add to that mccain’s age and the numerous ways in which he has humiliated himself, it’s just unseemly to brutalize the man. unseemly because it lacks in compassion.

and because it is unseemly it is also not politically wise. see above.

our behaviors must be consistent across circumstances; we can’t demand that these guys behave themselves if we’re not willing to consider the higher road when it is obvious. also, see above.

AZ might be an ‘easy’ win with ‘guerilla’ tactics and parachuting obama in on the front lines. but just because it’s easy won’t make it a good one. and no, not all wins are good.

has watching these very sentiments eat the country alive and destroy the republican party not taught us anything???

but it should not be like that, and it does not have to be. obama has worked very hard – valiantly, in my opinion – to avoid that as much as possible. because we have to get ourselves back on track here.

we have such enormous issues to confront, and we’re quibbling about palin’s wardrobe!

tho campaigning in the US resembles boxing, i see obama treating it more like jiu jiitsu, as i’ve said. he watches very very carefully and allows his opponents’ weaknesses to do them in. he never breaks a sweat or gets his hands dirty, and then he reaches out and offers an honest and very believable hand precisely because he has kept clean.

i apologize to everyone who’s still here for my belaboring this point, but i think it is enormously important. not to be grandiose, but i think it’s the most important issue we confront in this election, and yes, in every moment of our lives. do we treat each other with humanity no matter what the circumstances and no matter what their crimes?

i have to give a resounding YES to that because that is who we are! see my points above. that is, if you’re still here.

again, i do understand and sympathize with your position, and i commend it. it is a VERY good idea in many respects that you mention, the down ticket points and the point of energizing the minority population there, always a good thing.

wrt the former, I think we’ll see obama appoint a US atty who will investigate arpaio and thomas whether they win or not. I know that seems small consolation now, but we all must prioritize with larger considerations for the greatest good in mind. at least, that’s my approach.

wrt the latter, I also think minorities will be energized with an obama win whether he visits their states or not, and whether they vote or not. his win will be a living breathing statement of what a minority can actually do (voting AND running), what the minority population can actually pull off, and every single one of them will sit up and take notice. they will see and they will fulfill what this country is supposed to be about.

I make these points because I see with an obama visit to AZ a serious risk involved, and I don’t think obama should ignore that. That was the upshot of my position. I’m not saying this must necessarily come from compassion, though that is my preference and my choice, as much because I think/feel/want to believe this is consistent with the man, who he is. But I was also saying, whether or not the compassion is real (again, shouldn’t it be??), the perception out there in the world of hooligans and hacks matters politically. I previously outlined those political reasons and how I thought obama would weigh them.

Just for a moment, though, think about obama’s response to questions about his leaving the campaign trail to visit his dying grandmother. It went something along the lines of ‘well, most folks would probably interpret my staying away from her side as an indication that I don’t care, and if they feel I don’t care about my grandmother who raised me, how can they feel I’d care about them?’

Now, apply that sentiment to how many would interpret obama’s campaigning in AZ when mccain is losing nationally and possibly in his own home state.

(and cinnamonape, the comparisons to jfk and carter and mondale don’t work because none of those guys was winning like obama is.)

See, I believe that obama believes that – no matter how nastily the hooligans and hacks may abuse that sentiment – most Americans get the whole idea of good will. That’s what we’re all about. If we’re willing to ignore our dying grandmothers when we want to win an election, what is to keep us from ignoring our dying brethren when we want to win a war? If we’re willing to kick our opponents when they’re down, what but a slippery slope is to keep us from torturing our enemies?

It’s all of a piece to me, and I have to tell ya, I’m truly amazed at how this man is living out this tenet of wisdom, but I am even more amazed at his faith in the capacity of each and every one of us to live it, too. These tenets are not just Christian at their core, and they are not just American at their core; they are human.

