The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Like Magic!

Posted on | September 24, 2010 | 34 Comments

In politics, self-deprecating humor wins. Take the joke and turn it around. Show them that you have a sense of humor about yourself. People made fun of Ronald Reagan as a “B-movie” actor, so he’d crack jokes about that. When they said he was too old to be president, he made jokes about his age.

Christine O’Donnell could make some of this stuff work for her. For instance: “Chris Coons raised taxes three times in four years. I think he should have abstained from raising taxes. I’m a firm believer in abstinence, you know . . .”

Or: “I tried wiggling my nose, but I couldn’t change Bill Maher into a Republican.”

Or brushing off reporters after an event: “I’d love to stay and answer your questions, but I’m in a hurry to get to my next meeting. Where’s my broomstick when I really need it?”

Speaking of humor, Allahpundit sends word that Bob Dole just endorsed Christine O’Donnell.

To which my friend Jim Lakely replied: “That’s the Viagra talking.”

Ba-da-BOOM!

Comments

34 Responses to “Like Magic!”

  1. Dandapani
    September 24th, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
  2. T.L. Davis
    September 24th, 2010 @ 10:17 pm

    How about: Unlike Pelosi, they spell it with a W.

  3. nathan hale
    September 25th, 2010 @ 12:12 am

    Mark Steyn, had a similar line with his comeback essay

  4. TR Sterling
    September 25th, 2010 @ 12:59 am

    The sad thing is that for the GOP it’s just musical chairs.
    Tom Doheny, DE GOP Communications Chair, “After a hard-fought campaign, I have decided to move on to a new opportunity working for the Republican Party of Pennsylvania,” Thanks DE, now PA has the rotten apple. http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/09/delaware-gop-staffer-leaves-st.html

  5. Estragon
    September 25th, 2010 @ 1:17 am

    TR Sterling ~ After the botch the state party made of the handling of the primary & aftermath, why would anyone want their “Communications Chair” for anything beyond emptying the wastebaskets? Or, is that what he is doing?

    Dole’s endorsement is a big help. Conservatives may have mixed emotions about the guy, but Party “establishment” types like most Castle supporters revere the guy.

    The more I think about it, the more Allahpundit may have it right (you have no idea how much it pains me to say that) that a Castle write-in effort could help O’Donnell more than his endorsement. My only consolation is that he got the idea from some Delaware politicos. Of course, Allah’s last original thought had to do with Ace, a studded vibrator, and a tube of raspberry-flavored lube.

  6. ReaganTMan
    September 25th, 2010 @ 1:24 am

    Look, whatever Christine O’Donnell did on an altar after midnight years ago is her business. But thinking about it is still more appealing than the idea of some bald guy raising taxes and redistributing a bunch of people’s hard earned wealth.

  7. Estragon
    September 25th, 2010 @ 1:50 am

    Somewhat off-topic, but did you know that our hero from early this year, Doug Hoffman in NY-23, lost fair and square in the GOP primary this time – and now HE is running as an independent to split the vote and keep the seat in Democratic hands.

    Turns out Dede isn’t the only douchebag in NY-23.

  8. waylay
    September 25th, 2010 @ 2:34 am

    Re: Doug Hoffman in NY-23…

    LMAO!

    LMAO!

    LMAO!

    PS. I thought RSM told me “only RINO’s run on a third party/independent ticket!”(paraphrase)

    PPS. What about Tom Tancredo??

    RSM, what are you afraid of to not even cover these men on your blog, you disingenuous piece of crap…

  9. MrPaulRevere
    September 25th, 2010 @ 3:28 am

    A musical reply to waylay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA_H6C8iLPA

  10. Mike LaRoche
    September 25th, 2010 @ 3:42 am

    waylay/gg,

    Go fuck yourself.

  11. Robert Stacy McCain
    September 25th, 2010 @ 9:42 am

    @Waylay

    The situation in NY-23 is unique. In 2009, Hoffman ran on the Conservative Party line against the Republican Scozzafava and the Democrat Owens, and would have won, had not Scozzafava endorsed the Democrat, Owens. Going into 2010, the Conservative Party announced that Hoffman would retain its endorsement. A rich establishment Republican, Matt Doheny, spent more than $1 million of his own money to buy the GOP nomination — despite repeated warnings from Conservative Party officials that if Republicans nominated anyone but Hoffman, this would create a 3-way race. Ergo, it was Doheny who was playing “spoiler” in this campaign. Doheny managed to win the GOP nomination by about 700 votes and will lose in November.

    It’s very simple: In closely-contested elections in New York, Republicans can’t win if their candidate doesn’t also have the Conservative line. Doheny’s vanity candidacy has therefore probably destroyed any hope of Republicans winning back NY-23.

    BTW, this situation helps demonstrate the absurdity of our campaign finance regulations. Under current law, Doheny could have given no more than $2,400 to any one candidate, and no more than $115,000 to all candidates and PACs combined. Yet he can spend an unlimited amount on one candidate: Himself.

  12. waylay
    September 25th, 2010 @ 10:31 am

    RSM writes…

    “Going into 2010, the Conservative Party announced that Hoffman would retain its endorsement.”

    “Ergo, it was Doheny who was playing “spoiler” in this campaign.”

    The same Conservative party endorsed and nominated Rick Lazio for the NY governor race. But in this case Lazio is the spoiler, not Paladino.

    To use Estragon’s phrase, “turns out GOP isn’t the only douchebag party in NY-23.”

    And speaking of throwing millions to buy off nominations, its perfectly fine for Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner and Carly Fiorina but not so much for John McCain and Matt Doheny.

    Its clear where your loyalties are but there isn’t much clarity in your arguments.

  13. waylay
    September 25th, 2010 @ 10:48 am

    Try to find something humorous to say about the latest revelation about your newest object of conservative reverence:

    Bill Maher’s New Clip Of O’Donnell: ‘Why Aren’t Monkeys Still Evolving Into Humans?’

    Is this the creationist dumb nut making stupid arguments about basic biology you want to enthusiastically support and see as your senator?

    God have mercy.

  14. waylay
    September 25th, 2010 @ 11:04 am

    BTW, a must read for all those (like Dan Riehl) who are fetishising over the GOP Pledge to America:

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_09/025823.php

    Krugman’s incisive take, just the facts, and a simply brilliant Homer Simpson analogy…

    PS. Sorry to distract, but you keep coming up with blanket humour though as your last line of defense against O’Donnell’s stupidity, immature faith and nutty beliefs.

  15. nathan hale
    September 25th, 2010 @ 12:44 pm

    This was the line from Steyn;

    http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/3505/26/

  16. Rickvid in Seattle
    September 25th, 2010 @ 8:14 pm

    Maher has it coming out, I have it on goooood authority, that ODonnell actually sacrificed babies o that alter, after having sex with Satan and a Sith Lordback in 1978. Who could doubt Bill M?

  17. malclave
    September 25th, 2010 @ 11:26 pm

    “Christine O’Donnell could make some of this stuff work for her.”

    What’re the odds of getting Melissa Joan Hart to campaign for her? 😉