Posted on 04/08/2008 11:49:26 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
He’s the guy who was running for president before all the national attention shifted to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Now, Senator John McCain seems to be only an afterthought, at best, or an anachronism, at worst. He has got to get back into the game, otherwise he will never be in contention.
Forget that he leads in the polls. That means nothing. His lead is only the consequence of the division among Democrats. Supporters of Hillary are quite incapable of uttering the “O” word to a pollster and Obama backers won’t admit that they’d ever back Hillary. But once the they settle on a nominee — provided there is no super delegate larceny involved — Democrats will be Democrats and McCain’s lead will vanish. He has got to use this period, when he is not under attack, to flesh out his image and begin his campaign.
To do that, he can’t wait on the sidelines and only put out carefully controlled stories — like his biographical tour which he has just begun. He has to wade into the midst of current controversy, carve out his message, demonstrate his relevance, and make the headlines he needs to become a center of attention and interest.
What should be his message? Populism. Many will urge that he fortify his base. But with Republican Party identification at an all time low, there isn’t enough base out there to win. He needs to attract swing voters. Not by going to the left of the Democrats, but by transcending their liberalism by attacking the forces of privilege their party is bent on protecting.
Here are a few choice targets:
• McCain should go after those who have caused the subprime crisis and demand justice. He should press for recapture of the fees and commissions they made by making loans they knew were no good. He should demand that their licenses be ended, their institutions closed, and their ill gotten gains confiscated.
• He should attack credit card companies for their abuse of consumers through usurious interest rates, high penalty fees imposed at the drop of a hat, and interchange fees that add to the cost of everything we buy.
• McCain should take up the case against Congressional perks, building on his efforts to curtail earmarks, cracking down on Congressional ethics, and taking aim at the day to day practices (as opposed to the speeches) of his two fellow senators who are running for office.
• He should go after regulators who don’t regulate, beginning with those who let unsafe toys into the U.S. He should condemn the FAA for its weaknesses. He should go after the Fed and other regulators for their laxity in the face of the emerging credit crisis.
• McCain should blast China for its abuse of Tibet. While governments are cowed into silence, McCain should speak out for human liberty and against the repressive tactics of Beijing even as China wants us to celebrate their Olympic games.
Strong, vigorous, populist advocacy can bring the spotlight back to McCain, draw attention to the integrity and strength which has always made him a unique public figure.
As he sought the GOP nomination, this muckraking McCain had to be bottled up inside a national security conservative façade. But no matter how deeply McCain believes in national security, it is his populism that has earned him the plaudits that got him to where he is today.
It’s time for the bleached out McCain to exit and for the hearty, embattled, opponent of falsity and privilege to take center stage. And, to show the Democrats how to do it.
Exactly. LOL
Ignore Dickhead Morris!
“Why not nominate Huckabee for VP”
Somebody on another thread said Chritine Todd Whitman’s name had been floated out there.
Yeah, that’ll help with conservatives./sarc
Somebody wake me when it’s 2012.
You know, just when I got to where he said McCain’s strength in the polls now means nothing I started to worry. I’m not too keen on the biographical tour strategy myself. Then I remembered this was a Morris column, and I said ‘Hooray! McCain must be on track.’
Does anyone remember when Morris said Hillary vs. Condi was the match for ‘08?
Is this the same toe sucker who said that the only chance the GOP had was to run Condi against Hillary? Because, of course, Hillary is unstoppable and guaranteed the ‘rat nomination? Is this the same guy?
Has Dick Morris ever been right about a single thing ?
Ignore the toe sucker .
Actually, he’s damned right on his advice:
• McCain should go after those who have caused the subprime crisis and demand justice. He should press for recapture of the fees and commissions they made by making loans they knew were no good. He should demand that their licenses be ended, their institutions closed, and their ill gotten gains confiscated.
• He should attack credit card companies for their abuse of consumers through usurious interest rates, high penalty fees imposed at the drop of a hat, and interchange fees that add to the cost of everything we buy.
• McCain should take up the case against Congressional perks, building on his efforts to curtail earmarks, cracking down on Congressional ethics, and taking aim at the day to day practices (as opposed to the speeches) of his two fellow senators who are running for office.
• He should go after regulators who don’t regulate, beginning with those who let unsafe toys into the U.S. He should condemn the FAA for its weaknesses. He should go after the Fed and other regulators for their laxity in the face of the emerging credit crisis.
