SCAPEGOATING SARAH

NY Post ^ | 11/06/08

[DocT111]

The search for someone to blame for John McCain's defeat was well under way yesterday. Many fingers, not surprisingly, were pointed at Sarah Palin.

Actually, the Palin scapegoating began before the polls even opened, with top McCain staffers complaining that the Alaska governor was a "diva" given to straying "off message."

Nonsense.

True, she turned out not to be the magic bullet Republicans had hoped for.

Then again, John McCain turned out not to be the asset Republicans had hoped for. Terming his performance - and that of the campaign itself - lackluster sort of understates the case.

[nathanbedford]

The problem was not that McCain forfeited the thrust of his argument that Obama was unprepared and unready for office, the problem was that McCain missed the entire thrust of the election. The election was never going to turn on Obama's readiness, he was utterly bulletproof on almost every issue, certainly that one.

So long as the issue was Obama's experience, all Obama had to do to win was to show up at the debates and walk and talk like a president. This was so because it was a Democrat' s year. But mostly it was so because the nation was in the grip of the neuroses in which too many people wanted to put a black man in the Oval Office and too many others were operating out of paroxysms of hatred for George Bush.

As I argued countless times before the debates, to win, McCain had to morally destroy Obama. This McCain could not do so long as he confined his attacks to Obama's experience level and took Obama's or associations and radicalism off the table.

For all her alleged lack of sophistication, Sarah Palin seems to have sensed this and she alone-evidently contrary to the wishes of McCain and her handlers-took on Obama for his radicalism.

McCain simply failed to get it.

[oiler]

Post #6,

+1

[tgusa]

Spot on as usual, NB.

[Christian4Bush]

See my new tagline.

Good "Rocky" reset!

See MY new tagline...

[MarDav]

McCain was not the Maverick he advertised himself to be. Think of how many times he tried to sell himself as, “The Maverick.” “I have the bruises on my body to prove it.” “I’ve gone against my own party...” Yada-yada. Well, at the time that was most critical, at the time when, it turns out, this election cycle really spiralled downward and away from him, what did he do? He went back to Washington, sat quietyly during a meeting (for all the world to see, then voted WITH everyone else on the bailout nonsense.
He’s no Maverick. He’s no independent (or maybe no deep) thinker. He’s expedient.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

It was the late-added presence of SARAH which energized an otherwise moribund and apathetic conservative voting base.

It was SARAH who drew record-shattering crowds, everywhere she went on behalf of a sour and ungrateful McCain campaign.

Friendly little word of warning to any/all RINOs out there reading this, and thinking about standing in the way between this woman and the conservative base that adores her, anytime during the next four years:

You're expendable to us. SHE isn't.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

There are big time political agendas at work right now out in the MSM and on this very forum in trying to bury Governor Palin, or at least damage her enough so that she cannot run in 2012. Primarily, it is the Romneybots who are out to get her, but I noted last night that there are some Jindal trolls too who want to take her out for good.

See here for starters:

Vanity: Fox News Says Palin Did Not Know Africa Was Continent, Not Country

[nralife]

LOL How true...

[Billg64]

Shortly after the convention, the McCain campaign announced their battle plan was to attack Obama on his experience. The Clinton campaign lost on this issue every time they tried it, they showed well when they attacked his policies and associations.
There was a blueprint laid out for failure and one for possible success; he chose the path that pointed toward failure and failed; go figure.

[MarDav]

We all know what we saw! We know what/how the MSM thinks. And now, apparently, we also know what people at FOX think.

[wny]

In retrospect, I think McCain is too stupid or naive to be President. He believed the media was his friend. They’ve adored him as long as he was poking Bush in the eye and dumping on his own party. He was a fool to think they wouldn’t turn on him. It was obvious to everybody – except McCain and his campaign staff – that the Obama campaign and the MSM where one-and-the-same. He realized much to late that they were out to destroy him. If he’s even figured it out by now.

And now these same clueless fools want to cling to the delusional notin that Palin lost it for them!

You can’t win running against your own party. There was simply no enthusiasm there before Palin, his best and only great move. McCain received 55 million votes. Ten million of those Republicans wouldn’t have crossed the street to shake his hand. Had he picked some moderate-RINO, acceptable to the MSM, he’d have lost by 20 points instead of 6.

