Maggie's Farm

Despite all of Obama's negatives, McCain keeps shooting himself in the foot. Why say anything about The New Yorker cover and piece other than it is clearly artistic expression open to interpretation? That is what art is!

Now he confesses his Internet illiteracy; he shoulda been receiving totoring months ago to deal with this issue. Now, we are stuck with an illiterate for our nominee? How emabarrassing. Unbelievable. I just can't imagine anyone holding the highest office in the land in 2008 without being highly Internet and e-mail literate.

Points up the need for a return to the old nominating system: Every state elects delegates to the state convention who in turn elect delegates to the national convention. Under this system, McCain's weaknesses would be exposed prior to the convention; besides, it would be the Republican regulars doing the nominating instead of some media manipulated coalition of liberal Republicans, cross-over Democrats, Independents, and others with an interest in defeating Republicans.

If the Republican Convention were to become an open convention, i.e., all delegates released from their previous commitments, and knowing all all now know about McCain's weaknesses as a candidate since the end of the primaries, do you really think John McCain could prevail at such an open convention? Same question might be asked by the Demcorats of Obama? That's why they held these conventions just 2-3 months prior to election day!

If we have learned nothing from 2008 it is clear that the center-right majority in the Republican Party needs to revamp the nominating machinery prior to 2012 such that control of the nominating process returns to elected Republican delegates from closed primaries.

Time to start looking into the Democrat Convention Rules vis-a-vis: What happens should the convention fail to pick a nominee on the first ballot? If such is the case, are all delegates, some delegates, super delegates, et al thereby released from their first ballot commitments?

Is this the scenario for Hillary's coup de convention since the delegate count is so close, and the fact that Hillary has not released her delegates, and that Obama seems to be losing ground by the day? Is buyer's remorse setting in for Democrat party pro's across the country?

Don't think it would be that easy for the Republicans unless the total of the delegates committed to candidates other than McCain are sufficient to deadlock the convention on the first ballot? Somehow I don't think such is the case but it certainly feeds the intrigue for the many Republicans who have or may be developing buyer's remorse.

Besides, we've been cheated of the high drama of the old national conventions and many of us want to see them come back. Rebellion against the current, totally boring, pre-programmed affairs may at last be afoot in the land.

Johnny Mac needs to announce his new found familiarity with the Internet prior to the convention. "John McCain is so out of touch he doesn't know how to use the Internet", will go the standard Obama - still could be Hillary- stump speech. Touche, mes amies. That sounds disastrously out of touch to me and is one more of his incremental negatives. Would make a great New Yorker cover, doncha think? How so-called "political pro's" could allow someone so functionally IT illiterate to be the nominee of a major party in 2008 is astonishing. And to admit it. Like Bush Sr in '92 at the supermarket looking quizzically at the scanner: "What does this do?" Perhaps Johnny Mac's daughter can talk some sense into the old man and begin tutoring in IT 101. Obama is doing his best to boot this thing away- that is if he is the nominee come August 25- but our guy still needs a big makeover to be electable, he just can't rely on being the default vote to 'Bam. And what if Hillary pulls off the coup de convention in the wake of mass buyer's remorse from Dem delegates? She would be formidable.