McCain Campaign Still Searching
John McCain is still trying to hit his stride in the campaign, even though he had several weeks’ head start while the Democratic primaries continued. Republicans are concerned that his campaign is in disarray.
Yesterday McCain replaced his campaign manager, giving Steve Schmidt “full day-to-day control” over his campaign. (Steve Schmidt worked on President Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004 and was a top aide to Cheney.) According to the linked article, that makes the third campaign manager in a year for the McCain campaign. It’s a wonder he won the nomination. I think that McCain’s winning the nomination speaks more to the weakness of the Republican field this year than it does to McCain’s strength.
McCain is completing a Latin American trip today. He spent a day in Columbia yesterday and is in Mexico today. So what is he doing there, besides wasting his time? The short answer is that he’s searching for his message. He’s been campaigning for president for years. He doesn’t have his message yet? That should work to Obama’s advantage; it will give him an opportunity to define McCain in terms McCain doesn’t want. It seems more like McCain is campaigning as the anti-Obama, attacking him, rather than trying to get his own message in front of voters.
It’s a bad year for Republicans. People are fed up with George Bush and his administration. And now they have a candidate for president who is still casting about, looking for his message. No wonder Republicans are concerned.
They have a candidate who is practically another Bush in so many ways. I’d say they better be extremely concerned.
Indeed. And now his new campaign manager is another Bush/Cheney person. Even though his campaign may be more professional, I think this is a potential problem. Campaign managers aren’t usually campaign issues. This could be one, though, as Obama tries to paint a vote for McCain as a vote for Bush’s third term.