Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 6, 2008 11:59:24 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Dems' Coded Message: McCain Is Old

Posted Jun 17, 08 12:07 PM CDT in Opinion,  Politics 

(Newser) – To a chorus of Republican indignation, Democrats are taking subtle swipes at John McCain's, er, septuagenarian status. From Joe Scarborough saying the "doddering" 71-year-old "needs to go to Miami Beach and play checkers” to John Kerry calling him “confused” or Barack Obama, 46, noting McCain's “half-century of service,” conservatives see sleights. “It is code; there is no question,” said a Republican strategist. “They are trying to raise doubts.”

Polls show age worries more voters than race, so Republicans are purposely overreacting to “put a lid on the kind of language we use,” says Democratic consultant Jonathan Prince. Kerry called the backlash “unfair and even ridiculous” against what Budoff Brown terms a "crypto-ageist strategy." Adds Prince: "They have become very adept at grabbing every opportunity they can to turn it into a personal slur.”

Source Politico

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Palin Pick Takes Battle to New States

    6 hours, 24 minutes ago
    Palin Pick Takes Battle to New States John McCain's camp is pushing some states back into play in the presidential election, convinced that Sarah Palin has re-energized GOP voters, the New York Times reports. McCain believes Palin improves his chances in Ohio and Pennsylvania, states Barack Obama is counting on. And with just 8 weeks left, both campaigns have defined an unusually wide swath of state-by-state battles.
    More »

  • The Bromance of Mac & Graham

    Sep 5, 08 4:50 PM CDT
    The Bromance of Mac & Graham “While most politicians collect allies, McCain collects followers,” Eve Fairbanks writes in the New Republic, and there’s no better example than Sen. Lindsey Graham, McCain’s “sidekick” and foil in the nation's most prominent “bromance.” McCain’s top stump surrogate is no stranger to the costs of McCain’s friendship: non-stop travel and speaking schedules, being the butt of fraternal jibing, and tolerating his idiosyncratic obsessions ... like, er, birdwatching.
    More »

  • Klein: McCain More Valedictory Than Inspiring

    Sep 5, 08 9:44 AM CDT
    John McCain’s acceptance speech was remarkable, honorable, and sometimes moving, but also sounded like a valedictory, “more the end of a career than the beginning of a presidency,” writes Joe Klein of Time. McCain was short on new ideas—the policy section "was a half-hearted and unadventurous slog through the world of policy." But who but McCain would so comprehensively admit his party’s failures? More »

  • McCain: 'Change Is Coming'

    Sep 4, 08 9:44 PM CDT
    McCain: 'Change Is Coming' John McCain accepted the Republican nomination tonight and promised that "change is coming," MSNBC reports. McCain stressed that he, not Barack Obama, can bridge party differences and end the "constant partisan rancor" in Washington. “Again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed,” he said. "I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not." More »

  • Moderates Feeling Snubbed at Grand Old Party

    Sep 4, 08 3:46 PM CDT
    Moderates Feeling Snubbed at Grand Old Party Where conservatives once felt uneasy with John McCain, his drift rightward now has moderates wondering if there’s a place for them in the Republican Party, the Chicago Tribune reports. “We are discouraged by the platform,” says one pro-choice Republican, noting that while she was glad to have a woman on the ticket, Sarah Palin’s far-right views worried her. More »

John McCain carries a cup of coffee as he gets out of his SUV at his campaign headquarters in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va., Sunday, June 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., smiles during a press briefing at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., Monday, June 16, 2008.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., listens to a reporter's question during a press briefing at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., Monday, June 16, 2008.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 7)

Tags

John McCain  • McCain 2008  • age  • age discrimination  • political spin


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »