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

[VivaZapata]

rats jumping off a sinking ship. who's running against shays? vote for him/her.

[collegemadhous]

LOL..Jim Himes is his opponent and is giving Shays a run for his money. I know I'm voting for him. Is funny how Shays has switched gears in going from McCain supporter to making the statement 'McCain can't win...' wonder if this is his way of appealing to all us Connecticut voters to get our vote? Not this voter!

[notb observer]

One thing has been bothering me over the past few weeks, even as Obama has held and increased his lead. That is, the current state of the economy is probably the single factor responsible for Obama's success in the past month or so.

I am still terribly shocked and dismayed that after 8 years of Neo-Con failures, and the fact that McCain clearly represents "more of the same", the race is still fairly close, and, all other things being equal, were it not for the economic situation, McCain might win this election, even with Palin as his VP.

I don't think my assessment is out of the realm of possibility... Were it not for McCain's embarrassing mishandling of the economic meltdown and the resulting need for his campaign's decision to resort to some blatantly obvious "scare tactics" which ended up working against them, we might be looking at yet another Neo-Con election victory...

I don't know, but this is simply incomprehensible to me.

[Hedonist88]

As long as the dimwitted, uneducated folk (predominantly of Christian fundamentalist bend) hold sway this country will be in strangle-hold until the people (representing Real America) oversome them. It might be so with this election - let us see.

[csimmons2k8]

The answer to why Obama isn't further ahead is mind-numbingly simple: it's because he's black. There. I said it.

For those who don't know what all the talk in some media circles about "code words", let me break it down for you:

Obama's "risky" = black
Obama's "Muslim" = black
Obama "doesn't see America as you and I see America" = black
Obama's "inexperienced" = black
Obama's middle name constantly being used at McCain / Palin rallies = black

One of the biggest cultural problems America has is not the overt racism that still persists, it's the covert, subtle, almost hidden racism. This sort of thing has unfortunately dominated the McCain campaign from the beginning.

Now, I'm not in any way saying that McCain himself is a racist. What I'm saying is that McCain's advisors have followed a strategy that appeals to America's more primal instincts, which is to be scared of things which are not like us, and unfortunately in 21st century America, that kind of politics still works on many Americans.

BTW before anyone accuses me of being a racist: I'm an African-American married to a white woman (German) for 17 years, and have two beautiful mixed race children, so like Obama and millions of other mixed race families, I know first-hand the challenges and realities of race in society, which is why I'm hopeful that Obama can bring something that we desparately need in the White House today: INTELLIGENCE.

[PinkyTuscadero]

This kind of blanket, bigoted response is no less damaging to our country than are the rightwingers' retrograde attacks on Obama.

It's not that I don't believe that there are hateful folks out there, it's just that a lot of the people voting for McCain are not dimwitted. And being a Christian, fundamentalist or otherwise, does not have to lead one to vote Republican (think of the new environmentalist fundamentalists). I am a Christian and I support Obama. If this campaign has taught me anything, it's that the days are over in which we can wave off repubs or even the majority of Americans as dumb Christians who are lost to the rest of us "enlightened" folks. If it's wrong to simply dismiss dems as secret terr-ist sympathizers and marxists (which, by the way, rightwingers, are mostly incompatible doctrines, but you don't really care, do you?), it's wrong to write off the suburban and rural Americans who vote on "values." We have values too, and ours make room for theirs.

[qcool]

no kidding. obama should have been winning by a landslide even before the economy melted down, before the snarky attacks, before the palin pick, before the massive conservative migration away from mccain, before, oh never mind.
it is simply incomprehensible.
after 2004, when i was almost suicidal after W was re-elected, i swore not to visit or spend money in any red state. at least this year i can once again visit lake tahoe (the nevada side).

[radnip]

Over here, we suspect race issues in this campaign. We do not believe think a white Harvard Law Review President would have this much trouble. It is our belief that terrorist, Muslim, socialist, Marxist, etc. are all other ways of coding for Black. We are proud of this country but disappointed at the large number of people who cannot seem to see that Obama has a bright vision for this country and has the background to make his vision happen.

