Here’s John McCain’s Secret Gameplan March 26, 2008
Posted by fitsnews in : Presidential Politics , trackback
“SECURE THE CENTER,” LIEBERMAN AS V.P., 27-STATE BATTLEGROUND STRATEGY
FITSNews - March 26, 2008 - Even though former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman has already ruled out running on a ticket with GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the Connecticut Senator remains the Maverick Republican’s top pick for the No. 2 slot, according to confidential campaign strategy memo showed to FITSNews last weekend by a McCain strategist.
S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, whose political consultant Jon Lerner has been working full-time these days to secure Sanford a spot on McCain’s shortlist, did not appear among McCain’s top five choices according to the memo, which were Lieberman, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn.
“It won’t be Sanford,” said the McCain advisor, who showed FITSNews maps and excerpts from the memo, but would not provide us with a copy of the document. The advisor also confirmed that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham offered Sanford a spot on McCain’s shortlist in exchange for his endorsement of the Arizona Senator prior to the South Carolina presidential primary this January. Sanford obviously refused that offer, reportedly telling Graham that he could “get on the shortlist without McCain’s help,” and that the only way he would lend his endorsement prior to the primary (which McCain won without Sanford’s help), was if the No. 2 spot on the ticket was offered.
In addition to addressing the VP speculation, the memo also suggests that McCain abandon the conventional GOP campaign stategy of “securing the right” (i.e. the party’s evangelical base) prior to focusing on independent voters during a general election. Instead, the three-word strategic theme of McCain’s campaign, “Secure the Center,” is a radicial departure from the campaign strategy employed by every Republican candidate since Gerald Ford. The memo also anticipates - and in fact seeks to stoke - the inevitable outcry such a centrist strategy would bring from conservative talking heads like Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh, noting at one point that their “vocal indignation” would actually help attract the more moderate voters McCain is targeting.
Most importantly from a tactical perspective, the memo more than doubles the typical number of states Republicans designate as “battlegrounds,” with 27 states falling into this category compared to the usual 12-14.
Pointing to two electoral maps shaded in colors of red (Republican states), blue (Democratic states) and purple (”swing” states), McCain’s strategist pointed to one map showing typical democratic strongholds in the Northeast and West Coast shaded blue, which he argued would be the electoral math facing Republicans under a conventional ticket using the conventional GOP “Secure the Right” strategy. He then flipped a page of the memo to show how dozens of those states turned purple when presented with a McCain-Lieberman ticket and a “Secure the Center” campaign strategy.
“Secure the Center puts a dozen new states in play,” he said, adding that “these are not swing states, these are Democratic strongholds now in play.”
Ideologically, McCain’s “Secure the Center” strategy would seek to play up the candidate’s maverick reputation and fiscal conservative credentials while de-emphasizing issues that appeal to evangelicals, a move his strategist says is reflective of shifting voter preferences in both parties.
Will it work? Stay tuned …
Comments»
[...] Here’s John McCain’s Secret Gameplan By fitsnews FITSNews - March 26, 2008 - Even though former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman has already ruled out running on a ticket with GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the Connecticut Senator remains the Maverick … FITSNews For Now - http://www.fitsnews.com/ [...]
[...] FITS News on the VP choice: “It won’t be Sanford,” said the McCain advisor, who showed FITSNews maps [...]
[...] Update: A guy who already has credibility issues with his base isn’t going to put a Democrat on the ticket but it’s fun to pretend. [...]
Linked by Hot Air! Rock on, Willie!
Lieberman is a boring candidate…he can hardly get his words out and he sounds like he’s whining - a PR disaster and I hope McCain can see it.
Huckabee would be good - he has personality like Reagan did. Romney would be a losing venture - theyd just play back the clips of his dirty ads against mccain - the last thing in the world americans want is an ultra conservative poseur who says anything to anybody.
Gov Crist has personality. So does Jack Kempf. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Elizabeth Dole are intriguing. Colin Powell would be a reassuring presence on the ticket. Christopher Cox is beguiling. So many to choose from. But both Romney and Rice represent the old politics of snowing the people.
That’s why Huckabee will last - he doesn’t believe in hoodwinking you - he’s just himself - with a wink.
[...] South Carolina blog claims to have seen the five names on John McCain’s short list for Vice President: Joe [...]
Condi Rice should merit serious consideration. She is a talented executive, has the foreign policy gravitas that McCain lacks, and can seriously compete for votes of independents and centrist democrats. Leaving her off the short-list in favor of courting conservative candidates who will only hurt the candidacy is a mistake. Huckabee will not help get McCain elected. I love Joe Lieberman but he is drab and besides, we in CT need him as a buffer against commies like Ned Lamont.