And if we are not willing to recognize them as our responsibilities at all times, when we are winning or losing, when we are suffering or not, we are inviting the lapse into that other realm of humanity, the ugly, fearful part that does all those things we have for so long berated the republicans for.

We really have to stop that. In everything we do. We really must stop it. Now.

It is truly amazing that Obama has gotten this far in AZ. I would love to see O take it…I think it is still possible.

But, imvho, Politics is like Boxing – you get to fight everywhere Inside the Ring – including Rocking your opponent with Body Shots in his own corner – right after he trash-talked you in the Center of the Ring.

This is a Rough Sport. If McCain mis-manages his Campaign, he won’t just Lose – he’ll get Knocked-Out.

I am biased, and I am selfish; when it was large for McCain, I understood getting the short shrift, but now that it is a dead up horserace, I would like some attention here too. There are a lot of factors I could accept for not getting a visit. But some concern for John McCain and his freaking feelings is not even remotely one of them. To me, that is flat out insulting. He has been the worst Senator this state has ever had that I have known in my lifetime. He has had a long arm for taking from us and a damned short arm for giving and doing for us. There are plenty of reasons why Obama likely won’t make it here; but the thought that McCain’s fucking feelings should be it just blows my mind. There is absolutely NOTHING that could be of any less concern for the Democrats and people wanting to have an epiphany here.

I have tried to look at it as fairly as I can, and I think the net positives are easily such that a quick trip here would be a good move. All I can do is state why that is, which I have done, get the information to officials at the Obama national campaign, which I have done, and see what happens.

It is possible to get to the promised land without an appearance by Obama; but it is almost a certainty with an appearance. That is why I am hot under the collar for it.

I just don’t get that any of these acts are viewed as “humiliating” the rival. If you are close in the polls in that State, if it is competitive, and you are not in a Nixonian runaway…you go for the win. It draws off resources from the opponent, helps the down ticket races, and bolsters the party for the future. You don’t have to be nasty about it (in fact doing so would likely not win the race on the home turf). And nothing but the opponents ego would keep them from accepting a reach across the aisle.

I agree that there may be other races that are more winnable but some of those that are in the yellow may actually be harder…they have stagnated and frozen. McCain has better organization and has spent more money in them. Dropping behind the lines and undertaking a guerilla action (ala the Trojan Horse) and bringing over the Hispanics that have said they support McCain (its about 44%-56% Obama in AZ vs. nearly 70-75% support in NV, NM and CO) would make this an easy win.

I think you Arizonans can do it even without a visit from Obama.

However, since McCain has announced that his ‘closing argument’ for the remaining days is focused on the Economy – Wouldn’t it be nice if the Arizona Dems joined forces with the Arizona Old School Fiscal Conservatives, in a show of Post-Partisan Cooperation, to invite Obama out to Arizona to tout his “Back to the Regulatory Basics” Economic Plan?

Give Obama a good, clean, last-days-of-the-campaign-related reason to come to Arizona – for instance, if tomorrow’s polls show the race dead even at 45-45 – and he just might make the visit that will carry the day on Tuesday…

sure, mccain has been a beast; did we expect anything else? but for obama to even glance in that general direction? i expect nothing of the sort. the man takes darn near every possible measure of his every move, seems to me. with great care. no one has attempted to counter the reasons i listed as to why it would not necessarily be a good idea for him to risk campaigning there; instead the discussion is closed.

on a more conciliatory note, i am quite sympathetic about being ignored in the campaigning, living in MA; the only time we see a candidate here is when there’s a boston convention. that’s definitely a problem that needs to be changed somehow. always thought we need to dispense with the electoral college, but someone recently put forward a reasonable (though not altogether convincing) argument for the arrangement, though i apologize, i can’t locate it just now.

i’m sure we can agree that the setup poses many problems, and i don’t blame you for feeling ignored; at least we have kennedy and kerry here. in the meantime, though, it is what it is. i hope with all my heart AZ turns as blue as the sky there just before dawn, regardless of what obama decides to do.