McCain's Problem: Not Age, but Condition
Barack Obama versus John McCain. One of the first things that supporters of Obama ought to realize is that attacking, belittling or characterizing John McCain by emphasizing his age is a mistake. It is a mistake that may backfire and cost them a lot of votes with seniors in this country.
I don't know about you, but everywhere I look in our society, people over sixty-five are making profound contributions to their chosen fields. Architecture, writing, journalism, painting, education, corporate leadership, law, medicine. You name it. With the exception of actually performing in fields such as sports or ballet, for example, men and women that are John McCain's age are not only contributing, they are at the top of their game.
The problem with John McCain is not his age, it's his condition. McCain's true lack of the abundant energy required to function as president, even performing the job on the most basic level, is what must be questioned. Perhaps McCain could have served in the 1950s, back in a time when the job was significantly less complicated than it is today. However, the world has grown far more dangerous and complicated in the last decade. (I know this because the Bush administration has worked incredibly hard for eight years to convince me of this.) The world today requires that we have a president who has the mental and physical capability and stamina to face issues such as terrorism, global warming and the energy crisis we are currently steeped in, not to mention the link between all three.
John McCain had a relatively brief and less taxing battle for his party's nomination than Barack Obama did. He has had time to rest up. Get mentally fit. Study his notes and come out swinging once he had a clear target. And what have we witnessed thus far? What kind of shape will John McCain be in come September or October, after weeks of stress and pounding from his adversary, who seems right now to be indefatigable?
McCain's ideas are too old, not the Senator himself. McCain's view of this country, his view of the world, are too old. There may be a seventy-two year old Republican Senator/ war hero who has most or all of what it takes to lead this country out of these difficult times. John McCain is not that man.
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Just saw a pro-McCain analyst asked,about the continual disarray in his campaign staff and, "Does this tell us about how he would govern?"
Her efforts to positively spin it included admitting that McCain is "heavily dependent on his staff to organize his efforts and keep him focused."
Another commentator mentioned how McCain lead by "force of personality" back in the day--that he kept his squandron together by "his personality" but when he left the squandron, "it all fell apart".
So...at his best, he didn't have the organization and leadership skill that make an effective President. And, second point....a
I feel a little sorry for him because he might have been an okay president 8 years ago, but clearly his time has passed and we are seeing a diminishing skillset daily. The media needs to stop covering up.
definitely left his run too late. With all respect to the columnist, I don' t see too many seniors breaking new ground in their careers they usually just get in the way of others. Is there room for their contributions - sure, but not in the lead pack.
It is a job for the vigorous, Clinton and Bush were both YOUNG men when they started their terms - now look at them, they look completely exhausted.
Along with the obvious toll the campaign has taken on John, there is also the fact that he is unable to reconcile his maverick image with whatever it is he's trying to project at this point. He's compromised so much that his brand has become essentially meaningless. Sort of like when a Chinese company buys a brand like Maytag. It’s may still be the same brand name, but many people can't or wont see it as the same product.
The Republicans are not so much interested in electing a vibrant, intelligent President as they are in preserving the power of a Military Industrial Complex that's dictated American foreign and domestic policy since the mid-fifties. The MIC would run a 50 lb. sack of Idaho potatoes for President if they thought that was the only way to maintain the status quo. McCain, like G. W. Bush, is nothing more than a hapless puppet who will dance to the tune of America's shadow government.
McCain = Nixon/Ford
i agree, sort of like the Pope john Paul b4 he died, Mcain will be a figure, getting paraded around , but as far as being the leader of the free world, give me a break, can u really see McCain leading us millions? bah
There are some posting comments here who are obviously reveling in McCain's addled performance (thinking him to be an easy target) come November. However, McCain seems to be deteriorating before our very eyes. This concerns me greatly. It would not surprise me at all for the Republicans to change candidates either before or during their convention. Can you just imagine the media attention the replacement would get? I think it would unfold as if the savior had suddenly arrived. In fact, I can't even conjure a more brilliant strategic move the Republicans could make (and they have McCains obviously deteriorating mental and physical condition to use to legitimize the move). Upon first considering this possibility I considered it comic. I was giggling about the Republicans being in disarray. Now, however, having watched McCain fumbling and stumbling at every turn, I think it is moving from possibility toward probability. I can already see Romney (fresh from the injection molding machine and with fresh batteries) standing on the podium at the convention extorting the the hyperventilating crowd, "I know how to fix the economy!" Or, just imagine "I've seen terrorism" Rudy forcefully ending his speech with, "I know how to protect you!" I think the collective orgasms at CNN and FOX would shake the buildings.
