What hurt McCain?

[simpilotswife]

Oh and I just wanted to add that what hurt McCain most was beautifully illustrated this evening. McCain had a small "invitation only" party at the Biltmore. Obama had a party in the park in Chicago and everyone was invited.

 

[tinker&belle]

Palin, Palin, Palin

Ties to Bush and Cheney

Running a dirty campaign

But mostly Palin

 

[tonilea]

Bush + Palin = Dem President

 

[LOVEDISNEYLAND]

palin!!!!

 

[justhat]

As someone who was not initially an Obama supporter, for me it was all the ties to Bush policies and then picking Palin was the final straw. The current economy just solidified my decision. He didn't represent anything new and I think that's what people were looking for right now.

 

[twinklebug]

Bush.

 

[maciec]

I am a republican and I too can only speak for me and I think it was McCain himself. To me he was another Bob Dole. He just didn't do it for me. I think his campaign was run lousy. I have never been a supporter of his and to this day it still baffles me on how he got elected. Palin actually got me excited about the campaign. I like her and I think that she will be groomed for bigger things in the Republican party.

I can't think of the word for the type of speakers they are so bear with me. Obama, Clinton, and Reagan were/are very, very gifted speakers. They draw you in with their words and no matter what the context they just dazzle. I just don't think that McCain could compare no matter what he said.

Congratulations to you BO supporters.

 

[nataliesdaddy]

after 8 years of watching republicans fritter away golden opportunities, playing with interns, and spending like drunken sailors, lining their own pockets... they brought this upon themselves. Frankly, I have been appalled by the republican party.... and I am not a liberal or a democrat. I am a conservative....very conservative. But, truly the republican party in the last few years has shown their politicians are corrupt morons.

Not that I believe Democrats are any better. But republicans' greed, corruption, and stupidity have truly outshined (or at least been onstage)in contrast to their democrat counterparts for the last decade or more.

 

[TCPluto]

In your opinion, what hurt McCain?
I think it was Sara Palin. If he had picked a better running mate, I think maybe the results would be different.

1. Bush
2. Financial collapse
3. Sarah Palin

Don't misunderstand, I think Sarah Palin would have been great and will be a force in the future.

But to roll out a virtual unknown as a VP nominee, who was a woman, was not wise, and unfair to her. It looked like he was pandering, even though I don't think he was. And then, I think the campaign mishandled her, particurlary with the press.

I think he could have survived 2 out of 3, but not all of them.

I wish BO well, and pray that we're all shown to be wrong about him. I don't think it will happen though.

I remember seeing him for the first time in 2004, his speech at the DNC. That was outstanding, just as his speech was tonight. But now what? Shortly, it'll be time to act, not just talk.

He has to play with Reid and Pelosi and unless he reins them in, there's going to be a huge mess. I forsee them trying to ram huge programs through in the next two years, before the midterms.

Most of the BO supporters have been very gracious in other threads. Some, not so much. They display an attitude like Pelsoi, Frank, and Reid. If that persists, nothing positive will come.

 

[DawnCt1]

I am a republican and I too can only speak for me and I think it was McCain himself. To me he was another Bob Dole. He just didn't do it for me. I think his campaign was run lousy. I have never been a supporter of his and to this day it still baffles me on how he got elected. Palin actually got me excited about the campaign. I like her and I think that she will be groomed for bigger things in the Republican party.

I can't think of the word for the type of speakers they are so bear with me. Obama, Clinton, and Reagan were/are very, very gifted speakers. They draw you in with their words and no matter what the context they just dazzle. I just don't think that McCain could compare no matter what he said.

Congratulations to you BO supporters.

I think the problem with McCain is that too much reaching across the aisle made him uncomfortable with conservative values and he did not always embrace those principles comfortably. Mitt Romney was a great spokesman for conservativism. I think that Mitt was sabotaged by Huckabee, who seemed to have an innate dislike for Romney, and in a sense, was almost in collusion with McCain. Moderate democrats and independents crossed over and voted for McCain. They selected our nominee and then abandoned him in the general election. I didn't get excited about McCain until Palin joined the ticket, and she seemed to bring out his conservative best. And you are right. McCain is not a great speaker.

