McCain says he regrets choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate

American Thinker ^ | 05/05/2018 | Thomas Lifson

[SeekAndFind]

The forthcoming final memoir from Senator John McCain, titled The Restless Wave, and a nearly two-hour-long HBO documentary on its way seem to be being used as an opportunity to settle some scores. Jonathan Martin of the New York Times has obtained copies of both books, and has spoken with the ailing senator at his ranch, where he seems to be spending his final days. This leaped out at me:

While he continues to defend Ms. Palin’s performance, Mr. McCain uses the documentary and the book to unburden himself about not selecting Mr. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, as his running mate.

He recalls that his advisers warned him that picking a vice-presidential candidate who caucused with Democrats and supported abortion rights would divide Republicans and doom his chances.

It is odd indeed to call it “sound advice” and to simultaneously wish he had disregarded it. Logically, this seems to mean that he wishes he had lost, while making a futile gesture towards bipartisanship, or maybe just avoiding contamination with the populism of Sarah Palin. It is an open secret that members of McCain’s campaign sought to sabotage Palin during the campaign, apparently preferring to lose rather than tolerate her views and her persona.

This odd, unsourced paragraph written by Martin offers a clue:

 Yet many in Mr. McCain’s own party believe that, by selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, he bears at least a small measure of blame for unleashing the forces of grievance politics and nativism within the Republican Party.

I strongly suspect that McCain himself expressed these views to Martin, but asked not to be quoted.

[Architect of Avalon]

Evil people want to show how evil they are.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Ditto.

[alstewartfan]

McCain’s “god” is himself now, but it won’t be for long.

[Fiji Hill]

My vote for McCain was solely based on Sarah Palin’s name being on the ballot.

Same here. If he had not picked her as his running mate, I would have voted for the American Independent or Constitution Party candidate.

[sparklite2]

Palin added fifteen points to the campaign’s polling numbers. The problem was McCain’s, not Palin’s.

[OttawaFreeper]

[Lurkinanloomin]

I regret that McCain was able to fool voters for so long.

[Vermont Lt]

Ooooooo....this is not going to end well here.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

I worked the election for McCain/Palin in South Florida that year, and Palin was at worst a wash, at best a slight positive. McCain’s campaign failed to defend her properly and dis the worst job of managing her media since Dan Quayle. What was infinitely more significant in the campaign result was the obtuseness of McCain himself. Two events stand out in my memory of that fall:

1. The dissonance created by voters watching McCain state “The fundamentals of the Amercian economy are strong...” in mid-September when that was presented to viewers on split screen, the other half showing in real time that the wheels were coming off the markets.

2. McCain’s tactical blunder in announcing he was coming in off the campaign trail to return to the Senate to shepherd the first Stimulus Bill through the Congress. We all know how that turned out. Then-Senator Obama stayed out on the trail and sniped at the effort, while McCain thought it expressed a roll up your sleeves form of leadership to go back and get involved in the Stimulus I debacle. Big mistake, he owned the fail.

I think each of those had more impact than Palin did, no matter how you view Palin. Unfortunately, she gave up the Governorship of Alaska, to be mishandled by McCain’s Campaign folks, then the media took over and has never let up on her. Like Dan Quayle, you never get a second chance to make a first impression in political media and unless you start with a well-planned media campaign, within the political campaign, they will paint you as they wish.

[Lurkinanloomin]

The line will stretch for several states.

[38special]

The tickets actually led in the polls after the convention, then the market got manipulated and tanked so there’s that.

[JBW1949]

If McCain really loved America and wanted to help the American people, he would graciously retire and live what time he has left in dignity...

Instead, the narcissistic piece of crap hangs on to his self important position as a Senator (while staying at home and doing NOTHING for the people) and it’s perks and front page stories about HIM...

Bastard!!!!!!!!

[Lurkinanloomin]

I refused to be forced to vote for McAmnesty.
The author of the previous TWO amnesty attempts.
I voted for Bob Barr, he was the only eligible candidate on my ballot.

[caww]

John McCain ‘handed’ the Presidency to “BO”....he was never in it to win in the first place. McCain is the reason we suffered Bo for 8 yrs!

[edh]

It must be a miserable experience to be dying so full of regrets. We all have them, but McCain seems to have a lot more than your average person. The ones we don’t hear about, like screwing over your fellow soldiers and countrymen, must be hell on Earth.

[vette6387]

“And I regret having to vote for him because I had no other choice.”

And I really regret sending him $200. But I keep telling myself it was for Sarah!

[sparklite2]

he wishes he had lost, while making a futile gesture towards bipartisanship,

---

That’s the nature of ‘reach-around’ appeasement, of which McCain was a reliable practitioner. It is reflected in the pitcher-of-warm-spit spinelessness of politicians like Kemp, Romney, and pablum like ‘compassionate conservatism.’

[Polyxene]

Your friend, Teddy, is warming your seat, drinking a Chivas Royal and waiting for you, McQueeg.

[Lurkinanloomin]

The Bush League Republicans made sure we would have no choice but amnesty candidates.

[SpaceBar]

I don’t ever recall anyone, even condemned prisoners awaiting execution, go down a laundry list of people they hate on the eve of their death. It takes a uniquely distorted individual to burn their bridges in such a manner.