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McCain's Loss to Obama: He Put Personal Popularity With Press Above Nation's Future
RFFM.org ^ | November 7, 2008 | Daniel T. Zanoza

Posted on 11/07/2008 9:45:45 AM PST by Daniel T. Zanoza

There are probably many reasons why John McCain lost his bid for the presidency to Barack Obama. Some will say the political tide was running against the senior Senator from Arizona and there was little chance a Republican could win our nation's highest office in the year of the Democrat, but I'm not buying that premise. John McCain became the Republican Party's presidential nominee due to the tampering of both the conservative and liberal media. Therefore, Republicans were forced to make the best out of a bad situation.

Yet there is no excuse for the pitiful effort made by McCain in what can only be called a lost opportunity. It is clear John McCain wanted to preserve popularity with the dominant press more than he desired to gain the White House. Throughout his career, McCain has relished the idea of being called a political maverick. The dominant media often rewarded McCain with high praise for taking positions against his own Party, even to a fault. The McCain/Feingold campaign finance legislation is a case in point. This disastrous campaign finance reform bill has, in reality, made the American political system more susceptible to the influence of big money. It is truly ironic that McCain/Feingold actually ...

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: 2008; election; issues; losers; mccain; media; obama; rinos
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1 posted on 11/07/2008 9:45:45 AM PST by Daniel T. Zanoza
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

That’s why RINOs don’t make good candidates... or presidents. Reagan got on well with the media because he was able to use them to his advantage. Give them lots of opportunities to interview him, but he was masterful in getting HIS message to the nation. No Republican president since has been so effective.


2 posted on 11/07/2008 9:51:56 AM PST by ScottinVA (Gloucester County, VA -- Making a stand for America: 63% for McCain/Palin)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

Gee I wonder when John will be invited back to guest host Saturday Night Live.

That was really the last straw. He should retire to Phoenix and build ships in bottles or something. Enough about him.


3 posted on 11/07/2008 9:53:28 AM PST by Argus (Stuff Compassionate and Maverick - just try plain old CONSERVATISM again)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza
He did not want to upset his good “friends”
in the Masters club called the Senate!
4 posted on 11/07/2008 9:54:18 AM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran (Obama, Change America will die for.)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

Campaign Finance Reform was an assault on the Constitution, and its one of the reasons I once claimed I would never vote for McCain. In the end I did, but never fogetting the kind of man I was voting for.

And as it turns out, CFR made it all but impossible to know where the money comes from. The very excuse behind it turns out to be the opposite of the truth.

McCain loved being called “maverick” but it was only the press who called him that. He earned it by joining Democrats on issue after issue, usually at moments when we needed him most. He thought his popularity with the press meant something, he didn’t understand that it was a vapor that would disappear the moment they saw him as an obstacle.

And it did.


5 posted on 11/07/2008 9:56:03 AM PST by marron
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

his personal popularity with the press ended when he got the nomination.


6 posted on 11/07/2008 9:56:12 AM PST by MAD-AS-HELL (How does one win over terrorists? KILL them with UNKINDNESS)
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To: ScottinVA

True. The press has always been socialist - even more so today.

Reagan was an effective President because he was a great communicator. He was a great communicator, in part, because he beleived in his product.

Nixon, Ford, the two Bushes were pathetic Presidents.

You have to go back to Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower to find great Republican Presidents.

Of course, the Democrats were all back, except for maybe Andrew Jackson, but that is some time ago. But they are far more effective in manipualting public opinion and control the mass media.

I’m really worrid about America and its immediate future under this guy and his Congress.


7 posted on 11/07/2008 9:56:51 AM PST by ZULU (Non nobis, non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam. God, guts and guns made America great.)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

That’s all wrong...Obama used his popularity to get elected. That’s all he had was his popularity. None of his supporters care that he is an inexperienced empty suit who friends crap all over America. John McCain lost because popularity trumped experience and love of country.


8 posted on 11/07/2008 9:57:17 AM PST by LottieDah (If only those who speak so eloquently on the rights of animals would do so on behalf of the unborn.)
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To: ScottinVA
The press & political culture has changed hugely since Reagan. There was not an army of Leftist talking heads and internet blogs bashing him constantly. There were still a few conservative Democrats. Few people inside his White House jumped ship and stabbed him in the back for a book deal.

It's a very different world and any Republican who wants to be President needs to understand...the base does not want you to reach out to the enemy. We want the enemy DEFEATED!!!!!

