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BREAKING NEWS: John McCain Just Threw In The Towel.

It's time to concentrate on the Congressional races and get Palin to leave the ticket until 2012 when she can head it herself.

By: Martin Knight (Diary)  |  October 3rd, 2008 at 08:28 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

McCain campaign officials have apparently informed James Pethokoukis that John McCain, most likely after taking the advice of some of the many former Bush aides that have somehow managed to get themselves hired by his campaign, has decided to adopt the “New Tone” and go easy on the Democrats and the huge role they played in creating the financial crisis together with Fannie, Freddie and the CRA …

The following three reasons, a picture-perfect distillation of “New Tone” “Bipartisan” er … logic (i.e. see Bush’s poll numbers), are the reasons being given for this decision;

  1. It is a complicated argument, and McCain is not good at making complicated arguments …

  2. There is a racial component to criticism of the Community Reinvestment Act that can make it sound like you are scapegoating minorities for Wall Street’s problems.
  3. The campaign believes McCain’s time is better spent talking about taxes and energy and healthcare …

All incandescently stupid reasons – which leads me to suspect that not just Nicole Wallace, but also Dan Bartlett and even Scott McClellan may have been inexplicably given roles to play in the McCain campaign.

This may explain why, in response to Gwen Ifill’s very predictable question about how the financial crisis came about yesterday, Sarah Palin curiously barely mentioned the GSEs and made absolutely no mention of the Democrats’ role in shielding Fannie and Freddie from any oversight and regulation; she was being loyal and obeying orders.

If this is true, then it is obvious that John McCain has changed his mind about wanting to leave the Senate for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and is now preparing to return to his role as the Democrats’ best friend from across the aisle in Congress. What better way to start than by assisting his friends in avoiding any responsibility for their actions one month to election day?

My only question is why did he not pick someone with no future prospects to be his Vice-President if he had no intention of actually winning this thing? Why take Palin, instead of someone like Graham or Lieberman, down with him?

I urge everyone to please get in touch with the McCain/Palin campaign and the RNC and demand that this decision to let the Democrats off the hook be reversed – swamp their switch boards. Demand that ads on this should start being filmed and cut to be on air by Monday or McCain should drop Palin from the ticket in favor of Joe Lieberman so she can go back to governing her beautiful state of Alaska.

At least then, without a record of having been on a 40-10 losing ticket she’d be able to run again with Bobby Jindal, Jon Huntsman or Paul Ryan in 2012.

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COMMENTS

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  • mitch8888

    Problem is…will he listen to anyone calling in?

  • Dave_in_Fla

    He may not do it personally, but surrogates can make the case. Plus, there is plenty of video of Congress Dems acting like fools, without getting into the CRA.

    I’d take this with a grain of salt, campaigns don’t tell their strategies to journalists.

  • gamecock

    McCain has been running a GREAT ad blaming the dems for the Fannie crisis and quoting liberals as to his trying to prevent it on Tv since Monday, with Bill Clinton as the star witness blaming the dems. Now that the bill is passed (after Palin’s debate), he and Palin will speak of same on the trail.

    The main argument is against dems in congress and Obama voted present, so the matter is best dealt with in ads, not soundbites in debate.

    That you would declare defeat at this point with a Noah-ark length time period remaining says much more about you, that what you address.

    There is no justification for declaring defeat.

    None.

    You simply can’t be counted on to finish a job, can you?

    Gamecock is very disappointed in you, and shocked at your fickleness.

  • Pomme

    Got thrown off the campaign for less pessimism!

    :P

    Cheer up! Listen to Gamecock! Go see An American Carol!! And, please, please, please, stop channeling Kathleen Parker!

  • Jack_Savage

    “2. There is a racial component to criticism of the Community Reinvestment Act that can make it sound like you are scapegoating minorities for Wall Street’s problems.”

    I read that the demographics of the mortgage issue are Hispanics, Whites and Blacks, in that order. I think they are somewhat insulated from the racist charge.

  • PaRep

    Dave don’t you know that by now/sarcasm

  • Doc_Holliday

    We have to go with the Our team, it is the only choice, other options are over. We all can find problems with our team. I hate that I probably agree with the Barr/Root non campaign on more issues than I do with our own campaign. Of course the losing in Iraq and some other squirrely ideas make Barr/Root a non starter. Actually of the two, I prefer Root, who was not the isolationist he has to be now.

    I was dissapointed that Palin, the real conservative on the ticket decided to bash “greedy Wall Street”,hmm, how many times last night?

    Having said the above, of course I support McCain/Palin and we must win. We can focus on winning the presidency AND getting real libertarian/Constitution Conservatives elected to Congress. I do think if we do lose, it will be because the candidates move too close to the mushy center and Obama will win if that occurs.

    If we do lose, there will be a reckoning in our party. The Reagan credo of “governmnet is not the solution to our problems, government IS THE PROBLEM” will return like the Phoenix.

    It might be that we are a minority party for a while, but we will be a party with a soul again. I know there are many on the right who hope McCain loses so this revolution in the party can occur. I am not of that mind, losing never helps and the stakes are too high. We can win this thing and bring about a return to the true Republicanism of Reagan/Goldwater.

  • IJB

    This is exactly why so many of us did not support him in the primaries, and have been so unenthused with him ever since.

    So much for the “McCain is the only electable Republican this year” line…

  • hunter

    If you are, I want my money back.

  • c17wife

    I think we need to start flooding the RNC, NRSC, and NRCC.
    GIve them money, whatever we need.
    Oh, and Sarah Palin needs to get on camera, look directly to the American people and tell them like it is. In healthcare, the war, Drill baby Drill! and taxes. She was made for this.

