McCain/Palin: What Really Went Wrong?

Knowing what we do of Sarah Palin today, would anyone think it a wise decision to pair her with an ex-White House staffer out of CBS as her key contact for the entire 2008 campaign? The very thought of it is laughable. Yet, that's precisely what the campaign did, because it's what you would do with just another political up and comer looking to break out nationally over night before landing in Washington, DC.

They struck gold with the pick of Sarah Palin. Had she been managed and employed effectively - and if McCain hadn't made the disastrous decision to suspend and return to Washington, where Obama played him like a chump during the economic crisis - they might actually have pulled out a win. That, despite McCain's unsuitability for the office, not because he was the least bit well suited for it.

But like dead pan miners who struck it rich, they ran off to town, got drunk in the saloon, losing everything in a card game, before being shot and left for dead in an alley. Hey, it's a tough world out there and politics is one of the toughest of all. And don't forget, we're talking Chicago politics on top of that. But it isn't as though anyone deserves any sympathy here. And that includes Sarah Palin.

She's young enough to be or become just about whatever she wants to be in the world, is promoting a sure to remain for a while best seller and is well on her way to becoming a millionaire, if not already there. There are likely far worse fates awaiting too many a young gal from Wasilla. She'll be fine, in fact, more than fine in the end.

Whoever made the decisions inside the McCain campaign, at times it seemed to vary almost daily between Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt, more than enough bad ones were made to lose. Most of them had nothing to do with Sarah Palin. She wasn't the exception in that sense, she's simply the biggest player that proves the rule. It's only natural that she would be getting the most attention as regards what they did wrong. But picking her may have been the only major thing they did right after over-celebrating their primary win and taking the summer off. Obama was already poised to all but crush them by the time we got into the Fall.

That we're discussing her in that context is only because of the DC outsider gold she turned out to be. That McCain and company couldn't appreciate the value of what they had found, let alone know how to manage it, is not Sarah Palin's fault. That she has survived and even thrived in some ways is proof that she doesn't and likely never did need them to succeed.

After all, Palin's still going strong, while they're lying irrelevant and mostly politically dead out back in the alley somewhere in Chicago of all places. Sarah Palin's creating serious problems on a regular basis for the very people that won the election and they're non-factors and actors in America's more serious political discourse.

It's disappointing, though not surprising that McCain would scurry out to protect the standard political rats now stuck on a sunken ship with him; that's simply the way it's done in Washington, DC. You protect the people closest and most loyal to you, no matter what. I believe the reality few can appreciate here is, Palin is not the exception to the rule when it comes to McCain/Palin 2008. The campaign had similar problems at most levels and in most areas, ones that had nothing to do with Palin, or McCain - except to the extent they were driven by his personality and Senator's sense of the world. And those were not things that would ever have landed him in the White House in 2009 under almost any circumstances.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 presidential campaign in the face of sharp criticism from his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

The people who know the most about McCain/Palin 2008 aren't the people willing to go on record for the media. While the top political players have their respective careers, for better or worse - for most on the campaign, to talk now would be a career ender. So all we are getting is two of the most polarized views from the top. In my experience, that never is where the real story rests. But it's all that we've got. Make of it what you will, I'd suggest not too much.

Most everyone already knowns which, or whose side they're on. Whatever the futures of the various players, any back and forth doesn't exactly help either side. Given what Palin endured from the media and by way of an overall poorly run presidential campaign, she has every right to put her views on the record before moving on. As for the others on what was already an all but doomed campaign when she joined it, one that was ultimately lost in DC because of two economic meltdowns, America's and McCain's, and not Sarah Palin, the less they say the better off they'll be at this point. Unfortunately, that lesson seems lost on some rather typical DC talking heads.

Comments

[Al in St. Lou]

Very astute analysis.

[Amy]

Well said!

[Blake]

Taking the opening paragraph thought a bit further, who are you going to believe? The people who so badly mismanaged Sarah Palin (Kouric interview) or Sarah Palin?

Of course anonymous people inside the McCain campaign are going to trash Sarah Palin. It was their bumbling that led to the disastrous conclusion of the McCain campaign.

Those anonymous staffers have one thing they're trying to do: remain employable by campaigns down the road. Which necessitates discrediting Sarah Palin and her book. If Sarah Palin's criticisms of the campaign and its managers are taken as truthful, said managers are out of work.

[Tim]

"...already an all but doomed campaign when she joined it"?

What, the pundits already knew then that McCain would surge into the lead in the polls on 9/7/08, only to crash and burn when the financial crisis hit around 9/15/09, as Obama rode the crisis into the stratosphere? I'm not claiming that they didn't badly mishandle the campaign. McCain just did not have the stomach, even after years in a Hanoi POW camp, for Chicago politics. If they had ridden Obama hard on Wright, Ayers, et al, they could have proved he was a socialist instead of only claiming so. Americans loved Obama too much to simply believe the "lying GOP" - but proof might have won the day. Obama was allowed to pose as a centrist unchallenged. Alas, nobody listened to those who saw the clear evidence, and the McCain-Palin camp didn't push the issue. Now the American people suffer the price of the GOP ticket's taking "the high road" against back-alley politicians like Obama and Axelrod.

