McCain admits regret over Palin pick

[ProSense]

McCain admits regret over Palin pick

by davidkc
Sat Oct 18, 2008 at 05:17:31 AM PDT

Faced with mounds of polling data showing that Sarah Palin has sunk John McCain's presidential campaign, and with a growing number of conservatives throwing Sarah Palin under the bus, I guess it was only a matter of time before McCain threw Palin under the bus himself. In an exclusive interview on Friday with the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9 that will air in full on Sunday, McCain acknowledged that he would be better positioned to win Florida if he had picked Gov. Charlie Crist as his running mate. Looks like Johnny regrets that he tossed aside his former BFF Charlie so quickly.

McCain said a number of stunning things in his Florida interview. The most eye-opening of all, of course, was his first public statement to even hint at an acknowledgement that picking Palin as his VP may not have been, um, the smartest move he's made in his career. McCain admitted that he'd be doing much better in must-win Florida with Crist on the ticket.

"Charlie, because he's so popular, he probably would have made a significant difference," McCain said in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9.

"I think this would have been a battleground state, except for obviously (with) a popular governor as Charlie Crist is," McCain said.

Along with expressing his regrets over dumping Charlie, McCain also offered his first public statement in which he acknowledged that all is not peaches and cream with Palin.

"Look, this is a tough decision that we made with Sarah Palin."

McCain's comments are real head-scratchers, especially coming as they are at this late stage in the campaign. From a strategic standpoint, the McCain camp surely knew all along that Florida would be a must-win state for McCain, and even I am willing to admit that a Crist pick would have likely sealed the deal for him down here. So what did McCain expect Palin to bring to the ticket that would have been worth more than Florida's 27 electoral votes? I have no idea. And why, oh why, would McCain even admit that he'd be doing better in the election right now if he had picked Crist instead of Palin? I mean, can you imagine Barack Obama going to, say, Ohio and admitting that he'd be doing better in that state if he had chosen Ted Strickland as his VP? Just another sign of the lack of discipline in McCain's campaign, and of McCain's increasingly erratic nature.

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McFool

[H2O Man]

1. After November,

Palin will return the favor.

[Schema Thing]

26. aint it the truth

I can hardly wait for this train wreck.

[AspenRose]

68. Yep.

[livetohike]

2. We need more surrogates hammering McCain for his poor

judgment in choosing Palin. Maybe this week....:shrug:.

[ProSense]

6. Kerry hammered him pretty hard initially, calling him "erratic"

Obviously, the term stuck.

[1corona4u]

3. Yeah, that assumes people like Crist....I don't.

[graywarrior]

4. I swear to god they want to lose

They don't want to inherit this mess. Better the dems get it and suffer the complaining for the next four years

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. you may be right

the Bushes are waiting til later

[Eric J in MN]

5. Just because he thinks he'd be doing better in Florida with their governor...

...on the ticket, doesn't mean he wishes he chose the Florida governor.

[remember2000forever]

9. We All Know Why Charlie Was Never A Contender. His Fake Girlfriend Sure Was Dumped Fast Soon After

[DangerousRhythm]

28. Oh wow, was she?

Weren't they... engaged? :rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

61. He took the beard off, eh?

I was wondering about that. Quelle surprise.

:rofl:

[yardwork]

63. Temporarily. There will be another one.

[ProSense]

10. "the McCain camp surely knew all along that Florida would be a must-win state for McCain"

Come on, McCain just admitted he screwed up. Are you suggesting that acknowledging Palin undermines his campaign in must-win Florida isn't regret?






Eited to remove extra word.

[Eric J in MN]

14. Maybe McCain thinks another must-win state would have been tougher...

...if he had chosen the governor of Florida instead of the governor of Alaska.

[ProSense]

21. So he opted for a state with fewer electoral votes?

Are you talking about Texas? That is the only other state McCain is competitive in that has more electoral votes than Florida.

[yardwork]

62. Well, I guess it guaranteed him Alaska. That was a fair trade. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[iceman66]

7. His last-minute decision to pick Palin

was at least in part a mean-spirited (and largely successful) attempt to shift attention away from Obama's brilliant convention speech the night before.

I'm glad to see that it's backfiring on him!

[bobd0]

11. McCain's foolish Palin choice is just another example of his erratic, unstable behavior

McCain loves to roll the dice and America simply can't afford to take the huge risk McCain's unstable persona represents.

K&R

[shaniqua6392]

12. McCain did not want to pick Palin.

He was told that if he made any of the choices that he had in mind, the Repuke Party would explode upon him at the Convention. Being the "maverick" that he is, he knuckled under and chose someone they thought would bring together the Evangelicals, women and former Clinton supporters. He sold his soul to the devil.....and lost.

[glowing]

13. Problem is that I don't think ole' Charlie is going to make it to a second term.

He has done NADA to help the insurance rates. He has done NADA to help the property rate situation.. He could have brought back some of the old taxes that Bush did away with, like the excise tax (a tax on luxury items.. like I said before, if you have the money for a yacht, are you really worried about the tax?).. Bush did away with a lot of taxes for his friends and screwed us right into a recession.

I don't think Crist will win a re-election. He's losing his popularity all the time. Its the reason why he's stepped fully away from McCain.. AND because the man won't come out of the closet, the republicans put pressure on him all the time to back up.

[KittyWampus]

15. Palin was a last minute acceptance of a Fundie being shoved down his throat

by the Republican whack-jobs running the show. And McCain probably got so pissed off at Obama after the Democratic Convention went so well, he was able to swallow the pill.

[ProSense]

23. "Prisoner of the right wing"

"What John McCain has proven with this choice is that John McCain is the prisoner of the right wing, not a maverick."

[DangerousRhythm]

30. My fellow prisoners?

So telling, really.

[CreekDog]

16. this is a basket case of a campaign

never seen anything like it.

[nichomachus]

17. I don't think McCain even picked Palin

Palin was inserted into the process by the creepy, scary Committee on National Policy -- Grover Norquist, Tim LeHaye, Oliver North, James Dobson.

I have a suspicion that someone whispered her name in his ear and let him think that he picked her.

John McCain has been around politics way too long to make this kind of blunder on his own. He would have gone with someone he knew fairly well, which is why he kind of liked the idea of Joe Sleeperman.

On the other hand, Palin is just what the CNP has been having wet dreams about -- what they calla "Margaret Thatcher" type. Of course, Maggie would rip their hearts out and eat them in front of them, if she was aware that they compared this ignorant slut from Alaska to her. Maggie was a fascist pig -- but she wasn't ignorant, she wasn't crude, and she wasn't politically obtuse.

[Faygo Kid]

18. It wasn't a "tpugh decision," John. It was a gambler's roll of the dice.

You showed us your true character with that irresponsible last minute decision.

[BumRushDaShow]

19. "I think this would have been a battleground state..."

"...would have been..."

:wow:

I know the Florida polls have all shown Obama ahead there but is McKKKlan now conceding that it's not even "battleground" anymore??? I wonder what his internals say?! He's salaciously spending megabucks here in PA, a state that voted for the Democratic candidate in the last 4 Presidential elections, rather than give this state up and pull all he has left to save Florida... a state with a repuke governor! Wow. Just wow.

He loses Florida (for real) and he loses. Maybe that's why he is trying so hard here in PA with its 21 electoral votes.

(and yes, I know that Obama promised to spend $39,000,000 in Florida alone! :rofl:)

[Stand and Fight]

77. That's what stood out to me immediately...

Those words -- the phrasing of them at the very least -- reflect some key things to me. Namely, that McCain thinks that the state is lost to him and that he may be resigning himself to losing the election by losing Florida. I can't believe that's not getting more play on here.

[rocktivity]

20. Crist was not an option

too many gay rumors.

:headbang:
rocknation

[ProSense]

22. I don't think that's relevant in this context.

What is relevant is McCain expressing regret, which means he knows Palin hurt his campaign in some way.

[Connonym]

31. This is exactly the opposite of what he said on David Letterman Thursday

Highlighting one of McCain's biggest problems, he can't even keep his own story straight.

[H2O Man]

37. Perhaps only in

the sense that McCain did not select him or others he favored, because he want to snuggle up to the rabid republican right wing. His current distress is mild compared to what it will be post-election. The rabid, delusional wing will blame him for their defeat. And Ms. Palin will seek to exploit that, to try to promote her future in their party.

[Honeycombe8]

25. The problem w/Crist: TWO white men with white hair on the ticket. A losing ticket for sure.

Really. Perception and appearance mean something in politics, esp. to a gimmicky mavricky guy like McSame.

He could not choose someone like Crist who looked too much like himself, only younger & healthy. Too much white hair, when trying to oppose a "young" enthusiastic ticket!

