What went wrong for McCain?

By Jason Wright, Editor

Filed Under General on Nov 4 

Give us THREE reasons McCain lost this election.

Comments

  • Charles

    Simple…

    1) Not announcing the appointment of Rudy as AG in advance promising to jail the Wall St criminals necessitating the bailout…Most folks know his track record on making white collar crime in NY accountable is second to none..
    2) Obama’s successful (albeit unfair) linkage of McCain to Bush..
    3) The total biased coverage of the news media..

  • AndDru1

    1) GOP Brand/Name Identification

    2) Not taking strong stands on issues (especially social issues)

    3) No central message (goes with number 2, they weren’t sure what they believed so how could they relate it to voters)

    4) Poor vetting/roll out of Palin announcement. They should have known about her potential flaws and had a come-back ready. They shouldn’t have thrown her to the wolves right off the bat. And they should have prepared her better for the national stage. Should have made a stronger effort to brand her in a positive light instead of letting the Matt Damon’s of the world slander her.

    God Bless John McCain, God Bless Sarah Palin, and God save our American States.

  • German Observer

    1) George W. Bush

    2) Attractive democratic candidate, resonating to a wide spectrum of the population and and excellently run campaign (strategy, conduct and organization)

    3) economy

    Technically not asked for, but the list was incomplete without adding: MCCain not attractive enough, poorly run campaign (strategy, tactics, Palin).

    • Brian H

      Now that we have elected a Euro socialist, I now wait with anticipation for the Euros to:

      1. Praise the GREATBNESS of America.

      2. Help defeat Islamic Terrorist around the world.

      3. Follow our lead and elect a minority into their top government position.

      Shall I begin holding my breath?

      The reason Euros HATE Bush is because he is a constant reminder to them of their own ineffectiveness.Bush reminds them that we are strong, and they are weak. We are prosperous and they are not. At least Obama will now show the world that America, too, is accepting of diversity while the HATER intollerant hypocrites of Europe are still locked into their 16th Century ethnic devisions that led to 2 world wars in a 20 year time span.

      • German Observer

        Brian, I am not really sure, how I earned this tirade. But as I know the feeling very well to belong to the losing side, your tone shall be accepted.

        Anyway you deserve an answer.

        “Now that we have elected a Euro socialist, I now wait with anticipation for the Euros to:”

        Socialist? We definetly have different definitions of that term.

        “1. Praise the GREATBNESS of America.”

        I never understood, what makes you feel great, what made you claim to be gods own country or the greatest nation on earth. That, frankly, is pretty ridiculous. Never found any evidence for that.

        But I have to admit: yesterday America showed the ability to learn from its past mistakes. Certainly four years later, than should be expected and maybe not out of full conviction, but America learned. And so I say wholeheartly and with out any irony: well done America!

        “2. Help defeat Islamic Terrorist around the world.”

        Seems that you don’t know, that there are German soldiers in Afghanistan in significant numbers, even fighting forces. Also Germany as any other Eoropean country works together with the US in intelligence-activities.
        We are not in Iraq, as this war has nothing to do with fighting terrorists.

        “3. Follow our lead and elect a minority into their top government position.”

        We hopefully will do some day. and it probably will not take us that long as it took you. See, there is no minorities in Germany of significant numbers, which lives here longer than 40-50 years. Immigration from southern Europe and Turkey just started at the end of the 50s, beginning 60s. So you are comparing apples with peaches. Anyway the 2nd and third generations of these immigrants start to gain important positions. there are party leaders and members of parliament of turkish origin etc. Time will come, don’t worry.

        “The reason Euros HATE Bush is because he is a constant reminder to them of their own ineffectiveness.Bush reminds them that we are strong, and they are weak.”

        What a nonsense.

        “We are prosperous and they are not.”

        Have you ever been here? At least we don’t belong to Chinese and Saudi investors, we have less illiteracy, higher life expectancy, less jomeless and more people health insured. Besides, we have fridges and even fluent water.

        “At least Obama will now show the world that America, too, is accepting of diversity while the HATER intollerant hypocrites of Europe are still locked into their 16th Century ethnic devisions that led to 2 world wars in a 20 year time span.”

        Whre do you have hat from? The WWs are over for 60 years.

        I could list a few points, why indeed Europe hates Bush. Most of them have to do, that he is an ignorant, unsensitive America-centrist, who let kill more than 100.000 Iraqis for no reason. Let’s not go into details.

        • Gary Russell

          German Obamaserver,

          You “never understood, what makes you feel great, what made you claim to be gods own country or the greatest nation on earth. That, frankly, is pretty ridiculous. Never found any evidence for that.”

          Yet again, must we rehash history? If it were not for the greatness of America (and her allies), your country would have committed world-wide genocide and enslaved the world.

          Yet, you can’t see why we feel that our country is great?

          • German Observer

            Oh Gary, didn’t we have that one before?

            If you attribute your greatness on the fact, that America sometimes fights good wars, that’s fine.

            But you do fight in bad wars sometimes as well and tend to forget to mention. Plus, you strongly tend to go to war for moral reasons as an option and not as a general rule, otherwise I could tell you some spots, where you should have gone in the past and didn’t and some spots to go in the present and don’t.

