John McCain's campaign is looking for a scapegoat. It is looking for someone to blame if McCain loses on Tuesday.
And it has decided on Sarah Palin.
In recent days, a McCain “adviser” told Dana Bash of CNN: “She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone.”
Imagine not taking advice from the geniuses at the McCain campaign. What could Palin be thinking?
Also, a “top McCain adviser” told Mike Allen of Politico that Palin is “a whack job.”
Maybe she is. But who chose to put this “whack job” on the ticket? Wasn’t it John McCain? And wasn’t it his first presidential-level decision?
And if you are a 72-year-old presidential candidate, wouldn’t you expect that your running mate’s fitness for high office would come under a little extra scrutiny? And, therefore, wouldn’t you make your selection with care? (To say nothing about caring about the future of the nation?)
McCain didn’t seem to care that much. McCain admitted recently on national TV that he “didn’t know her well at all” before he chose Palin.
But why not? Why didn’t he get to know her better before he made his choice?
It’s not like he was rushed. McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination in early March. He didn’t announce his choice for a running mate until late August.
Wasn’t that enough time for McCain to get to know Palin? Wasn’t that enough time for his crackerjack “vetters” to investigate Palin’s strengths and weaknesses, check through records and published accounts, talk to a few people, and learn that she was not only a diva but a whack job diva?
But McCain picked her anyway. He wanted to close the “enthusiasm gap” between himself and Barack Obama. He wanted to inject a little adrenaline into the Republican National Convention. He wanted to goose up the Republican base.
And so he chose Palin. Is she really a diva and a whack job? Could be. There are quite a few in politics. (And a few in journalism, too, though in journalism they are called “columnists.”)
As proof that she is, McCain aides now say Palin is “going rogue” and straying from their script. Wow. What a condemnation. McCain sticks to the script. How well is he doing?
In truth, Palin’s real problem is not her personality or whether she takes orders well. Her real problem is that neither she nor McCain can make a credible case that Palin is ready to assume the presidency should she need to.
And that undercuts McCain’s entire campaign.
This was the deal McCain made with the devil. In exchange for energizing his base by picking Palin, he surrendered his chief selling point: that he was better prepared to run the nation in time of crisis, whether it be economic, an attack by terrorists or, as he has been talking about in recent days, fending off a nuclear war.
“The next president won’t have time to get used to the office,” McCain told a crowd in Miami on Wednesday. “I’ve been tested, my friends, I’ve been tested.”
But has Sarah Palin?
I don’t believe running mates win or lose elections, though some believe they can be a drag on the ticket. Lee Atwater, who was George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager in 1988, told me that Dan Quayle cost the ticket 2 to 3 percentage points. But Bush won the election by 7.8 percentage points.
So, in Atwater’s opinion, Bush survived his bad choice by winning the election on his own.
McCain could do the same thing. But his campaign’s bad decisions have not stopped with Sarah Palin. It has made a series of questionable calls, including making Joe the Plumber the embodiment of the campaign.
Are voters really expected to warmly embrace an (unlicensed) plumber who owes back taxes and complains about the possibility of making a quarter million dollars a year?
And did McCain’s aides really believe so little in John McCain’s own likability that they thought Joe the Plumber would be more likable?
Apparently so. Which is sad.
We in the press make too much of running mates and staff and talking points and all the rest of the hubbub that accompanies a campaign.
In the end, it comes down to two candidates slugging it out.
Either McCain pulls off a victory in the last round or he doesn’t.
And if he doesn’t, he has nobody to blame but himself.
Do you think McCain is regretting his VP pick?
And it has decided on Sarah Palin.
In recent days, a McCain “adviser” told Dana Bash of CNN: “She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone.”
Imagine not taking advice from the geniuses at the McCain campaign. What could Palin be thinking?
Also, a “top McCain adviser” told Mike Allen of Politico that Palin is “a whack job.”
Maybe she is. But who chose to put this “whack job” on the ticket? Wasn’t it John McCain? And wasn’t it his first presidential-level decision?
And if you are a 72-year-old presidential candidate, wouldn’t you expect that your running mate’s fitness for high office would come under a little extra scrutiny? And, therefore, wouldn’t you make your selection with care? (To say nothing about caring about the future of the nation?)
McCain didn’t seem to care that much. McCain admitted recently on national TV that he “didn’t know her well at all” before he chose Palin.
But why not? Why didn’t he get to know her better before he made his choice?
It’s not like he was rushed. McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination in early March. He didn’t announce his choice for a running mate until late August.
Wasn’t that enough time for McCain to get to know Palin? Wasn’t that enough time for his crackerjack “vetters” to investigate Palin’s strengths and weaknesses, check through records and published accounts, talk to a few people, and learn that she was not only a diva but a whack job diva?