  • Mundy

    I can’t stand that McCain won’t go after the dems on this. Fundamental Liberal Beliefs caused this crisis, and anybody who is really paying attention knows it. Why you would let Barney-Rubble and Nancy Pe-Loser off the hook is beyond me.

  • Martin_A_Knight

    But if what Pethokoukis is writing is true, then make no mistake, John McCain just indicated that he’s no longer willing to fight …

    Me? I also wrote this up there so we can reverse this;
    I urge everyone to please get in touch with the McCain/Palin campaign and the RNC and demand that this decision to let the Democrats off the hook be reversed – swamp their switch boards. Demand that ads on this should start being filmed and cut to be on air by Monday …

    McCain needs to be shouted off this ridiculous decision to go “bipartisan” one month out from Election Day. I’m not about to start cheerleading boneheadedness just because the bonehead happens to be the nominee.

  • wennejunk

    Palin bashing “greedy Wall Street” was fair – they were greedy.

    Yes, the regulations put them in a position to face punitive actions but they also stood to make a boatload of money (and they did).

    Had they stood on moral principle or even good fiscal policy, they would have fought this tooth and nail and escalated the issue in advertisements to the Nation and a whole lot more pressure on the Congress and POTUS.

    Instead, we got the opposite.

    So yeah, they were greedy.

    She also made time to gently poke America for not being smarter.

    I think Congress will soon pay some of the penalty for this too.

    Americans, Congress, Wall Street. All Greedy and stupid.

  • Joe_Cor

    I was worried when I heard he was getting advice from Bushies. That was a sign of doom.

  • bk

    We’re talking about a Republican, so it doesn’t matter what the facts are – it’s a KnownFact that his racism is a given.

    What’s annoying is that if McCain wants to play this greedy lender/poor victim borrower game, he might as well try to turn the victimhood around and say it makes him sick that the Dems enabled the greedy lenders to take advantage of the poor and minorities in such a way.

  • Martin_A_Knight

    … let’s be honest – and I’ve said this before – you’re sharp, insightful and a major asset to RS, but you’re way too much of a Pollyanna.

    You were wrong in 2006. You were the most consistent repeater of the “Ignore the Polls! Forget Ads! The Polls Are All Wrong! The Only Poll That Counts Is On Election Day! Forget Ads! We’re Gonna Win, Guaranteed! Turn Out! Turn Out!! Turn Out!!!” canard that swamped the almost the entirety of the Right on line.

    And we all ended up looking like fools.

    We haven’t lost. Not by a long shot. At least not yet. But uncritical boosterism of McCain, even when he’s making the one of the most boneheaded decisions imaginable (to go “bipartisan” one month to election day when he’s behind in the polls) instead of flooding his offices in the Senate and the Campaign to get him to pick up the sword, is not going to help.

  • Martin_A_Knight

    McCain can win if he fights. Why is he choosing not to? Why are you all so sanguine about it?

  • gamecock

    was a rare year six greivance election in which the GOP actually did historically well for the incumbant party in terms of the number of house seats lost in such a year six election.

    No way McCain is giving up. I guess your friend missed the ad that was released Monday starring Bill Clinton and the NYT blaming dems for fannie crisis and praising McCain for presience.

    That McCain has waited till the bill passed to go partisan out of his mouth is the only issue and his asst campaign manager was on Hewitt this week promising that they will make this a big issue.

    Reagan was called worse than pollyanna. I take that jab as badge of honor!

    smile

    luv ya bro

  • gamecock

    But when Fannie says you must disprove the presumption you are a racist, and btw, we will insulate you from bad loan losses, it is not greed endemic in all humans that caused the problem. It was bad government policy.

  • Martin_A_Knight

    No way McCain is giving up. I guess your friend missed the ad that was released Monday starring Bill Clinton and the NYT blaming dems for fannie crisis and praising McCain for prescience.

    I’ve seen the ad; a milquetoast rap on the knuckles when a roundhouse kick is what is necessary. Couple that with “What a week” ad, it adds up to McCain letting the Democrats off the hook.

    … [McCain's] asst campaign manager was on Hewitt this week promising that they will make this a big issue.

    Let’s hope that’s the true story rather than what Pethokoukis is reporting on his blog. If this “Bipartisan” nonsense continues on beyond Tuesday, McCain has indeed thrown in the towel.

  • Achance

    Waaay cool airplane! For some reason, one of the Elmendorf C-17s stopped off in Juneau yesterday. It kinda dwarfs the little ANG helicopter hanger and pad at Juneau Airport so they had to park it out on the taxiway. I was coming home from Home Depot and saw this giant tail stick up so I went over and took a look. I know some of the guys – my wife used to pay their bills, so they let me in to get close up.

  • c17wife

    it tremendously.
    We have a couple of friends at Elmendorf flying it and loading trash in the back. Quite a coup for Stevens and Young to get them located in AK.

    On another note, I’m ready for your moosehunter to go postal on Barack. Sounds like she is revving up!

  • gamecock

    are coming in that Palin has been unleashed big time. Pilgrim is getting the links.

  • gamecock

    http://minx.cc/?post=274874

  • Doc_Holliday

    we were trying to win. Rush, Hannity, et al were saying the same thing, trying to get Repubs fired up. I guess when coach tells his team to forget the score and keep fighting in a losing effort, he too “looks like a fool”.

    We are partisans, not odds makers here.

  • Doc_Holliday

    nt

  • gamecock

    5