Did John McCain "throw" the election?

[Kananga]

November 07, 2008
Did John McCain want to win?
Ethel C. Fenig
There are many who feel that John McCain's straight talk express rambled and meandered in the latter part of his president seeking journey, derailing shortly after the surprising nomination of Alaska's Governor Sarah Palin.

Toward the end McCain's campaign just seemed unfocused, McCain himself seemed to lack the passion of a person who really wanted the presidency. He seemed reluctant to exploit Obama's real vulnerabilities.   Why?  Sure, some of this could be blamed on an incompetent staff but he was the head of that staff.   

Lisa Schiffren at National Review Online  speculates publicly  what many people thought privately--being a decent and principled man he too was caught up in the seemingly historic moment that Obama's candidacy represented and in some way, actually wanted him to win.   


The Fox News reporter who had covered the campaign, whose name escapes me, reported, forthrightly, that some McCain aides had felt for a while that their candidate had had a deep reluctance to impede the election of the nation's first African American president. That he had, perhaps, pulled punches and failed to strike as hard as necessary to win this thing, for that greater good. The report was infuriating, since more depended on the election than changing the race dynamic - which, it must be said, has been changed for some time, and did not require this particular symbol to validate it. To be sure, McCain must have known that his campaign was losing - and did not want to swing blindly. And maybe he didn't like being called "erratic," "desperate", and a "racist" every time the inconvenient facts of Barack Obama's short past came up for discussion.

But all Republicans who watched their candidate these past few months, must have been struck, as I have been, by the sense that he was holding back. I wondered, too often, how it could be that no one at the campaign could frame and muster the arguments that were clear to all conservative writers here and at the other publications and blogs that share our view. When the arguments were made, they were too little, too late, and garbled enough to drain their force. The campaign had it's (very serious) flaws, but it seems that the reluctance to aim and shoot cleanly, was due to the candidate's internal conflict here. Contrast that with the campaign style of the Vice Presidential candidate, who seemed quite interested in winning, and was willing to call things by name to make the case against the opposition

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/11/did_john_mccain_want_to_win.html

[Sparky]

I really don't believe McCain "threw" the election.  It's sounds like yet another stupid conspiracy theory. 

[Scriabin]

That's what South Park said.

[דוד בן זאב אריה]

I think he did because if he wanted to win he wouldn't have run such an attack free October

[MasterWolf1]

I don't think he wanted to lose, he didn't want this on his resume, the media selected who they wanted 2 years ago.  Look what McCain was up against,  media, hollywood the communist regime in this country.  I mean this whitehouse was not elected it was bought

[SavetheWest]

This was the greatest political miscalculation in history.  Only a few people realized Obama could win with the media behind him when he announced his candidacy. They should have investigated him more when he was just a senator.  JTF alerted us to him when he was running for the Senate.  The Republicans, if they had good judgement and understood how immoral and stupid much of America has become, should have fed the Clintons information about him early.  The Clintons also underestimated him as well. 

[jaime]

McCain disgusts me.  he acted like he could care less if we, the people, got saddled with an anti-semite terrorist for our president.  don't forget the times he welcomed it.  here is an example: "don't be afraid of Mr. Obama as your president. i know him.  he is a family man. now, no, no."  his own supporters booed him.  the list of his infractions is too long to recite.  to advise Fox News to allow twit Curt Cameron to blame Sarah Palin and say she is a "diva," and other disparaging remarks, is despicable.  he is downright stupid for appearing on SNL and The View where he is despised giving fuel to the newspapers, internet bloggers and other media outlets to recirculate this bad press till the end.  to find out he donated $500K to Khalidi shows he is a terrorist sympathizer and this now explains his reluctance to say anything negative, which needed to be said, about Obama's associations.  i can't imagine Huck or Rudy taking this kind of abuse from an opponent and allowing this to happen to our country.  nobody wants to hear from him again.  he needs to just go away and shut up.  he's dying to work with Obama.

