McCain and Palin split?

[a_unique_person]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24484966-26397,00.html

WITH his electoral prospects fading by the day, John McCain has fallen out with his vice-presidential running mate about the direction of his White House campaign.
Senator McCain has become alarmed about the fury unleashed by Sarah Palin against Barack Obama. Cries of "terrorist" and "kill him" have accompanied the Alaska Governor's tirades against the Democratic nominee at Republican rallies.
Mark Salter, Senator McCain's long-serving chief of staff, is understood to have told campaign insiders that he would prefer his boss to suffer an "honourable defeat" than conduct a campaign that was out of character - and likely to lose him the election.
Ms Palin, 44, has led the character attacks on Senator Obama in the belief that Senator McCain is throwing away the election and her chance of becoming vice-president. Her supporters say that if the Republican ticket loses on November 4, she should run for president in 2012.
A leading Republican consultant said: "A lot of conservatives are grumbling about what a poor job McCain is doing. They are rolling their eyes and saying, 'Yes, a miracle could happen, but at this rate it is all over'. Sarah Palin is no fool. She sees the same thing and wants to salvage what she can."
Senator McCain, 72, has encouraged voters to contrast his character with Senator Obama's. But he now believes the attacks have spun out of control. At a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota, the Arizona senator became visibly angry when he was booed for calling Senator Obama "a decent person". He took the microphone from an elderly woman who said she disliked Senator Obama because he was "Arab", saying, "No ma'am, no ma'am".
When another questioner demanded that he tell the truth about Senator Obama, he said: "I want everybody to be respectful and let's be sure we are."
...A spokesman for Senator McCain denied he and Ms Palin had fallen out over her aggressive attacks. "Vice-presidential candidates are typically the tip of the spear and further out in front than the candidate for president. This is pretty standard fare," he said.
Ms Palin remains far more popular than Senator McCain with the Republican Party base. He regularly has to endure the spectacle of members of the audience leaving for their cars when it is his turn to speak at joint rallies.

Palin is more popular with the party base than McCain? I think he must regret his advisor's choice of VP now.

 

[leftysergeant]

Palin should have paid better attention to the televised debates, and especially to the reactions of the focus group of undecideds. When McCain went on the personal attack against Obama, he cratered.

What does that tell you, Ms Nasty?

Palin aint the sharpest tool in the shed.

Do you smell rotting albatross?

 

[Damien Evans]

Palin should have paid better attention to the televised debates, and especially to the reactions of the focus group of undecideds. When McCain went on the personal attack against Obama, he cratered.

What does that tell you, Ms Nasty?

Palin aint the sharpest tool in the shed.

Do you smell rotting albatross?

Yes, does it have a flavour?

 

[Puppycow]

Sarah Palin Tones it Down a Notch

ABC's Imtiyaz Delawala and Ron Claiborne report: Gov. Sarah Palin significantly ratcheted down the rhetoric in her Sunday evening at an outdoor rally in Rush Run Park in St. Clairsville, OH. Unlike rallies earlier in the week that at times whipped up the crowd to a frenzied state, she made no mention of Sen. Barack Obama’s connection to former anti-war radical William Ayers, and used nearly-apologetic language when making criticisms of the Democratic presidential nominee.

The harshest words from the Republican runningmate came when she discussed Obama’s abortion positions, which she also spoke about at Saturday's rally in Johnstown, PA. But her comments on Sunday were far more gentle, couched in nearly-apologetic language.

“It's not negative and it's not mean-spirited in a campaign for me to ask you to check out our opponent's record, and I would ask you to check out our opponent's record on a couple of the legislative opportunities that Barack Obama has had to reflect his feelings on the same issue that I just talked about,” Palin said. “I'm not being negative, not mean-spirited, but please check out his record on partial birth abortion and on the Child Born-Alive Act, and I'll let you judge for yourself.” The crowd booed at her mention of the controversial abortion procedure called 'partial birth abortion' by some opponents, but Palin did not follow the crowd's mood.

