Guess who's not coming to dinner
by Roger Ebert
I do not like you, John McCain. My feeling has nothing to do with issues. It has to do with common courtesy. During the debate, you refused to look Barack Obama in the eye. Indeed, you refused to look at him at all. Even when the two of you shook hands at the start, you used your eyes only to locate his hand, and then gazed past him as you shook it.
Obama is my guy. If you are rude to him, you are rude to me. If you came to dinner at my house and refused to look at or speak with one of my guests, that would be bad manners and I would be offended. Same thing if I went to your house. During the debate, you were America's guest.
What was your problem? Do you hold this man in such contempt that you cannot bear to gaze upon him? Will you not even speak to him directly? Do you think he doesn't have the right to be running for President? Were you angry because after you said you wouldn't attend the debate, he said a President should be able to concern himself with two things at the same time? He was right. The proof is, you were there. Were you angry with him because he called your bluff?
During the debate, Jim Lehrer repeatedly called upon both candidates to speak directly to each other. Obama looked at you. He addressed you as "John," which as a fellow senator is his privilege. His body language was open. You stared straight ahead, or at Lehrer, or into space. Your jaw was clinched. You had a tight little smile, or a grimace, or a little shake of your head.
I had to do two things at once while watching the debate. I had to listen to what was being said. And I had to process your rigid and contemptuous behavior. If you were at a wedding and the father of the groom refused to look at or speak to the bride, how would that make you feel? Especially if you were the father of the bride?
You made a TV commercial showing the moments Obama agreed with you. Everybody knows he did. Did his agreement show honesty, or weakness? It is significant that you said it proved he was not ready to lead. What is the better leadership quality: (1) Willingness to listen to your opponent, and keep an open mind? (2) Rigidly ignoring him? Which of the two of you better demonstrated the bipartisan spirit you say you represent? Was there anything he said that you agreed with? Could you have brought yourself to say so?
I'm not the only one who noticed your odd, hostile behavior. Just about everybody did. I'm sure many of your supporters must have sensed the tension. Before the debate, pundits were wondering if you might explode in a display of your famous temper. I think we saw that happen, all right, but it was an implosion. I have instructed my wife to exclude you from any future dinner parties
All I can say is what a great American president, Theodore Roosevelt, once said: " It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled; or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of a high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
ReplyDeleteSpare me the bullshyte rants of a critic whose only claim to fame is he wrote "Valley of the Dolls 2" and sits on his fat ass criticizing others.
Both of these candidates are better than that fat SOB who will never achive anything near the greatness of both of these men.
I have my own opinions of who is the better man, but the beauty of the American democracy is they don't have to be yours. Too many people want to attack the supporters of each man.
HUH? What?
Freedom of thought, Freedom to choose, Freedom to believe what we want.
May the best man win and may it not be predicated on what anyone in the Sodomite city of Hollywood thinks. Their opinions are no better than yours or mine.
Love you, baby!
-Joe
Okay - so who was ranting here?. Personally I don't think the essay was all that critical besides saying that McCain was rude, condescending and he won't be invited to dinner. Take it or leave it. I agreed with him.
ReplyDeleteWhat you did, my friend, was attack the messenger with name calling and nasty comments about the writers accomplishments. Was or was not what he wrote about the behavior of the man true? Personally, I think it was true. It doesn't even address his qualifications...that's a whole nother discussion. Does this mean that nobody who doesn't have the "greatness of these two men" can make a comment about them one way or the other? Hmmmm. Just like you, everybody is entitled to an opinion, just like everybody has a belly button.
What supporter of the candidates did I or the essay attack?
Whatever, this ish is tiring me. You do you and I'll do me and we can leave it at that.
..."Freedom of thought, Freedom to choose, Freedom to believe what we want" AND the Freedom to write/publish what I want.