[RanterMaximus]

Does a bear crap in the woods?  Yes, yes, yes!  I am sorry to say this.

[Muck DeFuslims]

No, I don't believe he intentionally lost.

However, just the fact that this is even being speculated is an indictment against the uninspired, horribly strategized, politically correct campaign he ran.

McCain's refusal to hammer Osama on Wright, Ayers, Rezko et al is baffling.

McCain had an obligation to the American people to expose Osama. He failed to do so and this was a definite factor contributing to his defeat.

The refusal to make Osama's associations with dirtbags like Wright and Ayers a central issue of the campaign was so horrendous that it's understandable why people think he intentionally threw the election.

[jaime]

getting back to the media, i had the unfortunate experience of not being able to change the channel fast enough.  i have a remote control that is a foot long and every time i use it, it takes 5 mins. to remember how it works.  i am following a true crime story that has nothing to do with Obama and McCain.  it was live t.v. and not on my own programming list that i chose what i want to watch.  the terrible show i had to listen to for around 5 mins. was Headline News's Showbiz Tonight    the Obamas are now called Bamolot   in comparison to Camelot.  I had to listen to the tongue tied, overly excited ramblings of idiot celebs and commentary by the reporters who cover this garbage.  "Everyone wants to look like Michelle Obama.  Everyone wants to dress like her.  She is like Jackie O.  Everyone wants to know where she gets her dresses.  They are raising a young family in the White House.  They are getting a new dog.  We'll have a White House dog.  They are such a stunning couple.  The days of Camelot are back."  That's just a sampling of idiotic rambling on Show Biz Tonight and what the twisted celebs are saying.  Isn't it just a thrill to have the Obamas in the White House.  I can hardly contain myself.    

[jaime]

No, I don't believe he intentionally lost.

However, just the fact that this is even being speculated is an indictment against the uninspired, horribly strategized, politically correct campaign he ran.

McCain's refusal to hammer Osama on Wright, Ayers, Rezko et al is baffling.

McCain had an obligation to the American people to expose Osama. He failed to do so and this was a definite factor contributing to his defeat.

The refusal to make Osama's associations with dirtbags like Wright and Ayers a central issue of the campaign was so horrendous that it's understandable why people think he intentionally threw the election.

because he was scared.  just what we need in a president.  his political correctness is nauseating.  the country just didn't want him.  they'd rather have a black president.  doesn't matter that he is a terrorist and is dishonest.  he's probably plotting right now with his pals some horrible event.  he is out of his mind.  he's going to pull people out of retirement to "contribute" whatever that means.  i heard some crazy speech on Rush Limbaugh's show.  Rush doesn't know what he means by that.  He's going to drag everyone into his presidency.  i don't want anything to do with his candicy.  i want my gun and to be left alone.

[Cyberella]

.
McCain lost this campaign because he refused to fight Obama and his lies, and dirty tactics such as ACORN voter fraud. He just accepted the abuse heaped upon him- and expecially Sarah Palin.
He made anemic attempts to fight back within the last few weeks.
Too little, too late.

He should have been hitting Obama back hard months ago.
He needed to get out there every day and FIGHT BACK.
He needed to forget about bipartisian BS, PC and 'conducting a respectful campaign.'

Respectful campaigning should went straight out the window with ugly, brutal remarks such as ;
‘lipstick on a pig’ and ‘You can wrap AN OLD FISH in a piece of paper called change. It’s still going to stink after eight years.’
He should have taken off the gloves and hit the Marxist/Muslim hard with Ayers, Acorn, Violation of Logan Act, abortion, 2nd admendment, Campaigning for Odinga!!
He should have gotten off the economy. He should have just stated that Obama/Democrats/ACORN whatever caused this meltdown, stated that he had issued a warning years before, state his solution and get off it.
Obama counted on keeping this going to take the spotlight off his sordid past and dirty dealings- and it worked.
Instead, he tells the American voter, 'Senator Obama is a decent man whom you need not fear'.
That sealed the deal.