While Palin cited the anger felt by many of her supporters -- as expressed by the crowds at two separate town meetings earlier in the week -- Palin attempted to turn it into a positive message on Republican nominee John McCain reforming Washington. She did not turn that anger at the Democratic nominee, who is leading the race according to a recent ABCNews/Washington Post poll.

I think McCain must have told Palin to tone it down too.

 

[Tricky]

While there may be some truth in this report, I find it unlikely that McCain and Palin have "fallen out". Almost from the very beginning, it was quite clear that McCain tapped Palin specifically for the purposes of being his pit bull (with lipstick). He wanted her to do the hard core attack stuff, expecting that she would be insulated because she was an attractive female, while he sat back and looked presidential. Perhaps he now sees that this was a losing strategy. Perhaps he now realizes that many Americans can look past the (arguably) attractive features of a Michelle Malkin or Ann Coulter and see the hate contained within. But I seriously doubt that he blames Palin for doing exactly what he asked her to do.

And I seriously doubt if Palin is going to make much mileage on this either. The loud but not numerous right-wing Republicans who are urging her and McCain to step up the attack and become even more vicious, are forgetting that McCain won the nomination because America is starting to reject right-wing and bible-thumping politicians. Republicans are moving toward the middle, and John McCain is evidence of that move. If Palin is thinking she is the new voice of the Republican Party, she might want to ask Huckabee and Romney about how wearing your religion on your sleeve plays with the new Republican electorate.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Almost from the very beginning, it was quite clear that McCain tapped Palin...

I pretty much lost whatever you wrote after that, my mind reeling and all.

 

[Pookster]

Sarah Palin Tones it Down a Notch



I think McCain must have told Palin to tone it down too.

The WaPo poll suggests the negativity is backfiring on McCain. Crowds whipped into a fury to the point they have been just isn't going to play well with independents. Way too much pitbull for anyone but extreme rightwingers to feel comfortable with.

 

[Puppycow]

The WaPo poll suggests the negativity is backfiring on McCain. Crowds whipped into a fury to the point they have been just isn't going to play well with independents. Way too much pitbull for anyone but extreme rightwingers to feel comfortable with.

Even a recent Fox News Poll found that more people saw the McCain campaign as negative than the Obama campaign. I expect they figured out that it wasn't going to work.

38. In general, do you think Barack Obama is running:
SCALE: 1. A positive campaign , focused on the issues (56%) 2. A negative campaign,
focused on attacks (21%) 3. (Mixed) (17%) 4. (Don’t know) (7%)

39. In general, do you think John McCain is running:
SCALE: 1. A positive campaign, focused on the issues (27%) 2. A negative campaign,
focused on attacks (51%) 3. (Mixed) (15%) 4. (Don’t know) (6%)

 

[Pookster]

Even a recent Fox News Poll found that more people saw the McCain campaign as negative than the Obama campaign. I expect they figured out that it wasn't going to work.

They wasted a week on it. Now they've got an image issue to overcome as well as try to at least appear to substantively address the issues surrounding the economy in a way that doesn't cost him any support he already has.

 

[leftysergeant]

Almost from the very beginning, it was quite clear that McCain tapped Palin specifically for the purposes of being his pit bull (with lipstick). He wanted her to do the hard core attack stuff, expecting that she would be insulated because she was an attractive female, while he sat back and looked presidential. Perhaps he now sees that this was a losing strategy.

The buzz on left-leaning news and commentary programs on the radio is that she was actually picked by William Kristol. McCain gave in because he knew that the extreme wing of the party would not have fallen in behind him without the support of ideologues like Kristol and the other former PNAC members. I am sure that McCain really wanted Liebermann. (Like like that whiny little turncoat has any coattails left!)

And I seriously doubt if Palin is going to make much mileage on this either. The loud but not numerous right-wing Republicans who are urging her and McCain to step up the attack and become even more vicious, are forgetting that McCain won the nomination because America is starting to reject right-wing and bible-thumping politicians.

McCain must not even listen to the Rushblob. The right-wing talking heads keep shrieking that americans will not elect an angry candidate. So what does Palin do? Stirs up the anger. Way to get with the program, ya ditz.

 

[plumjam]

Yes, does it have a flavour?

tastes like chicken

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

20 years from now, Palin will be the long forgotten answer to some trivia question.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

20 years from now, Palin will be the long forgotten answer to some trivia question.