With the other side being all negative, it's surprising how well they've done. Negativity does work, even as voters protest that it does not. It might not win an election, but it certainly keeps it close.

[pahpah25]

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE STUPIDITY OF SOME AMERICANS...........THEIR LIVES MAY BE IN SHAMBLES..........AND THEY VOTE FOR MORE OF THE SAME......I THINK SOME HAVE BEEN DOWN SO LONG; THEY CANNOT CONCEIVE OF ANY OTHER WAY OF LIVING..SADLY; THEY CONDEMN THEIR CHILDREN TO THE SAME MISERY.

[evekendall]

This is the most enlightening article I have read about John McCain. I was horrified. If you agree, pass this on to anyone you know who might be planning to vote for McCain. It may open their eyes.

"Make-Believe Maverick"
"A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty"

by TIM DICKINSON, RollingStone, Oct 16, 2008

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/1

[TrueThis]

Shay has jumped the republican ship just to save his senate seat, period. And Elizabeth Dole did a godless and tasteless ad today and I hope she definitely lose her seat come November 4th. I mean how desperate can these two get?

[VivaZapata]

shays is in the house. other than that your assessment is correct. he support bush's call to go to war in iraq. he's a real lameass.

[VivaZapata]

er, "supported"

[sillyseason]

Sarah Palin: 'Not Doing This For Naught'

In an interview with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas, the Republican vice-presidential nominee was asked about 2012, whether she was discouraged by the daily attacks on the campaign trail, and would instead pack it in and return to her home state of Alaska.

"I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken, that would bring this whole … I'm not doing this for naught," Palin said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=6141033&page=1

Ouch???

[abby4ever]

A CNN reporter rang up the McCain camp and read what she said, over the phone to them, and this reporter said there was de@d silence and then a 'Huh?' Apparently she bre@ched all known protocol, as a candidate of a party, by talking about what she might do if they lost.

[realitycheck7]

this should be a headline of the Huffpo

alert them!

[sillyseason]

I sent it to both Huffpo's news tips and scoop alerts. You may want to send it as well. If they hear our voices, they may respond.

[RadLeftVetPatriot]

He can't lose his brand as a maverick.
Mavericks by definition, have no brand.
McPow wears the brands of many owners.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Good one!

[abby4ever]

See my litttle post about 12 posts down.

[Glinda]

Fabulously on-point oxymoron:

"Maverick brand"

It says it all about the GOP: the meaning of words is amazingly fluid.

[RadLeftVetPatriot]

Breathtaking, idnit?

[shack]

Some Maverick. But remember the "real" fake Maverick? Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt7N1ja5Y6w

[Wiserone]

Also, ALL should read the Rolling Stone magazine article: "Make Believe Maverick".

[ThePublicRecord]

http://www.pubrecord.org/sarah-palin/438-ethics-complaint-filed-against-palin-over-daughters-travel-expenses-.html

Ethics Complaint Filed Against Palin Over Daughters Travel Expenses

An Anchorage, Alaska resident has filed an ethics complaint against Gov. Sarah Palin with the state’s attorney general, alleging Palin misused her position by using taxpayer dollars to pay for her children to travel with her on state business.

Frank Gwartney, a retired lineman, sent a three-page complaint directly to Attorney General Talis Colberg on Oct. 24 “requesting that the state Personnel Board investigate Gov. Palin improper and illegal use of her official position for personal gain.”

[Coyote2]

VolvoBirkenstock posted:
Reaganomics has finally trickled down to the gutter. This is the runoff of Reaganomics.

~
It is evidence that continual growth and basing an economy upon continual managed growth is unsustainable. This time we were shoving up against the walls of the petri dish.

High energy prices will return if we try to wind up the economy too much. And this recession will allow us to lower our emissions and encourage New Energy tech. We need to idle this puppy down and kick start the New Energy Economy and be ready for when we get this engine humming again.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

You Wiley Coyote!! You kept some of his posts!! Very smart. The way things are going, I fear we may never see him or them again! But your posts of his work are an act of defiance against this horrible injustice! He still lives through them!!

[abby4ever]

Where's that poem about coyotes that was here last night, it was a bit dark but somehow arresting.

