No Easy Days for McCain’s Generals in the Field
It remains an open question whether McCain’s pick of Gov. Palin is a net benefit for his campaign. But of one thing there is no doubt. She is certainly turning into a cultural icon, inspiring changes in women’s fashions and skits on SNL.
On this site’s chatbox, we have been having fun with a couple of phrases from Thursday’s VP debate: “Doggone it, there you go again” and “You betcha.”
But however much fun Gov. Palin has inspired, there are also some hard political facts we must consider. Namely, McCain is behind in the polls with a month left in the campaign and he has recently pulled the plug on his Michigan campaign. Michigan, with 17 electoral votes and a state that Gov. Romney could have delivered to McCain on a silver platter.
We are getting word from several sources that the move is controversial within the Republican Party. It strikes me as politically tin-eared to make a move that high profile operatives within your own party second guess you on. This stuff all goes back to one of the many reasons Sen. McCain was not my first pick. He just seems to be out of touch with his own party. He is certainly out of touch with the conservative base. His only conservative policies have Mitt Romney’s fingerprints all over them!
For the sake of the country, I hope he gets it right by Nov. 4. Otherwise, Obama gets a chance to complete Jimmy Carter’s second term in office.
~~John Cronin~~
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The road to victory for John McCain has gotten tougher in the past week: He has given up on Michigan, struggled to deal with a financial crisis many voters blame on Republicans and faced skepticism about his vice-presidential pick.
All of that raises pressure on Sen. McCain’s field generals in the battleground states where he is still competing — people like Gentry Collins. The Iowan’s success or failure, and that of his boss, hinges on the rapid-fire decisions Mr. Collins needs to make every day, from appeasing local political leaders to keeping tally sheets on daily phone calls.
Mr. Collins’s territory is rocky terrain. As one of Sen. McCain’s 11 regional campaign managers, he is responsible for Iowa, where Sen. Barack Obama holds a solid lead, and Missouri, a state Sen. McCain has to win but where polls show a close race. At least one of the presidential candidates, and usually both, are in Mr. Collins’s states every week. Voters see those events, though they don’t see the last-minute scrambles by his staff that makes them possible.
Behind the scenes, Mr. Collins’s task is complex. In Iowa, he must contend with a fractured party where most active Republicans wanted someone else for president. In Missouri, a classic swing state that has gone with the winner in 24 of the last 25 elections, Mr. Collins is outgunned by a better-funded Obama campaign that has been on the ground longer.
October 4th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I remember when Gentry Collins ran Mitt’s campaign in Iowa. Wouldn’t you love to get a first-person account from him of working for Mitt vs. working for McCain? I’m guessing there was a world of difference between the two.
October 4th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
John, so true. McCain is going for what goal? Who knows. Fla lost. VA lost. Now Mich. All which Mitt would have delviered including Nevada and Colorado. His pick of Palin gave him a needed exposure and bump, but she is proving to be just perky, with no substance. She toddled along the other night, dancing to her own questions, and not those of the moderator. Often repeating herself, or using lines from past Reagan debates. McCain has killed any career she might have had, had she waited 8 or so years to run for an office like this. He’s done her no favors. I don’t care for her for number of reasons, but not haveing enough braincells rattling upstairs is a biggie. She looked good and camera, and sounded funny and folksy. but this is the Presidency (with McCain being 72), and with all that is going on, I’d rather have someone a heck of a lot smarter than my kids kindergarten teacher leading the charge. I do get the feeling that all McCain wants is the title, and not the job. If that was the case, he should have picked someone to step in, that the country is comfty with for more than a mooosehunt and beer. His twilight tour is about to happen.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Yes, I have noticed that about McCain’s conservative policies…having Mitt’s fingerprints all over them.
I’m afraid (well, not really afraid since I don’t think much of McCain anyway) that the republican ticket is toast. And it won’t be getting my vote either. Let’s hope Romney still has it in him to give it another shot in 2012.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Yes, McCain’s pick of Palin was the last straw that made him toast.
