McCain/Some chick from Canada 08: Folding Under Pressure

[Nubbins]

I thought McCain's speech was spot-on.  I actually felt bad for the guy because of the rabid loonies that kept booing every time he'd mention Obama.  I could see on his face how tired he was of all that bullshit.  We got to see the masks drop a little bit on the part of both candidates there at the end, which was nice... with nothing left to lose or win, they seemed a little bit more free in what they were able to say.  

I have a lot of respect for John McCain.  I certainly don't agree with the way his campaign handled itself in the last few months, but I think his heart is in the right place and he deserves some props now that this is all over.

[fajwat]

...I'm willing to bet that the concession speech was a rare moment of McCain actually saying what he thought and speaking kindly....

It was all overshadowed by the booing, hissing, embittered crowd of sore loser Nazis who even seemed to worry McCain.  That might be why you're picking up the evil undertones.

Yes, that's pretty much it for me: he probably was saying what he thought and speaking kindly, but I think he has some PUMA-style supporters who needed to hear a much different speech.  Maybe it will turn out that this was OK, but I listened from the booers point of view, and he didn't speak to his angry supporters at all -- they all just got whiplash, or worse: that McCain was just saying what he had to say, and it all had nearly the opposite meaning. 

Again, my post wasn't in McCain's voice.  It was how that booing skinhead heard those words.  I fault McCain only for ignoring his worst supporters and giving a speech which must have inflamed them.  Did he do it on purpose?  No, I'm not saying that, and I don't care if that was his speechwriters' aim.