• McCain should blast China for its abuse of Tibet. While governments are cowed into silence, McCain should speak out for human liberty and against the repressive tactics of Beijing even as China wants us to celebrate their Olympic games.
These would all play well and seperate him from his opponents, especially if he introduced some of these initiatives TODAY in the senate and force his opponents to take stands on them on the record. All 3 of these folks are sitting senators... I know if I was in McCains place, I’d say to these boobs, you are right, lets do something about X or Y.. but lets not wait until 09, lets do it today, and call them to the carpet and introduce bills and watch them wilt away.
Yeah. Hurray.
And we would have a victory for, uh, populism. Which I despise even more than liberalism. But then I'm not a McCain guy to begin with. Oh well, back to muttering about how screwed we are...
McCain’s first step should be to resign from the Senate. Hopefully, he could trap Hillary or Obama into doing the same thing.
But the problem is they aren’t Republican positions.
Point one is outright Stalinist
Points two and three would put him against every GOP Senator and Congressman running for re-election.
Point four is just a call for more regulation - contrary to the GOP position for the last 50 years.
Point five really won’t accomplish anything.
“But once the they settle on a nominee — provided there is no super delegate larceny involved — Democrats will be Democrats and McCain’s lead will vanish.”
One good thing that might happen when Juanito goes down in flames on election day, the Repubes just MIGHT finally understand their base.
“Why not nominate Huckabee for VP while he’s at.....”
Bite your tongue. ;>)
The Bob Livingstone Gambit? Like Democrats would ever fall for something like that? They would only see that as a sign of weakness. Bob Dole tried that, too, and it didn't work. All McCain would lose is the natural microphone that the Senate would give him.
-PJ
Dick’s “free” advice is worth exactly what he’s charging for it.
Point 1 and 2 are not stalinist. Actions and Consequences are not Stalinists... Things like Bears, CFC, et all with no one going to jail are exactly the sorts of things that allow communism to resonate and fester.
When the wealthy can rob society without consequence, and make no mistake, your tax dollars assuming the mess these bastards created so they won’t have to give up their lifestyles is exactly that.
Point 4 is not anti GOP... regulatory agencies must do their jobs.. the SEC nor the FED did their jobs... The SEC should have upped the required cash for futures trading on oil and commodities when it was blatantly obvious that market manipulation was going on. The FED should have never let CDO’s be classified as AAA investments and should have never ever let banks and bond insurers operate with such little capital on hand.
Capitalism is nothing more than an ISM. Its an economic system, it is no more moral or just unregulated or unfettered, than any other ism. Socialism society decides the worth of the individual, in capitalism, the person with the capital decides. Unfettered the individual is no less likely to be killed for one ISM or another.. Just the justification for it changes. If your death is more profitable to the person with the capital than your life, than pure capitalism says, you die. Socialism the same thing. Morality in our nation is from the Judeo/Christian laws and governance that were adopted, they are not intrinsic to capitalism itself. Capitalism, like capital itself is AMMORAL, it assumes the morality of those who control it, it has no morality intrisic to itself.
Sadly that judeo/Christian morality, which used to be common place on nearly every board of directors of nearly every large company in this country, has largely been undermined and destroyed. Which is why you have things like this latest fiasco happening. And yes, the folks behind and responsible for it should be frogmarched and tried for their crimes.
I am still trying to figure out how the CEO of CFC could engage in such complete and utter pump and dumping, to the tune of 1/2 a BILLION dollars in his pocket, while his company was clearly tanking.. and not be up on charges.
The GOP is supposed to be about the rule of law, equality under the law, and liberty and justice for all. Both parties have completely and utterly given a pass for any sort of justice or rule of law on Wall Street. Both suckle at the tits of these snakes so badly, that no matter what they do, it does not matter.. they will bankrupt the country to keep these folks appeased, and there is NOTHING conservative about that.
Frankly the whole Credit Card Usary crap has been long overdue. The Fed should have enacted Usary, or at the very least not allowed banks to buy their way out of following state Usary laws, which is exactly what the nation banks did.
When Cali went after one, just one... and had em dead to rights the feds stepped in.. these snakes deserve to pay the consequences for the mess they have created, and what is congress doing? Writing them blank checks.
To claim conservatism justifies these is blasphemy to the conservative ideal. Conservatism is not mindless selfishness... that’s libertarianism.
“ATF to Ted Kennedy! “
i couldnt think of anyone more qualified to drink alcohol than Ted Chappaquidick Kennedy
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