I'm so proud of John McCain right now

Hillary has tried going negative on Obama and it's backfired almost every time. I think if McCain does the same it will have the same result. He's being smart.

Rove was nasty. Bush was fairly civil.

The thing about Bush was, like I said, he was and is condescending. He gives speeches like he's talking to a four year old. Using small words, simple phrases, and always always always staying on message.. repeating the same platitude or cliche. Usually some gross oversimplification designed by his advisers. It might not be outright nasty.. but for instance... during the Bush/Kerry campaign... it wasn't exactly high-minded philosophical criticism either. Saying over and over and over "the only thing consistent about my opponent, is that he's been inconsistent"... which was then translated into "flip-flopper" on the talk shows and again repeated over and over. It wasn't outright nasty but it felt like they were assuming that all voters couldn't grasp a legitimate or intelligent attack on Kerry's record, and so instead they resort to keywords and attack slogans that don't really mean anything. Kerry may well have lost for being labeled a "flip-flopper." Yet it would have been the same if they got people to think of him as a "farty pants," and would have had about equal legitimacy as an attack on his character.

"the only thing I can say about my opponents pants... are that they're farty."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... and you and .. nevermind... back to civil debate.

Actually, he's on the radio now, and it's a fantastic format for him... with a casual "sidekick" too. He's not angry or agenda laden, or on the constant attack (a la Rush, Hannity, Air America, [insert SF talk radio show here under the guise of 'nuetrality']).

He spends much of his time on pop culture still... and although he's a modern day Republican (socially liberal, fiscal conservative)... everyone is fair game... his analogies for anyone are funny. I'd say he is serious about 20% of his show. He can also find and comment on his respect for both sides of the aisle with sincerity vs the cynical respect.

I'm a pop culture/trivia fanatic... so his references at times are so deft, it's frightening.

I think he's gotta be on at least 100+ stations by now...

[edit: and he's a fun interviewer... not a tough interviewer, but a cerebrally entertaining one]

Wow I am amazed. What next: the Republican party that remembers what fiscal responsibility means, cutting government spending, balancing the budget, staying out of our bedrooms, less government? Who knows maybe McCain will actually bring back the soul to the Republican party. Maybe he will reclaim it from talk show hosts that would rather use every cheap shot instead of talking about issues and religious zealots that want to legislate their religion instead of worshiping in their churches.

I'll have to see if there's a local affiliate that plays Miller's program. I'd rather listen to him than any other talk radio show I can think of off the top of my head.

Everyone is so fired up, resentful, angry, finger-pointing (on both sides). He himself cracks up (laughs) a half dozen to two dozen times during his show... nuff said.

Bush's spending has alienated quite a few within his own party... and the Iraq spending aside... he's been quite different in that respect. He's been spending like a Democrat, but not taxing like a Democrat.

To be honest, I don't see much religion legislation these days, and if there is, it's so insignificant... I really don't, especially compared to the 80s, and even then... Keeping "In God We Trust" on a freaking nickel is not legislating religion. What I do see is calling out of the threat of Islam/Muslim extremism, more from the right than the left. And I don't think the bulk of it is with a religious agenda... vs calling a spade a spade... granted there may be some that see this a Christianity vs Islam crusade... but by-in-large I respectfully disagree that we're seeing religious pushing by talk show hosts and/or politicians.

I used to laugh too, but then he took his material to Monday Night Football. MNF games are usually over by halftime and that gave Miller hours of time to try to keep an audience around to watch ABC. I thought it was the longest halftime show every week, only no costume malfunctions ?

Don't get me wrong, I find his material funny, just not while watching MNF.

Just didn't work out... but I'll take Dennis Miller... hell I'll take anyone over Tony Kornheiser... whiny NY know-it-all who couldn't make the freaking cross country team in high school, much less not get near a football field before whining about the grass and his allergies.

Great color for MNF: Charles Barkley... if he knew a bit more about football or cared.

Hell I'll take John McCain over Tony K... I could at least tune McCain out...

The time of voting for the best man is gone when you make it so. Pull the lever for the best person, likely to win or not, and you'll sleep better at night.

McCain spent the last 8 years rubbing Ted Kenedy's balls. Now he's a Republican? Give me a fuckin' break.

I can't watch Barkley anymore for the NBA broadcasts he still does. I'm not certain who is worse, Barkley or Bill Walton ?

Anyway, the Bush/Rove machine, well everyone remembers Swift Boat Veterans against Kerry ? It was a rehash of similar tactic(s) the Bush machine used to beat McCain in 2000. Again, as I posted elsewhere, both Kerry and McCain actually saw active duty, Bush did not. Bush in the span of 4 years, his campaign strategy cast negative aspersions on "true" veterans and not a military career spent in the states of Texas & Alabama during a period our nation was at war.

Then they all say he's a Maverick. A Maverick is an old fuckin' car.

Every Republican since and including Regan spent like drunken soldiers. If you look at national debt, they always spike under Republican administrations since the 80's. If Regan and Bush had balanced the budget, our national debt would be a quarter of what it is, maybe even less. Clinton was the last president to balance the budget. Can you name the last time a Republican president has been able to do that?

In the 80's the Republicans were trying to legislate prayer in school which never made sense to me. I mean what is the purpose of that. If you want to pray in school, (which I did often in the middle of a test <G>) you can have your own silent prayer.

Of course the current religious legislation is gay marriage. If you take the religious objections of gay marriage out of the equation, is all you have left is civil rights violations for equal treatment under the law. Why is there even such a thing as the Christian right in the Republican party?