McCain's Missed Opportunity: His Daughter

Back in March I wrote about Meghan McCain, predicting that she'd be her father's "saucy secret weapon" as a fresh, young, likable face of the McCain campaign. Here was my rationale:

"Not only does she soften him with her kooky you-go-girl persona, but she is a great mouthpiece, proclaiming him dead serious about global warming [and] matter-of-factly supporting the war (on her blog, she mentions her brother, serving overseas, as well, which McCain does not often do). Also, looking forward to the general, she's extremely appealing to liberals: Doesn't like Rush Limbaugh or "Hannity & Colmes." Voted for Kerry in '04. Defines herself as "socially liberal, economically conservative." She's also amazing at humanizing her parents on the campaign trail, catching them both in natural, unguarded moments and making them seem more accessible and natural, even though they are flying on a private plane on the campaign to be President....[she] is also a great role model as First Daughter, having recently written a post shrugging off criticism about her looks and weight [which] got an outpouring of supportive emails, many of which she posted. Then she went back to being super-fun."

Well, I still think all of that — except now it's October, and there's no looking ahead to the general. This is the general, and the McCain campaign has not, in fact, utilized Meghan McCain's amazing appeal,. The most singular thing she has done for her father's campaign, apart from her very appealing (but underpromoted!) blog, has been her children's book about her father — "My Dad, John McCain" — which got some brief buzz in late Aug/early September but does not a movement make.

This video below, published last Sunday, is a great example of the kind of potential Megs had to morph into an unbelievable surrogate for her father. I call her Megs because she seems like a Megs — super-cute, super-fun, and like the friend you just know you'd have a blast palling around with ('cause who doesn't love palling around?). Megan and her group of fresh-faced, hip, appealing friends seem like a great, fun-loving bunch and exactly the type of people a certain "Yes We Can"-loving demo would want to see more of during the campaign — this video looks like it could be the pilot for a hilarious ongoing web series/reality show about the life of this offshoot gang on their adjunct campaign train.

Note how in the video Megan says that the campaign only just started sending her out on her own. Bad, bad call. Watch the video below and see if you agree:

Comments

[owlsocks]

Her, wearing a necklace with Abe Lincoln on it?!?!?!

And the race-bating tactics that her Dad's campaign supports....hullo!

It sounds like a huge drill, like the one they used to make the Chunnel, the sound of Lincoln speed-rolling in his grave, that is.

[noelalumit]

I'm curious why the adopted South Asian daughter isn't given enough play? Any thoughts?

[girlonthestreet]

absolutely and she's drop dead gorgeous.

[PineyWoods]

Why in the hell would I care what Meghan McCain thinks? I care what she thinks about as much as I care what Chelsea Clinton thinks. She needs to sit down and shut up and listen to Coldplay and spend mommy's money and do whatever it is that privileged girls who don't understand the world outside of their little bubbles do.

A secret weapon?? Really? You mean, like a stink bomb?

Oh, right, she voted for Kerry. I guess that gives her street cred. Kinda like the sheltered girl in college who experimented by sleeping with a black guy, so she now she "gets" black people. So she voted for Kerry because she believed in his politics, but now she's voting for a warmonger and a voodoo economist because it benefits her. That's hot. I don't care if it's her dad. Half of America wouldn't vote for their dad as President, for good reason. Good God.

I'm going to bed, this post made me sick.

[diahni]

A "secret weapon":??? Secret, yes, but no weapon. We have heard precious little of Meghan during the election. Judging from the one performance I observed on TV, Meaghan is no brain. Please don't compare her to Paris Hilton, who may look like a bimbo, but is in fact a shrewd business woman. What would you expect with the last name of Hilton? I have to weigh in, as well, about professionally produced Youtube clips. How uncool. Forget it, Meghan. You will have lots of time to hang out with Dad after November 4th.

[chf2go]

What about his daughter Bridget? They never even include her on the campaign or in many family photo ops. Sad. Why adopt a child if you are ashamed to let her be seen in public?