 

[dvcgirl]

I am a republican and I too can only speak for me and I think it was McCain himself. To me he was another Bob Dole. He just didn't do it for me. I think his campaign was run lousy. I have never been a supporter of his and to this day it still baffles me on how he got elected. Palin actually got me excited about the campaign. I like her and I think that she will be groomed for bigger things in the Republican party.

I agree that McCain's campaign was weak.....he did remind me of Dole too, but I think the Republican party is barking up the wrong tree with Palin. She'll *always* rally the base, but that's it. She's too far to the right.....

The party base will be upset with the Obama win. Their natural reaction will be to stand their ground or move even further to the right. But if they have hopes for 2012.....that strategy simply won't work.

Did you see Obama speak tonight? Did you see that crowd response? I don't think I've ever seen so many people cry.....all ages, all colors.....it was really something. I'm a moderate Republican and I was teary eyed. He's an incredible presence....an incredible speaker. And he might just do a good job as President. We've had a President for the last eight years who had a tough time stringing enough words together to make a sentence. Obama is going to be refreshing to a *lot* of people.

And so my point is.....he's *really* going to have to mess things up to lose in 2012. That may happen, none of us know. But it's not likely he'll mess up enough to lose.

And so the Republican Party needs to think of people like Barry Goldwater and forget people like George W. Bush....because, like it or not....this country is changing.

Did you see some of the numbers tonight? Hispanics.....went *big* for Obama. You know all those young voters who never come out to vote like the Democrats hope that they will.....tonight they *did*. And the African Americans came out in droves.....and all of these groups....they now realize that they can really impact the results of a presidential election.

The Republican party needs to adapt....or get used to losing.

 

[disney-inspired]

He started out a centralist republican but I think the downfall was that his advisors pushed him to be an extreme rightist.

That turned off A LOT of people.

 

[dvcgirl]

I think the problem with McCain is that too much reaching across the aisle made him uncomfortable with conservative values and he did not always embrace those principles comfortably. Mitt Romney was a great spokesman for conservativism. I think that Mitt was sabotaged by Huckabee, who seemed to have an innate dislike for Romney, and in a sense, was almost in collusion with McCain. Moderate democrats and independents crossed over and voted for McCain. They selected our nominee and then abandoned him in the general election. I didn't get excited about McCain until Palin joined the ticket, and she seemed to bring out his conservative best. And you are right. McCain is not a great speaker.

What amazes me is that Romney wasn't conservative enough for the base. Why didn't you all like him....because he flip-flopped on the pro-life/pro-choice thing? Reagan did too, but Romney couldn't convince anyone that he was Ronald Reagan. I never liked Romney....he was too slick for my taste.

And Palin wasn't a McCain pick, you all have to know that....she was a party pick. One thing I can say to conservatives who feel badly tonight.....I know it's tough to lose, but if you guys are being completely honest....knowing who John McCain *really* is......do you think you would have been happy with him? He would have taken a *giant* step to the left once he was in the White House, and Sarah Palin would have become the next Dan Quayle.

In all honesty, I think he would have been a one-termer....and would have ended up raising taxes like Bush the First did......

 

[yeartolate]

He started out a centralist republican but I think the downfall was that his advisors pushed him to be an extreme rightist.

That turned off A LOT of people.

Absolutly.

Had he remained true to himself and picked a more appropriate VP it could have been a tight race.

But after all these weeks, all I remember of his campaign is Ayers, Wright, and Joe the Plumber. You get the base with that crap, but he needed to win those moderates and undecided.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

My mom normally votes democrat but was prepared to vote for McCain due to his military experience. (national security is important to my family). Then he nominated Palin and she immediately switched to Obama. I don't know about the rest of the world, but he lost her vote over it.

I think he would have done a good job, but I don't agree with his personal life (too much of a playboy and the whole thing with his first wife saddens me) and his temper frankly scares me.