            To attribute your greatness on taking part in two WWs far away from your home-continent does not distinguish you from Australio for example, who did the same. So is Australia also the greatest country on earth?

            I also don’t have the impression, that the general attitude to be so great or even the greatest is that close related to your sacrifice in two world wars, but just happens on a regular basis, happens with out any reasoning in detail and happens quite strongly and frequently. And that makes me sceptic. You know, some time back, we had a leader, who told my grandfather’s generation, that they are the greatest nation on earth. There was no reason for that claim then and it did not turn out well, as we know.

            Though I have many points to critizise the US you are as great or as bad as most other countries in the world. As most countries you had your bright moments and your dark hours, your good habbits and your bad.

            Unless you find some points to convince me about the contrary I continue to believe, that you are just normal – and that you constant claim to be the greatest indeed belongs to the weak side of yours.

            Guess, you can’t argue this, can you?

        • Brian H

          “We hopefully will do some day. and it probably will not take us that long as it took you. See, there is no minorities in Germany of significant numbers”

          I wonder why that is?

          Do you ever ask yourself why minorities flock the the USA? We accept more LEGAL immigrants every year than the rest of the world does combined.

          • German Observer

            “I wonder why that is?”

            That certainly has to do, that other than the US European countries don’t have that history of immigration. The US as such are a nation buildt on the concept of immigration (not discussion the matter of native Americans here). This by the way to me certainly is a positive side if the US, that out of this melting pot emerged a fascinating mix of cultures, a diversity, that in many respects forms a unity again.

            So there is no history of immiogration, which, in Germany just started in the early 60ies, when we attracted working force, most from Turkey, Italy, Greece and other southern European countries. They now make up for about 10-15% of the population.

            Things are a bit different in other European countries, like England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which had colonies in Africa and Asia.

            Oh, we also didn’t have African slaves, we always expolited our own countrymen :-)

            Funny, that this point is your only answer to my first post.

  • Dean in Canada

    1) George Bush
    2) John McCain
    3) Barak Obama

    Too much headwind (1+3), and a poorly crafted and/or executed campaign strategy (2).

  • AWB

    Yes, I know I cheated. It’s not technically just THREE :-) . But one could put 3b with 2 if you want to consolidate.

  • AWB

    1) Economic meltdown
    2) Obama’s assets (here I lump charisma/money)
    3a) George W Bush
    3b) MSM bias

  • joe gores

    1. Idiots running his campaign.
    2. No focus on Economy.
    3. Stupid uneducated voters.

  • J

    1)Not enough of a change from George Bush
    2)His reaction to the economic crash
    3)The generation gap of ideals between the two

    • J

      a close 4) Sarah Palin

  • RR

    1. Encouraging military aggressiveness
    2. Flipping from 2000 to embrace far-right religious social conservative issues
    3. Insisting on tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens

  • http://thenextreformation.wordpress.com Paul C. Quillman

    1) Mc Cain is not conservative
    2) Conservatives are tired of RINO’s
    3) MSM

  • dw

    1. He did not articulate how he was different from Bush
    2. He was not really different from Bush
    3. He did not run on a platform of reduced government size and reduced government spending.

  • Whodat

    1. Bush et al
    2. The economic crash
    3. McCain himself, age mostly, but nothing about him inspired or excited anyone

  • Gabriel

    1. McCain dropped the ball during the debate on the bailout. He should have opposed it. He was in a position to win until then.

    2. Any democrat was easily going to beat any republican this time.

    3. McCain ran a negative uninspiring bland Dole-ish campaign.

  • Troy La Mana

    1. McCain was never a true Conservative.

    2. The MSM was Pro-Obama from the beginning which made it an uphill battle.

    3. Call me a racist but the exit polls bear me out; Blacks were going to vote for Obama no matter what.

    • chloegirl

      I thought that African-Americans are a minority. Are you really going to say that the race factor won this election? That’s bold and insane. If it really boiled down to the race factor- Obama would have lost because race is STILL an issue in this country. Thankfully, I think it is losing ground.

  • Rick B.

    1. Economy
    2. Age/Looks/Image of “grumpy old man”
    3. Disorganized/unresponsive campaign

    • Rick B.

      Well, that and the fact that he was a flawed candidate from the beginning. He was flawed in 2000, which is why he didn’t get the nomination then. He didn’t improve in the last 8 years.

      That brings me to what I see as the silver lining in this dark cloud: McCain is done. He had his chance, he lost and now we can move on to (hopefully) better candidates.

      • Gary Russell

        Yessss!
        No one is “next in line” because its their turn.
        No Bushes (sorry Jeb) or Doles.
        A bold, fresh start.
        Viva la Reagan Revolution II.

  • Joe Citizen

    1. George Bush
    2. George Bush
    3. Money

  • dave

    I’ll be first to name it. BUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH>

  • Gary Russell

    1. Media bias
    2. Economy
    3. Race

  • Brian H

    1. Republican Brand
    2. Historic Candidate
    3. Change

  • Alaina

    1. Campaign organization
    2. Money
    3. Media

  • dave

    A) Obama is inspirational, Has huge resources (Who would be silly enough to think he would be foolish enough to accept Public financing???)

    B) Bailout and economic doomed Obama, people trust Dems on this issue.

    C)Public schools have done their jobs, Kids are more favorable to liberal issues.