Why not a real conservative hero like Bob Dole?!? Or how about that arch defender of Republican Party values, Dan Quale? Or maybe the Mac could really reach out and ask the reputable Senator Kennedy. Now that would be real courage. How invigorating to true believers of the Right.
[...] by tizona on April 1, 2008 A South Carolina blogclaims to have seen the five names on John McCain’s short list for Vice President: Joe [...]
[...] ticket (3) Arquivado como: Internacional, Política — Miguel @ 8:47 am Bob Krumm A South Carolina blog claims to have seen the five names on John McCain’s short list for Vice President: Joe Lieberman, [...]
[...] - April 2, 2008 - GOP presidential nominee John McCain says he’s working on his vice presidential selection, telling a radio show this morning that he’s got about 20 names on his current list. Of [...]
[...] McCain’s Secret Gameplan | FITSNews For Now Even though former Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman has already ruled out running on a ticket with GOP presidential nominee John McCain, the Connecticut Senator remains the Maverick Republican’s top pick for the No. 2 slot (tags: McCain Liberman Sanford Crist Pawlenty Barbour Blackburn vice-president republican 2008 presidential elections select2008) [...]
[...] the “Ralph Nader of the Republican Party” will have an adverse impact on GOP nominee John McCain’s chances come November. It also remains to be seen whether those baked beans Sic Willie is [...]
Hi, I´m writing from Colombia, please bear with my limited english. I´d like to comment that many of these views are solely centered on the U.S. domestic scenario, focusing more on the mere personal liking or disliking of two public figures. But look at the big picture, on the foreign policy arena, where the U.S. weaknesses are more obvious.
That´s where the JOHN McCAIN/COLIN POWELL ticket would make more sense. Both are experienced and tried by fire, and to the WORLD they wouldn´t necessarily mean a third Bush term, but an honest attempt to correct the mistakes of the Bush administration.
Believe me, IT´S TRUE LEADERSHIP THE WORLD NEEDS, and whether you like it or not, if Obama were to sit in front of Ajmadinejad, Castro, Chávez or Jong Il, he´s going to look so SMALL and humble that nothing coming out of his mouth would mean anything to these thugs, apicture resembling that of a well-intentioned Chamberlain waving the empty promises of someone like Hitler.
The threats faced by today´s world and the western hemisphere are so HUGE that we need common sense and a strong diplomacy.
An economic war is being waged upon us here in Latin America by the raising Asian giants, and if we´re being already impoverished, think of your Auto industry in shambles because of the STRONG LEADERSHIP they’re lacking.
It´s not protectionism that needs to be applied but effective leadership to reconvert industries, yours and ours, into making them more competitive, more innovative. Latin America CAN and SHOULD become your natural ally, both politically and economically, so we can resist any crisis better, sharing some of your workload with us here, so illegal immigration can be deterred with effective solutions, not barriers.
Meanwhile, you can RE-TRAIN your work force so none of your jobs would be affected, and the american worker, who’s also an american consumer, can still have a fairer chance, and goods still be produced and bought at affordable and competitive prices. WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO BE EFFICIENT AND PROFITABLE AGAIN. Let´s face it : we´ve become lazy and our sorry situation is nobody´s fault but our own.
I think terrorism should be fought more decissively; our determination and resolution shouldn´t be challenged; a zero tolerance policy against it is still necessary. There is no ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS or POLITICAL reason to justify it. And a McCAIN/POWELL formula would also send this message.
We down here in Colombia, for the last 40 years have suffered from the worst acts of terrorism perpetrated by the most savage form of communist insurgence ever known since the Khmer Rouge.
The F.A.R.C. has allies in the oil-rich corrupt regime of neighboring Venezuela whose dictator plans to use them as a trojan horse in his quest of brutally annexing our peace-loving democracy to his domains. Hugo Chávez keeps buying weapons from an irresponsible Putin, and plans to access the Pacific via-our homeland so he can supply the dreaded chinese communist tyranny with cheap oil in the beginning century. WE MUST STOP HIM. And believe me, Obama won’t and can’t.
As the cowards and opportunists that they are, the communists SANDINISTAS, Daniel Ortega’s band in Nicaragua, have joined Chávez in putting a squeeze on Colombia, to revive their long-forgotten and ludicrous pretensions on the Colombian islands of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina as well as their surrounding archipiélagos on colombian waters of the Caribbean; challenging with no arguments Colombia’s legitimate and un-disputed two hundred years-old tradition of un-interrupted sovereignty exerted over these islands and waters.
