The Freak Show

Time magazine political analyst Mark Halperin (formerly of ABC and The Note) has a post up dispensing free advice to John McCain on how he can attack Obama. The pearls of wisdom dispensed include:

5. Make an issue of Obama's acknowledged drug use. 6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama. ... 11. Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama's unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism.

Aside from this being gratuitous and morally blinkered, I'm wondering what exactly Halperin thought the value-added of this post was. If he wants to be a campaign strategist for the McCain campaign (or any other for that matter), I'm sure he could get a job doing just that. But he's, in name at least, a journalist, with some basic responsibility to provide his readers with insight into the race. There's no insight in this list -- every attack he mentions has been made in the wingnut'osphere and in emails. So, really, what's the point? As far as I can tell it's mostly to burnish a reputation as being a savvy and unsentimental insider. If you were looking for artifacts to collect under the heading Why People Hate The Media, this would be at the top of the list.

Comments (27)

1. "5. Make an issue of Obama's acknowledged drug use. 6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama. ... 11. Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama's unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism"

   #11 already taken care of by HAPPY and HELENDAO!

   Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 08:43am

2. #12 he's a black panther

   #13 he eats with chopsticks

   #14 he plans to grow an afro once in the white house

   #15 all federal employees will be made to wear dashikis.

   #16 he's going to take 123% of your earnings and tax the rush limbaugh freedom channel.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 10:06am

3. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 02/26/2008 @ 10:06am

   #17 - Once shot a man in Reno...just to watch him die!

   #18 - Ate the liver of a census taker once tried to test him, with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

   #19 - Turned to the Dark Side to try to save Padme' and killed Mace Windu.

   #20 - He likes to dissect girls. Did you know he's utterly insane?

   #21 - He's going to enjoy watching you die, Mr. Anderson.

   #22 - He will tell you "what's the matter!" He goes out of his way for you! He does everything to try and make you happy. He feeds you, he cleans you, he dresses you, and what thanks does he get? "Oh, you bought the wrong paper, Barack, I can't write on this paper, Barack!" Well, he'll get your stupid paper but you just better start showing him a little appreciation around here, Mr. MAN!

   # 23 - He'll get you, my pretty...and your little dog too!

   # 24 - He's done far worse than kill you. He's hurt you. And he wishes to go on... hurting you. He shall leave you as you left him, as you left her. Marooned for all eternity, in the center of a dead planet. Buried alive... buried alive.

   and of course # 25 - He'll be baaaaack!

   Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 10:38am

4. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 02/26/2008 @ 10:06am

   Posted by MASK 02/26/2008 @ 10:38am

   #18.1 - Chianti? With red meat?

   #26 - His chief weapon is surprise. Surprise and fear, fear and surprise...his two weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...his three weapons are fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope...amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the pope, and these nice red uniforms...

   Posted by jmusolino at 02/26/2008 @ 11:23am

5. #25 he's not circumcised

   #26 he watches washington week in review

   #27 he's dead, jim

   #28 he's a pork-eating muslim

   #29 he's a christian-eating muslim

   #30 he didn't vote for bush [oops, sorry]

   #31 he's a HIP-HOPER

   #32 he's off to see the wizard

   #33 he wears ruby slippers to bed.

   #34 he was born on february 30th

   #35 he always sided with colonel klink

   #36 he always sided with muttley et al.

   #37 he won't annex canada.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 11:25am

6. btw many of your cited reasons would inspire republicans to vote FOR HIM.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 11:25am

7. Posted by JMUSOLINO 02/26/2008 @ 11:23am

   Plus, I hear his real name is Rocky Roccoco and he holds the loan for Nancy's diamond ring from Nick Danger!

   Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 02/26/2008 @ 11:25am

   And he would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!

   Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 11:43am

8. And he would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!

   Posted by MASK 02/26/2008 @ 11:43am

   ruh roh.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 1:13pm

9. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 02/26/2008 @ 11:25am

   At the last possible moment, he stopped on a dime...unfortunately the dime was in Mr. Rococo's pocket.

   Posted by jmusolino at 02/26/2008 @ 1:30pm

10. #38 - he blew his mind out in a car

    #39 - he was the Walrus

    #40 - on the night he was born, Lord, I swear the moon turned a fire red.

    Posted by jmusolino at 02/26/2008 @ 1:34pm

11. Posted by JMUSOLINO 02/26/2008 @ 1:30pm

    Michelle Obama?....Michelle Obama?!?!?

    Melanie Haber?....Melanie Haber?!?!?!