He also could not choose Romney. Too tall and handsome with full head of dark hair. It would make McSame seem even older and smaller.

Sooooo...he decided to go it alone on the ticket, and just take on a secretary! That's basically what Palin is. Someone who knows nothing, but does what she's told, and says what she's told. (and probably gets his coffee for him)

[DangerousRhythm]

24. It's unattractive but I would like so badly to gloat...

I fear gloating too early though. :rofl:

[ProSense]

27. The article is on the front page of the paper

Here's the lede:

MELBOURNE — Sen. John McCain acknowledged in an exclusive interview Friday that he probably would be better positioned in must-win Florida if he had picked Gov. Charlie Crist as his running mate.

[DrZeeLit]

29. Why isn't this FLIP FLOP front page news? This SHOWS he's nuts.... and/or a big SELL OUT.

Regrets the choice of Palin?

Should be shouted from the rooftops... he's a sorry candidate... in more ways than one.

[skooooo]

32. Hopefully the MSM will pick up on it...

Olbermann?? Tweety?? Maddows??

[No Elephants]

45. Because the "liberal" media hates to make McCain look bad.

[jazzjunkysue]

33. Most men meet a new woman and just imagine her, rather than realize she's a whole person with real i

ideas of her own.

Speaking as a woman who's back in the dating scene in my 40's, most men do this.

Men, generally, go out looking for a new woman, and with just a photo and a sketchy personal ad, decide they'll go meet her. Between the photo, the phone call and the first drink, they've already filled in the picture of who this woman is: She's the woman of his dreams.

It's the rare man who can stick around long enough to find out that she's not an inanimate stuffed animal. Then, when you actually start talking and reveal that you have a brain and a past and opinions, they resent it. Because now, they're disappointed. She betrayed him. She didn't turn out to be who he "thought" she was.

That's because alot of men still don't afford women the respect the deserve as whole, live, dynamic people. To them, women are interchangeable, space fillers. "Bring in the skirt."

Ok, ok, flame away.

Clearly, this is what Gramps did. "She's cute, she's smiling at me. She likes me. This will work." End of story.

Except, she's like most women: She has a point of view, a past, a learning curve, and her own agenda. Surprise!

no no no I hate her. I am not supporting her. All accusations that I support her will be ignored.

But this reveals a basic tennet of alot of men in Gramp's age group: The assumption that there's nothing to learn about a woman beyond her looks and her approval of you.

[LisaLynne]

49. You make an interesting point.

I think you might be on to something there. Because on the extreme surface (and I mean like a passing glance) I can totally see how she seemed like a good choice. Thinking back to when I first heard her name, I'll admit I was a little worried. It did seem like something that might turn out well for them. But, then, as you said, she's not just this person they'd like her to be -- she's got a lot of baggage. Very interesting way of looking at it.

[DrZeeLit]

53. Flame me, too... Women do the same thing if they fall into that "Prince Charming" scenario.

I don't think we're all that different.

The media, through commercial fiction, movies,sitcoms, movies-of-the-week, and ADVERTISING, as well as music and music videos, has reinforced this search for the ideal rather than the real.

This approach sells...just about every product, from toothpaste to car wax, from hairspray to nose spray.

And we all sat in front of the tube or at the movie or in the library being bombarded with the message.

And it has been exacerbated by 24/7 t.v.

The dream is the message.
Look at the wedding industry. Holy smokes!!!

And then... of course... the divorce rate. (add the re-entry dating market/personals/meet up sites....)

And short of blowing up the system and starting over... how would we ever change it?

Fantasy?
So much more fulfilling that reality ... not just for Mastercard ads.

[jazzjunkysue]

59. Well said. Fantasy over reality.

[gtar100]

55. I think you're right but it's not how I think

I'm not gramps' age but I am highly attracted to a woman who is smart, curious, insightful, and compassionate. It's our internal qualities that reflect on our faces and bodies as we age. All this talk about palin being good looking is *very* superficial. Her hatefulness leaks out of her and is repulsive.

I guess being raised by a woman and then raising two young ladies has its effect on perception. But it's most unfortunate that so many men are just as you describe.

[jazzjunkysue]

60. I think you're right: Living with a strong woman helps break through the

conditioning that encourages objectification of women. When your own mother's words and actions determine your own status, you learn to look deeper, and appreciate her uniqueness, and then learn to look for that in a partner.

Your wife is a lucky women.

