McCain's Victory Speech
Mary Katharine Ham noted that it dragged a bit.
True enough, but what was interesting was what it revealed about McCain's strategy going forward. He was clearly striving for "statemanlike" over partisan, and it strikes me that the speech was designed to try to show that he'd be a solid opponent for Barack Obama in the general election. In other words, he seemed to be trying to give the impression that Barack isn't the only guy who can seem idealistic, unity-minded and above the fray.
What will be interesting is whether any of McCain's statements going forward seem to acknowledge the reality that he's got a party base to unify, if he turns out to be the nominee. So far, he's acknowledged not a single mistake in the entire litany of conservative-offending legislation he's headlined, from McCain-Feingold campaign finance to McCain-Kennedy immigration "reform." But then again, that's the famous McCain sanctimony -- one of several reasons he's pretty well disliked by most of his Senate colleagues (at least on the GOP side). Just as anybody who's hated the Bush spending record shouldn't be thinking about supporting Huckabee, anyone who's ever criticized the President for his supposed rigidity and refusal to admit mistakes shouldn't even be giving a second thought to McCain.
Could McCain conceivably be thinking about trying simply to win the nomination without overtly appealing to traditional conservatives at all (aside from his admirable consistency on winning the war on terror), relying in large part on what he assumes would be their distaste for Clinton or Obama, and instead dashing straight to the independents who have long been considered his strength?
True enough, but what was interesting was what it revealed about McCain's strategy going forward. He was clearly striving for "statemanlike" over partisan, and it strikes me that the speech was designed to try to show that he'd be a solid opponent for Barack Obama in the general election. In other words, he seemed to be trying to give the impression that Barack isn't the only guy who can seem idealistic, unity-minded and above the fray.
What will be interesting is whether any of McCain's statements going forward seem to acknowledge the reality that he's got a party base to unify, if he turns out to be the nominee. So far, he's acknowledged not a single mistake in the entire litany of conservative-offending legislation he's headlined, from McCain-Feingold campaign finance to McCain-Kennedy immigration "reform." But then again, that's the famous McCain sanctimony -- one of several reasons he's pretty well disliked by most of his Senate colleagues (at least on the GOP side). Just as anybody who's hated the Bush spending record shouldn't be thinking about supporting Huckabee, anyone who's ever criticized the President for his supposed rigidity and refusal to admit mistakes shouldn't even be giving a second thought to McCain.
Could McCain conceivably be thinking about trying simply to win the nomination without overtly appealing to traditional conservatives at all (aside from his admirable consistency on winning the war on terror), relying in large part on what he assumes would be their distaste for Clinton or Obama, and instead dashing straight to the independents who have long been considered his strength?
posted by LadybugUSA at 7:20 PM
2 Comments:
Coyote here.
Every dog has his day.
McCain lacks the temperament to be President, which is also why he never rose to a leadership position in the Senate.
At some point in the race, he will crack.
Could McCain conceivably be thinking about trying simply to win the nomination without overtly appealing to traditional conservatives at all ...
It's how he lost the nomination back in 2000.
Apparently he's too egotistical to realize he has to win the Republican nomination first. And in most states, independents don't get to vote until the general election.
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