Posted on 07/04/2008 12:39:26 PM PDT by FocusNexus
The John McCain campaign ... installed Steve Schmidt, until now an ultraintense counselor to the campaign, as its operations manager.
Mr. Schmidt has a reputation for ruthless efficiency, a take-no-prisoners campaign style and the ability to inspire confidence in subordinates. Karl Rove once dubbed him "The Bullet," a reference to both the shape of his shaved head and his lethal impact when deployed against opponents.
Starting with a stint on Capitol Hill as communications director for the House Republican campaign effort, the 37-year-old Mr. Schmidt has had a meteoric rise in politics. He became a counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, where he helped shepherd the Supreme Court nominations of John Roberts and Sam Alito through the Senate. He then took on the task of running Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign in California. At the time, the governor was languishing at below 40% approval in polls and had serious problems with his conservative base. When Election Day rolled around nearly a year later, the situation had completely reversed.
His (McCain's) staff shakeup has certainly improved spirits among the donors and GOP insiders I spoke with.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Just trying to be accommodating.:)
‘RATS like to play “hardball”. They even have a TV show by that name pimping for their cause, don’tchaknow.
A Pub with b@lls? Do those even exist?
Apparently Schmidt is such a person — I just hope the McCain campaign will let him loose, instead of trying to turn him into a PC eunuch.
Not since Lee Atwater.
Wishful thinking here with these political insiders.
Schmidt was in charge of the rapid response part of the Bush-Cheney 04 campaign. He and the rest of that campaign bunch turned a landslide against a moron into a near loss.
They let the National Guard thing and later Rathergate get way out of control and almost let it become the determining factor in a close race, until they were saved by bloggers and the Swiftboat heroes and some of Bush’s National Guard buddies.
The campaign and the White House group (Bartlett, McClellan) were flummoxed and could only come up with feeble and ineffective responses. Free Republic and Swiftboaters did more to save Bush than all these clowns.
This McCain campaign is like Bush 41’s ‘92 campaign - ineffective and screwed up and waiting for some deliverer. In 92, they waited for James Baker to come in and rescue them - that failed. As will Schmidt with McCain, and whoever follows him.
It’s the candidate, stupids! PT Barnum could not rescue McCain at this point. McCain’s only hope is that Obama will screw something up bigtime. And even then McCain won’t exploit it because he wants “a respectful campaign”.
What about Ann Coulter? Huh? :)
The stupid party. Sigh.
We in heep big trouble, Tonto.
Every time I hear Lee Atwater’s name I nearly get a tear in my eye. He was taken from us far too soon.
Hope so too. But I fear the first time he ties OOOBBBAAAMMMAAA gonads in a bunch, McCain will fire him. The problem with McCain's campaign is McCain himself.
Where do you buy your pessimism pills?
That made yesterday the VERY best Fourth of July Eve ever. I had quite a bounce in my step all day. And Ann is right; Zevon fans are smart. Just not the ones who hang out on his website. I'm talking under the radar Zevon fans.
Only the good die young. That guy is still a legend in our home.
How about Ann Coulter for McCain’s VP?
One thing Schmidt could do is pursuade McCain to designate his younger VP choice now, to add come excitement to the campaign. By designating his younger running mate now, he helps diffuse the age issue sooner rather than later. Voters start looking at the “team”, not just McCain. Further, because of McCain’s age, many voters will assume when they are looking at the VP designate, that this particular VP will have a greater likelihood of becoming President than is usually the case. So let’s give the voters a longer period (4 months instead of 2) to get to know and feel comfortable with this Vice President.
Oh gee ‘Thanks’ Steve, for reinstalling Ah-nold
- the biggest clueless RINO ever,
1 malleable dumb Bunny. Totally screwed the budget and the state ‘compromising’ with the socialists out here.
Too bad Steve didn’t help McClintock.
What’s up with the GOP hierarchy - what a bunch of capitulating jerks. Give us someone GOOD, then put “resources’ like Steve INTO them. Quit the clever rent-seeking (corporate welfare) strategies, the political “moderation” — and give us GOOD, CONSTRAINED GOVERNMENT.
The future, the children, will pay for these big-gov budgets.
tols - meant Price Controls. sorry for the glitch
That's some "entry-level" position.
I look with kindly but terribly jaundiced sympathy on those here who are so lacking in inner courage, character, and resolution that they are unable to do anything but muse in the style of a grand keyboard warrior/faux-philosopher on why they should lay down and allow a messenger of DEATH, Obama/Wright et al - to assassinate them and their loved ones.
Glory be to the Marines who took Iwo Jima. They will live in glory forever - forever young they will be, and living in our hearts.
Glory to the men - repeat, men - who with their lives, and blood, make possible this great nation of the United States of America.
Ladies and gentlemen: We are here but for a moment. Make it count for something.
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