[terrya]

34. I wish this was true.

[bushisanidiot]

35. Apparently, the important battleground state of Alaska was more important than FL.

doh!

[Terran]

36. He's also admitting he puts his campaign before his country

scumbag

[Kingofalldems]

38. Hey freepers, This is HUGH!!11!11!1!

McCain just sold you out.

[TheZug]

39. Holy Crap! This should be the weekend meme!

[polichick]

40. I'm thrilled he didn't pick Crist - maybe now the governor won't be so quick to...

...sign on to drilling in the Gulf.

[ProSense]

41. I'm still trying to understand the implication of this:

"I think this would have been a battleground state, except for obviously (with) a popular governor as Charlie Crist is,"

Is McCain saying Florida is not a battleground state because he didn't pick Crist?

Now thattThe GOP vote suppression fraud has been exposed, McCain probably realizes he'll lose states (Ohio and Florida) that he expected to win.

[No Elephants]

44. It's been exposed, but what has actually been done about it beyond talk?

[ProSense]

47. Good grief.

Ohio.

[No Elephants]

42. Oh, please. He steered clear of Crist because of the rumors that Crist is gay and he picked Palin

in the belief that vaginas are interchangeable--meaning that Hillary fans would automatically vote for Palin's vajayjay, no matter how unsuitable Palin's brain.

[BuelahWitch]

54. "vaginas are interchangeable"

That's the attitude of Republicans about any type of minority, isn't it? Cases in point, when Thurgood Marshall retired from the Supreme Court, Daddy Bush put in another African American as his replacement. And the Illinois Republican party ran carpetbagger Alan Keyes against Barack Obama in the 2004 Senate race. This year in the Kansas second congressional district the Repugs are running Lynn Jenkins against Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, hoping to have interchangeable vaginas in that race. In the case of Palin, Thomas and Keyes, they aren't fit to shine the shoes of the person they are supposed to replace. I have mixed feelings about Boyda, although I hope that she will stay in the House to keep a Dem majority.
My point is white male Republicans rarely see "the other" as people. We are all things that can be interchanged based on our body parts, sexuality, skin color, etc.

[Fire1]

73. And for the most part, THAT in and of itself is what has caused

many repub women to switch sides. They are 'insulted.'

[Top Cat]

43. McCain made the biggest mistake of his politcal career bring Palin to his campaign

[No Elephants]

48. Yep. Especially after McCain said that Obama is the one who

puts his election before his country. But 72 year old four time cancer victim McCain is actually the one who put his country at risk, by picking a VP candidate who is unfit to be President. I call that TREASON.

[central scrutinizer]

46. An admission that he chose a running mate based solely on political considerations

not qualifications. Country First, my ass

[unblock]

50. the way things are going for mclame, he was wise to shore up his hold on alaska's 3 electoral votes

[yardwork]

65. lol

[Lorien]

51. Crist has only been popular because he's not Jeb

After eight years of Jebby he seems moderate and sensible by comparison.

[JCMach1]

66. You are correct!

[JI7]

75. and that would actually have helped McCain in this election cycle

but instead by picking Palin it's like he picked Bush to be VP.

[LynneSin]

52. Palin sunk McCain's career and after 11/5 Palin's own career will sink

and I'm guessing Alaskans will be damn grateful about that.

Ironically we Delawareans will be sad to no longer have Joe as our senator but are happy to share him with the rest of the world.

[progressoid]

56. McCAIN is a real head-scratcher!

not just his comments

[IndianaGreen]

57. McCain "expressed no regrets for choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin."

The Republican presidential nominee expressed no regrets for choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and said Florida was sure to be a hard-fought state with almost any vice presidential pick — besides Crist.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article860402.ece

Palin is the one keeping the base in line, without her McCain's numbers would be even lower of what they are.

[ProSense]

69. The direct quotes and the lead both contradict that.

It probably reflects McCain's own contradictions. Still, the McCain's quotes indicate that he realizes that his actions have put Florida in jeopardy. So he's is either pandering to Crist or acknowledging that it didn't work out according to plan.

"I think this would have been a battleground state, except for obviously (with) a popular governor as Charlie Crist is,'' McCain said. "Look, this is a tough decision that we made with Sarah Palin. But I also saw Sarah Palin come down here and energize crowds in a way that's pretty remarkable, too."

That's a fairly defensive and negative statement. Palin obviously didn't turn out to be the pull he thought.

Florida is the third biggest prize in terms of electoral votes.

