Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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McCain's Campaign to Appease The Left
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Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
9:00 AM
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It's almost as if John McCain's campaign simply decided they will not allow anyone to cause McCain one minute's trouble. ... Say something about Obama's middle name -- sayonara. Twitter a YouTube clip about Rev. Wright -- you're gone. Be a lobbyist at a time when that's a liability -- adios!
By quickly dispensing of any unwanted baggage, McCain's campaign hopes to frustrate Obama's ability to attack him.
... Of course, this strategy isn't all that different from Bill Clinton's triangulation. In both cases, the principal frustrates his opponents by making unorthodox moves. While triangulation seeks to co-opt opponents' ideas, McCainulation seeks to root-out -- like a cancer -- any potential internal weakness -- before they can be exploited by your opponent.
This strategy is not without its downside, however. Winston Churchill famously said appeasement was, "like feeding a crocodile and hoping it would eat you last." In a sense, though, that's ironically what McCain is doing when his campaign throws supporters off the boat to the crocodiles.
The problem with appeasement, of course, is that it doesn't appease -- it actually emboldens your opponents and rewards them for their aggression.
In the instance of McCain's new rules regarding lobbyists on his campaign, McCain is finding out that he has not, in fact, pacified his opponents by introducing these new "rules" about lobbyists. Instead, he has opened the door to a slew of new problems.
It has been observed that liberals actually fight their domestic conservative opponents much harder than they fight the totalitarian regimes who wish to vanquish us. Likewise, it could be said that conservatives -- who brazenly fight totalitarian regimes -- become domestic doves when it comes to confronting liberals. This is especially true of McCain. But the question remains: If appeasement doesn't work for, say, Iran, why should we expect it to work when dealing with the Leftists?
There's also the issue of loyalty. It's hard to inspire supporters and staffers to sacrifice for you when they realize you won't stand up for them. That's not to say that there is never a time to cut someone loose. Obviously, there are occasions when advisers and staffers simply must be let go. It just seems that, for McCain's campaign, that has become the default position.
In 1976, after it became clear that moderate Pennsylvania Senator Richard Schweiker (Ronald Reagan's running mate that year) had become a liability -- Reagan turned down Schweiker's offer to remove himself from the ticket, saying: "No, Dick. We came to Kansas City together and we're going to leave together."
Based on what we've seen so far on the campaign trail, one has a hard time imagining McCain would make the same decision.
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Conservatives under the bus - Matt was silent.
BUT NOW- McCain let in the LEFTY Bloggers!!! There by undercutting our guy Matt.
Under the bus with the Conservatives- Bites, don't it, Matt. |
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like to hear it? here it goes:
You walked over the Party
Like you were walking onto a Yacht
Your finger strategically placed up high
Keating almost got you caught
You had one eye in the mirror as
You watched yourself go by
And all the Libs dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner and
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
Don't you? Don't you?
You had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
And then you lost the 2000 election year
But you said you would never leave
Now you're trashing all the things I love
You push for amnesty
All the cons dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
Don't you? Don't you?
All of our dreams they were just clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
Don't you? Don't you?
Well, I hear you teamed up with Russ Feingold
And your bill naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet to Hyannisport
To get Teddy's advice how to run
Well, you're blocking judges all the time
And when you're not, you start
to suck up to some Media Guy or the Dem/libs
Yeah all those Dem/libs and,
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
You're so McCain
I bet you think this country's about you
Don't you? Don't you?
song originally by Carly Simon |
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Thanks for the official campaign song ScarletP!! |
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I got a good laugh out of that.
Who is making these rules anyway? Is McCain letting Obama dictate the rules of the game? That is a big mistake. Don't be spineless and stand up for yourself. If this is how McCain is going to run his campaign he is in a lot of trouble. If he does things to appease Obama then then he needs to call for Obama to do the same. Don't let him call the shots. |
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McCain is betting that the number of Squashed Possums who will vote for him is higher than the number of Stupid Party members and cons that he rids himself of.
The Great Exasperator is showing the way for other Stupid Party members to abandon any sense of traditional Repub party principles for the short-term gain of power. Every man for himself is now the strategy. |
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You know so little that you're not even wrong. |
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"I'd say that this column is utter nonsense." Why are you still here? |
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Matt Lewis wrote;
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"It has been observed that liberals actually fight their domestic conservative opponents much harder than they fight the totalitarian regimes who wish to vanquish us. Likewise, it could be said that conservatives -- who brazenly fight totalitarian regimes -- become domestic doves when it comes to confronting liberals."
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Spot on.
Great observation, Matt. |
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McCain is NOT a conservative, he's a party unto himself. Were he not cursed with being from AZ, he would have been a Democrat a long time ago. |
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The paragraph highlighted in one hot minute's and the reaction iterates my feelings as well.
I wish conservatives/Republicans would fight the leftists in this country who want to bring down America with the same vigor that they fight leftists outside the country who want to destroy America.
Re-defeat communism! |
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When I heard McCain's Hispanic Outreach guy was none other than Smiling Juan Hernandez, I knew John McCain has heard nothing we have had to say.
Smiling Juan Hernadez
We know who he is, we know his loyalties are to Mexico, we know he wants to erase our borders and immigration laws.
JOHN MCCAIN, YOU NEED A NEW HEARING AID
Smiling Juan Hernandez
In case you don't know him, he used to work for the Mexican govt., lately he has been shilling for "rights" for illegal aliens in this country. He has said he wants Mexicans to remain Mexicans even if they are living here. His loyalties are to Mexico, not U.S.
McCain should dump him, but won't.
Stupid Party, indeed.
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Ah, still boring the capitalists with your Bolshevik bromides and agitprop. Excellent work, again, comrade. lol |
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for McCain to reach out to me, a conservative. He may simply incapable of reaching out to me since he is a liberal. That's fine. I don't have to vote for him. And I won't. |
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Diplomatic skills? No offense, but you are an idiot. |
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Juan Hernandez is hiding under your bed, and he's going to date you seeester... |
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I'm wondering the intelligence level of the people that are constantly use the term "illegal war." An illegal war wouldn't have been one authorized by congress. Grow up and improve your hate-Bush rhetoric! |
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to read your post! Matt Lewis could not get enough of stumping for McCain...no matter who or what posters told him. Maybe he will now get on the "dump McCain at the convention" bandwagon! |
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It looks to me like the whole GOP has decided to pander to the left.
Look who you're Nominating for President.
The GOP is now the Liberal-Lite Party.
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...and the best the GOP could come up with was John McCain.
We're Doomed.
- MuscleDaddy |
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