These cowards can't admit they ran a horrible campaign and lost a winnable race. Disgusting.

McCain should publicly condemn these hacks (much like he condemed anyone who criticized Obie on his behalf), then I lose whatever respect I had for the man.

[Madeleine Ward]

I’m calling the RNC today.

Guys, I’m NOT supporting this party if they throw this woman under the bus.

And I don’t care how great Jindal is, if his minions seek to destroy Sarah to help Jindal, I WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS.

I have nothing but positive impressions of both of these young governors. Conservatives will get NOWHERE by tearing each other down. I know politics is politics, but we need to go after the RINOS, not Sarah. THis will backfire big time.

[MarDav]

All while trying to woo the disenfranchised Clinton supporters (what was it 18 million?)! What a strategy!

[Billg64]

No bill with pork will cross my desk; then he signed the biggest pork laden bill one could imagine; coincidentally 80% of all people in the country opposed. How could he lose with that strategy.

[BluH2o]

Even worse, now he gets to go back to the Senate and come up with more crap legislation when he reaches across the aisle to all his friends in the Democrat party.

Always felt McPain was feathering his senate seat in the event he lost. He wouldn't go after his opponent with the single mindedness needed to win. Today we have a empty suit Marxist named Barack Hussein Obama, who can't produce a legitimate birth certificate to prove actual U.S. citizenship ... that is president elect.
I tolerated McPain and reluctantly voted for him ... in spite of misgivings. The alternative was worse ...

[Eddie01]

John McCain’s debate performances were awful.

He missed every chance to hit it out of the park.

Instead.

“I know how to reach across the aile and get things done”, “I have a track record”, “I’ve done that my friends”, I’VE DONE THAT!”

BTW: Brit Humes all star panel, who embraced McCain and turned their noses up at Hunter, Thompson will never have the opportunity to steal another momement of my attention.

[Houghton M.]

Congressional conservative Republicans need to step up to the plate NOW and defend Palin big-time. Jindal needs to get into the act and defend her, BIG-TIME, NOW. They need to read the riot act to the RINOs—tell them that RINOism ruined McCain and they better admit it now or the same self-delusion will kill Republicans the next time.

Romney needs to work with Palin and Jindal and Congressional Conservatives to prove his bona fides; if it’s his people who are behind the Palin-bashing he needs to put a stop to it. He has no chance of any role if he lets this continue. He can’t succeed by muscling her aside. The struggle is between RINOs and conservatives and there’s no place in the middle between them. If he lets his people bash her, then his only strength lies with the RINOs and he has too many competitors for king of the hill among them to lead the party from that side of things. And I would assume he’s smart enough to know that. He gains nothing by trying to kneecap Palin.

Therefore, I want some hard evidence that the Palin bashing is coming from Romney before I take it as gospel truth. The Romney haters in the party are also capable of disseminating disinformation. Can we say H-u-c-k-a-b-e-e? There are other people who gain by trying to shove Palin out of the way. Run down the entire cui bono list first before believing every anonymous explanation of just who is pulling which strings behind the scenes.

[MarDav]

If the leadership of the Republican Party cannot take the pulse of this past election cycle and see/feel/get a handle on how Sarah Palin brought life, energy, substance, hope, enthusiasm, then they are no leaders to be followed. They are tone-deaf.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Absolutely. "Moderate" Republicans demanded (and were given) carte blanche opportunity to demonstrate, once and for all, that they knew how to win at the national level, this year.

They got exactly the candidate they wanted. They got exactly the party platform they wanted. The campaign was run exactly the way they insisted it be run.

How'd that end up working out for us, again...?

They actually managed to lose to a one-term Senate Marxist with open and unapologetic terrorist ties. The ONLY thing I want to hear from Team McCain or any of its shrill little online apologists, from this day forward, is a meek and contrite: "We're sorry."

They have nothing else worthwhile what. so. EVER. to contribute to any meaningful discussion, re: either conservatism or winning electoral strategies.

[merry10]

If you get a hold of a real person, could you let us know what they say? If not for Sarah Palin, the hundreds of thousands of people simply would not have come to John McCain’s rallies. Nobody would have listened to another word, and he would have lost by a greater number than he did.