I think the MSM knew this would happen. They knew McCain would be crippled by PC. They knew he wouldn't expose Obama. They knew he wanted to go down in history as an 'honorable man'- and 'honorble loser'. That's why they shoved him down the Republican's throat as the candidate to go with.

But you know, this whole campaign is so bizarre, so surreal when you think about all the elements.
I can see where conspiracy theories come from- especially when you think about the talk about the 'new world order' conspiracy.



This election was stolen by a Muslim/Marxist who had the power of millions of dollars worth of illegal campaign funds, the most powerful black radical racists, Muslim terrorists and America haters on the globe behind him.

He won’t bask in the glory of his victory in peace. We intend to go after him:
http://www.freedommarch.org/

.

[mord]

His political advisors were not competent so yes in a way he threw the election

[jaime]

mord, what infuriates me is that he is an old man with zillions of dollars.  he can go hibernate at one of his 8 houses.  big deal, he let the American people down.  we were counting on the POS to save us from communism.  how dare him blame Sarah Palin for his defeat.  that little rat from Fox, Curt Cameron, is trashing her, "well, she was in a bathrobe.  we were appalled."  i'm going to stop here because i can't speak without swearing now which isn't nice.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Yes, I believe he lost on purpose.

It wasn't just his insane decision not to attack Obama on his very real racist/extremist associations (even when Obama made his character attacks first, i.e. bringing up the Keating Five nonsense), but everything combined, that has led me to think this.

1: In all of his debates, especially the first two, McCain appeared positively lost, clueless, and almost senile.

2: He refused to defend his running mate against all of the absurd attacks being made against her.

3: His ridiculous behavior in the last month and a half (suspending his campaign to "work on" the bailout, threatening not to attend the debate, etc.) was beyond the pale.

4: He went on and on and on in all his rallies in the last month and a half about what a decent, honorable, noble American Obama was and what a good president he would make. He also told the top RNC donors this behind closed doors.

5: He ran an ad praising and congratulating Obama's nomination during his acceptance at the Democratic convention this summer.

6: He never had any identity, any issues of substance, or any platform for how he would run the country whatsoever, not counting his stupid healthcare-credits plan (that would actually TAX peoples' healthcare benefits).

I think it is pretty undeniable at this stage.

[zachor_ve_kavod]

I don't think he lost the election on purpose, but on the other hand, I'm sure that there are a lot of republicans who are breathing a sigh of relief that he lost.  McCain would have been a very weak president at a very difficult time.  It is possible that McCain would have destroyed the republican party.

[SavetheWest]

I don't think he lost the election on purpose, but on the other hand, I'm sure that there are a lot of republicans who are breathing a sigh of relief that he lost.  McCain would have been a very weak president at a very difficult time.  It is possible that McCain would have destroyed the republican party.

That's a really good point!

[SerbChicago]

Big time!He gave better speech when he lost then any on his campaign trips.We all know questions like "When you gona get angry McCain?!" but i guess he never did.

[Christian Zionist]

Why McCain Lost?
Michael Reagan.

Barack Obama is president-elect of the United States because the Republican Party and John McCain handed him the presidential election on a silver platter.

The Republican Party and the Bush White House walked away from Republican ideals, and they walked away from Republican values.

George Bush allowed the Republican Congress to overspend in the first six years of his administration without once using the veto pen, blindsided the conservative Republican members of Congress on many occasions, and walked away from the base of his party on immigration reform and other issues such as Medicare and No Child Left Behind.

He refused to sit down and break bread with the conservative members of his own party on Capitol Hill, yet believed that he could break bread with the liberal Democrats in Washington the way he did with the Democrats in Austin, Texas. And when he discovered it didn't work in Washington, it failed to stop him from trying and trying and trying over again what was obviously impossible.

Finally, the coup de grace was Dick Cheney's endorsement of John McCain in the waning days of the campaign, which gave Barack Obama the final nail to put in the coffin of McCain's campaign, which was striving mightily to distance him from the Bush administration.

