The American Spectator

Jeremy Davis| 10.2.09 @ 12:13PM

It's easy to beat up on McCain, but I don't think any Republican could have won in '08, and McCain likely made it closer than anyone else could. I'm conservative, but people that think the GOP would be fine, if only they would stick to their conservative guns are dreaming. I think the country is basically center-right, but it's also true that many government programs have broad support. Winning election is not as easy as proposing no taxes and no spending increases. The GOP should be center-right. That is to say, generally for smaller government, lower taxes and a strong defense. Unfortunately, not every issue can be so easily addressed with that template. Obama is giving the GOP a wonderful opportunity to recapture the center. Here's hoping they take advantage.

Daisy| 10.2.09 @ 2:59PM

Put the crack pipe down; McCain looked seriously unhinged on the 2008 campaign trail. The only favor he did for the Right was introducing Sarah Palin.

Mealy-mouthed RINOs go home!

Nolann Ryann| 10.2.09 @ 9:04PM

McCain was exactly what all you centrists claimed the GOP required. He stood for nothing other than himself. Well we got what you clowns wanted and it led to electoral disaster. No problem what we need is more McCain nothingness. You are dunce that has no clue. You are the problem with the GOP. Let's stand for nothing to appeal to an amorphous center. In other words let's jettison conservative principles to appeal to about 10% of the electorate that might vote. Yeah that is a winning strategy. Reagan never embraced that crap and we shouldn't either.

Teflon93| 10.2.09 @ 12:54PM

Oh, knock off the liberal revisionism.

We were told that McCain was THE candidate because a) the Left Wing Media loved him (yeah, right up until he won the primary), b) he appealed to the independents because he was a moderate (you see how that worked out) and c) he could appeal to Hispanics (got less of that vote than Dubya did).

The Fauxcons were wrong on all counts and lack the character to admit they were wrong.

What big GOP voting block DIDN'T come out in spades for McCain after having come out big for Dubya twice?

Conservatives.

And the only reason this conservative pulled the McCain lever was because Palin was on the ticket.

Fauxcons have ZERO credibility. Go kiss Obama's rear while there's still an ambassadorship available.

J. Kelley| 10.2.09 @ 1:22PM

McCains version of Center, Right is Campaign Finance Reform. This gave the Dems a big advantage. McCain, Snowe and Collins are not the examples we need in the Real Republican party. Enough of the RINOs already.

SC Mike| 10.2.09 @ 2:04PM

Given the record of the campaign manager of last year's loser, this is good news for Palin, no?

C4P| 10.2.09 @ 3:00PM

I wonder if Palin hammers this clown in her new book. Should be interesting.

martin jsmith| 10.2.09 @ 3:40PM

McCaine's campaign was disfunctional basically because he did not demonstrate that he could handle Obama in a Debate and because his overall message was incherent. In regards to Obama McCaine's seemed afraid to confront Obama on the issues: Economic policies remember Joe the Plumber ?,foreign policies remember Obama's speech in Berlin?as well as Obama's associations remember Re, Wright, and others ? These are areas that were legitimate to address. McCaine 's timidity and unwillingness to be honest to the American people as to where he stood vis a vis Obama on issues was a significant flaw in his campaign. So I am not terrible impressed with McCaine or his campaign manager.

Nolann Ryann| 10.2.09 @ 9:00PM

Steve Schmidt knows about catastrophe. His candidate was as bad if not worse than Bob Dole. Too bad Palin was associated with any of those dunces. How many campaigns is Schmidt going to run in 2010? My hope is a resounding ZERO!!!

jrsm| 10.2.09 @ 9:19PM

Sorry, but I can't agree more with the campaign manager. While Palin did give McCain a short term bump, as soon as everyone realized she was nothing but a pretty face her bubble burst quicker than Dubai. The woman lacks intellectual curiosity, accomplishment, and integrity. In a real humorous turn of events, I could imagine a situation in which democrats voted in the republican primary just to set up a trouncing. Don't cry for old Sarah however, between her book deals and 100+k speaking events she's done pretty good for someone who should be lucky to be the weekend anchor person on some >100th market tv station.

Amor de Cosmos| 10.2.09 @ 10:05PM

"The woman lacks intellectual curiosity, accomplishment, and integrity."

Are you capable of doing your own thinking? That statement is actually a perfect distillation of our current president.

I don't know if Palin is presidential material (yet) but how she angers and discomfits certain people always makes me smile.

Nolann Ryann| 10.2.09 @ 10:13PM

Go ahead and agree with the campaign manager that gave the GOP the worst trouncing since the turn of the century. Of course you'd agree with that idiot and blame Palin for the moron on the top of the ticket. Speaking of lacking intellectual curiousity, you seem to projecting quite a bit. Katy Couric and the DNC count you as an asset you dunce.

jrsm| 10.3.09 @ 9:56AM

Nolann,
While I don't have time to give you a full blown reply right now, you're a perfect example of the void of intelligence that has come over the republican party. We make all sorts of claims based on no info, bad info, or partial info. It becomes that much quicker to shoot down your entire argument (i.e. find one thing that can definitively be proven wrong and your whole argument suffers credibility). I'm refering to "... the worst trouncing since the turn of the century". I assume you meant the turn of the last century. While "turn of the century" isn't exactly defined, let's call it the period of 10 years before to 10 after a new century. That means the GOP had the worst loss since 1910. Well, with a popular vote spread of 7.2% and an electoral spread of 192, this palls in comparison to the 22.6% and 343 vote spread that the other GOP senator from Arizona suffered in 1964.

Old Bull| 10.4.09 @ 6:13AM

jrsm, "the woman" you are referring to in such a disrespectful manner was, at the time, the governor of Alaska. Is that not enough "accomplishment" for you? She was recognized as an authority on energy issues, particularly as they affected the people of her state. Is that not enough "intellectual curiosity" for you? And as to her "integrity," I challenge you to cite one case where her integrity was lacking. She had, and has, far more integrity than John McCain, Barak Obama, or Joe Biden. No, my friend, I'm sorry to say that it is you who are a "perfect example of a void of intelligence." There are certainly reasons one could oppose, or even dislike Sarah Palin -- but they aren't the ones you cited.