[doctorwang]

I'm surprised he managed to even get the name posted........

Vive Volvo!!!!

[goodog]

"Shays laid much of the blame on the far right, which, he said, has “hijacked” the Republican Party, threatening to walk out if its demand are not met — despite being in the minority."

Much of the far right of the Republican Party is made up of the southern segregationist Democrats who were disgusted by northern Democrats who signed onto the 1964 Civil Right Act. Them and their children, and their children's children, that is.

Neoconservatives soon followed, because of their own disgust with Democrats in the anti-Vietnam War peace movement.

But here's where you sealed your fate, the one your living today, when Ronald Reagan kissed the opulent ring of that corpulent gay basher, Jerry Falwell, who ostensibly ran the Moral Majority on behalf of Ralph Reed, whose been laundering their tithing through illegal operations with his College Republican pals Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Abramoff_Indian_lobbying_scandal

You were hijacked a LONG time ago,

Rove drew the dregs of these religiBigot, war-makers from the Democratic Party in 2004, but they were nothing new to the GOP by then, just the ones who needed that kick in the pants from 9/11 and the wedgie he made of same-sex marriage.

What we see now is a concerted migration of the past three waves of jihadi-bigots from Bush to Palin, in whom they've suddenly found an intellectual relative searching the stacks for books to burn.

[Coyote2]

Paul Krugman blog
Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 2008
September 19, 2008, 7:24 pm
McCain on banking and health

OK, a correspondent directs me to John McCain’s article, “Better Health Care at Lower Cost for Every American,” in the Sept./Oct. issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. You might want to be seated before reading this.

Here’s what McCain has to say about the wonders of market-based health reform:
“Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.”

So McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, was praising financial deregulation like 10 seconds ago — and promising that if we marketize HEALTH CARE, it will perform as well as the financial industry!

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/mccain-on-banking-and-health/

[StillIRise]

I finally figured it out ...

The difference between "Us and Them" is that we're enthusiastically supporting a candidate and a ticket that we take pride in and trust to lead our country in the right direction, to reclaim our democracy and to reclaim our integrity in the global community.

They, on the other hand, are being forced to support a flawed candidate and a flawed ticket simply because they refuse to reach (mentally, emotionally or spiritually) beyond the partisan and/or racial walls that have divided us.

Consequently, they're angry and bitter, and because they have nothing good or credible to say about their own candidates, they feel that they have no choice but to lie about and demean our candidates.

I'm so glad I'm one of Us, and not one of Them!

[doctorwang]

Amen to that.

[Daly]

Shay's - McMavericky has been running a shameful camp for months now; why are you just now speaking out? Is it because you see that the toxicity is affecting you.

[RobertaInCT]

@doctorwang

I've tried several times to post a warning but for some reason it was scrubbed. I don't have an e-mail address for one of the angels to share the info with.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

My related posts are meeting the same fate as well. Even the ones that momentarily post, evaporate out of my profile within minutes.

[RobertaInCT]

I have a good idea what is happening but I have no way of getting the info out without it getting scrubbed.

[abby4ever]

What is going on around here anyway? Vanishing posts. Unbridled tr0// activity with m0deration shut down for the night. Tr0//s sleeping with the m0derators (that last is just a rumor I saw in some posts and I don't know if they meant literally or figuratively, although in principle it wouldn't matter). Tr0//s getting nontr0//s b@nned.

It's like a combination of that 0ld tv series Dallas, and Putin's cabinet.

[doctorwang]

I hope my reply gets through. There appears to be a strong effort by H#ffP0 to contain the subject.

[doctorwang]

My earlier reply was based on a brief exchange with Betty. I got the feeling that this may be a matter that is being pursued......or that the 'powers that be' believe that there is that possibility. Please keep in mind, however, it is only speculation on my part.

[RobertaInCT]

I understand. I will however keep my eyes open and my powder dry.........Thanks

:)

[Coyote2]

“Those Bush tax cuts, rather than the spending binge, are the primary cause of the (federal) deficit.”
Paul Krugman
Nobel Prize in Economics 2008

~