Shays: McCain Can't Win; Lost His "Maverick" Brand

Yale Daily News:

The first ballot has yet to be tallied, but some Republicans are already hammering nails into the McCain-Palin campaign's coffin.

Locked in a tight congressional race, Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut's 4th district is the latest in a slew of Republican incumbents, including Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, to concede a near-certain victory to the Obama camp.

"I just don't see how [McCain] can win," Shays said in an interview here on Sunday.

Shays, the Connecticut co-chair of McCain's campaign, said he was disappointed by the standards of McCain's race, which has increasingly relied on mudslinging.

"He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign," Shays said.

Read the whole story: Yale Daily News

Comments

[IncensedinNC]

Like many other bloggers, I have also been astonished and mystified why this race has remained so close for so long. I guess that the old saying that if a lie is repeated often enough it will be accepted as truth is sadly accurate. But you can also wear out a word so that it becomes meaningless after a while, and that's exactly what has happened to the word "maverick", which is now synonymous with "deluded fool". That's perhaps because of the internet and bloggers, Mr McCain. "You can fool some of the people some of the time..." etc., but as Thomas Jefferson remarked:
"The best defense of democracy is an informed electorate."

[Dr. Sam]

THE ISSUE OF MCCAIN’S ANGER, TEMPERAMENT AND JUDGMENT
The image of John McCain that sticks in the last days of this long campaign is that he is a mean-spirited, dishonest, dishonorable, angry, erratic old man who lacks vision, good judgment and other requisite leadership qualities that can make a good President. Obama made a closing 30-minutes infomercial that made no mention of John McCain at all. McCain cannot say one sentence in the stump without looking angry, shouting a volley of negatives against his opponent, and saying the word "fight" sometimes many times in that sentence. It tells you volumes about the man and why he scares so many voters, especially young people. This man will take us to World War III should he win--which I doubt very much. McCain has many unsolved psychological issues. He has to win his private war (the enemy within) before he can win the public one which he says he knows how to win--bluster. What we see here is man against himself, and against this, there is no greater enemy. The enemy within trumps the man we see on the outside! No mainstream media has cared to explore McCain's inner world--an issue so relevant to the quality of leadership McCain can provide. It impacts on his judgment. I dare any one in the media to explore McCain's anger! There is plenty of scared evidence on the You-Tube. McCain is unfit to lead! He needs help.

[MTOrtega]

McCain is 72. McCain has had four instances of melanoma.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer.

Will stress lower his immune response causing a recurrence of his skin cancer?

Will a recurrence of McCain’s skin cancer lead to McCain’s incapacitation?

Lead to McCain’s death?

Hasten Palin’s ascension to the Presidency!?

[PlagueRat]

melanoma is the third most common cancer to cause brain metastasis after lung cancer and breast cancer. Where's McCain's last brain MRI?

[Cambridge9]

I don't live in Connectcut, but when Rep. Shays was reelected two years ago I wasn't upset (even though I was rooting for the Democratic ticket) because he has always seemed - to me - to be a moderate and a very fair man.

Thank you, Sir, for confirming my impression of you.

[amerifun]

Johnny Robo is on his way out. Thank God !
Pit Bull Palin will be lucky if she is not
Impeached In Alaska.

[krayon]

The RollongStone article should be required reading. it is as horrifying as it is enlightening... this is a dangerous, angry man, an opportunist at most, who thought the Viagra effect of Palin would last forever... put the country at great risk for his own gain. All that remains of her is her all too apparent ignorance and arrogance... the would be successor to the throne... please and jeez.. if I hear that word 'maverick' again in reference to either of these two I'm gonna poke my ears out.... or Joe anything....

[Wiserone]

Just read today:

The McCain campaign thinks that blogging is inimical to journalism.

But of course it is!!! As the saying goes: the chickens have come home to roost!!! Now, the GOP and McCain want to take away our First Amendment rights! Too harsh of an evaluation to McCain's campaigns thoughts on blogging/bloggers? I think not.

[Diva4]

Well at least Dole hasn't accused her party's candidates of being "Godless." She's as sour as canned pineapple!

[Grannienaples]

The polls don't have a realistic "model" because they have no way of

truly measuring the community organizer effect....­..........

For that we must wait till next wednesday morning...THERE"S A NEW WORLD COMING !

[munki]

Agree... "Maverick" definition is redefined - NOT McCain/Palin...

[vote-obama]

conservatives what a joke a real example of how the mighty have fallen. sarah palin is the future of your party...hold on...wait.­..hahahaha­hahahahhah­ahaha what a joke. your clowns are an endangered species and i predict our extinction within the next 4 years. good riddance.

obama/biden08 and beyond!!!!!!!!!!!
donate-vol­unteer-vot­e.

[zakwouldhave]

Since when do we want a Maverick as a Prez. Maybe our Navy pilots should be mavericks but as for President and Vice Prez we don't need mavericks or palins, quayles, dicks, etc.

[bonchesva]

Mr. Shays....you are a maverick, for admitting this McCain/Palin campaign is over and for being brave enough to publicly admit that McCain has led a very ugly campaign.

[catbutt]

I don't think it really matters WHAT the conversation is about; the economy, the war, domestic issues, etc. Obama has proven he draws information from a wide variety of sources and he can think outside the box. Obama runs circles around McCane no mater what the conversation is.

The really big difference between the candidates as I see it.... I've yet to hear or see what the republicans would do. I know they want change and they're gonna give it to us so what's their plan? Anyone know..?

[Actionmac]

YES! they will change from bush/channey to mccain/palin that's republican change you can believe in...

[Colmore]

Yes, I know. The contracts and large sums of money will go to McCain's lobbyists, rather than Bush/Cheney cronies. That is the CHANGE they are talking about.

[bodo]

The truth is that McCain never was a true maverick. He merely tried to sell his unstable character of the risk-taking hazardeur as "maverick". Acting first and thinking later may be fun in cowboy movies but it is dangerous in international politics. It was precisely such an ill-considered rash gamble on a VP that brought him down.