    Audrey Farber?....Audrey Farber?!?!??

    How about Betty Jo Bialovski?!?!?

    Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 1:58pm

12. # 41 - He thinks a boy's best friend is his mother.....What's that? Yes, coming mother. Just one of the hundreds of calls Obama gets as fully licensed motel manager!

    # 42 - He realized the loss of essence during the physical act of love and now only drinks grain alcohol and rain water or distilled water.

    # 43 - He's got "HATE" and "LOVE" tattooed on his left and right hand and they fight it out. (very old ref)

    # 44 - He never drinks...wine. (even older)

    # 45 - You really think you have a chance against Obama, Mr. Cowboy?

    Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 2:09pm

13. #46 - He will paint the White House black once in office.

    Posted by rasalula at 02/26/2008 @ 2:43pm

14. #46 - He will paint the White House black once in office.

    Posted by RASALULA 02/26/2008 @ 2:43pm

    I thought that was Mick Jagger and Keith Richards?!??!?

    Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 3:02pm

15. #42 'He's dim, Jed' - DeForest Kelley

    Posted by HonestLiberal at 02/26/2008 @ 3:17pm

16. A guy who writes for Time magazine is a cynical piece of crap? Wow, I couldn't have seen that one coming....

    Posted by Kevin_OKeeffe at 02/26/2008 @ 3:26pm

17. # 47 - He tried to seduce Data into allowing the Borg to assimilate the Enterprise-E

    # 48 - He hit Rose after she went to the party in steerage with Jack.

    # 49 - He ordered the "Code Red" in which PFC Downey and LCpl Harold Dawson killed PFC Santiago.

    # 50 - His father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. His mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. His father would womanize; he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament...

    # 51 - He sabotaged the Robot and the "Jupiter-II" hopelessly marooning the Robinson Family in deep space.

    # 52 - He tells his kids....NO WIRE HANGERS...EVER!!!

    Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 3:47pm

18. I'll admit I have an extremely twisted sense of humor - the price of working in advertising for years. I think you guys do or did, too. Thanks for the much needed belly laughs!

    Posted by GoCards1978 at 02/26/2008 @ 4:10pm

19. #53 - Jay-walking

    #54 - Jay-hawking

    #55 - Jay-smoking

    #56 - Commie will paint the town red

    #57 - He looked so immaculately frightful as he bummed a cigarette

    Posted by jmusolino at 02/26/2008 @ 5:56pm

20. Posted by JMUSOLINO 02/26/2008 @ 5:56pm

    #58 - Jay-and-Silent-Bobbing.....Snoogens!!!!

    Posted by Mask at 02/26/2008 @ 7:10pm

21. FROSTY . . . MASK . . . Stop, just stop. You're killing people out here! Tens of thousands of mindless, innocent, irony-deficient people . . .

    Posted by goyadad at 02/26/2008 @ 7:15pm

22. Re: The Freak Show

    Well, Mark's doing what we all are doing which is supporting the winner. His only fault is that he calls things their real names. If Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain drugged (doesn't matter not long ago or very long ago) that's not good role model.

    Posted by HelenDAO at 02/26/2008 @ 9:26pm

23. Posted by HELENDAO 02/26/2008 @ 9:26pm

    never had a beer?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 11:16pm

24. #59 he reads the nation.

    #59.5 he subscribes to the nation.

    #60 he BLOGS at thenation.com.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 02/26/2008 @ 11:17pm

25. OK, this is my first post on The Nation and I'm going to break the clearly stated rules by going off-topic.

    FIRESIGN THEATER RULES! Who'd ever expect to find so many FT fans on such an 'upscale' website?

    I mean, we've been waitin' for this for 'hunrts' of years, right?

    Posted by RandyBastard at 02/27/2008 @ 10:58am

26. FIRESIGN THEATER RULES! Who'd ever expect to find so many FT fans on such an 'upscale' website?

    I mean, we've been waitin' for this for 'hunrts' of years, right?

    Posted by RANDYBASTARD 02/27/2008 @ 10:58am

    These are your first words in Turkish!

    Posted by jackwells at 02/27/2008 @ 3:45pm

27. Chianti?... Naw... How's about a nice cold "blue moss"

    61. He actually has a crush on Hillary... which is why he's been so nice to her...

    62. His main objective is to turn the tables on white folk... and incarcerate way more of 'em than we should for petty pointless reasons.

    63. He probably went to Commie Martyr High School...

    ... Everything you Know is wrong!...

    Posted by ttr at 02/27/2008 @ 4:53pm