Dixie - In Memoriam
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1. Not playing to his base. John has a history of going against the grain of Conservatives, it is what earned him his nickname, but in this general election, it is the Conservative base that matters most for his campaign. Had he rallied the Conservative base early on, he would be in much better shape in the polls. At this point, it may not matter, there may not be enough words or time, to bring the base back, and he will feel this on election day.
2. Going after the "Moderate" vote, with rhetoric about 'bipartisanship'. Moderates are largely Liberals who don't want to associate with the Micheal Moore leftist wackos. They will either vote for Obama, or not vote at all. John didn't win any votes by being 'bipartisan', however, he did polarize partisan Conservatives.
3. Selecting a true Conservative VP, and then, effectively gagging her. Instead of allowing Palin to speak for herself and be herself, his campaign has 'micromanaged' her every move. Instead of allowing her to bring the base on board, as she could have done, they have pitted her against the likes of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, and pandered to the 'moderates' some more.
4. Dramatically suspending his campaign. First, the RNC being postponed a day for the hurricane, then the entire campaign itself, and finally, an attempt to postpone the presidential debate. In a tight presidential battle where every second of campaigning will count, John could ill-afford to lose precious ground with what amounts to a perception of grandstanding. A president should be able to handle multiple crisis at the same time, you can't say... stop the world, let me deal with this one issue first.
5. Supporting the bailout, against the will of most true Conservatives. Did John not find it ironic he was on the same side as Obama and President Bush? This was an opportunity for him to stand for Conservative Capitalist Free Market Principles, to speak up for the people and oppose more government intrusion and interference with those principles. Instead, he carted his Senatorial ass back off to Washington, to buddy up with his Democrat 'friends' and try to forge 'bipartisan' legislation.
Is it too late to fix these mistakes? I think it might be. Will it cost him the election? It very well may. This has always been the democrats election to lose, they have had every advantage, and continue to gain advantage. Unless something dramatic happens to change the dynamics of this election, I might have to eat my words and admit I was wrong in my earlier prognostications. I really thought McCain understood what he needed to do to win, especially after he picked Sarah Palin, but apparently, he has no clue. He continues to pander to a phantom vote that will never materialize for him on election day, instead of embracing Conservatism, and taking the fight to Obama. The votes were there, he had a shot at winning, but his continued series of mistakes has left him in checkmate, without a move. Subsequently, Obama will win by default.
2. Going after the "Moderate" vote, with rhetoric about 'bipartisanship'. Moderates are largely Liberals who don't want to associate with the Micheal Moore leftist wackos. They will either vote for Obama, or not vote at all. John didn't win any votes by being 'bipartisan', however, he did polarize partisan Conservatives.
3. Selecting a true Conservative VP, and then, effectively gagging her. Instead of allowing Palin to speak for herself and be herself, his campaign has 'micromanaged' her every move. Instead of allowing her to bring the base on board, as she could have done, they have pitted her against the likes of Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric, and pandered to the 'moderates' some more.
4. Dramatically suspending his campaign. First, the RNC being postponed a day for the hurricane, then the entire campaign itself, and finally, an attempt to postpone the presidential debate. In a tight presidential battle where every second of campaigning will count, John could ill-afford to lose precious ground with what amounts to a perception of grandstanding. A president should be able to handle multiple crisis at the same time, you can't say... stop the world, let me deal with this one issue first.
5. Supporting the bailout, against the will of most true Conservatives. Did John not find it ironic he was on the same side as Obama and President Bush? This was an opportunity for him to stand for Conservative Capitalist Free Market Principles, to speak up for the people and oppose more government intrusion and interference with those principles. Instead, he carted his Senatorial ass back off to Washington, to buddy up with his Democrat 'friends' and try to forge 'bipartisan' legislation.
Is it too late to fix these mistakes? I think it might be. Will it cost him the election? It very well may. This has always been the democrats election to lose, they have had every advantage, and continue to gain advantage. Unless something dramatic happens to change the dynamics of this election, I might have to eat my words and admit I was wrong in my earlier prognostications. I really thought McCain understood what he needed to do to win, especially after he picked Sarah Palin, but apparently, he has no clue. He continues to pander to a phantom vote that will never materialize for him on election day, instead of embracing Conservatism, and taking the fight to Obama. The votes were there, he had a shot at winning, but his continued series of mistakes has left him in checkmate, without a move. Subsequently, Obama will win by default.
