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Message
Steve Schmidt, Sarah Palin, Game Change
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:16 am
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:16 am
Yes, I know, Germans....but the search function wasnt working.
60 Minutes Interview with Steve Schmidt
For those of you who somehow missed this, like me, Steve Schmidt is one of the main guys who chose Palin as McCains running mate. His interview is very revealing.
I dont know how I missed this but I finally watched "Game Change" yesterday and then started looking up info on Steve Schmidt. The movie was, I thought, a fascinating look inside how presidential political machines work. I found McCain to be a very sympathetic character and I actually gained just a little bit of respect back for him after selling himself to the GW neo-con machine in an obvious ploy to run for president. I actually liked pre-2006 McCain a lot.
If I was to read between the lines just a little bit I feel like the Sarah Palin choice might have been a milestone in the schism of the Republican party. Palin has had staying power and speaks to a very significant portion of the republican base......namely the evangelic conservatives. I think mainstream conservatives have to see this faction along with much of talk radio as an existential threat at this point as it seems to be increasingly hard for centrists to mediate between the ultra-right 15% and even centrist democratic ideals. This does not bode well for the party as independents trend left slowly over time. I could even buy Steve Schmidts efforts as an attempt to battle and discredit this faction(not just Palin) and, perhaps, some penance for his sins.
As for Palin, I was left both feeling sorry for her and relieved. I can't imagine her dealing with "Putin rearing his head" right now.
Should I go ahead and start things off by downvoting myself?
60 Minutes Interview with Steve Schmidt
For those of you who somehow missed this, like me, Steve Schmidt is one of the main guys who chose Palin as McCains running mate. His interview is very revealing.
I dont know how I missed this but I finally watched "Game Change" yesterday and then started looking up info on Steve Schmidt. The movie was, I thought, a fascinating look inside how presidential political machines work. I found McCain to be a very sympathetic character and I actually gained just a little bit of respect back for him after selling himself to the GW neo-con machine in an obvious ploy to run for president. I actually liked pre-2006 McCain a lot.
If I was to read between the lines just a little bit I feel like the Sarah Palin choice might have been a milestone in the schism of the Republican party. Palin has had staying power and speaks to a very significant portion of the republican base......namely the evangelic conservatives. I think mainstream conservatives have to see this faction along with much of talk radio as an existential threat at this point as it seems to be increasingly hard for centrists to mediate between the ultra-right 15% and even centrist democratic ideals. This does not bode well for the party as independents trend left slowly over time. I could even buy Steve Schmidts efforts as an attempt to battle and discredit this faction(not just Palin) and, perhaps, some penance for his sins.
As for Palin, I was left both feeling sorry for her and relieved. I can't imagine her dealing with "Putin rearing his head" right now.
Should I go ahead and start things off by downvoting myself?
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 8:20 am
4
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:18 am to AUbused
quote:
I can't imagine her dealing with "Putin rearing his head" right now.
At this point I will take anyone that is willing to deal with Putin.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:23 am to Radiojones
quote:
At this point I will take anyone that is willing to deal with Putin.
Putin appears to be dealing with himself, as of late.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:25 am to AUbused
Classic CYA by Schmidt. After all, wants to keep those clients coming in, doesn't he?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:43 am to AUbused
quote:
Palin has had staying power
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:45 am to BayouBlitz
Not sure if thats funny because its true or because you believe it to be false. She's still in the media every other day. Her support still lends "legitimacy" to conservatives in state elections.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:46 am to redandright
quote:
Classic CYA by Schmidt
CYA? He condemns himself for having chosen political win over the future of his own country. Basically betraying friends and family in the armed services. Not exactly sure how thats CYA.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:11 am to AUbused
quote:
CYA? He condemns himself for having chosen political win over the future of his own country. Basically betraying friends and family in the armed services. Not exactly sure how thats CYA.
Schmidt has been out there trying to deflect blame from all the other problems with the McCain campaign by dumping them at Palin's feet for years.
Regardless of your opinion about Palin, there were serious problems with the McCain campaign, from the top down, well before Palin ever came on board.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:17 am to AUbused
Well since Palin has become the favourite punching bag of the Washington/NYC elite, justifiably or not, he has to wash his hands of her, does his mea culpa so he can get back onto the Cocktail Party circuit, and line up more clients whose campaigns he can mismanage and lose.
As far as I'm concerned he's a man of little character. I mean how hard is it to beat up on Sarah Palin? Especially with the audience with whom he's trying to appeal.
As far as I'm concerned he's a man of little character. I mean how hard is it to beat up on Sarah Palin? Especially with the audience with whom he's trying to appeal.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:31 am to teke184
quote:
Regardless of your opinion about Palin, there were serious problems with the McCain campaign
Palins choice itself makes the problems with McCain's campaign obvious. Schmidt himself even states plainly that it was the correct political move. The problems with the McCain campaign were.........first and foremost........McCain himself coupled with an apathetic conservative base. This is the issue Im bringing up in the OP. Coming out of a primary where one has to pander to the 15% evangelical base while being competitive in the general will become increasingly difficult. One of the most telling moments to me was this one:
McCain booed while defending Obama from wingnuts
A perfect example of the issues the republican party is facing.
