McCain Needs To Throw a Hail Mary
Happy Independence Day, John McCain! I hope you get this message down in Mexico. Senator McCain has been traveling for the last few days, and upon his return north, to the United States, he will find that his campaign is still headed south.
Judging by the polls, the more people see of John McCain, the less they like him. The problem for McCain is simple: he has a reputation as a maverick, and a straight-shooter, but almost all of his appearances prove that he is neither of those; instead, he proves to be all over the map on the most important issues of the day, and he frequently shows a real lack of understanding regarding the issues.
It's reminiscent of what happens when a Hollywood actor or a famous athlete lets you into their lives and thus loses their hard-earned mystique. You find out you liked them just fine before you knew a lot about them. Take Tom Cruise. The guy was the top box office star in the world, and then he went on the "Today" show and let Matt Lauer know his thoughts on psychiatry and pharmaceuticals. We didn't need to know -- it was great to remember him as the fighter pilot from "Top Gun."
The more we see of John McCain, the more we think of him not as the maverick or the pilot - no "Top Gun" references intended -- but as the politician, the say-and-do anything with which we are all too familiar.
A Republican of the Teddy Roosevelt tradition on the environment? Now he's for off-shore drilling. Against Guantanamo? Now he's disgusting with the Supreme Court's view that we need to give prisoners rights of Habeas Corpus. Tax cuts? Against them without spending cuts, but now he's for them.
McCain has also put himself in a deep hole with his lack of knowledge on the issues. Take the economy -- McCain's famous quote from December: "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should. I've got Greenspan's book."
That's a quote that McCain will regret for a long time. But McCain has had more of these statements that I'm certain he wishes he could take back, and as he continues to hold Town Hall meetings, there will be countless statements that come back to haunt him.
Already, Senator McCain has emerged as the underdog in the race against Senator Obama. The Republican Party is hugely unpopular. Senator McCain will have less money to spend than his competition. There have been changes at his campaign due to mismanagement.
McCain will have several chances to catch up to Obama. He will have the Republican Convention and the debates. But his first opportunity to close ground will be when he selects a running mate. And here's some unsolicited advice for Senator McCain: go long. Throw deep. Go Hail Mary.
You're facing a losing battle, and a conventional pick is not going to help. You have to change the game plan, shake things up. Bobby Jindal was never going to be your pick. He's too young. Mitt Romney is the "play it safe" choice that Democrats want you to make. Wait, I'm a Democrat. Pick Mitt Romney! Tim Pawlenty is a reasonable choice, but where does that get you?
No, I believe that John McCain has to move away from George W. Bush, and away from his own mistakes. He has to pick someone who'll change the conversation. Charlie Christ is a possibility. The George Hamilton of Florida may give McCain the state, and that's not a bad idea. Tom Ridge may help McCain in Pennsylvania, also not bad. But if I'm McCain, I go with one of these two:
Mike Bloomberg. Helps with the independents that McCain needs. Is considered an authority on the economy. Will bring Jewish voters into the McCain camp. New York's not in play, but portions of Pennsylvania and Florida are up for grabs.
Colin Powell. Yes, even though he spoke so forcefully for the Iraq war. He knows he made a tragic mistake. He may believe he can make up for it by supporting the surge and by saying that he would put a new face on American politics. Would he run against the history-making candidacy of Obama? Probably not, but it's worth asking.
Either of those two VP nominees would shake up the race. McCain needs that. A Pawlenty's not going to do it. He needs to create some excitement. He cannot match the sense of history that Obama's campaign has going for it. But in his VP choice, McCain should play the maverick.
Ah, who am I kidding. Powell's not going to run with McCain -- I bet he supports Obama, and the same for Bloomberg. No, McCain's going to go with a safer choice. Pawlenty. Mark Sanford of South Carolina. Romney. McCain's going to play it safe, and that's one of the reason why I wish that he remained John McCain, maverick, war hero, straight talker.
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I hear that the Republicans will probably deep six McCain and run someone else as their candidate. That would create a hell of a lot of excitement since I don't think that has happened before and would give the Obama campaign on a couple of weeks to rework their strategy.
HuffPo already reported that Colin Powell is endorsing Obama. And Bloomberg? A socially liberal, pro-choice, gun control advocate and New York Jew on the good ol' boy ticket? WTF??? Why did you even write this column?
I hope McCain does choose Powell or NY Mayor. Then we can all get on the road with our ROVE like punctuations of the Powell mistakes made, when we wrote to him asking him to do the right thing, and resign his post, stating his utter disgust of being lied to and totally mislead by his own president. NY Mayor Bloomberg -- How can anyone of such wealth have even an inkling of what it is like to choose between going to the doctor, paying your electric/gas bill, and buying food? He's never suffered a day in his life. How could he possibly do anything to help America now? AND MCCAIN--He suffered greatly in the war, but has he any true understanding NOW of what the poorest are facing in this country? I think not. To suffer in war and come home with honor has happened to many, but will it lend McCain to straight thinking about this economy and how to immediately set us upon the path to true reversal of the hell we're in and going deeper into? I think not. Choosing a man like Powell, who could not and would not change his tune when he was lied to, is not what I call good, balanced thinking. But nothing McCain has done in the past 8 months has any remot tie to balanced thinking.
Bloomberg didn't get to be a billionaire by backing losers and Powell has suffered enough already.
McCain should pick Cindy. Why not? She'll do as good as any of the other idiots would would agree to run with him.
Would that be a "Hail Cindy"?
Powell is going to endorse Obama so that's a non-starter right there.
McCain needs to throw a hail Mary just to remember where he put his pants every morning. Good lord the man can't remember which country we are at war with and you want him to honestly have cogent debate, ability to campaign and come out on top? ROTFLMAO..
I thought Powell had already pretty much said he's endorsing Obama. That would make it kind of hard for Mc-same-ol
If McCain is as uninformed and incompetent as he now appears, what does that say about our other elected representatives? We know that Jim Inhofe is a dollar short and a day late. We now know that in addition to his poorly-concealed bigotry, that George Allen was a bit of a dim-bulb. There are many others of this ilk too numerous to mention ans some are would-be Commanders
Colin Powell's going with team Obama.
I laugh when people suggest Colin Powell or Condi Rice. They just don't get it. A significant part of the Republican base are racists! McCain will never risk alienating them by putting a black person on the ticket.
ASSUMING they would accept his offer!
If Colin Powell has said he is considering which candidate to endorse, which means he is not 100% for mccain. I doubt he would accept the VP slot with Mccain, and run against the first black candidate.
I'm with you on this one. Powell may have proven himself to be gullible, but gullible ain't stupid.
I just can't see either man agreeing to be VP.
Powel has endorsed Obama.
Bloomberg sides more with Obama's thinking.
Not going to happen.
McCain will not pick a pro-choice running mate. Period. He can't.
He is brown-nosing the pharisees as we speak.
The Republicans will advise him to try and turn out the base enough to at least save some of the endangered Republicans in Congress.
Unfortunately for McCain his divorce from George Bush has not been finalized. Anyone who wants to jump in the ring with McCain can kiss any future political asperations goodbye. I don't think the guy could win this election if Jesus was his running mate.
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