Posted on 06/14/2008 4:28:44 PM PDT by vrwc54
McCain needs to learn from the mistakes of another honored war hero who ran for the White House and lost.
John McCain has long known what it's like for a teleprompter-challenged Republican senator to go up against a charismatic, made-for-TV Democrat. In 1996, McCain was Bob Dole's right-hand man. He served as one of the Kansas senator's closest traveling companions and top surrogates in the battle to unseat Bill Clinton. It was a race that began as Dole's to lose—Clinton was caught up in the Whitewater scandal. But lose he did. McCain watched as the Democrats successfully transformed the image of the former Senate majority leader, once known for his consensus-building and dry wit, into an old, humorless Washington insider who couldn't deliver real change.
Now McCain finds himself returning to some old arguments. "Others may offer you sound bites and showmanship," McCain said at the GOP convention in '96. "But Bob Dole offers you leadership—leadership evident in the stature of a man who risked his life for love of country and considers service to America his honor." Recently, McCain has stepped up his efforts to depict Barack Obama as a candidate who is all talk, no action. Obama, McCain has said, offers "an eloquent but empty call for change." Two weeks ago in New Orleans, McCain declared: "He hasn't been willing to make the tough calls to challenge his party. I have." In response, Obama has called McCain a "creature of Washington" who is too entrenched to offer real change—a line Clinton frequently used against Dole 12 years ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Give me a break. The American people hardly heard a word about the Whitewater scandal. The Clintons had the kind of press Bama enjoys now. I remember the day Dole came out with his platform, the headlines screamed that we had found life on Mars, of all things! (A bogus claim based upon a rock.) Nobody even heard a word Dole had to say.
It was never Dole’s race to lose.
That article also fails to mention the carpet bombing with negative ads that Bob Dole could not respond to as he was using only the “matching funds”.
From the end of the Nomination process to the Convention, the Dhimmis literally made Dole out to be some sort of decrepit old man who thought the “Dodgers played in Brooklyn”.
By the time Dole had any money to try and hit Klinton in September, it was already “over” add in the Reform Party siphoning votes from Dole and the race was finished by Sept 12.
Let’s poll:
McCain vs. Obama 2008 is most like....
A. Nixon vs. Kennedy, 1960
B. Ford vs. Carter, 1976
C. Dole vs. Clinton, 1996
Note: the Republican LOST every one of those elections.
I’m just sayin’ !
Nixon v McGovern
Obamao is that far out of the mainstream of America.
I think it will be more like 1968 and 1988. On paper, the country favors a Democrat. but in the end...
(I hope)
Republicans won both by a landslide, even tho the Democrats were ahead up to August. Dukakis was ahead by 17 in July if I am not mistaken, and still got wiped out in November.
The only difference between Dukakis and Obama is, Obama is far more liberal than Dukakis ever was, and Dukakis had actually had some experience running a state. Obama is nothing but an empty suite, who is the JUNIOR senator from IL, with ZERO accomplishments in the US Senate since he got elected 4 years ago.
bob dope was an embarrassment.
McCain needs a very exciting VP like Jindal to make the MSM cover the team.
The press loved the Clintons and never let Dole lay a hand on them. Not that Dole tried very hard.
Bobby Jindal is pretty young though Andy, I’d like to have him on the ticket, but when you push “Experience” and then pick a fuzzy cheeked 37 year old from Louisiana...
The Obamao is almost certain to pick a Fmr Military General, and Head to Head I don’t know if Jindal would match up well.
I like him, too. I read that he once took part in an exorcism, so he's probably out.
You’re right about all of the negative ads that Clinton ran in smaller media outlets, so that the big media was largely not reporting on it. According to Dick Morris, much of that campaign was financed by Chinese money that Clinton got from giving the ChiComs our missile secrets. Clinton had his priorities: his re-election in 1996 was worth more to him than US national security.
McCain is head and shoulders above the empty suit Obama when it comes to speaking without a teleprompter. That's why Obama will never accept McCain's suggestion of 10 "town hall" type meetings between now and the election. The entire world would see what a complete and utter fraud Obama is.
McCain probably has trouble aiming at the john. He is even worse than Dole. I, at least, voted for Dole, because he was nice guy. Can’t say the same about McLoon.
That wouldn't be very smart.
How many states will he help win?
The Indian-American vote in the south?
McCain needs someone that will bring in the swing now states of Michigan, PA, Ohio. I don't think Jindal will do much good in those states. Romney could though. At the very least, Romney will bring Michigan, which will about finish Obama off.
The kinder, gentler Bob Dole just wasn’t suited for a presidential campaign. I never cared much for him, but even I felt some sympathy when perky little Katie Couric was pushing him around at will on the issue of tobacco. The old guy never had a chance against Clinton.
i put it more like Nixon vs. MCGovern. A moderate Repbulican with foreign policy cred vs. a wacko leftist in a time of war.
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