Comments on: McCain Campaign Troubles Moderate Republicans And Some Others

By: kritt11

kritt11 — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:14:46 +0000

AR- Changing the party in charge of the executive branch is a real and easy way for frustrated voters to strike back.

Chances are that to understand the current meltdown you would need a PHD in economics and an MBA rolled into one. And you would probably conclude that many factors led to our current predicament. Which means that the candidates can pick the factors that make them look blameless- yet villify their opponent.

But, I agree- voters who don't even know yet whether Obama is American or Arab definitely won't understand what most experts barely get.

By: AustinRoth

AustinRoth — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:06:40 +0000

It no longer matters what the McCain campaign does. The implosion of the US and world stock markets has absolutely ensured that Obama will be elected. The Republican Party is taking the blame for this in most voter's minds.

Policy and economic wonks can argue until the cows come home if the underlying cause was lack of regulation or Congressional meddling in the lending markets, but the vast majority of voter's eyes glaze over when these get discussed (assuming they even paid any attention in the first place).

By: Rudi

Rudi — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:19:10 +0000

Milliken in his day was a moderate Republican, today his brand would be liberal. This coming from a Michigan Democrat who loves Milliken. He loves his party and state, and continues this from Traverse City. Unlike the “douchebag” Engler who burnt his Mackinaw Bridge, took the money, and ran off to Virginia.

By: Silhouette

Silhouette — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:44 +0000

I would say that the McCain campaign is teetering on the brink of abetting terrorists themselves because our enemies are watching us and the advantage of "divide and conquer" is not unknown to them. McCain/Cheney/Bush are actively seeking to deeply polarize our nation in a time where we absolutely need the opposite to maintain our defenses against greater enemies than an old campaign association.

In a time of war, what is the legal term for someone who incites civil unrest? It's in the treason category of heinous crimes for sure. While rebel-rousing to polarize the nation by calling Obama a terrorist, the real terrorists are those aiding our real enemies abroad by creating civil unrest at home...

Willfully creating speck of blood on the chicken if you will.

Personally, I think Congress should first warn the McCain campaign of the laws applying to inciting civil unrest in time of war, and then if he and his people still persist, they should indict, and finally prosecute them for exacerbating civil unrest in time of war.

By: kritt11

kritt11 — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:07:52 +0000

The problem is that McCain has gone TOO far too try to pls the right wing and has now disgusted moderates and independents. Its always a tricky dance- the Clintons were good at triangulating– but its hard to think of too many centrists who have been able to do it well. He should run as himself- he's obviously uncomfortable pretending that he's a Rovian attack dog- thought the pit bull takes to it very naturally.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:53:12 +0000

Isn't McCain sort of facing the perennial problem of a moderate? You have some people who like you who are to the right of you, and some that like you who are to the left of you, and some who like you because you can get along with and work with people to the left and right of you.

In order to win an election though, you have to pull together a coalition of all three; unfortunately everything you do to court the ones to one side or the other will repel as many people as it attracts, and then the people from the center don't have any loyalty to you so they are just as likely to choose your opponent as you. Try to stay classy and attract those people who like you for moderation of tone, and everyone ignores you. Kick it up a notch and you're unsteady, nay, erratic.

I think that moderates and centrists have to decide, what do you really want? If you insist that your candidates can't use traditional political campaigning techniques (or try to find parallels with actual smarmy techniques, even when that's actually not what's happening), you'll never see a real centrist candidate elected. Of course, that goal seems to have gone by the wayside anyway, but I remember a time in the recent past where a lot of people claimed that this was what was wanted.

By: superdestroyer

superdestroyer — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:07:10 +0000

The moderate Repubicans are just going to have swallow their pride and figure out how to exist in the Democratic Party along side Barney Frank, the CBC, and Robert Byrd. I doubt they will be any more successful in getting along with liberal Democrats than with conservative Repulbicans. However, as Democrats they will probably never get the chance to repeatedly stab the Democrats in the back like they have the Republicans.

For claiming to be moderates, they have always taken the position that they are correct and there will be no compromise with the conservative base.