I was going to note that in Rovian politics, it doesn’t matter who won the debate. What matters is who wins the DEBATE about who won the debate. But John McCain made the point for me earlier in the day when the Wall Street Journal (as caught by Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post) ran his prepared ad prematurely:
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
McCain Wins Debate — Although the fate of tonight’s presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it — if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning…
Post-debate: Frank Luntz, of all people, let me know who’d won it, with his focus group on Faux Nooz. Most people thought that “suspending the campaign” was a political stunt and not serious. Then, as the more or less redneck guy in the baseball cap noted, McSame DIDN’T talk about the economy. (Just kept harping on ‘earmarks’). And the woman in the front nailed it down, who was surprised at “how old McCain looked.”
Much is being made of McNasty not making any eye contact whatsoever with Obama, and his nasty tone, which can’t help but hurt him, as a cranky white man debating a black man in Oxford, Mississippi.
But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.
This is the point that I think is being missed.
Back when I was debating in college, my coach, the brilliant James I. Luck, noted that we should always look for the contradiction in the opposition’s case, and tonight I realized that there is a glaring, massive contradiction that is slowly, but with great certainty, sinking McCain’s campaign, and which he seems utterly myopic on:
John McCain is a lousy organizer, and it showed throughout his ad hoc campaign. At the end, having fired all his original staff, and having carried on on a wing and a prayer, he won, but had no organization. So, he hired the BUSH organization: Goldfarb and campaign operations manager Steve Schmidt (not Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac lobbyist, Rick “This campaign is not about issues” Davis) are Bush apologists.
Now, the only chance in hell that McTheuselah has is to put as much daylight as possible between himself and Bush, except …
His staff, AND the RNC (built by Rove, inherited by McCain as his “organization”) are all in the tank for Bush. So: their chances of separating McCain from Bush?
Slim and none.
Consider that the “suspension” was seen as political and a White House arranged photo-op for McCain. And then consider that, no matter how hard they try to create separation between Bush and McCain, their unconscious tendency is to praise and glorify Bush, and you are left with this: The McCain campaign, without intending to, and even in contradiction to its intended thrust, is WELDING Bush and McCain together with every action and every press release FAR more effectively than anything that the Obama campaign can do.
They’re betraying themselves by serving dual masters.
That’s fundamental, and there is NOTHING that McCain can do about it before the election.
You can’t run AGAINST George W. Bush with a campaign staff that’s filled, top to bottom, with ideologues who think that the sun shines out of Bushie’s ass. Just not possible.
Now, one more little point. Huge breaking news today. The Right Wing pundits are openly breaking with Sarah Palin, and one called for her to step down today “for the good of the country.”
GOP concerned about Palin
By ALEXANDER BURNS & DAVID PAUL KUHN | 9/26/08 5:12 PM EDT
Politico.ComA growing number of Republicans are expressing concern about Sarah Palin’s uneven — and sometimes downright awkward — performances in her limited media appearances.
Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker, a former Palin supporter, says the vice presidential nominee should step aside. Kathryn Jean Lopez, writing for the conservative National Review, says “that’s not a crazy suggestion” and that “something’s gotta change.”
Tony Fabrizio, a GOP strategist, says Palin’s recent CBS appearance isn’t disqualifying but is certainly alarming. “You can’t continue to have interviews like that and not take on water.”
“I have not been blown away by the interviews from her, but at the same time, I haven’t come away from them thinking she doesn’t know s—t,” said Chris Lacivita, a GOP strategist. “But she ain’t Dick Cheney, nor Joe Biden and definitely not Hillary Clinton.”
But the McCain campaign still doesn’t get it …
There is no doubt that Palin retains a tremendous amount of support among rank-and-file Republicans. She draws huge crowds, continues to raise a lot of money for the McCain campaign, and state parties report she has sparked an uptick in the number of volunteers.
Asked about Palin’s performance in the CBS interview, a McCain official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity said: “She did fine. She’s a tremendous asset and a fantastic candidate.” [...]
Yeah, right. But then, McCain still believes that we should have won in Vietnam.
(You can lead an idiot to the library, but you can’t cure his cluelessness.)
Now, let’s all kick back and listen to the debate on who won the debate. I’m dying to find out who it was, finally.
Courage.
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UPDATE: The most fatuous, least surprising posting of all time has just gone up:
Michelle Malkin:
Who won? — I’m giving it to McCain — and you know I’m a tough grader on him.
Really? And we thought that the Kewpie Doll from Hell™ was in the tank for Obama. Gee.
1 Comment
27 September 2008 at 1:37 am
Even Pat Buchanan admitted that O’Bama went toe-to-toe and didn’t flinch. He still gave it to McCain on points, but of course we would expect no less from Pat.
My opinion:
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