Cindy McCain Stars in NOH8 Campaign Video

Cindy McCain, John McCain's wife, and her daughter Meghan advocate for gay rights. Even Laura Bush supports gay marriage. Things are a changing whether folks like it or not.

Meghan McCain Says Tea Party Has Racist Undertone

I want to believe the tea party's about fiscal conservatism. I'm all for being fiscally prudent, but evidence at these tea party gatherings keeps pointing to the fact that many white people are despondent about a changing nation, one in which white people aren't almighty. Tom Tancredo railed against Hispanics at the tea party.

The election of Obama sent them over the cliff.

Tea partiers weren't concerned when Bush was bankrupting the nation because Bush was one of them. He shared their White Christian Nation values. As Glenn Beck has stated, it's a "white culture" thing. Many tea partiers don't even believe Obama is Christian.

“People who would not even spell the word vote or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House... named Barack Hussein Obama," Tancredo told the Tea Party crowd.

"It's innate racism, and I think it's why young people are turned off by this movement," McCain retorted on The View.

"I'm sorry, but revolutions start with young people, not 65 year old people talking about literacy tests and people who can't say the word 'vote' in English," McCain added.

McCain, a self-described "progressive Republican," criticized Palin's assertion that President Obama could get himself re-elected to a second term if he launched a war against Iran.

"You should never go to war unless its the absolute last circumstance," McCain said. More at Raw Story (video too).

Meghan McCain to Quit Twitter Over Sexy Twitter Photo?

Poor Meghan McCain. She's just a 20-something doing 20-something things but because she's daughter of Sen. John McCain, people expect certain things.
I follow Meghan on Twitter and usually none of her posts have anything to do with politics, though I sort of like her politics. She's a progressive republican, but like her father, she's not up on the economy. But on Twitter, she talks about dating, guys and going out. Once in a while, she'll promote her political ramblings at the Daily Beast.
But she's not a politician.
She is right about the tone of Twitter. People are downright mean. I try never to post anything that I wouldn't say live in person. On Twitter, people can hatchet you in a string of 140-characters-or-less tweets. Just try to question a tea partier about Afghanistan. Oh my.
We need a national conversation on integrity, tolerance and manners.

The photograph apparently generated a string of negative responses, leading McCain to weigh in 15 minutes later: "so I took a fun picture not thinking anything about what I was wearing but apparently anything other than a pantsuit and I am a slut."

"This is why I have been considering deleting my twitter account," McCain, with close to 60,000 followers, continued in another tweet, "what once was fun now just seems like a vessel for harassment."

Fifteen minutes later, McCain weighed in again, tweeting, "When I am alone in my apartment, I wear tank tops and sweat pants, I had no idea this makes me a slut", I can't even tell you how hurt I am."

An hour later, the prolific tweeter said her decision was nearly made: "ok I am getting the f**k off twitter, promise not to delete my account until I sleep on it, thank you for the nice words supporters." CNN

Young Republicans About to Elect a Racist?

Meghan McCain says so:

I woke up this morning in Las Vegas (tonight I’m playing craps and betting on red) with a slew of emails about the likely election of Audra Shay as the new head of the Young Republicans on Saturday. You can probably guess how I feel about a woman who thinks comparing President Obama to a terrorist and referring to blacks as “mad coons” is funny.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting different results.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions over and over again and expecting different results. What exactly do the Young Republicans expect to achieve by electing a 38-year-old woman who thinks racial epithets are acceptable? Also, did I mention that she’s 38? And she’s going to be the leader of an organization with the word “young” in the title? Is it so implausible that people in their twenties (or even early thirties) could join the Republican Party--or have we just completely given up on their vote? Are we expecting “young” people in the Republican Party to soon be entering their forties? Read more at the Daily Beast

Audra Shay denies she's racist.

Read her response here. I could see how it could've happened. But....

Sad to say, but when I think republican, I think bigot, hypocrite and old fashioned. I know not all republicans are bigots who practice hypocrisy by preaching family values to others while privately doing whatever they like. I know some pretty darned nice upstanding republicans. But their image as a party is not so good. They also seem to be old fashioned. I don't want to say old because it's not an age thing.  They just have old ways of thinking about things. Closed minds. No creative solutions. They don't seem concerned AT ALL about social issues, aside from fighting abortion and gay rights.

Meghan McCain Gets Schooled in History

Meghan McCain uses her youth as a crutch. Youth is supposed to be a positive, not an excuse not to know history. She appears to have a shallow understanding of most worldly things and like her dad, isn't up on the economy either. She doesn't know enough to be the voice of the moderate republicans. Anyone else?

Do Republicans Know What They're Up Against?