Then there was McCain's campaign itself. It was the worst campaign since Bob Dole's on the Republican side, and the best campaign since Ronald Reagan’s on the Democrat side.

The McCain campaign was a campaign out of the 20th century, while the Democrats were running a campaign in the 21st century.

We need to understand that this was not a referendum on Reaganomics and Ronald Reagan. This was a referendum on George Bush, and Bush-ism, and Bush’s lack of leadership.

John McCain wouldn't stand up against the Democrats in Washington D.C. on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac scandals, against expanding government, a $700 billion bailout, and going against the traditional values of conservative Republicans.

The economic collapse was the Democrats’ fault. Yet John McCain never bothered going after them on that. He let the burglars walk away with the loot because those were his friends, and with George Bush failed to point the finger of blame at the people who caused the financial collapse that has plunged the nation into a certain recession. Bush had the bully pulpit but failed to use it, and the Democrats walked away scot-free.

Shockingly, John McCain failed to use the most potent weapon in his arsenal -- the culpability of Barack Obama and his friends in the wholesale looting of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that led to the current debacle. McCain had the goods, but wouldn't exploit them.

The McCain campaign made inadequate use of Gov. Sarah Palin, who had enormous crowd appeal. A lot of people voted for John McCain because of Sarah Palin. There were bigger crowds because of Sarah Palin. Yet some of the functionaries in the McCain campaign are trying to point the finger at her for McCain's defeat.

John McCain lost because of his lack of a clear message. He needed more than the fact that he is a maverick. His answer to the economic crisis was a $300 billion bailout for delinquent mortgagees. He was offering welfarism, while Barack Obama was offering socialism.

People laugh at me when I tell them the difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans take a week longer to embrace communism.

This was not a referendum on Ronald Reagan. As a matter of fact, my dad might well have voted for Barak Obama just based on what he was seeing his party doing.

Finally, I hope that when Barack Obama was making elaborate and extravagant promises about what he was going to do, he was flat-out lying.

I hope Barack Obama will not be what he has promised to be. I hope he doesn't have a civilian security force. I hope he doesn't raise my taxes. I hope he doesn't spread the wealth. I hope he doesn't raise taxes on corporate America. I hope he looks at nuclear power. I hope he allows us to drill. I hope that there will be no revival of the fairness doctrine.

[Gentile]

I really doubt he threw the election but he probably knew his chances were slim.  I think his age hurt him but I believe Bush hurt him most.  Sad thing is, a lot of people were afraid of riots if Obama lost.  So, who knows for sure the vote count was accurate?  It seemed a lot this election was based simply on race and gender.

I think Obama will find out you don't just step in and fix everything to your liking--there's usually some friction between the executive and legislative branches, plus the Dems are still somewhat divided I'd say.

Clinton & Palin in 2012?

[jaime]

I don't think he lost the election on purpose, but on the other hand, I'm sure that there are a lot of republicans who are breathing a sigh of relief that he lost.  McCain would have been a very weak president at a very difficult time.  It is possible that McCain would have destroyed the republican party.

hi zach,

he's a bad seed and we are lucky to be rid of him.  he should be kicked out of the republican party.  he is a democrat.  i will provide a link so you can see some of his voting record.  the bashing of Gov. Palin is "coming from outside of the campaign," is what is coming from McCain's office.  they are lying because hateful remarks are made every day.  why report them at all?  McCain could easily contact Fox News and tell them to lay off Gov. Palin.  instead, we are hearing ridiculous comments about Gov. Palin, further embarrassing the republicans and is distracting from more important issues facing our party.  he is weak, and could or would not debate Obama properly because he has skeletons in his closet.  if you contribute $500,000 to Khalidi, how can you attack Obama for his associations and furthermore, McCain likes Obama, and was afraid of appearing racist, is too politically correct and etiquetted his way out of the candicy.  he is a hypocrite.  here is a link on his voting record.  there are more, but this is the first one i have read so far:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjUzOGY0ODA1YzBmNjFhOWE5NWU0OTY5NTZiOGNhOGQ=