But McCain picked her anyway. He wanted to close the “enthusiasm gap” between himself and Barack Obama. He wanted to inject a little adrenaline into the Republican National Convention. He wanted to goose up the Republican base.
And so he chose Palin. Is she really a diva and a whack job? Could be. There are quite a few in politics. (And a few in journalism, too, though in journalism they are called “columnists.”)
As proof that she is, McCain aides now say Palin is “going rogue” and straying from their script. Wow. What a condemnation. McCain sticks to the script. How well is he doing?
In truth, Palin’s real problem is not her personality or whether she takes orders well. Her real problem is that neither she nor McCain can make a credible case that Palin is ready to assume the presidency should she need to.
And that undercuts McCain’s entire campaign.
This was the deal McCain made with the devil. In exchange for energizing his base by picking Palin, he surrendered his chief selling point: that he was better prepared to run the nation in time of crisis, whether it be economic, an attack by terrorists or, as he has been talking about in recent days, fending off a nuclear war.
“The next president won’t have time to get used to the office,” McCain told a crowd in Miami on Wednesday. “I’ve been tested, my friends, I’ve been tested.”
But has Sarah Palin?
I don’t believe running mates win or lose elections, though some believe they can be a drag on the ticket. Lee Atwater, who was George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager in 1988, told me that Dan Quayle cost the ticket 2 to 3 percentage points. But Bush won the election by 7.8 percentage points.
So, in Atwater’s opinion, Bush survived his bad choice by winning the election on his own.
McCain could do the same thing. But his campaign’s bad decisions have not stopped with Sarah Palin. It has made a series of questionable calls, including making Joe the Plumber the embodiment of the campaign.
Are voters really expected to warmly embrace an (unlicensed) plumber who owes back taxes and complains about the possibility of making a quarter million dollars a year?
And did McCain’s aides really believe so little in John McCain’s own likability that they thought Joe the Plumber would be more likable?
Apparently so. Which is sad.
We in the press make too much of running mates and staff and talking points and all the rest of the hubbub that accompanies a campaign.
In the end, it comes down to two candidates slugging it out.
Either McCain pulls off a victory in the last round or he doesn’t.
And if he doesn’t, he has nobody to blame but himself.
Do you think McCain is regretting his VP pick?
18 comments:
I believe that the presidential race would have neem a lot closer if McCain would have chosen a more qualified VP pick. He was enjoying all the attention he was getting from her through the media, but when she started to actually do her duties as a VP candidate; things went really wrong for McCain and his campaign. McCain is starting to really regret his choice of Palin, and if he loses the race it will be his fault. Palin was not the VP choice that McCain needed, and he is coming to the conclusion of that.
Judging by what was just said at the very top of this blog, the part where McCain plans on blaming Palin for his campaigns failure, I'd say the answer is a resounding YES! If a person in power can't follow orders from thier superior then they can't be expected to be reliable for any sort of important duty. In retrospect there were probably much better choices for a VP than Sarah Palin. I do hope that McCain can manage to win regardless of this handicap.
I believe that the liberals media is also using Palin as a scapegoat, making her out to be stupid and unqualified while ignoring every misstep that Obama and Biden have made. I believe that it is just an act of desperation to continually discredit McCain. Those asking whether Palin is up to being president should ask themselves, does Obama have the experience either. While the question could probably be argued, it is unlikely that there is any real way of proving that either lacks experience necessary to run the country. Either way the media has defenetly been far too partisan on coverage of each candidate, ignoring all of Obama's while constantly exposing McCain in any negative way they can.
It seems like McCain is sticking with his VP choice only because if he doesn't, then he'll be proving everyone right about his lack of good critical judgement. Sure, he may be ready for the presidency, but Palin's ability to lead an entire country is questionable. It's great that she's doing what she thinks is best for the Republican campaign and not staying with the script, but it's really hurting their campaign much more than it is helping them. Advisors are there for a reason, and she should really have a plan of action instead of making her own choices which aren't that great. People already like McCain. He's capable of the position and people obviously agree because if they didn't, then he wouldn't be a the Republican candidate. However, his only chance at the presidency depends on how well people like Palin, and Tuesday will determine that.
Sarah Palin is just out to make a name for herself. She is only interested in furthering her political interests. John McCain is regretting his pick for VP because he realizes that Palin is only in it for herself and cares nothing for his campaign.
I believe that McCain is absolutely regretting his decision on picking Palin as Vice President. With having no knowledge on how Washington runs, or even what the Vice President's job is, Palin was the wrong pick for VP. McCain should have chosen someone with more experience during critical economic times. Also, McCain is probably embarrassed by the comments Palin says during interviews, etc. The citizens of US have realized that if they vote for McCain, then the nation is going to die. Obama and Biden have clinched the presidency, and hopefully our nation will be at ease.