Peggy Noonan ponders whether the republicans know what they're up against:

He is subtle and likes to kill softly. As such, he is something new on the political scene, which means he will require something new from his opponents, including, first, patience.

I am wondering once again if Republicans in Washington fully understand what they are up against.

No, they don't (and I'm not sure Noonan really does either).
That's because they've always thought about Obama as the novel black man that people really love because he's novel and black. Republicans and Obama haters (let's just call them what they are) couldn't see past their own deep biases. It's like having on a pair of glasses that only allows you to see one way. If they'd take their glasses off, they could see what others see. 
They haven't a clue of what they're up against and that's apparent in their criticisms of Obama (the whole socialism thing just isn't going anywhere) and the way they flail around and attend hate, I mean, tea parties.
Some people say it's just a cycle, that the republicans will dust themselves off and once again be a shiny party.
I think it's more than a cycle because there is clearly a group of republicans who want to move forward and there is clearly a group who wants to move backward and there is clearly a group that has already jumped ship.
We're witnessing the beginning of the end of the republican party. Its biggest downfall is that it hates too many people. You can't be the party in power if you haven't got enough people on your side.
The group who wants to move backward flourished under Bush-Cheney. Obama, being their polar opposite (reason, smarts and maturity), has pushed them to be more vocal than ever, led by rightwing radio talk show hosts of all things. They're not bending or backing down. They have out-voiced the progressive republicans, though Meghan McCain is trying her darnedest. 
There are enough of them, the Tea Partiers, that it effectively neuters the party to powerless. Republicans need to get back the people that fled and they need to find a way to speak louder than than tea baggers, the folks like Michele Bachmann, so that the republicans aren't perceived as a bunch of strange people with strange ideals. 

Noonan says a great party needs to be inclusive, yet the republicans have the appearance of hating a lot of different groups of people:

A great party needs give. It must be expansive and summoning. It needs to say, "Join me."

A party that is huge, vital and national, that is truly the expression of the views of a huge and varied nation, will, by definition, contain within it those who are more to the right, and more to the left, and more to the middle. This creates a constant tension, a constant fight, but no matter. As Ronald Reagan said in China, in front of students at Fudan University, we are "a great disputatious nation."

She says shrink to win isn't a viable strategy:

In the party now there is too much ferocity, and bloody-mindedness. The other day Sen. Jim DeMint said he'd rather have 30 good and reliable conservative senators than 60 unreliable Republicans. Really? Good luck stopping an agenda you call socialist with 30 hardy votes. "Shrink to win": I've never heard of that as a political slogan.

Is it fully mature, and truly protective toward America, to be so politically exclusionary? Read the whole thing

Mark Steyn, an Obama hater (as opposed to a rational critic) writes the same column as Noonan--Obama looks moderate but is radical--but with his ugly spin.

Meghan McCain to Cheney: You Had 8 Years Go Away

After the clip of Meghan on the View, some grumpy guy came on to defend Mole Man and dismiss Meghan. Grumps ought to pay attention to Meghan.

Meghan on The View:

Republicans Meet Your New Leader: Meghan McCain

Well, she may not lead the party, but if republicans are wise, they'll listen to Meghan McCain who is as creeped out by Karl Rove as the rest of us are. Rove = stodgy ancient politics. In a word, icky:

Karl Rove follows me on Twitter. That’s creepy. I joined Twitter a few months ago; so far, it has been a liberating way to transition from political to personal blogging. It’s allowed me to share the less-serious aspects and humorously uncensored moments of my life. But there’s also been a downside: I am now being followed by Karl Rove, and my local sheriff, and God knows how many other political pundits. We need to take Twitter back from the creepy people. Daily Beast

Meghan represents progressive republicans, though she needs to learn more about economics to really be on top of things. Meghan admitted on the Rachel Maddow show that like her dad, the economy isn't her strong suit.
Meghan has a good handle on the state of affairs:

People in our country have much more important issues to deal with on a daily basis. But the experience did reinforce what I learned on the campaign trail in some major ways.
I’ll summarize them in three points:
Most of our nation wants our nation to succeed.
Most people are ready to move on to the future, not live in the past.
Most of the old school Republicans are scared shitless of that future.

She also said this in a speech to the Log Cabin Republicans, which promote gay issues within the party:

I am concerned about the environment. I love to wear black. I think government is best when it stays out of people’s lives and business as much as possible. I love punk rock. I believe in a strong national defense. I have a tattoo. I believe government should always be efficient and accountable. I have lots of gay friends. And yes, I am a Republican.

But she makes me wonder--if these are her values, why is she a republican? If she's the new republican, what's the difference between Meghan and a democrat?

Democrats and progressive republicans have come together on the environment and immigration.