However, that doesn't mean the campaign was "already doomed" at the end of August when Palin was announced as the VP candidate.

[Dan Riehl]

"that doesn't mean the campaign was "already doomed"

They all but were, tactically speaking. Obama was up and running in every state he needed to win. McCain didn't even have people in place. They moved them after the primary, going state by state. Obama left his people and his infrastructure behind. All he had to do was turn it on. McCain had to take it down, re-build it, over and over, again, as he moved through the states.

Bteween that, the tech edge and fund raising, yes, McCain/Schmidt/Davis were all but doomed. And their lack of willingness to even attack their opponent hard only sealed their fate. Palin tried to play the typical VP role - attack dog. What did they do? They shut her up.

Beleieve me, they were doomed. With Obama's advantages and everyone figuring McCain would make at least one major screw up somewhere for one reason or another, all it was was a matter of time.

It might not have been easy for any R to win. But the fact is, given the disparities, it suggests Obama actually was beatable. But it would have taken a great campaign and a great candidate. MCcain/Schmidt lacked both.

You can debate whther a series ios going to go 4, 5, 6 or 7 games. But the winner is almost always the better team. Such was the case in 2008. There is no real question about it imo.

[serfer62]

Follow the money...when did the McNasty herd get donations? after the Palin (instead of liberman) selection. Duhh

This pompas senatorial ass wore out his hero status decades ago. Now do the right thing McNasty, apologize to Gov Palin, the American people and retire to your condo (pick one)with you daughter and shut up.

[WestWright]

McCain, the designated loser. Not only did McCain foolishly allow BO to pose as a centrist unchallenged, he shut down anyone who acknowleged this truth about BO....including his supporters & VP. I don't know but McCain appears to have thrown the election and his campaign staff were accessories to this. I think the Palin pick was part of losing the race but became a huge surprize to McCain when her pick energized the base and closed the gap almost even putting him ahead. The McCain mishandling of the Financial explosion was also intentional, no serious candidate would have been so inept, and it succeeded in deep sixing the whole effort. Remember the Palin going rogue thing started after she bucked the campaign's decision to evacuate MI! We have been had and McCain was a willing puppet!

[Scott D]

McCain was a horrible candidate from the starting gate.

He's a terrible Senator as well. Always bending over for the Liberals to gain Media accolades.

Palin has a much stronger personality, proven conservative credentials and she hit it out of the park at the Convention.

Allegedly they chose her to attract independents? Pure stupidity on Schmidt and McCains part. They didn't recognize that a large portion of Republican voters were opting to stay at home. In my Congressional district less than 50% of registered Republicans voted in 2008.

The VP is always the ATTACK DOG and they kept her chained up. The Pitbull with Lipstick was announced at the Convention and everyone heard it except the Campaign staff.

McCains decision to take government matching funds hindered and hobbled the campaign all the way to the finish line. Not willing to take a risk and not recognizing that Obamas Berlin speech was opening the spigot for illegal campaign contributions that still to this day have not been investigated.

I'm weary of Republican losers.

[mark l.]

so the same advisers who blame palin, were the same advisers who picked palin...

without the financial crisis, she was good enough for him to win.

with the financial crisis, she was just the fourth person on the stage, among obama, biden, and mccain, who really knew nothing about the economy.

it was like watching the four stooges.

[Diogenes]

I'm surprised that nobody's looking at what might have happened had McCain/Palin won. Much of the campaign staff would have transitioned to the new administration. Do you think for a minute that McCain would listen to Palin at all on policy matters. The infighting between their respective staffs would have been horrific(and the press would have loved that!). She'd have been relegated to "window dressing" and I don't think Sarah would last long in that role.

[mariner]

I have no words to express my admiration and respect for the way McCain conducted himself as a POW. I don't believe I could have done that.

I also have no words to express my disgust at the POS he has become.

His campaign was ineptly managed. He allowed Obama's supporters to trash Palin AND HER FAMILY and did nothing -- nothing -- to defend her. He allowed his own campaign staffers to trash Palin with their bull***t leaks to the press. And now he explicitly defends those staffers, when there's no room for any doubt what they had done. McCain was the captain of that ship. He is responsible for sinking it.

The loyalty in the campaign was all one-way. Sarah was loyal to McCain. Even today she goes out of her way to write and say nice things about him. McCain OTOH is still trashing her by praising those sorry-ass staffers, when there's no room at all for doubt about what they did.

McCain is no gentleman. What a POS.

[Bordo]

Sarah Palin is an empty-headed grifter --she twice misspoke "Iraq" instead of "Iran" in her interview with professional lotion boy Sean Hannity-- who is making millions off silly people who believe she is some kind of political savant. She will never again run for a political office, folks. She is now a wealthy celebrity and she likes it. Watching her with Oprah Winfrey was looking at two peas in a pod.

Please quit thinking this very nice but ludicrously shallow and uninformed lady is worthy of national political office. She is way out of her league.

And those of you who are bashing John McCain have a point. Only a total POS who didn't give a darn about his country would select such an unprepared candidate to be heartbeat away from the nuclear codes.