Our political Quote of The Day is this entry by the Atantic’s Marc Ambinder on the 2008 edition of Senator John McCain that replaced the 2000 “Happy Warrior”. We don’t usually run an entire blog entry but we will this time:
If there’s one thing that worries Republican strategists more than the polls today, even more than the listlessness of the Republican Party, it is that Sen. McCain seems flustered, angry, inconsistent-in-tone, and his campaign seems angry and off-kilter. His refusal to look at Obama during last week’s debate was evident in just about every clip.
The press is starting to pick up the theme, and the stock response to this is: he has every right to be angry when the media is cheering for Obama and the Bush Administration messed everything up.
That’s true — and inadequate. It’s not working for the campaign.
They had a basic strategy: make the race about Obama. Well, the race is now about the economy. And, as predicted, there’s more curiosity about Sarah Palin than about Obama.
Compare this to Democratic strategists who worried that Obama wasn’t fighting back hard enough. Turns out that Obama didn’t need to — events took care of the problem.
If the race shifts back to national security… or if spending suddenly metastasizes into something more than an irritant, will McCain’s numbers improve?
Is it too late?
Perhaps. Al Gore tried so many personalities during his 2000 debates that he resembled a lizard shedding his skin. McCain will now face a far TOUGHER task:
His anger is now showing up in MANY SETTINGS. It isnot just a matter of the debate. McCain was angry and testy with the De Moines Register editorial board. Even WORSE, there are now many news and blog accounts of how when Obama extended his hand to McCain in the Senate yesterday, McCain could barely contain his ire enough to take it. We’ve run links to that story but here is one actual report from CQ Politics’ Beyond the Dome blog:
Let the record reflect that Barack Obama made the approach to John McCain tonight.
…So Obama crossed over into enemy territory.
He walked over to where McCain was chatting with Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Independent Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. And he stretched out his arm and offered his hand to McCain.
McCain shook it, but with a “go away” look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama. Finally, with a tight smile, McCain managed a greeting: “Good to see you.”
Obama got the message. He shook hands with Martinez and Lieberman — both of whom greeted him more warmly — and quickly beat a retreat back to the Democratic side.
Why should this all matter to Republicans and non-Republicans?
1. It’s clear by the action of the House Republicans that they are not inclined to just listen to McCain. Unless McCain wins by a landslide, he will have to persuade them to go along with him on policies. And they will likely oppose him on some policies. Do all of these incidents suggest someone who is going to be able to work well with those who oppose him on policies?
2. Many Americans — particularly independent voters — have yearned for a post-Bush administration that doesn’t disdain, dismiss or demonize those who disagree with them or oppose them. Does McCain’s behavior now in these THREE settings (in front of a newspaper editorial board, at a debate, and in the Senate) suggest he’s the person who will bring the country together and try to decrease political polarization?
3. Did McCain’s behavior in the Senate show someone who can reach across the aisle? Or someone who if he is opposed and meets people who stand in the way of his goals will begrudgingly reach across the aisle with gritted teeth?
Since when have we had a Presidential candidate in the United States who will barely even LOOK at his opponent??
And what kind of four years will the country be in for if it has as President someone who can’t who employ the typical skills of a politician in his interactions on the air, under questioning by journalists and in the more private setting of the Senate chamber?
See my earlier post HERE. And yes, I DID enthusiastically vote for John McCain in the 2000 California Republican primary.
UPDATE: Great Minds Think Alike Dept. From MSNBC’s First Read:
Two recent moments might generate more chatter about McCain’s temperament. One was the “chilly” reception Obama received from McCain on the Senate floor last night. It was noticeable enough for a few media outlets to pick it up. But the second one was completely avoidable, and that was McCain’s Tuesday meeting with the Des Moines Register editorial board, the video of which made the rounds yesterday. The back-and-forth between McCain and the liberal newspaper board was reminiscent of his stint on “The View” — without the sense of humor. Combined with his decision not to acknowledge Obama much in the first debate, the three moments collectively don’t paint the most gracious candidate. We’ve said before that we think McCain can help himself by channeling voter anger, but he can’t be overly cold either.blockquote>
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.