassinated– a fate McCain is no more likely to face than any other person serving. Your argument is all about his health causing him to die in office. So if you’re going to throw around statistics based on past presidents, then let’s get it straight– only 3 men have died in their first term because of ill health (and 2 of those were in the 19th century, for goodness sake). So that brings the odds of this happening, if you are silly enough to argue that the past is prologue here, to 7%. That’s hardly a 1 in 3 chance, now is it?

Lee – Dr. DeBakey was a wonderful surgeon, but let me assure you that although he may have been present during those surgical procedures, he was not doing them himself. But the analogy is moot – McCain is not DeBakey.
It seems that many on here are upset that we are not talking about the issues important to them (ACORN, Ayers, etc) and want to talk about other things more important to most of us (economy, health care, etc).
On health care, McCain’s proposals are a disaster. Do you realize that your doctor already has to deal with 30-40 health plans? McCain’s plan with double or triple this. Do you really think that if you find a great deal on health insurance in Montana that your doctor in Minnesota is going to accept it? No, what will happen is doctors will stop accepting insurance altogether. You’ll have to pay on the spot and then hope your insurance reimburses you.

Obama is a Christian not a Muslim.
If he was a muslim people would not be talking about Reverend Wright.
He is also an American.
By the there are Americans who are Muslims as well. Even white Americans that are Muslims.

Isn’t “erratic” what being “a maverick” is all about?

Let’s check guilt by association. lol
Obama merely associates with someone with questionable past; while McCaint is an ACTUAL CROOK!
McCaint is a CROOK, a McKeating Five CROOK who robbed taxpayers of billions!
Obama associates it the crooked McCaint in the US Senate.
Should Obama be penalized for associating with the crooked McKeating McCaint? lol
Obama may be associated with someone.
McCaint is an ACTUAL THIEF, who traded campaign finance kickback as payment for allowing Keating to rob Americans of BILLION of dollars!

Moderate what is sexist about the comment “Oh, Hillary, you’re likeable enough”
Did I miss a meeting or something?

“Patriot”– I keep trying to get out of here, but I just could not let your comment pass. McCain is NOT a criminal, as you probably know perfectly well. Yes, he was one of the Keating Five, but he was exonerated of any wrong doing. When Bennett investigated the case, he recommended dropping McCain and John Glenn from the group entirely, as they had done nothing wrong. However, since McCain was the ONLY REPUBLICAN accused (a fact Democrats conveniently gloss over), the politicians looking into the matter were of course unwilling to drop him. But McCain was open with investigators and the public, has written extensively about what he learned from the incident, and was NEVER charged with any crime, let along convicted of one. You should be ashamed of yourself, “patriot,” but I’m sure you won’t be.

Obama accuses others of bigotry when he is the biggest bigot of all.

Again, it is McCain that brings up his age whenever he brings up Obama’s inexperience. And in those debates against Obama, unfortunately for McCain he just looks even older.
Since when does age not matter? If it didn’t, there wouldn’t be an age minimum for running for President. The point is less McCain’s age but rather the mixed message campaign he has been running.
Even on here you guys can’t keep your talking points straight. One moment you have to brand Obama as a terrorist muslim, while the next McCain is saying ‘whoops, sorry, he’s an okay dude’. It’s hard to argue against people who don’t know where they stand.

josh….McCain was exhonerated and it was the three Dems that were guilty. McCain has fought corruption tooth and nail since that time in his life and he has my vote. He is a man of his word….now Obama…not so much….like how he told Sen. McCain he would take public financing and then DIDN’T!
He fips and flops whenever he has to because HE IS POLITICS AS USUAL.
GIVE ME CHANGE I CAN BELIEVE IN….
McCAIN/PALIN ALL THE WAY.

Exonerated means to declare or prove blameless and in order to be blameless he would have had not be involved therefore he was not exonerated he was found not guilty of any wrong doing which not guilty does not equal innocent and I REPEAT HE WAS FOUND TO HAVE SHOWN POOR JUDGEMENT!!!!

I am so sick of flip flopping being a bad thing is it really a bad thing to change your opinion if you are proven wrong and don’t agree with your former opinion or is it a bad thing to stick by an opinion to no end even when your opinion is proven to be wrong. Don’t humans have the right to change their mind. I for one would never say that my opinion are always right and if given evidence that I am wrong I will change my opinion.
Does that make me a bad person or untrustworthy somehow?

To our shamelessly biased (not you, Jake) mainstream media, anything that helps theone get elected is acceptable, and anything that doesn’t help theone get elected is unacceptable. Any other questions?

McCain was exonerated (of his part in the S and L debacle and $500 billion bailout), and it was the three Dems that were guilty.
1. exonerated? NO. He was said to have exercised bad judgement.
2. The three Dems who were co-conspirators with McCain are no longer in the Congress.