Such preposterous claims have been made in the hopes that a false and non-existant territorial dispute will divert people’s attention from the alarming reality of Nicaragua’s sad string of corrupt and failed regimes, sky-rocketing inflation and terrible management of its own economy. Facts all true that have placed this miserable population as the poorest in the whole hemisphere, second only to Haiti.
The Sandinista government, built on remnants of another bloody communist guerrilla, also provides haven, shelter and weapons to F.A.R.C terrorists in order to gain simpathy with their scarce communist peers in Colombia, also competing for gaining Chávez favor, just the same way Castro did, in order to breathe more air into his defunct Cuban regime.
Adding to this, Chávez´puppet in Ecuador IS harboring the F.A.R.C. terrorist also, along with their camps, and their drug-manufactoring labs from which they finance their organization. A fact that has been denounced repeatedly in the past by Colombia, and deliberately ignored or consented by Ecuador’s pro-Chávez officials.
Colombia´s Army, constantly attacked from this outposts, at this point had no other choice but to bomb some of these camps neighboring our border, where F.A.R.C´s top boss Raúl Reyes, a known U.S. citizens kidnapper, had always found safe haven; and where communist indoctrination of gullible and naive international activists have been taking place to fuel the smearing and dis-information strategy on the world’s opinion about the reality of our country’s situation.
Thanks to God, U.S. collaboration and training, our forces GOT HIM. He was our Némesis, our Bin Laden so to speak. And also more recently, the entire world rejoiced as our Army struck another blow to these terrorists by rescueing 15 hostages unharmed from their clutches, including three american contractors. Communists all around the world can´t cope with this sonorous defeat and already have launched an all-out media smearing offensive to belittle this triumph.
Some of them were kept in the jungle for more than ten years. The americans alone were retained for six years under the worst conditions. Need more? Ask Thomas Howes, Marc Goncalves and Keith Stansell…
Or the relatives of Larry Gay La’henaha’e, Ingrid Washinawatok and Terence Freitas, native-americans slained long ago by A.K.A. “Grannobles”, another F.A.R.C. thug, while defending colombian aboriginal communities from F.A.R.C.
We must STOP these guys, who along with Chávez, Ortega, Correa, Castro, Bin Laden, Ajmadinejad, Jong Il, Al-Sadr, Nasrala, Hizbollah, Hamas and many others are nothing but tentacles of the multi-national web of world’s international terrorism; a sad wrongful, murderous and fanatical entity that deems everything pro-western, pro-democracy, pro-freedom as FIT for ultimate annihilation by the most ruthless means.
A John McCain / Colin Powell ticket CAN STOP THEM.
The democrats have chosen poorly betting all their chips between the Charisma card and the “Glamour” card of the Clintons who believe me from the distance, they´re no Kennedys. Obama is not a bad person and certainly his constituents must be more than pleased. He´s well intentioned but LACKS LEADERSHIP. That makes him the WRONG man for the job. Just like Bush. And picking the WRONG man is only going to be noticed under the WORST circumstances. Just like Bush. Republicanism as a whole failed here, not because it´s evil as some paranoid Liberal mongers roar, but because it was blinded by the WRONG CHOICE OF PEOPLE. It´s the WRONG PERSON making the WRONG decissions and appointing the WRONG people, once he´s onboard. That´s shown under the WORST adversities (9-11, Katrina, Tokio protocol, Unilateralism in launching the Iraq campaign).
Powell was dragged unfortunately into this and at one point, he left wisely. In fact, he DISCREETLY took distance from this administration´s mess, and the people is so aware of it that his credentials remain IMPECCABLE.
The good thing about these two leaders is that both acknowledge the errors already made, and the need for a corrective way out. A McCAIN / POWELL formula should (and would) build more consensus internationally ¿How about appointing Joe Lieberman as Scy. Of State? THAT´S PRACTISING ELEGANT DIPLOMACY. That´s a whole lot more than the empty charge of ultra-optimistic-wishful “Yes, we can” hot air rethoric.
In serious cinema, biographic epics should be played by REAL ACTORS. Look-alikes only account for bad movies. Not only is needed someone that looks the part. He´s got to be able to PLAY THE PART. It´s the same in politics. We may not like the way McCain looks, or his age won´t appeal to younger voters or sway the media. But deep inside WE KNOW he´s the right man for the job.
That´s what an election is all about.
Thank you for your time, and for the opportunity to contribute.