Failures of McCain

McCain loosing the 2008 Presidential Election had many factors.  The one point to make is that McCain lost both electoral and popular vote.  Therefore the evaluation of all the factors has a direct affect towards the populous vote.

Pre Convention

While seeking the party nomination it has been historically about speaking to the base. – McCain did not do that.  McCain kept his ‘maverick’ policies.  The problem affected the base so much that popular republicans publicly voiced their support for Clinton after all other candidates dropped out and McCain was the only remaining choice.

What were the issues?

• “Amnesty” for illegal immigrants and Mccain wanted a fairly easy path to citizenship for millions of undocumented foreign workers.
• 82% lifetime American Conservative Union (ACU) voting record
• Against earmarks (pork-barrel spending)
• Voted against the Bush initiative to have Medicare pay for prescription drugs for old folk
• While the other candidates moved more right McCain did not budge and maintained his middle ground.  Willard “Mitt” Romney and Mike Huckabee spoke directly to the base leaving McCain to have a defensive campaign.
• The McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill made it difficult for interested non-profits to advertise during the primary or general elections. This in effect tied the hands of those who wanted to set the direction of the GOP.
• His wildly incompetent at using his own perfect pro-life record in the Senate. McCain either remained silent or mildly addressed his views and stance.
  
• McCain likes to make common cause with politicians across the aisle from him, leaving the GOP gasping at his inconsistency.

GOP Debates

The GOP debates with their “hand raising” kept the voice of McCain to a murmur.  The only tactic to stand out was to expand on his stance on earmarks, military experience and staying in Iraq. This alone should get him the presidential election except it made McCain looked like he was a social Libertarian instead of the Republican candidate.

• The general public do not understand earmarks and how ‘inside the beltway’ negotiations work.  McCain never using earmarks in fact hurt the GOP time and time again in elevating position.
• McCain’s sacrifice for this country is nothing to piss off, but it is not the only quality the Republicans want in a president.
• Majority of the American citizen doesn’t want to be in Iraq.  All the other candidates avoided the subject and focusing their attention to troop support.  McCain was never had an opportunity to expand on how the experience will assist in making military decisions.  It was all about the quick word and quotes.
• McCain came out of the delegates looking quite liberal.

NOTE: The political debates were a joke.  The candidates that stood out where the ones willing to risk it all.  McCain always took the safe road.

Missing Maverick

The McCain Maverick ideology is appealing and should be to the general US voter.  The Maverick was no where to be seen, like a retiring superhero.  McCain Maverick costume was put in the closet and let there to accumulate dust.

The McCain Maverick was nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail.  He stuck to his stance on earmarks, military experience and staying in Iraq — but no Maverick.

But in fact, the Maverick would have seemed far more suited to a political climate in which dissatisfied voters believe the country has taken a turn in the wrong direction and are looking for someone who promises to upset the old, established order of things. Closeting the Maverick took away the power of the McCain image.

“They managed to take a guy who has one of the great, compelling stories, who had a clear lead, who managed to raise $24 million,” says Republican pollster David Winston, expressing a dismay that many of McCain’s admirers are feeling about the wreckage of his campaign. “They’ve left this guy with virtually nothing.”

McCain’s advisers killed the Maverick and will be one of the greatest supporters of President Obama as a Senator.

Television Appearances

McCain hit the talk show circuit as if he was promoting a book. He went on Ellen, The View and other very liberal talk shows to promote again the death of McCain the Maverick.  Time and time again the talk show ask “where is the real McCain”?

Not going on David Letterman was the only smart move made by McCain.   Although it was under the guise of “putting the campaign on hold” with actually putting it on hold. It took McCain three days to go from New York, NY to Washington DC while hitting the morning talk shows.

One of the safest place for McCain should have been “Meet the Press” but time and time again, McCain stumbled through the interviews, mumbling and barely gave an adequate or mediocre interview. It was pitiful, I was hoping at least one time he would have chugged a ‘Red Bull’ . . . goodness he could have used some wings.

Convention

The convention is to change everything.  It is about stirring the hearts of your party, delegates and preparing for the last leg of the journey into the White House.  What happened?  McCain didn’t lead, but followed.  A no-nonsense Palin brought McCain back to conservatism, just by association.

Key Moments

• The key problems of McCain campaign never did speak to the religious base and lost the limelight as soon as Palin took the stage.
• What did McCain talk about when he took the stage? Expand on his stance on earmarks, military experience and staying in Iraq
• The choice of Palin stirred the GOP.  Fox News anchors, off camera, pointed that this is the end of McCain’s run and left most stunned.   The one time McCain dusts off his Maverick and makes a bod decision angers the supporters more.  It lack a backbone.  He had two vetted possible candidates (Romney and
• When McCain  addressed the delegates there was nothing new.  He read his resume and did not give the sense of a leader. (Compare to Obama/Biden it was not so much about who but where – where the Democrats will go from there and where they will lead the country).
• When your pick for Vice President complains about the current Washington DC . . . she is complaining about you.

Post Convention

Via Palin, McCain never went back to the middle.  After a polictical convention the candidate goes out to get the votes from the rest of the US citizens.  McCain failed to move to get the votes from the moderates.

A stadium filled with conservatives who chant “drill baby drill” is no different than a crowd yelling “off with his head”, “terrorist” – both show that McCain supporters were not the middle America.

It was the time to move towards the moderate movement.  Most of the United States populous is more moderate.

Where was McCain and Palin, sitting on the right.  During this time Obama took his movement and focused his platform to be the three top issues : economy, mortgages, and environment.  McCain

Turn of Election

When McCain was loosing, his focus did not change.  The pundents acknowledged that McCain will loose within three (3) weeks after the GOP convention.  The time was to change ,McCain needed to turn the focus from the Presidency to Congress.  But he didn’t.

McCain ignored advise and his own party . . . too not only fail at another attempt at President and took the GOP plans for Congree with him.

Tags: 2008 election, election, John Mccain, Mccain, mitt romney, politics, Presidential Election, presidential race, primaries, republican, Republicans