Posted on 11/05/2008 3:57:08 AM PST by Cyropaedia
The results are in and the recriminations have begun. Sure, it might not have made any difference, but the number of sins of omission and commission by the McCain campaign is breathtaking. Let’s get a head start on the finger-pointing and give you the top thirty mistakes John McCain and his team made:
Not pursuing the Reverend Wright connection, as an issue of judgment and then credibility. Even Jerry Nadler knew it was a sign that Barack Obama lacked political courage, i.e., character.
Waiting until September to raise Barack Obama’s other troubling connections (e.g., Bill Ayers, Rashid Khalidi).
Failing to devise a comprehensive economic message until the final weeks of the campaign.
Failure to explain the Democrats’ role in the financial meltdown.
Not enough talk about “friends of Angelo” and Democratic corruption.
Wasting his convention speech on “bipartisanship” and biography instead of pounding home a core economic message.
Frittering away time and money in Iowa.
Losing time in the spring when McCain had sewn up the nomination but Obama had not. An ideal time to begin defining the contrast in messages.
Appallingly deficient “oppo” research and timing. Why didn’t the “bankrupt the coal industry” tape come out before the final weekend?
Going to war with the MSM without an effective plan to use alternate media to get their message out.
Cutting off McCain’s daily access to the traveling press corps.
The frenetic response to the financial meltdown. (Fire Chris Cox! Cancel the debate — no, hold the debate!) All that was missing was juggling knives on a tightrope above a fire pit.
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
There was nothing right about this big-government political hack.
#1 QUOTING CHAIRMAN MAO ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL IN NH
Trying to hold up the least viable, most condecending RINO or DFAPP as the “great hope”
I can only say that it took a carter to get a reagan
It’s almost like he wanted to lose. And so he did. Not Sarah’s fault. He would have been down even more without her and Joe.
I can add a few more but I say this pretty well sums it up for about 85 percent of it and I have no issue with anything said here. I could add a few more though.
Here’s what totally turned me off... when he told us that we had nothing to fear with Obama in the White House.
An isufficently tough attack on Obama’s opposition to life. The one issue that he could not win on.
Infantacide.
Running for president doomed McCain. Let’s hope he figures it out and doesn’t decide that he’ll improve his chances next time if we just let more illegals into the country.
McCain never deserved the presidency in the first place as he for some reason thought.
Part of me has a good feeling about him losing.
Let’s face it, very few of us ever liked McCain. Its hard to win when you have a candidate that the biggest advocates in the party don’t like.
Barack scares me, but what scares me more is the Dem. controlled Senate and House. Across the board, all of our republican runners made huge judgement errors in how they campaigned.
The inescapable error, JSM was a lousy candidate from day 1.
Good summary but it reminds me of an old Joseph Stalin quote: “The death of a man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.”
Rubin’s got 30 errors — it should be boiled down to perhaps 5 with the most important one being: there was never ever a central theme, a main storyline, a compelling reason to choose McCain. All personality and personal story, no fundamental principles or guiding message.
There was a quote (late in the campaign) attributed to McCain’s Chief of Staff. He was more concerned with losing “honorably” than winning outright by whatever means necessary. I found that very disconcerting.
LOL!
;)
Maybe add 2012 to that sign and keep it standing.
We were not voting FOR McCain, we were voting AGAINST BO.
Yu can’t win an election voting against something, only by voting for something.
I think we’re stuck with 8 years of BO. But Biden will be gone next time around.
Yet a decorated combat vet and survivor of the Hanoi Hilton couldn't figure out a way to beat a neophyte with a Senate record to the left of Bernie Sanders.
*sigh*
I just can't figure that out.
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