[pons1595]

Here's McCain as Father of the year--the link is a must read:
http://letters.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/06/florida/view/?show=all

McCain's appreciation of the beauty of Asian women was so great that David the American economist had to move his Thai wife to the other side of the table from McCain as McCain kept aggressively flirting with and touching her. Needless to say I was irritated at his large ego and his rude behavior towards his wife and other women, but decided he must have some redeeming qualities as he had adopted a handicapped child from Bangladesh. I asked him about this one day, and his response was shocking: "Oh, that was Cindy's idea - I didn't have anything to do with it. She just went and adopted this thing without even asking me. You can't imagine how people stare when I wheel this ugly, black thing around in a shopping cart in Arizona . No, it wasn't my idea at all."

From a letter originally written by: Ana Dubey and made public by her friend, Mary-Kay Gamel
Professor of Classic Literature & Arts, Cowell College, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA

[exdubyafan]

She's probably not allowed to be near her dad by the Rove machine. After all she voted for Kerry.

[ricland]

Nice girl.

We should leave her alone.

ricland

[philistine]

Thank you. Let's not forget David Shuster's comment about Chelsea Clinton. She doesn't need to become a target - although, to be fair, the MSM seems quicker to take pot shots at Democrats than at Repugnican'ts.

[maizie]

Oh, you mean the one who, in a recent interview on the Today Show, said, "...no one knows more about war than my family"? That Meghan McCain? Oh, yes, I'm sure veterans and their families would love to have her educate them on the horrors of war.

[Kelra]

Ugh.

The music at the beginning was a real turn-off. It struck me as the type of music that some researcher somewhere deemed edgy enough to appeal to the kids..but it was just noise, and blah at that. Kinda like Meghan herself. She has a lot to say, but there's no substance there. Are young people supposed to be drawn to her because of her youth/wacky friends? Give people more credit than that.

I found the whole thing to be very manufactured with no heart.

[FACINGREALIT]

She voted as a Democrat last election - so she can't feel what she doesn't believe. She only recently signed up as a repug, when her father won the nomination.

[bakingmom]

I see all the women surrounding McSame as being from the same cookie cutter: attractive but empty shells. His philandering and his decline to support women's initiatives are just proof positive that McSame does NOT "get it" ~ and the women around him don't get it either.

Maybe I'm too old for this but this girl just seems a little air-head-y to me.

I also thought this story would be about his "other" daughter but the melanin issue is definitely an issue for McSame. In addition, Cindy McSame has a habit of marginalizing family members (like the half-sibs she does not claim when she calls herself an "only child"). I agree that family should be off-limits but if the McSames are going to try to present this "family values" "family first" that the rethugs have parrotted for years, then they are going to open up to criticism aplenty.

As far as Megs is concerned ~ I think the McSame camp got it right: keep the women silent. Not because women should be silent but THESE women (Megs, Cindy, Sarah, that Nancy Pockshotter spokesperson) don't entice other women to follow . . . Contrast that with Michelle and Hillary and Jill Biden ~ women of substance that I could listen to all day . . .

[zanzig]

I think in fairness it isn't a melanin issue for the McCain's so much as it may be one for their supporters, and they KNOW it. Like any decent parents they are not going to expose their daughter, Bridget, to the undoubted PR mess that would ensue if she campaigned with them.

[sclucie]

I rarely see Sarah Palin on stage without Bristol beside her. I guess the message didn't get to the Head of the Senate.

[Sportyyyy]

One problem... that is most definitely not a 'cement' truck.

She does seem likable - but this is a campaign approved video... at least she dresses classier than her mother.

[geminigoofy]

I think she's cute and all, but I agree this video said nothing about her Father's candidacy, his views, his politics or his stance on issues...what the hell was that for?

Also, her friend Josh (I think) is a cutie...and my gaydar is telling me that he's part of the family...so WTF is he doing on this tour with a Republican? Is he one of those self-loathing Log Cabin boys who fight to keep the rights of gays under wraps because it goes against party lines? Those are, in my opinion, some of the most conflicted people on the planet!

[lejman]

families are off limits, remember???