 Patrick and Matt report that the guys in the McCain Campaign are delightedly peddling their recent discovery of the “overplayed ‘McCain is dead’ meme.” Since I’ve juiced that meme for more mileage than just about any writer extant, I figure I should weigh in with a few piquant observations:
1) WHO CARES ABOUT MEDIA MEMES? If media memes were worth a bucket of warm spit, the band would strike up “Hail to the Chief” every time John Kerry enters the room. Media memes are especially irrelevant to people who are following the presidential race at this early date. Such high-end news gatherers choose to get their news directly, and don’t welcome the role of the mainstream media as an event-explaining interlocutor. Every mainstream media explanation comes laden with memes. Who needs them? Regardless, the media and their memes stopped being relevant shortly after Al Gore invented this wonderful thing we call the internet.
2) THE MEDIA STILL LOVES McCAIN. After the last debate, the mainstream media couldn’t stop gushing over how brilliantly John McCain performed. Most viewers tended to differ, thinking his hostile use of the normally warm salutation “My friends” was particularly odd. For what it’s worth, I was with the CNN posse; I thought McCain did well. Nevertheless, I see no evidence that the media has misplaced its fondness for its favorite maverick.
3) AT THE START OF THE RACE, McCAIN HAD FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS. The man had spent the past six years shoving sticks into the Republican base’s collective eye. As further proof about the worthlessness of media memes, there was a big media meme several months ago that John McCain was the frontrunner for the GOP nomination even though he trailed Rudy Giuliani by a healthy margin ever since they started doing polls. For anyone who knew the grassroots, McCain’s conduct the past six years called into doubt his viability.
4) IMMIGRATION IS A REAL KILLER. There are ten Republicans seeking the GOP nomination, or nine Republicans and a cuckoo for Cocoa-Puffs libertarian. All the other candidates detest Senator McCain’s immigration bill. That reflects roughly the percentages seen in the GOP rank-and-file. 89% of the Republican Party opposes it, and this is an issue on which the party is passionate. What we have here is a fundamental problem for the McCain campaign. He cannot get right with the base on this critical issue. If he had been running strong before the immigration bill began dominating the headlines, it still would have doomed his campaign. The fact that he was treading water before then means the denouement is closer than might otherwise be the case.
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