Presidential Likability

One of George Bush's strengths and oft repeated qualities is he is the kind of guy you can have a bar-b-que with. I would say "have a drink with" or "have a line of coke with" but that's another story. They have him pictured on bicycles, jogging about, clearing brush, hanging with his wife, at his daughter's wedding, etc. Activities that make him human. He's just like you and me. All Presidents do this.

Now picture the two current candidates and what they convey to their public. Barack Obama is a younger, more dynamic representation of a politician. Casually dressed, great smile, adoring family, he is a natural. There's the obligatory photograph of him playing basketball to show he can move. His charisma is massive, as are his oratory skills as witnessed by his public speeches. He has it all.

Now look at John McCain. His wooden arms and robot appearance. His teeth gritting delivery and nervous laugh. His inability to read a teleprompter. His face scarred from cancer. I don't care what he's been through, it's where he is at now. His age, 72, is not in and of itself a problem. Lots of 72 year old men are still running around, playing sports, are mentally strong and look great. McCain is not one of them. You'll never see this guy on a golf course swinging away or finishing up a jog with the Secret Service all around him. He's the Grandpa with the sun umbrella and caramel chews. As much as Bush could buddy up with the cretinous Toby Keiths of the world or NASCAR oval-driving enthusiasts, who does McCain have? The pop-culture meter on him is in the negatives. What is his angle for connecting with young people? "Bomb Iran" jokes? The answer is he painfully has nothing. I wouldn't trust this guy with my TV remote.

Add to his cardboard machismo and shitty humor, his family life. The Los Angeles Times did some solid investigative reporting and published a very damaging item yesterday on John McCain’s personal background, which is of course a key part of his campaign. We learned that McCain turned his back on his wife after she was seriously injured in a car accident, committed adultery, and left the mother of his children when he found a younger, wealthier woman. His first family is pictured here to the right. The two sons were from his wife's previous marriage. Sounds so conservative.

Worse, we also learned that McCain didn’t tell the truth about this in his own memoir. McCain insisted that he was separated from his first wife before he began dating his second wife. That’s not true. McCain also insisted he’d been divorced for months before remarrying. That wasn’t true, either. (In fact, the LAT reported, “McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife.”)

Now ask yourself this, if Barack did the same thing, would his family life be an issue? [Note: All the 2008 Republican candidates were divorced, Giuliani has three wives. Romney was the only one with his first wife and he is of all things a polygamy loving Mormon.]

The Right Wing can do all they want to position McCain as a tough talking, experienced leader. His base will deny reality as they do so well. The fact is he is a warmed over Bob Dole and we all know how that story ended - losing large in the elections and doing erectile dysfunction ads on TV.