There are only a couple of things people might perceive as a departure between a new republican and a democrat-- a strong national defense and a small government (taxes).

But democrats get a bad rap on those things. I would guess most democrats believe in a strong national defense, though they might have a different view on how the military is used and they might have a different outlook on international relations. I would also say that democrats would like government to be as efficient as possible. And who likes taxes? But democrats have a more flexible view of taxes.  

Meghan counts herself as pro gay marriage, so the only other differences are guns and abortion. Democrats like their guns too, though they might regulate them more than republicans.

Meghan McCain is anti-abortion. I count myself as anti-abortion. But I don't think government should tell a woman what she can do with her body and I think we should work toward reducing abortions.

So the differences between a new kind of republican such as Meghan and a democrat aren't that big. The nation has progressed and the gap between republicans and democrats has narrowed, which is why Obama has appealed to so many.

This might be why a vocal minority of Tea Baggers are up in arms, literally. The Tea Party, clinging to old ways, has been left behind.

Critics Come Out of the Weeds to Criticize Obama's Trip

Obama's trip was important and it was a success. Our national security and our economy depends on Obama renewing and strengthening some of these relationships again. Some people don't understand that concept.

But the media is letting people like Laura Ingraham publicly criticize the trip. She's a Fox "News" commentator, one of the extremists. Didn't she recently behave like a child, mocking Meghan McCain?

Ingraham has no merits. I guess the media is trying to be fair in getting the other side (tagging the video clip "conservative criticism"), but aren't there smarter voices out there on the right? Do they really have to turn to has-beens like Newt Gingrich and talk show hosts? Why do the extremists have so many talk show hosts? Why can't the media elevate the level of discussion?

I know a thoughtful critique when I hear one. I also know a total wingnut when I hear one. Republican John Feehery makes an attempt to be thoughtful:

Some will say that this "play nice" strategy will backfire on Republicans; that the only way to beat Obama is to stoke fear and attack his character. Others will accuse me of going soft on a Democrat who quite clearly doesn't share the values of most Republicans. But I think there is far greater risk for the Republican brand in not acknowledging what Obama's election means historically, and not appreciating how his example is not only good for Democrats but for the country at large.

When I hear David Brooks criticize, I know he's at least intelligent.

There also seems to be a lot of man jealousy. Male politicians seem to be plainly envious of Obama. That's evidenced in the low level of conversation.

But if the GOP wants to be relevant again, they need to dig up some new folks, some legitimate representatives. But I'm not holding my breath. It seems they're so out of touch they haven't yet realized just how far behind they are.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Meghan McCain Takes it to The View

Update: More fun with republicans. Ingraham strikes back.

Republican folk are really giving us a good show -- it's the moderates against the hard right. Listen to Laura Ingraham, some conservative talk radio woman, mock Meghan, a moderate republican (could be democrat) in a Valley Girl voice. It's pretty lame. 

Meghan on The View:

Meghan McCain on Rachel Maddow's Show

I really like Meghan. One thing, though, if she's going to be out in front, she really needs to get up on the economy. She really is like her father in that regard.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Meghan McCain: Bobby Jindal is Good Republican Icon

Meghan McCain Finds Ann Coulter Icky

Welcome to the club Meghan.
Perhaps Meghan McCain, who considers herself a "progressive republican," is the future of the republican party. She, and others like her, would be a force. But for now, all of us have to put up with the Ann Coulters and the Rush Limbaughs, the crazies.

To make matters worse, certain individuals continue to perpetuate negative stereotypes about Republicans. Especially Republican women. Who do I feel is the biggest culprit? Ann Coulter. I straight up don’t understand this woman or her popularity. I find her offensive, radical, insulting, and confusing all at the same time. But no matter how much you or I disagree with her, the cult that follows Coulter cannot be denied. She is a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most notable female members of the Republican Party. She was one of the headliners at the recent CPAC conference (but when your competition is a teenager who has a dream about the Republican Party and Stephen Baldwin, it’s not really saying that much). Read more at TDB

Obama Artwork on Canvas and Musicians

Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Painting, Ray Noland

Here's something the McCain camp wouldn't get, or would otherwise would make a juvenile ad about:

SF: "Art makes you feel renewed, refreshed," said Farzad, 62, of San Francisco. "I think artists are drawn to Obama because they are trained to express themselves with color and image. Obama, too, is a painter. He's painting the future for us, splashing color here and creating the image of a beautiful, multicultural future."
Obama has been attempting to convey that future with one word: "hope." Artists, in turn, have plugged "hope" into hip-hop and folk music lyrics, stitched it onto T-shirts and couture and neatly etched it onto everything from fine art to street billboards.

Check out more Obama art at obamaartreport.com.

