USJD
Rookie
- Oct 27, 2008
- 35
- 12
- 1
We saw some of the "old" John McCain in his concession speech. I say "old" because as this campaign wore on revelations from John McCain's past called into question whether he has been moderate or a reformer or only adopted those strategies when his political life was on line. The same could be said for President Elect Obama too as he in the past has a very liberal voting record.
In this election as in ALL elections the candidate that wins swing voters, independents, and moderates WINS!!! The John McCain we saw in 2000 was a candidate that appealed to those swing voters. John McCain after 2000 changed and supported a President who had no interest in governing with any degree of moderation or compromise. This caused swing voters like me to take pause. What has happened to John McCain I asked myself? Most candidates and successful Presidents will usually appeal to their base in the primaries but quickly move to center as they surface as their party's nominee. John McCain didn't so why? McCain has been around for 27 years in Washington he knows the game and has seen it played over and over again.
John McCain could have elected to move to center as the general election approached and YES the extremist elements of the GOP would have either stayed home or shown up in a lot smaller numbers; however, then McCain's arguments about experience and his wisdom with the surge strategy would have connected to the swing voters. Had John McCain taken this approach he could have very well been the President Elect today.
Barack Obama moved to center and painted McCain as an extension of Bush from the beginning of his campaign. Moderates bought Obama's message WHY? Obama used his race to his advantage; past African American candidates like Jesse Jackson ran as the "black" candidate and had huge problems attracting voters outside the African American community. Barack Obama ran as the candidate for all Americans by talking about what all Americans desperately want in our politics, "not a Blue America or a Red America but the United States of America." Americans are tired of the constant path of politicians constantly running for re election instead of actually solving problems. Americans don't want gimmicks or short term fixes, like the supposed campaign suspension McCain tried during the financial bailout debate, or the choice of Sarah Palin.
Barack Obama, acted in the financial crisis like a President should, stand back and wait to see what Congress comes up with and then decide whether you are going to support it or not. John McCain IMHO used this crisis for political gain when he announced his campaign suspension and tried to postpone the first debate. Obama showed he has the ability to think things out in his debate performances instead of being petty. John McCain talked the talk but didn't walk the walk in his debate performances. McCain showed his very nasty side in the debates many times over, just look what happened at the end of the second debate he avoided Obama when he wished to talk with him after the debate had ended.
In the end, John McCain wanted to be next President given his campaign implosion in 2000 at the hands Karl Rove and his bag of dirty tricks. He never let it go IMHO and YES IT WAS THE CHEAPEST OF ALL POLITICAL SMEARS to imply McCain had fathered his adopted child with a black man in South Carolina. John McCain is a fighter, look at the state of his campaign in the summer of 2007 and he came back, if that doesn't convince you maybe his 5 1/2 year stay in the Hanoi Hilton will. John McCain on the last day of the campaign showed what he is made out of by hitting seven states and then two more on Election Day.
In the end, one must ask was John McCain ever the reformer he made himself out to be or an empty suit reformer who only preached the mantra of reform when it was to his political advantage by embracing the most extreme wing of his party in both the primary season, and the general election. Had John McCain used his fighting spirit and stayed the moderate he claimed to be in 2000 he could have MAYBE pulled this off. However, I must wonder now was he ever a reformer?
In this election as in ALL elections the candidate that wins swing voters, independents, and moderates WINS!!! The John McCain we saw in 2000 was a candidate that appealed to those swing voters. John McCain after 2000 changed and supported a President who had no interest in governing with any degree of moderation or compromise. This caused swing voters like me to take pause. What has happened to John McCain I asked myself? Most candidates and successful Presidents will usually appeal to their base in the primaries but quickly move to center as they surface as their party's nominee. John McCain didn't so why? McCain has been around for 27 years in Washington he knows the game and has seen it played over and over again.
John McCain could have elected to move to center as the general election approached and YES the extremist elements of the GOP would have either stayed home or shown up in a lot smaller numbers; however, then McCain's arguments about experience and his wisdom with the surge strategy would have connected to the swing voters. Had John McCain taken this approach he could have very well been the President Elect today.
Barack Obama moved to center and painted McCain as an extension of Bush from the beginning of his campaign. Moderates bought Obama's message WHY? Obama used his race to his advantage; past African American candidates like Jesse Jackson ran as the "black" candidate and had huge problems attracting voters outside the African American community. Barack Obama ran as the candidate for all Americans by talking about what all Americans desperately want in our politics, "not a Blue America or a Red America but the United States of America." Americans are tired of the constant path of politicians constantly running for re election instead of actually solving problems. Americans don't want gimmicks or short term fixes, like the supposed campaign suspension McCain tried during the financial bailout debate, or the choice of Sarah Palin.
Barack Obama, acted in the financial crisis like a President should, stand back and wait to see what Congress comes up with and then decide whether you are going to support it or not. John McCain IMHO used this crisis for political gain when he announced his campaign suspension and tried to postpone the first debate. Obama showed he has the ability to think things out in his debate performances instead of being petty. John McCain talked the talk but didn't walk the walk in his debate performances. McCain showed his very nasty side in the debates many times over, just look what happened at the end of the second debate he avoided Obama when he wished to talk with him after the debate had ended.
In the end, John McCain wanted to be next President given his campaign implosion in 2000 at the hands Karl Rove and his bag of dirty tricks. He never let it go IMHO and YES IT WAS THE CHEAPEST OF ALL POLITICAL SMEARS to imply McCain had fathered his adopted child with a black man in South Carolina. John McCain is a fighter, look at the state of his campaign in the summer of 2007 and he came back, if that doesn't convince you maybe his 5 1/2 year stay in the Hanoi Hilton will. John McCain on the last day of the campaign showed what he is made out of by hitting seven states and then two more on Election Day.
In the end, one must ask was John McCain ever the reformer he made himself out to be or an empty suit reformer who only preached the mantra of reform when it was to his political advantage by embracing the most extreme wing of his party in both the primary season, and the general election. Had John McCain used his fighting spirit and stayed the moderate he claimed to be in 2000 he could have MAYBE pulled this off. However, I must wonder now was he ever a reformer?