I think we share the same thought process. You are indeed far-thinking. Are you sure you have reached 60 years? You are thinking like a very brilliant younger person. I read your earlier blog. Quite nice.
Good point. I thought about this a few weeks ago. But I have to wonder if such a tactic would make the Republicans look more confused and desperate with their message. After all, which prospective replacement on the scene would actually be much different than McCain (or Bush for that matter)? Huckabee? Maybe. Ron Paul? Only in his rhetoric but far too radical for most Republican voters, especially with the war thing. Romney? Too Hollywood for most Americans to support.
Any others?
totally agree, he looks like a seat warmer - so who will step out from the shadows? Did the repukes anticipate the Obama/Clinton showdown and did they want to know who won that before they put their man out?
They must have two 'strong candidates', one to counter Hillary and the other to counter Obama.
Speaking on the issue of a choosing a VP candidate, McCain said he is "aware of the enhanced importance" of this issue given his age. The mere fact that there is an "enhanced importance" due to age should be a sign to McCain that he's too old to be seeking the office of the presidency.
Indeed! I turn 60 in November. Ten years ago I was on fire. At the top of my game. Working 15, 16, 17-hour days and having a blast doing it. Now? Not so much. Actually, my youthful stamina held up until I was about 58. Then, it was as if someone flipped a switch - fatigue set in. My mind is still sharp, but my will to excel is gone. I have to force myself to work. I just don't want to do it anymore. My passion is gone. I can understand that McCain still thinks he can do the job (because he hasn't had to do it yet). Having the mental acuity to do a job, which I'm not convinced McCain ever had, is not the same as actually doing it. I believe that McCain's age is, at least in part, the reason for his seeming inability to organize his campaign and get a clear consistent message before the public. Anyone my age who would vote for a 70 year old for president just isn't thinking clearly.
You are absolutely very factual. All of us will get old some day. But I have some reservation for an old person who solely driven by ambition and self-preservation as to wanting to be the POTUS at 71 year!!!
We all can avoid this inevitable crash which McCain's 'election' will bring. I shudder at the thought of that.
For man this old and with so many years of government service, he sure doesn't seem to have a lot of accomplishments to his credit. What is he known for other than being a POW, campaign finance reform and the Keating 5.??? Nothing else really stands out.
Good stuff there, Bob. Thanks for the honesty.
See, I think age matters a lot. Too old equates to too out of touch. No one should be allowed to run for the presidency that is older than 60 in my estimation. This way even winning two terms keeps them under the 70 age mark. Let's face it, we are really falling apart by 70. The presidency is not a place for Too Old, as it is not a place for Too Young
And Obama is too young, also no experience except giving pretty speeches. I had rather err
on the side of experience no matter what the age. The White House ain't no place to start
learning. We should be Organ Voters-- Democratic with the heart
Republican with the brain!
Granted Senator Obama is young in age and perhaps in senate years. But clearly he makes up for that in intelligence. With him we know that we are aleast getting someone that is clearly smart,with an apptitude for the job. Bush, McCain neither can hold a cndle to the young Obama in regards to intelligence no matter what theier ages are.
The media has never held McCain accountable for what he says. Gaffes are overlooked, factual misstatements are glossed over, and inconsistencies are forgiven. This has always been true of the way the media has treated McCain.
But what has been the obvious consequence of this? It is simply that McCain has never had to learn the self-discipline that other successful politicians learn and deeply internalize very early in their careers. Such politicians are able to progress in their careers precisely because the careful scrutiny given them by the media taught them never to speak before thinking, always to be right about their facts, and always to consider the long-term consequences of anything they might say in public.
Because the media treated him as an exception to its normal rules, McCain simply never developed these habits of careful thought, analysis, and speech. And now he is paying the price. With the current pervasiveness of video coverage of everything he says, he is blithely creating one Democratic attack ad after another against him. In these ads, he serves as both the director and the star.