Obama also inspires music. 

SF: The same can be said of support from musicians. While McCain's daughter, Meghan, mixes it up with reality television starlet and vocalist Heidi Montag and regularly recommends music mixes on her campaign-trail blog, www.mccainblogette.com, Obama continues to shore up support from outspoken musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Dave Matthews and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong.

Interestingly, McCain's daughter hangs with a reality star/singer, (I arrogantly have no idea who Heidi Montag is - but she seems to have a lot in common with Britney and Paris)

McCain got some love recently from one half of country duo, John Rich of Big and Rich (the other half, "Big Kenny" supports Obama)

WSJ: Friday evening McCain joined forces with John Rich, half of the honky tonk duo Big and Rich, at a concert here in what is fondly referred to as the Redneck Riviera. Rich, who backed Fred Thompson in the primary, gave a free concert in conjunction with the Republican Party of Florida to the enthusiastic crowd of roughly 1,000.

The high point of the concert was a tune written especially for the candidate, the high-tempo rock-country fusion rocker called “Raisin’ McCain.” Rich wrote it specifically for McCain and performed it for the first time publicly Friday. “You can get out of the train or get out of the way. We’re all just raisin’ McCain!” Rich screams. (At the end of the recorded version he says “I’m John Rich and I approve this message.”) 

Several NoBama supporters attended the concert in their NoBama shirts. I can't imagine someone wearing an anti-McCain shirt at an Obama event. I think they'd rather wear an Obama t-shirt and thus, the difference in the campaigns. More Obama art. 

Ian Scott, Anthrax

Some samplings of McBush art

Cindy McCain Racecar Driver and Pilot

Cindy doesn't want to move, so let's not make her.

For Cindy, the move to Washington would not be easy. Her family is deeply rooted in Arizona, and she hates to be away from Phoenix for more than a few days at a stretch. Her father, Jim Hensley, was one of the most prominent men in the state. A World War II bombardier, he was shot down over the English Channel. After the war, he and his wife, Marguerite, borrowed $10,000 to start a liquor business. Through the years, it grew to become one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributorships in the country.

Newsweek also looks at Cindy's rich life, in more ways than one.She's been through a lot and is accomplished. She raced cars and is a pilot. In college, at what her hubby calls the University for Spoiled Children, she drove a gold Mercedes and was a cheerleader. She taught kids with Downs Syndrome and has a degree in special education.
Her first daughter Meghan writes a political blog. Her son James is a Marine.
She's a remarkable woman in her own right. We seem to have two wonderful First Lady candidates and one terrific Presidential candidate.
Here is a touching part of her story:

She named her charity the American Voluntary Medical Team. In 1991, she camped in the Kuwait desert five days after the end of the gulf war to take medical supplies to refugees. That same year, she visited Mother Teresa's orphanage in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she saw 160 newborn girls who had been abandoned. The nuns handed her a small baby with a cleft palate so severe that the infant couldn't be fed. Another baby, also just a few weeks old, had a heart defect. Worried they would die without medical attention, Cindy applied for visas to take the girls back to the United States. But the country's minister of Health refused to sign the papers. "We can do surgery on this child," an official told her. Frustrated, Cindy slammed her fist on the table. "Then do it! What are you waiting for?" The official, stunned, simply signed the papers. "I don't know where I got the nerve," Cindy told Harper's Bazaar.

When she arrived in Phoenix, she carried the baby with the cleft palate off the plane. Her husband met her at the airport. He looked at the baby. "Where is she going?" he asked her. "To our house," she replied. They adopted the little girl and named her Bridget. Family friends adopted the other little girl.

Last week in Vietnam, Cindy relived that time as she talked to a young Vietnamese mother at a hospital in tiny Nha Trang. The woman clutched a tiny newborn with a severe cleft palate. Ditching her handlers, she went over to talk with her. "Where's the interpreter?" Cindy demanded. In tears, the woman told Cindy that she had been denied a consultation by the Operation Smile workers because they feared her baby was too sick to be helped. "I had a baby just like yours," Cindy slowly told her, allowing the interpreter to translate. She played with the baby's tiny fingers, recalling that her own daughter had been written off as unsavable. She joined the mother in the observation room and listened as cardiologists told them they feared the baby might go into cardiac arrest if they were to operate. As the mother cried, Cindy told her that she knew exactly how she felt and patted her back. "That baby deserved a shot," she said, "just like Bridget did." In the end, the doctors decided to perform the surgery.

Though the story gives context to Cindy's life and proves she's no Stepford Wife, it doesn't shine a light on John McCain. My gut feeling is that Barack and Michelle share a deep love and mutual respect for each other. The McCains seem strained.

More on the McCain's finances and free spending.