Thank God for Karma
You just don’t get it do you these are questions that need to be answered by both campaigns. I want to know the health of all the candidates. There is a link between age and health and there is a link between race and health. Any other question about age or race does NOT matter.
By the way your name doesn’t make any sense. Christians do not believe in karma.

I have the pleasure of working with older adults. Many of whom are in their 70′s, very bright and active. They refuse to vote for McCain and do not mince words that the number one reason is his age.

Palin abuses her employees. Did anyone notice that?
She makes them do illegal activities, on pain of being fired. That was in the report.
PS. A Republican is suing her, over her use of Yahoo to avoid the Freedom of Information Act. By making her employees use Yahoo, she is making them choose between doing illegal behavior and being fired for not being ‘supportive’. <= her words about the police commissioner and about the librarian. Imagine a librarian being supportive of the mayor? What's that about? Not quick enough to go along with book banning, that's what!!
Palin is in denial now, and says she didnt break a law. No?! She broke a statute in the first case and three other statutes in the Yahoo case. Statutes are laws, Governor.
VOTE OBAMA in 08

It is as wrong to condemn a person because of his age as it is race and gender but the Obama people ignore that completely. Senator McCain Mom is up and about and she is in ther 90s. One family health history and age at death is a important factor by doctors, health insurance companies and even our government policies. Remember, Obama’s parents certainly died at a young age. That means that Obama is much more likely to die young.
Obama has made so many gaffes and misstatements, even policy decisions that he changes again and again, one must wonder if he has the intelligent capacity to be President. I think his high education creditials are over-rated. Common sense does not prevail in his campaign–truth like the Democrats are responsible for the sub-prime mortgage mess, not the Bush Administration. Yet on the stump yesterday and today, he keeps blaming the wrong party. That is not intelligence–that is stupidity.

I think most women would agree that ageism is not acceptable. Could we ever imagine a 72-year-old female, four time melanoma survivor, running for President?
However, I do think that McCain’s age and medical history matters because if something happens to McCain, we’re stuck with Palin.
The word “erratic” has nothing to do with McCain’s age. It is the definition of his campaign: lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity.
And McCain IS confused. Sunni/Shia, Prime Minister of Spain, Czechoslovakia still exists, Iraq/Pakistan border, etc.
But none of these words would incite people at Obama’s rallies to say of McCain, “off with his head”.

It’s too darn bad Rep. John Lewis, or whoever, doesn’t get his britches in a bunch over the nasty libels that fall out of Gibbs’ mouth every time he goes on television.
Pretty-boy Obama may pretend to be the sweetest thing since sliced sugar cane, but every glimpse of Gibbs reminds the watchful voter that nobody represented by him is really more than a thug, rhetorically speaking.
Get up EARLY, little liberals, and catch this piggish white man on “Morning Joe” …

—JR. Come on, McCain is losing his ‘BEARS’. Did he have them on a chain, in his car or on his couch?.
Talk about McCain and his brain draining. Seems those blastimg him are in more dire straights for intelligent thinking than he is. Also, remember Obama thought there were 57 states and dead soldiers in his audience. The comments of the Obama supporters are outright stupid. Any derogotory remarks against an opponent to help the great Obama is OK.

It is not ageist to say that McCain is too old to be behind the wheel; that is an opinion borne of fact. Age affects your mental acuity, race does not. Ageism would be laughing at McCain because he is old, but who is doing that? His age should be a major factor in this election, and he has done very little so far to give us confidence that he is up to the task of being the president.

Why do legitimate concerns about the ability of someone who is clearly a doddering old coot to run our country at one of the most dangerous times in its history have to get dismissed as “age-ism”? John McCain is old and sick and he is clearly unfit to be president. Age, in his case, is not the only factor, but it is a factor. If he seemed less infirm or more mentally together, then maybe it wouldn’t be a factor. But it is not some sort of illegitimate discrimination for voters to consider whether his age is a problem.

Ageism is not about someone unfit.
Agesim is about two people who do an EQUAL job.
However, the one who is elder is perceived as doing less- having less ability– and the younger one getting better support, opportunities and options.
I don’t think McCain looks like he lacks energy at all!! He appears smart and energetic. Erratic– that’s been there for all the candidates at times– the stress might be a factor at times for all. Sometimes McCain looks more energetic than Obama and Palin, in fact. He is a war hero– and who could have done that much!
(( By the way, I am an intended Obama supporter.. but I have to call out ageism here in the play– it’s there. ))

Fact: McCain is 70 + years old.
By most standards, that’s freakishly old. I’m glad the man is alive, but do I want him running our country? No.
Fact of the matter is, McCain could (heaven forbid) die at any moment. Sarah Palin as number 2? You gotta be kidding me.
It’s not ageism, it’s dealing with the fact that McCain’s age is a bigtime con.

According to historians’ rankings, our best presidents were older – Reagan (6th), Harry Truman (7th), Dwight Eisenhower (8th) vs. younger presidents John Kennedy (15th), Clinton (22nd), and Carter (34th).