Palin is rabidly liked by the small group of simpleton social conservatives that opposed Romney for suspicious reasons, but she and McCain are deal breakers for the rest of the Republicans.
If the Democratic candidate was more experienced and wasn’t such a Leftist I think we would be looking at a Democratic landslide instead of just a sound victory.
I hope Obama doesn’t screw it up too bad before 2012 comes around–especially the Supreme Court and Iraq.
And I agree with the post above–I hope Romney still wants to take another shoot at 2012 despite how badly he was treated by some in his own party.
October 4th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
In spite of McCain’s sporadic dufus decisions, Romney continues to step to the microphone for him. Here is a reminder of why Mitt does it:
Romney rallies GOP, boosts support for McCain in third visit to Elko
October 4, 2008
http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/10/04/news/local_state/145776.txt
It is “essential,” he said, for America to maintain its strongest nation status. He (Romney) specifically mentioned an emerging China as a potential threat. If the U.S. is passed by the communist nation in the economic sector, it is only a matter of time before China’s military is stronger as well, he said.
Romney said he attended the Beijing Olympics and noted the Chinese “love free enterprise” but not freedom. He said CNN is censored and television screens often go black. “I’m sure FOX isn’t even allowed over there,” he said, again to enthusiastic applause.
He said Russia plans to “drain” the U.S. economy through energy demands and terrorists simply want to kill us. “That’s why it’s so critical John McCain is elected,” he said. “He’ll keep the economy up and taxes down. We’ll get energy independent.”
October 5th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
SNL skit of the VP debate - Tina Fey reprises her role as Palin:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/vp-debate-open-palin-biden/727421/
October 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Thanks Doug for the link to the skit. It is one of the funniest skits I’ve seen in a few years.
SNL gives a great satire of what happened during the VP debate. Palin constantly changed the subject. She did not really answer any questions and focused primarily on being relatable to the public. This no doubt contributes to the fact that many polls believe that Biden won the debate. Also of note, gallup has Obama up by 7 points in the national polls.
Here is a link at Hotair that has clips of the SNL VP debate and The Bailout Press Conference.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/05/video-snl-on-the-debate-and-the-bailout/
October 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Thanks Doug for the link to the skit. It is one of the funniest skits I’ve seen in a few years.
SNL gives a great satire of what happened during the VP debate. Palin constantly changed the subject. She did not really answer any questions and focused primarily on being relatable to the public. This no doubt contributes to the fact that many polls believe that Biden won the debate. Also of note, gallup has Obama up by 7 points in the national polls.
Here is a link at Hotair that has clips of the SNL VP debate and The Bailout Press Conference.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/05/video-snl-on-the-debate-and-the-bailout/
October 5th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Thanks Doug for the link to the skit. It is one of the funniest skits I’ve seen in a few years.
SNL gives a great satire of what happened during the VP debate. Palin constantly changed the subject. She did not really answer any questions and focused primarily on being relatable to the public. This no doubt contributes to the fact that many polls believe that Biden won the debate. Also of note, gallup has Obama up by 7 points in the national polls.
Here is a link at Hotair that has clips of the SNL VP debate and The Bailout Press Conference.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/05/video-snl-on-the-debate-and-the-bailout/
October 6th, 2008 at 6:35 am
2 more states that are normally red are now at:
Nevada - Obama up by 4
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/05/a-dead-heat-in-colorado/
New Mexico - Obama up by 5
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/new_mexico/election_2008_new_mexico_presidential_election
October 6th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Ok, if you forgive the languague from these two old ladies, you’ll find this to be pretty funny. I wonder if this is what America is really thinking?
http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/
October 6th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I want Paul Volcker economics! “For the sake of the country, I hope he gets it right by Nov. 4. Otherwise, Obama gets a chance to complete Jimmy Carter’s second term in office.” McCain and this empty set of rhetoric really highlight why some many support Obama. Here in Virginia, the move is real. Republicans have no standing on economics, national security and a very weak standing on social issues.