Posted on 11/04/2008 11:14:27 PM PST by paolenz
McCain probably flunked out or was absent when the OODA loop theory was discussed. How else would you summarize his campaign? He made so many missteps and erroneous judgements befitting not a Senator or for that matter a fighter pilot, but a politician running for the very first time.
I fault the collapse of the McCain campaign at his feet. He can't blame no one, not even his managers. A person that cannot excite the base does not deserve to win the presidency. People were behind you but at every suggestion to attack back, but you did not respond in kind. We were not discouraged and we stood by you hoping that you would listen to your followers.
You had three brilliant opportunities to unmask Obama on your debates, but each time you presented your case to the american voters, you failed miserably. Obama even taunted you to say it in his face but what did you do? You cowered in fear!
I think looking back now to reflect where he lost the election, his biggest mistake is rooted so much of his primordial instincts and insistence to campaign with honor and dignity. What McCain seems to forget is that this is just a battle cry for politicians. McCain should very well know that policians aren't honorable people, especially when re-election comes rolling around.
Had he agreed to the first ad attack using the Jeremiah Wright video expose, he should be the one being celebrated tonight and not Osama Bin Biden.
Enough of your holier than thou attitude! This type of behavior does not win the White House. I think President Bush was right when you campaign against him in 2000. When confronted with an attack, verbal or otherwise, you cower in fear and raise the spectre by effusing dignity as an excuse not to fight back.
Crazy Michael Savage said something interesting (if crazy).
He claimed that McCain was psychologically unable to fight back against Obama because he had had that instinct taken out of him when he was tortured by the North Vietnamese. Part of this torture process, apparently, is psychological reconditioning in which you are taught to be passive when under attack.
Sort of like the “retch” reflex that the character of Alex had instilled in him in the movie “A Clockwork Orange.”
It’s a crazy theory by Savage but it explains a lot even we hold it true provisionally. We all saw the crowds of his supporters surrounding McCain — not just angry but practically in tears — “why will you not fight back?” And McCain would simply shrug and say something moronic like “You don’t have to fear an Obama presidency. He’s a very decent person.” Etc. Palin was the ONLY one from Team McCain hitting Hussein with the issues: his radical alliances, his bankrupting of the coal industry, his admitting he was a socialist, etc. I feel so bad for our Sarahcuda. She’s exhausted and must feel awful. She knew the excitement of the crowds when she spoke.
Where was Steve Schmidt in all of this? Wasn’t he supposed to be the new Karl Rove? The brilliant subtle strategist? He seems to have disappeared the past few weeks.
That’s why I asked earlier if perhaps McCain purposely threw the election. Maybe it was just a rhetorical question, but for the life of me, I just cannot figure it out. It’s almost as if he never really wanted the job in the first place.
McCain never wanted to win
no more RINOS!!!!!!!!!!
I and a lot of other FReepers opposed Giuliani early but after several months of McCain the advantages of Rudy were obvious. Whenever he spoke, he had much more fight in him. McCain told us to fight. Giuliani fought. Big difference.
I am continually amazed that there is NO ONE in this country who has the cajones to start a truly free, TRULY FREE organ of FREE - yes FREE speech in this country. An outlet of information that is FREE of the corruption of partisan dollars, FREE of the corruption of individual ideology...
With all of the vast wealth exchanging hands... I am quite surprised that no one... no non profit, no for profit, no one will support true FREE SPEECH!
I feel bad for Sarah too but if it wasn’t for McCain, nobody would have heard of her.
McCain is a nice guy, I'm sure, but he is a Bob Dole scale bozo as a candidate. I fought dirtier to get my candidate elected to the student council.
yeah we all saw how Rudy fought during the primaries...
maybe because he’ll do ok no matter what happens.
You bet it’s a big differences.
Come to think of it, in several of her final rallies, Sarahcuda always ended with something like this: “And though he won’t tell you this himself, John McCain is the only one who has every really fought for you!” And I began to notice something in Sarahcuda’s voice and intonation when she said that; something unexpected...a little bit of annoyance. I believe that she began to feel annoyed that she had to do the heavy lifting for both herself AND her running mate. I think she began to notice that he was wearying and giving up the fight, and she may also have grown frustrated herself at his lack of commitment to core conservative economic values. At his rallies, all I ever really heard were cries about “reaching across the aisle” and “bipartisanship.” McCain didn’t realize it, but those statements came across to voters as “Vote for me because I play well with others and share my toys.”
McCain’s concession speech made me ill. Some deemed it “classy”, but I just thought, “You stupid, effing loser. Yeah, stand there and be the martyr, you effing loser. Kiss Obama’s backside and say bye-bye to the world stage. You’ve always been more willing to attack or disappoint Repubs than you have rats, so take your sorry azz back to AZ and go reach across the aisle on your own dime. Stupid loser. You didn’t have to lose, but you wanted to, and you got what you wanted. It’s too bad you had to take Sarah down with you, never defend her, cause her to drop 25 points in her own state and never fight back for her. Loser. Fool. Prick. I hope your state replaces you in your senate seat with a real man/woman. Don’t even think about running for the senate again. You’ve had your fun, now haul your azz home and STFU. Goodbye.”
I agree. Rudy also has a better personality, which appeals to people. McCain was trying to prove something to himself. I don’t think he cared that much about winning.
LOL! No, no, tell us how you really feel!
(Sigh!) I agree with you, though. I had a victory cigar all clipped and ready to be smoked. I’m saving it for another day.
Back in the '96, Michael Reagan said that as soon as he found out that Black was going to be Phil Gramm's campaign advisor, he immediately knew that Gramm had no chance of winning the nomination.
Mike said that the problem with Black is that he runs the campaign as if his guy had already been elected President.
McCain also wound up slitting his own throat when he agreed to the Federal matching funds while Obama refused the public financing. It was like agreeing to bring a knife to a gun fight.
Pour yourself a double and smoke the damn thing anyway, lol.
Great line.
McCain never got that it wasn’t about him.
Neither did Obama but he still won.
Nice guys finish last.
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