How do you make an elephant float?

 

[dudalb]

They wasted a week on it. Now they've got an image issue to overcome as well as try to at least appear to substantively address the issues surrounding the economy in a way that doesn't cost him any support he already has.

In Chess terms. McCain just lost a very important Tempo in the past week.
BTW there are all kinds of rumors that McCain's first three choices for VP were vetoed by GOP higher ups.
I don't know if Bill Kristol is all that powerful in GOP Circles, but there is no doubt he seems besotted with Palin.
BTW I think the GOP and McCain were crazy not to nominate Milt Romney for Veep..
He could have pleased the Conservatives but not scare the moderates.

 

[Puppycow]

Fred Hiatt rebukes McCain for his negative campaign tactics.

What McCain Hasn't Tried

By Fred Hiatt
Monday, October 13, 2008; A21



John McCain likes Barack Obama. He admires and respects Obama. He believes Obama is "very impressive, he's thoughtful, he's centrist." Obama has "probably got a great future." He is "a very honest and fine person" -- "absolutely" qualified to be president.

How do we know McCain feels this way? Because he said so, in public comments ranging from 2005 to as recently as May. And as the McCain campaign grew uglier last week -- casting Obama as dangerous, dishonest and un-American -- it was tempting to imagine the campaign McCain might have waged if he had based it on the respect for his opponent, and for the process, that he had long professed.

Last week, for example, McCain was angrily promising to "name the names" of those who caused the nation's worst financial crisis in decades. He was blaming Obama and his "cronies," and the "corruption" that Obama had "abetted" in Washington. Meanwhile, almost as if there were no meltdown, his running mate remained stuck on attacking Obama for "palling around with terrorists."

But imagine if McCain had selected for his running mate not a partisan attack dog but someone with deep knowledge of the economy and a record of reaching across the aisle.

Imagine if McCain himself had decided to respond to this crisis as an American first, a candidate second. "Yes," he might have said, "Democrats contributed to our problems with their lobbyist-fueled defense of Fannie and Freddie. But let's not pretend that Alan Greenspan, Phil Gramm, George W. Bush -- and John McCain -- weren't part of this, too. Warren Buffett saw this coming, but not many of the rest of us did. Let's postpone the recriminations and work together to fix this thing."

Last week, McCain was asking darkly, "Who is the real Senator Obama?" Imagine, instead, if he had followed his own advice from the spring, when he repudiated a state party attack ad that he said "distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats." Imagine if he were challenging Obama on those policy differences.

 

[Whiplash]

20 years from now, Palin will be the long forgotten answer to some trivia question.

Just keep telling yourself that.

 

[Tricky]

Just keep telling yourself that.

Are you ready to make a friendly bet on the outcome of the election? I'll give you odds.

(Strictly friendly. Avatars at twenty paces.)

 

[SezMe]

From the OP quote:

Her supporters say that if the Republican ticket loses on November 4, she should run for president in 2012

No doubt, but I seriously question if anyone else is of such a mind. A number of solid Republicans have seen the train wreck that Palin is and won't soon forget. Sure the far right might like her, but after this election, the Republicans are going to be in reinvention mode and the far right is not going to be at the table. She's toast.

 

[Darth Rotor]

From the OP quote:

No doubt, but I seriously question if anyone else is of such a mind. A number of solid Republicans have seen the train wreck that Palin is and won't soon forget. Sure the far right might like her, but after this election, the Republicans are going to be in reinvention mode and the far right is not going to be at the table. She's toast.

Nah, she's a baked Alaska. *

As I noted a few weeks back, it looks from my angle that the GOP tossed McCain under the bus once he won the nom. All of what we have been seeing since is pure theater, for entertainment value at best. The did him Dole, they did.

DR

* = Note I did not say she was a bakecaca'd Alaskan, as I was sorely tempted to do . . .

 

[Tricky]

Nah, she's a baked Alaska. *

* = (Note I did not say she was a bakecaca'd Alaskan, as I was sorely tempted to do . . . )

You're disgusting. I like that in a man.