Aside from that, regarding Schmidt, reports about the break between Palin and the campaign managers were coming out during the end of the campaign. The idea that Couric is to blame for Palin's ineptness is ridiculous. No matter what kind of liberal media conspiracy you spin up, that the woman knew zero about foreign policy and geopolitics was plain to see for anyone not in denial. Schmidt doesn't really need to corroborate that fact.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:33 am to teke184
quote:
Regardless of your opinion about Palin, there were serious problems with the McCain campaign, from the top down, well before Palin ever came on board.
Yep. McCain's campaign actually saw a spike in popularity after naming Palin as his VP running mate. His pick of Palin was ultimately inconsequential to his loss though as he would have lost regardless of who he picked for his running mate. Bush/Iraq/Obama were just too much to overcome for a GOP candidate.
That's not to say Palin wasn't a terrible pick, because she was. And it's also not to say she's not an idiot, because she is. But she wasn't the reason McCain lost in 2008.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:36 am to AUbused
quote:
Not sure if thats funny because its true or because you believe it to be false. She's still in the media every other day. Her support still lends "legitimacy" to conservatives in state elections.
Well, since she quit her governorship half way through, I think 'staying power' is an absolute joke.
Anne Coulter is in the media every other day, so what? Part of the reason why she's in the media, is because she's easy to make fun of.
As a politician, she brings next to nothing to the table.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:36 am to AUbused
quote:
McCain booed while defending Obama from wingnuts
While Obama did nothing when one of his top operatives accused Romney of causing a man's wife to contract cancer and die.
But the Right is the bigoted, intolerant, hateful group.
No, there's no double standard there.
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 9:38 am
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:36 am to The Spleen
quote:
That's not to say Palin wasn't a terrible pick, because she was. And it's also not to say she's not an idiot, because she is. But she wasn't the reason McCain lost in 2008.
Apparently they came out of her convention speech with the LEAD. If Palin isn't picked they lose way worse than they did. Palin was the reason they didn't get demolished. What does that say about American politics?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:39 am to teke184
quote:
Regardless of your opinion about Palin, there were serious problems with the McCain campaign, from the top down, well before Palin ever came on board.
Just an awful campaign. Reminiscent of Kerry's 2004 campaign. And I'm not even talking about Palin's involvement. Palin was in over her head. But, as noted above, she wasn't the reason for the loss. It was probably closer with her than it would have been otherwise.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:41 am to AUbused
quote:
What does that say about American politics?
quote:
the woman knew zero about foreign policy and geopolitics was plain to see for anyone not in denial
... yet Obama was elected
quote:
What does that say about American politics?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:44 am to the808bass
quote:
Just an awful campaign. Reminiscent of Kerry's 2004 campaign. And I'm not even talking about Palin's involvement. Palin was in over her head. But, as noted above, she wasn't the reason for the loss. It was probably closer with her than it would have been otherwise.
The way I look at it, Palin energized the Republican base which was the entire point of putting her on the ticket. They turned out because choosing her showed that McCain wasn't taking them for granted.
Considering that McCain had been heavily considering a "unity ticket" with Sen. Joe Lieberman as his VP, that's a huge deal. Choosing Lieberman may have helped him out in the center but it would have cratered him with his base and wouldn't have helped him on the left, where Lieberman had pretty much been ostracized for holding firm on his foreign policy positions.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:46 am to the808bass
convinced me what an a-hole Schmidt is. Ready to pick a liberal over conservatives
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:46 am to The Spleen
quote:
That's not to say Palin wasn't a terrible pick, because she was.
She was about the only positive thing about the McCain campaign.
quote:
nd it's also not to say she's not an idiot, because she is.
She does;t have the elite sheepskin, but she is far from an idiot. There are hundreds of DEM politicos who are flat out mouth breathing stupid compared to her. She has commons sense and conservative values - that is what is most sorely lacking from the political leadership of today. She would not win a quiz-bowl on classic greek philosophy or renaissance artists, but as for what is the right way to fix the problems we face today she is far more intelligent than any national DEM and certainly head and shoulders above her campaign rival in the 08 election - the one who is a heartbeat from the presidency at the moment.
I just don't get the hatin Palin other than that she was a potential popular rival to the butt-ugly DEM feminist.
quote:
But she wasn't the reason McCain lost in 2008.
nope - but he would have lost by a larger margin without her.
I am not a huge fan of Palin. However I cannot resist my urge to protect people from unfair attacks.
Hell, I have even come to Rex's defense when he was attacked unfairly.
Attack any particular policy statement of Palin you want, but blanket statements of 'she's stupid' are going to be challenged.
I disagree with her latest 'impeach Obama' stance - because politically harmful, not because it is not the 'right' thing to do. I don't believe in committing suicide while engaging in a 'feel good' exercise, even if the exercise is technically correct.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:55 am to homesicktiger
quote:
... yet Obama was elected
Sorry........everything is not the same as everything else. Say what you want about Obama's policies but he was a law professor. In all likelihood he had at least a moderate or serviceable grasp of the subjects about which Palin had/has no clue.
You could argue(if you really want to) as Chinese guy above that all the fancy-pants smarts and ivory-tower education doesn't mean jack shite and that what we really need is someone we can drink a beer with who doesn't know jack shite about world realities and doesn't need to because their blue collar pragmatism will prevail. Sound like more of the "being educated is lame and liberal" rhetoric imo.
That being said, being educated does not equal being good at running a country. I would argue that generally being uneducated harms your ability to do so.
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