McCain's horse losing steam: What happened to media's darling? (For background, see previous blog entitled The GOP (Part 1)
As U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, tries to fend off the dark horses in the GOP presidential run for the roses, his campaign is imploding. Among many others, his chief fundraiser and communications director have resigned, hoping to go to greener pastures. literally. McCain's campaign is out of green cash. His Straight Talk Express is running out of gas (and gas money). What happened to this tough talking media savvy Vietnam veteran?
McCain's recent birthday bash was quite telling. The invited guests were members of the elite media. These were his darling constituents, broadcasting his every move--in a positive way. He was the Bush basher, the Republican maverick, the conservative who attacked conservatives and conservatism. He has had the backing of Indepedents nationally, particularly in New Hampshire, the first primary state. He had the cash and the best political operatives that money can buy.
McCain had the backing of the Republican establishment in South Carolina, the home of the first Southern primary. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, advanced his issues, including immigration. McCain's run for the roses always had an Archilles heel, or a loose horse shoe. That shoe is now falling off.
The Republican and conservatives leaders that he had distanced, sometimes attacked, are the ones who directly vote or influence major groups to vote, not the members of the elite media. Polls are now showing that his strategy has backfired.
Republicans and conservatives, the voting constituency, are not giving money and not acceding to his candidancy during state and national poll surveys. His initiatives, including the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform, his attack on President Bush's intelligence strategy, including the torture issue, his playing both sides of the abortion debate, along with pushing for the guest worker/immigration bill has caught up with him. Even his support for the War on Iraq has angered his media constitutency.
Perhaps, most of all, his media constitutency has embraced their natural allies--left leaning, egalitarian candidates U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL and Hilary Clinton, D-NY. McCain is back in New Hampshire to pick up the pieces, starting with the many Independent voters in the state.
In my home state of South Carolina, where McCain has nurtured the Republican party for over eight years, his efforts are not bearing fruit. The fruit is becoming stale, perhaps due to the conservative leaning of this state. His moderate, independent, and insurgency campaign is growing sour in this must-win state.
What about the other candidates, including former mayor Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and likely candidacy of former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-TN? Will it be McCain at the Republican finish line or one of these other candidates? Catch me next time as I talk about these candidates and the other dark horse candidates in the Presidential Run for the Roses.
What do you think?
(For background, please see previous blog entitled Presidential Run for the Rose: GOP (Part 1)
1 comment:
For South Carolina to set the conservative perspective for the south as a whole, compromise will need to be made.
From the "Maverick" McCain to the inexperienced Thompson, GOP primary voters have hard decisions to make -- not to mention deciding where to compromise. None of the candidates represents the views a large group of conservative voters would like to see supported.
Who knows which candidate they will choose?
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