On point, Baldwin. On point. Johnny is indeed long in tooth and short in memory. The energy needed to maintain optimum concentration and mental clarity as the leader of the free world is way back in his rear view mirror. That's not ageism, that's just realism.
I'm 60 years old, and frankly I'm not so sure that 60 isn't a borderline age to ascend to the Presidency.
As you correctly said, painting, writing, composing and many other fields (usually) don't demand athletic feats (tell that to a conductor). Dubuffet didn't start to paint until he was 50, Copeland wrote some of his best works after turning 50. But being President demands both mental acuity and athleticism. McCain would have been a risk even in the 1950s. The World had already begun to change, and we didn't appreciate how fast the World was moving until the Cuban Missile Crisis rudely woke us up. While Eisenhower would never had let his generals call the shots (like Bush & McCain) I doubt that he would have held up as well as Kennedy over the course of that frightening week, even with a healthier heart.
If I had to chose an ideal age for a first term, I'd go with 40 to 60.
All four of the men whose faces are etched into Mount Rushmore became President before their 60th birthdays (Teddy was 42) - All four were men of exceptional energy and fortitude and none of them had the extraneous demands placed on them that Presidents face today.
So in this election what would you do? Put a younger person with no experience, and some
dangerous ideas in the White House, or let an old man with some experience try his hand
at the job.
Doesn't matter either way. We already know the results. Been there, done both (Bush II, Reagan). That's why we are where we are today.
You keep on bleating about experience. Experience is overrated. The worst presidents were those with plenty of experience. Give me fresh ideas and the ability to lead any day.
It's not McCain's age or condition, it's his politics that are wheezy. McCain proves how far being a war hero can boost a man in the United States of America. Because.. that's all he's got. McCain has the same native wit and bullying, frat boy style that also hid G.W. Bush's world class ignorance from so many, for so long.
I am over 65; and if you ask most people past 60, McCane is too old. Trust me when I say that he will be napping half the day. this is normal for anyone past 60. If Obama really wanted to win, all he have to do is to challenge McCane to 30 days of debates without stopping. You heard it first when I say that McCane will start to slow down and make more mistakes. He will tire more easly, as he can not continue to keep this pace up. If what I am saying is unethical, then you must remember that this old man will be the commander-inChief over the most lethal weapons in the world. If a critical national situation were to present itself where he needed to be alert and make good decisions 5, 10, or 15 hours without letup, he could not do it. He needs to stop being prideful and think of the nation first.
There are a lot of great senior citizens (that includes you) on the blog this morning who are trying to educate all of us (especially the younger ones) caught on the McCain trying to sell us a dummy about his capacity to be POTUS at 71 years. We will all benefit from your wise counsel. Thanks Papa.
Wow.
I'm almost 63 ,been retired for 4 years, work around the house and I never take naps and if I get to the point where I need a nap every day ,I hope that my time on this planet are over!
RETIRED being the optimal word. You should be well rested, why would you need a nap, you haven't worked in four years, except at your leisure. Being president of the U.S. is not an occupation one should pursue in the twilight years.
McCain is always happy to trot out his aged Mom to show that he may still have a few good years left... but no one ever seems to mention the fact that McCain has already outlived his Dad who died at the age of 70.
A vote for McCain should well be considered as a vote for whomever he chooses as a Vice-Presidential candidate.
Perish the thought!
Good evening Alec. In your blog you touched a few different points:1)antiquated ideas, 2)physical/mental condition and 3)flawed Dem strategy. It seems as though McCain doesnt have any innovative strategies for improving our country's ills here and abroad. I also feel that only McCain really knows how good/strong he feels. However, he will have to contribute more of himself mentally & physically for the job of President because the world and requirements of the job have evolved. The Dem party has been criticized in the past for using negative political campaigning instead of highlighting their strengths. The bottom line is that old white men (from every sector of society) contributed in reducing this country to what it is today and have no shame about it. Maybe Americans will wake up. I saw "Looking for Richard" last night on tv - you did a mean Shakespeare before you got stabbed - loved it. - Linda
ALEC BALDWIN FOR GOV OF CALIF!!!!!
Love and Peace!
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