9 posted on 11/07/2008 9:59:18 AM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza
Hard to argue with this assessment.

We played the hand that the RAT crossovers dealt.

10 posted on 11/07/2008 10:01:04 AM PST by Redleg Duke ("Sarah Palin...Unleashing the Fury of the Castrated Left!")
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

Just received this email from the McCain campaign.

“Cindy and I would like to take a moment to thank you for your loyal and steadfast support during the course of this campaign. Governor Palin, her husband Todd, our families, friends and campaign staff extend our deep appreciation for your tireless dedication, support and friendship.

It is the end of a long journey and your support through the ups and downs has meant more to us than you may ever know.

Although we were disappointed with the results, we must move beyond this campaign and work together to get our country moving again.

It is our sincere hope that you will join us in putting our country first and continue to work to keep our nation safe, free and prosperous.

We urge you to join us in not just congratulating Senator Obama, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together as a nation. Whatever our differences may be, we are all fellow Americans.

We are truly blessed to live in this great country and call ourselves Americans, and we will forever be her loyal servants.

Today, let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

With warm gratitude,
signed “

My opinion of the Senator has decayed based upon his performance in the campaign and his non-response to the Palin bashing. He obviously felt that maintaining his stature with the Dems, RINOs and MSM was more important than saving this country from socialism or worse. John, I hardly knew ye.


11 posted on 11/07/2008 10:09:17 AM PST by sargunner
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

McCain got approximately 6 million less than Bush (2004).

With all the ACORN crap and Obamamessiah stuff he didn’t get much more than Kerry.

(I’m working from memory using the Wednesday totals I saw).

Conservatives sat out and cut their own throats.

Remember all those FReepers that said they would never vote for McCain — many of them kept their word.


12 posted on 11/07/2008 10:11:15 AM PST by Beckwith (Typical white person)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

No offense, but frankly, I’m tired of reliving the McCain campaign.


13 posted on 11/07/2008 10:11:54 AM PST by bigbob
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To: Beckwith
(I’m working from memory using the Wednesday totals I saw).

Conservatives sat out and cut their own throats.

Remember all those FReepers that said they would never vote for McCain — many of them kept their word.


Garbage!

The only person responsible for this loss was John McCain.

He was and is a terrible Republican and he ran, if that is possible, an even worse campaign.

Quit making the perpetrator the victim and place the blame where it belongs.
14 posted on 11/07/2008 10:22:34 AM PST by SoConPubbie (GOP: If you reward bad behavior all you get is more bad behavior.)
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To: LottieDah
John McCain lost because popularity trumped experience and love of country.

Amen. That's what this election was all about. Even to the Republicans. It became more an American Idol contest than a presidential election.

15 posted on 11/07/2008 10:23:54 AM PST by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza
McCain lost because he was setup by the media to fail. He got the GOP nomination because they wanted a stooge that was easy to beat. He recieved their enthusiastic support up until the very moment he had the nomination in the bag and then they turned against him.

We can't afford to be suckered again...

16 posted on 11/07/2008 10:26:15 AM PST by skikvt (Blah Blah Blah.)
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza

“McCain’s Loss to Obama: He Put Personal Popularity With Press Above Nation’s Future”

Yup.
Someone please s’plain to me why the heck, McCain and his retarded “handlers” turned round, and first of all prevented Gov Plain from giving any interview for weeks, then when they decided to set up and interview for her, they give that interviw to the Bush-hating, Repubican hating, Obama shill, Charlie Gibson?
Why on earth couldn’t they let Gov Palin have her first interview with Rush? Or at least with Brit Hime, who is a far better , more solid, and more respected jouralist than the hack Charlie Gibson?


17 posted on 11/07/2008 10:32:31 AM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: ZULU
Eisenhower a great Republican Presidents?/sa

You got to be kidding...

18 posted on 11/07/2008 11:00:38 AM PST by RedMonqey (Embracing my "Inner Redneck")
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To: Daniel T. Zanoza; pissant

“John McCain became the Republican Party’s presidential nominee due to the tampering of both the conservative and liberal media.”

YUP!


19 posted on 11/07/2008 11:02:25 AM PST by AuntB (The right to vote in America: Blacks 1870; Women 1920; Native Americans 1925)
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To: ZULU

“You have to go back to Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower to find great Republican Presidents.”

Don’t forget Calvin Coolidge. Reagan had Coolidge’s portrait in his White House office.


20 posted on 11/07/2008 11:47:13 AM PST by John Semmens
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