Top Ten Reasons Why John McCain Will Lose This Election

1. George W. Bush

2. The Iraq war

3. The economic implosion this fall.

4. Without the national security card McCain couldn't win.

5. Hillary Clinton made Barack Obama a better candidate than he ever would have been on his own.

6. McCain picked Sarah Palin without vetting her, and believed she was interchangeable with Hillary Clinton.

7. McCain and his team bought the notion of the mythical anti Obama Hillary block and doubted that Hillary Clinton, along with Bill Clinton, would bring her supporters home (in droves).

8. McCain and his team botched the roll out of Sarah Palin, throwing her into the deep end of the media pool, instead of letting her wade with the wingnuts and radio barkers who would have protected her.

9. McCain turned into a candidate no one recognized, sacrificing his core "maverick" message.

10. McCain and his team misjudged, underestimated and disrespected the formidable talent of Barack Obama and the team he put together.

-- by Taylor Marsh

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Comments

[imusintheevening]

It was a mistake to dis Obama's "Community Organizing" expertise. He just organized the whole US Community.

[Deus Angelus]

You forgot another thing. Karl Rove's tactics only work on the uneducated. This year the educated now outnumber the uneducated.

[ogenec]

11. Hillary and her supporters working so hard to unify the party after the contentious primary.

Fair's fair :-)

[wendynyc]

McCain didn't stand a chance. The Country is Ready for CHANGE!

[ogenec]

Top Reasons Obama Will Win This Election

1. The Economy
2. George W. Bush
3. His prescient speech against the Iraq war
4. His decision to forgo public financing
5. His 50-state strategy and GOTV efforts
6. His choice of Joe Biden as Veep
7. McCain's choice of Palin as Veep
8. The debates with McCain, which demonstrated his intelligence and temperament
9.McCain shoring up his base at the expense of independents and undecideds
10. Hillary Clinton innoculating him against the Ayers, Rezko, and Wright charges by raising
them in the primary to little effect

[dlinguist]

Shouldn't #10 read "misunderestimated"?

[omac112211]

11. Joe The Plumber - a man no one can connect with, and being used (for 3 weeks!) as the basis of McCain's campaign.

12. Admitting that talking about the economy was a losing strategy.

[KitChandler]

13. NOT ONLY DO THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES WANT OBAMA AS POTUS, THE MAJORTY OF THE WORLD'S NATIONS DO ALSO.

[vegas9999]

That sure makes me feel safer?

[BCubedReg]

I would put #10 "McCain and his team misjudged, underestimated and disrespected the formidable talent of Barack Obama and the team he put together" as #1.

This is also the most strinking failure of the McCain campaign in that they already had an example of what happens when you underestimate Obama (can anyone say Hillary Clinton).

[apoyo]

A talking head this AM comparing the campaigns said that Obama had a strategy and McCain had a bunch of tactics. That's a pretty profound thought.

[HC4BO]

McCain will lose because frankly IF we do NOT punish parties that abuse their power while they are in power, THEY will NEVER change their ways ...

Same goes for the Dems ...

WHEN we win this majority and fail to use our power wisely and effectively, we WILL be voted out come next election ...

THAT is Democracy, and No Amount of POW or maverickness [sic] can change it ...

[BetsyM]

Taylor, I agree completely. I also think that McCain just isn't the same as he was 2000. He comes across cranky and angry which certainly doesn't win over an undecided.

I believe that if I had been undecided he would have pushed me to Obama because of the smear campaign that he and Palin have run. Plus his personality this year leaves a lot to be desired. Where Obama is a "real cool cat" as my granddaughter says.

Great article.

[6PercentIsUpperClass]

If you could write a single article without the words "Hillary Clinton" I would be amazed! I agree that she made Obama a better candidate but only because McCain tried following her failed "scorched earth" campaign tactics. She made him a better candidate by highlighting his resolve, demeanor and class through her selfishness, desparation and mean-spiritedness. Maybe tomorrow you can find the class to praise Obama without implying that he owes it to the Clintons or attributing it to McCain's shortcomings? He galvonized a country like no other politician in modern history and gave hope to millions who felt aquiscent until now. It wasn't that his opponents didn't do enough, it was that there was not enough that they could have done. He was simply unbeatable, period.

[IndyReader]

I thot I was the only one who felt this way.

[LittleGirl]

He definitely jumped the shark (McCain) when he picked Palin. He called her his soul mate. Ewwww.

[JaneAusten2]

So McCain tried to foist his trophy candidate Sarah Palin on the American electorate and the American people aren't buying. This woman in no way compared to Hillary Clinton and as a woman I was insulted and embarrassed that anyone could think they would get the intelligent Hillary supporters to support his pick with this person. It's time the Repubs woke up and started to understand what feminism is all about. Good piece, Taylor.

[fishgirl26]

To me, Mc Cain lost it when he picked Palin. BTW, where are her medical records?

[ohnoyoudidnot!]

Released late last night...Good news. She's healthy.