 

[Kathi OD]

Oh and I just wanted to add that what hurt McCain most was beautifully illustrated this evening. McCain had a small "invitation only" party at the Biltmore. Obama had a party in the park in Chicago and everyone was invited.

I pretty much agree with you on this one. I thought about this same thing tonight when I heard that McCain would be at the Biltmore. While McCain talked about being for the average Joe, most of the average Joes didn't buy it. The average Joe picnics in the park, not nibble on hor' doeuvres at a 5-star hotel cocktail party.

My mom normally votes democrat but was prepared to vote for McCain due to his military experience. (national security is important to my family). Then he nominated Palin and she immediately switched to Obama. I don't know about the rest of the world, but he lost her vote over it.

He lost every female vote in my family for the same reason. Sarah was the determining factor for us.

 

[DawnCt1]

What amazes me is that Romney wasn't conservative enough for the base. Why didn't you all like him....because he flip-flopped on the pro-life/pro-choice thing? Reagan did too, but Romney couldn't convince anyone that he was Ronald Reagan. I never liked Romney....he was too slick for my taste.

And Palin wasn't a McCain pick, you all have to know that....she was a party pick. One thing I can say to conservatives who feel badly tonight.....I know it's tough to lose, but if you guys are being completely honest....knowing who John McCain *really* is......do you think you would have been happy with him? He would have taken a *giant* step to the left once he was in the White House, and Sarah Palin would have become the next Dan Quayle.

In all honesty, I think he would have been a one-termer....and would have ended up raising taxes like Bush the First did......

I didn't see Mitt Romney as slick at all, but articulate and well spoken, who really could frame conservativism so it was clear to anyone who would listen. To be a Republican governor in Massachusetts is no easy feat but he did it. I didn't see his change of stance on abortion as a flip flop but a considered change of heart. When he was campaigning for John McCain, he seemed to have a better grasp of the issues that McCain was putting forth, than McCain himself. Huckabee poisoned the well.....more than once. Bringing up the issue of his Mormonism, in the guise of not quite understanding it, only to raise questions among Evangelicals. I thought Mitt dealt with that issue well too. With Romney's business background, he would have had one up on the economy and would have been able to articulate the problem and the solution, with conservative principles, better than McCain.
I think John McCain would have been very good with the veto pen and pork barrel spending. I think as a compromise, we may have seen tax increases as well. I would be very comfortable with him on national security issues. On military issues, which for me are primary issues. Without security, the economy is meaningless. I think Sarkozy is correct when he describes Obama as naive. I think that our enemies will see him as weak. If he surrounds himself with the far left, we will be left extremely vulnerable. Obama had to move towards the center to become elected. I think he will govern towards the left.

 

[DawnCt1]

I pretty much agree with you on this one. I thought about this same thing tonight when I heard that McCain would be at the Biltmore. While McCain talked about being for the average Joe, most of the average Joes didn't buy it. The average Joe picnics in the park, not nibble on hor' doeuvres at a 5-star hotel cocktail party.



.

I think John McCain's internal polling was telling him that a smaller party at the Biltmore for campaign workers was much more appropriate than a Grant Park setting. He has known that his victory was a long shot. A large venue would not have been a good idea for a concession speech.

 

[DawnCt1]

I think another big factor in McCain's loss was the "cult of personality" and "celebrity" that Obama was able to generate. I have met a lot of Obama supporters who couldn't tell me one thing about their candidate, only that he would "Bring Change". They couldn't say what that "change" was, only that he would provide it. Of course I am making the distinction between them and those who engage in message board discussions and participate in debates.

 

[moon]

Palin. That's what did it for me. Also the issue with Joe, making him an icon and going so far as to call him "An American hero". It really bothers me to have the word hero so misused. I don't like it when sport stars are called 'Heroes", but to call "Joe" that was beyond ridiculous.

Voting with W 90% of the time didn't help either.

In all, I think there were several reasons, but Palin was his biggest mistake