Palin was a smart choice in more ways that people are giving McCain for. She is relitavely inexperienced (like Obama), enthusiastic (Obama), and unlike Obama, or Biden for that matter, she is a woman. McCain was probably conuting on the disappointed Hilary-worshipping femanazi sway votes.
As for McCain's crack at reaching people through Joe the plumber- I think it's ridiculous that Obama can insert a monolouge of professions (the teacher, the nurse, the accountant, the fireman) into all of his speeches and not get crap for it. Is that not just his way of making his campaign personal?
Remembering back to when McCain announced Palin as the VP candidate, I find it interesting on how quick we are to change our opinions. The media was eager to introduce the governor of Alaska, a woman nobody knew, in a postive light. But things turned as we began to discover more about Sarah Palin. Just one example: her interviews with Katie Couric, which did not help her look ready for the possibilty of assuming the position of commander in chief.
McCain has appeared to have suffered, more than benefited from his choice, as even fellow colleagues and fervent supporters shake their heads in disappointment.
Why did McCain pick Palin? She's a women who has "sexual appealing". Why did Hillary Clinton lose? She didn't have enough. And why is McCain losing? He's stupid enough to think that he can fool us with Palin's entertaining "new breeze for Washington". If McCain wants a VP just to get himself into the white house by entertaining us, couldn't he just pick Tina Fey? At least Fey is the better entertainer of the two.
I believe that neither candidate chose the "ideal" vp. Biden was anti-Obama until chosen to be his vp. And Palin isn't ready to take on her potential future title of Commander-in-Chief. But both choices have also brought good things to the table. Palin can relate to many moms in America, and will bring in votes from women. Biden is charismatic and a good potential candidate. Both picks were equally good, and bad.
Mccains choice of Sarah Palin as his vice president was initially sweet, but now he is realizing the bad aftertaste. During the Republican national convention the introduction of Palin as VP nominee caused Mccains numbers to soar. Every republican jumped on the Mccain/Palin ticket, spurred on by the fresh "Washing outsider and maverick" Sarah Palin. Yet, as the media and the american people began to ask for depth from Palin, she could not offer. Her lack of experience and ignorance on political matters became apparent through her interviews and public addresses. Now Sarah Palin can be partially credited with the fall in Mccain's numbers, yet she is the one keeping Mccain's presidential hopes alive. Palins ability to rile up conservative voters has given Mccain a legitimate shot to win the election. Mccain's attempts to frame Palin as the scapegoat of his campaign is unfair, since she is the only thing keeping his campaign alive.
I certainly hope McCain is feeling just a twinge of regret now. I suppose he picked this woman hoping to get some points because she's spunky, energetic, and "good looking" ;not to mention, a female as well. While Palin may be considered to be these things, a competent leader she is not. Alaska is in sorry shape and I now know why.
I don't see how anyone can support this woman after seeing more than ten seconds of her on TV. She's an idiot and nothing anyone has said has convinced me even in the slightest otherwise. I understand Obama's choice of VP candidate, an extremely intelligent and experienced member of the Senate. Biden is awesome, I like that guy. But I really don't know what McCain was thinking when he chose this woman to help him get into the white house. Perhaps it's just an indicator of his age that McCain made such a horribly bad choice.
I do believe that McCain is regretting his VP pick because now not only did he drag his campaign down by choosing someone who wasn't well qualified in the first place then he makes Joe the Plumber his embodiment following his VP pick doing what she did. So excuse me but doesn't the VP take orders from the President not the other way around . John McCain actually had a shot at the beginning of the campaign now slowly but surely he has given it away to Barack Obama.
McCain is likely regretting the Palin pick, but I think she has her sights on running at the top of a ticket in a future election. Although, I honestly think she was a flash in the pan. I easily can see her remaining in Alaska for the rest of her political career.
I don't McCain falling behind was necessarily Palin's fault; she helped the ticket garner more momentum at first. However, as voters (as well as those in her campaign) begin to see how unqualified she, it seems like she becomes a deterrent to undecided voters.
I do believe that McCain is regreting he pick for VP and much more. things such as the things he said and then taken back. I think that he is confused nad does not know that he is doing.
I don't believe he regrets his desicion at all. In order to chose Palin, McCain had to be completely confident in his choice. Despite their loss, I know we will not see the last of this duo.
I think McCain doesn't regret his VP choice because they had a good little run until the end. If he is doubting his choice now, then what about in the future if he plans on running again? Most people might not take him serious about his choice an just assume that his choice is no good anyway. He's a smart man in a way, i guess
I think that DUH! yea he regrets his decision. He would have been better with someone who actaully knew what he or she was doing. I mean, there are only a certain number of votes one can get based on looks.
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