Why is John McCain running such a fumbling, cautious, and message-free campaign when the message is right at his fingertips?
If I were McCain, upon sealing up the nomination I would have aggressively focused my campaign around domestic issues, building on my brand as a government reformer. Even if you don't care much about the details of, say, tax or fiscal policy, reform in the broadest sense clearly has a potent political appeal this year. From national security to environmental protection, the government has been badly misused by the Bush administration. Thanks to Iraq and Katrina, to many it appears all but broken. Moreover, even if you could erase the disasters of the past eight years, the government simply isn't set up to handle many of the problems engulfing us now. So reforms are not just politically appealing, but necessary.
McCain has credibility in this area -- he fought for campaign finance reform against his party and won. He recognizes the pernicious effect Washington's "permanent class" of lobbyists and trade organizations have on legislation and the executive branch. He really cares about these things too, for instance repeatedly making a point of stressing his personal horror at the big government breakdown in New Orleans. So all of this fits together very naturally for him. Even his strong advocacy for the surge in Iraq, seen in this context, was a reformer's move in the face of massive blundering. It was an tactical innovation that got things working right -- and showed they could work (work militarily, that is, as opposed to working politically or strategically -- but that's another argument).
The point is, if you're John McCain it shouldn't be hard to come up with a simple, compelling message that is a credible alternative to Obama's. Yet it's not happening.
Instead, McCain seems to be betting the farm on his politically inadvisable "stay in Iraq" policy, while in the domestic arena he has become an ever-more conventional Republican in a year when Republicanism is clearly on the outs. And he's constantly haranguing the media and Democrats for accurately reporting his own, inconvenient statements. Today, for example, he's pushing back against the idea he supports "privatization" of Social Security. Set aside the mind-numbing semantic debate. Why does McCain put himself in this position of supporting an idea that George W. Bush pushed so aggressively, and which was an utter political flop, and which was never a serious policy solution to begin with? Because he's bought the standard suite of Republican policy positions, most of which have already been tested in the political-electoral marketplace and failed. This may be the easiest way to get a position paper up on your website, but it actually makes the case against McCain: he doesn't know what the hell he's going to do if he wins.
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Money talks BS walks. McCain may claim he is the straight talk reformer but his actions prove what he really is ... for sale to anyone with the money, including those who mock rape victims.
Can this country afford a leader who is NOT astute enough to correct the blunders endured by the previous leader? Everyday on the trail, McCain proves he cannot. If there are no "plants" in his audience ---- McCain has a serious problem (of which the GOP consistantly "glosses" to make McCain appear to be intelligent). In the meantime, these SELFISH actions by the GOP help the top 1% and repeatedly HURT the poor and middle class. Reform? That will not happen.
Age? Let's not fall into an ongoing conversation of possible dementia. McCain needs to prove to this country that he is capable of leading it. This distraction IS NECESSARRY because there are Supreme Court Justices doing a fine job and much older. If McCain's judgement, knowledge, and ability to assess this country and the world falter -- WE, as a nation will worsen with the economic disarray we endure at the present.
Our deficit cannot afford a flinch. The blunders on the trail speak volumes. It is a shame that there will be some who will vote for McCain JUST because he's a Republican. NOONE can afford to be selfish and hurt the majority of people in this country.
Perhaps BEFORE heading to the polls this November --- voters sincerely need to understand the definition of reform. McCain clearly told this country JUST yesterday --- The Supreme Court is wrong
Goldwater --
(1) Lifetime member of the Sierra Club.
(2) Extremely accomplished (environmental) photographer.
(3) His wife, Peggy, started Planned Parenthood in Arizona.
(4) Responsible for doubling the size of Grand Canyon National Park.
(5) Admitted that Glen Canyon Dam was one of his greatest political mistakes.
(6) Favored non-discrimination of gays in the military.
(7) Lifelong advocate for Native American populations.
How is that similar to those other thugs? And how, exactly, is McCain one of my predecessors? In (3?) elections he has never received my vote. My statement was that, as an Arizonan, I have seen McCain gain his limited success here by imitating Barry. It has been a very poor imitation at best but Arizona politics has favored his load of bull.
Now let's talk about where his wife got her money... Or July 29, 1967 and the U.S.S. Forrestal.
Snooooooooze....
I know it was unintentional, but thanks for the laugh! This current Democratic Congress has been none of that, and they've been spineless to boot.
Political pandering nothing more nothing less. maverick------NO.
John I have to ask this question. If JM is as big a threat to your countries stability as he appears why are you giving this screw up ideas on how to win? Are you certain that he is too stupid to use them? Or do you think he is a viable leader for the US?
Not that I think the Democrats are any better but why would you try and give this misfit a chance at ruining your country. War hero or not, he is not fit to lead a Scout troop let alone a country.
That's because it's ALL he cares about!
When he gets air he doesn't remember that's his problem.
The response to Katrina was tragically hampered by political maneuvering by the conservatives running the government.
http://www.salon.com/books/excerpt/2008/06/06/rove_katrina/
Here is an article explaining exactly how the Bush administration and Karl Rove played politics instead of responding to the disaster. And how the rampant cronyism that runs through conservatism is one of the prime factors in crippling the effectiveness of government.
Remember, FEMA under Clinton was stellar in dealing with these types of emergencies. Effective and efficient. Under conservative control, it's pure incompetence. Conservatives want to see government fail, so to fulfill their ideology, they make it fail. At the expense of others.
It was INCOMPETENT gobvernment not big gov.
Hello??? Bush apointed a comissioner of the international arabian horse association to head FEMA. A man who was forced to resign from the IAHA
Hello???? mcfly
That is incompetent gov, not big gov