Florida GOP: Red With Dismay

By Arian Campo-Flores | NEWSWEEK
Published Oct 18, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Oct 27, 2008

Tom Slade, a former Florida GOP chair, was getting about five calls a day last week from fellow Republicans saying the same thing: "Do something." The source of their alarm was the seemingly perilous condition of Sen. John McCain's campaign in the state. After leading for months in Florida, recent polls show him trailing Sen. Barack Obama by about five points. Much of the reversal, no doubt, stems from the economic crisis. But part of the blame lies with the McCain team itself, according to numerous Florida Republicans. Slade says he's hearing complaints that the campaign isn't coordinating volunteers well and its state director, Arlene DiBenigno, is ineffective. Others say its voter-turnout operation is lagging. (A Florida spokesman for McCain declined to respond to these assertions.) "The campaign is kind of on the ropes," says one GOP strategist who requested anonymity to give a candid assessment. McCain "could lose Florida now, and if he does, it's game over."

Tension has reportedly been mounting between the campaign and state Republicans. Several weeks ago, Florida GOP chair Jim Greer convened a private meeting with both camps to discuss the darkening outlook. News of the gathering, which apparently grew tense, leaked to media. Greer denies any discord, telling NEWSWEEK the point was to "make sure that the ship was on its right course." But a McCain loyalist who was present and also requested anonymity says Greer was just looking out for himself— either by appearing to save the day or "forewarning of a crisis so he couldn't be blamed."

Then there's Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, whose enthusiasm for McCain, some say, has waned since he was passed over as a veep pick. He recently told reporters that "his foremost responsibility" is governing his state and that he was eager to help the Arizona senator "when I have time." Then about a week ago, he went to Disney World instead of a McCain rally. Crist tells NEWSWEEK that worries about his commitment are unfounded. "I couldn't be more enthusiastic," he says. "I love John McCain, and I'm doing all I can" to help him. Last Friday, he joined the candidate at rallies in Miami and Melbourne. Unfortunately, another distraction emerged that day: one of McCain's top fundraisers in the state, Harry Sargeant III, was accused of overcharging the government for fuel deliveries in Iraq by his contracting company. (A lawyer for Sargeant has denied the allegations.)

Not all Florida Republicans are despairing, though. The GOP chairs of some counties along the critical Interstate 4 corridor, including Pinellas, home to St. Petersburg, say their troops are fired up and have all the resources they need. The recent flurry of complaints were "a little bit of preliminary finger-pointing," says Brian Ballard, McCain's Florida finance chair. "I think everybody now gets the point that we've got to work together."

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Obviously, things didn't work out the way he planned.

You say his numbers would be even lower? Conservatives have been abandoning McCain in droves since he selected Palin.

[progressivebydesign]

58. I think it's more like pandering to Florida voters, because they knew he'd been a jerk to Crist.

Remember the incident when he was left off the plane, etc.? I think McCain is pandering... that's what they do best.

[nam78_two]

64. nam78_two however heartily endorses his Palin pick

:toast:
I kinda thought this was coming even at her high point after the convention. She always struck me as someone who was going to end up being a liability...

"The healthcare reform that is shoring up our jobs under the umbrella of opportunity.....jibber jabber.."
"In what respect Charlie"

"global warming has not contributed to all of man's activities...etc. etc."

[JSK]

67. Thread title is misleading eom

[ProSense]

70. No, it isn't.

The diarist based the title on McCain's direct quotes. McCain is obviously contemplating that something he did resulted in Obama pulling ahead in Florida.

[Cha]

71. But, the moussecreep is his

soul mate..that's what he gets for having such a creeped out soul.

[ecstatic]

72. Wow! Does he really think saying that will help him with Floridians?!

His confession makes it even worse! Bad judgment on his first major decision. Then throwing Palin under the bus and thinking it would somehow garner good will in FL. If anything, it will make people feel sorry for Palin (yeah, she's terribly unqualified, but she has only been thrust into the spotlight due to McCain).

Erratic erratic erratic!

[JI7]

74. Palin is the biggest reason given to me by Republicans

and other conservative leaning types for why they will not vote for McCain.

VP picks usually don't matter, but in this case it matters a lot. Obama would most likely have won anyways. but at least with a qualified VP pick it would have been closer and McCain wouldn't be worried about losing states like Indiana.

[Essene]

76. uhhh, wow... does he know he's not supposed to say this stuff?

lol

[Raine]

78. Interesting

THANKS for posting this.