The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk - Latest Comments in McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Michael Outlet Guru — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:45:55 -0000

I agree also

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Dave Knox — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:56:17 -0000

Alan - I love you taking the stance on this. I have actually stayed out of the social media fray on the topic of elections because of how slanted the world of Twitter/Blogs/etc seems to be around the topic of the elections. NYC/Silicon Valley is pretty liberal by nature and I've been amazed at how personal the attacks are about Palin.

So I love that you are bringing the discussion back to one of strategy and Walmart America brought to life. And frankly I see the strategy already coming to life. My girlfriend was a solid Hilary supporter and was likely going to sit on the sidelines once Obama won the nomination. But now she is firmly in the Palin camp because of all the reasons you list.

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out....though I have to say from the comments to this post, I already see people taking it to the lowest denominator of politics....

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Alan Wolk — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:27:54 -0000

Thank you Ann for the yeoman's effort and for the very nice compliment.

It will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Ann Handley — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:28:03 -0000

I just did something I don't think I've ever done.. read the entire post AND all of the 39 comments (PLUS followed the links -- bonus points!) in one sitting.

Excellent analysis, Toad. I'm so glad you published this. Much as it disappoints me to give the McCain camp kudos, I admit you are spot-on in your analysis. And Paul's comments/links are wickedly priceless.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

toad's sixth reader — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:51:05 -0000

i agree nick. the republicans have gotten better at winning elections. but apparently, not much else.

and you're right, the democrats couldn't pick a broadly appealing candidate if their life depended on it. Block-o-wood Kerry? Jesus, what were they thinking.

Thatcher was a republican? Then why were the republicans always trying to kill her.

;-)

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

nickgoodey — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:44:41 -0000

And another thing ..why do Democrats and left wingers often pick candidates that are quite patrician and upper middle class ( Kerry, Kennedy, Blair,Gore etc) while the republicans often have self-made men or women - Reagan, Nixon, Thatcher?

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

nickgoodey — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:41:24 -0000

I recommend people read 'The right nation: conservative power in America' . Written a couple of years ago by two politically neutral Economist writers, it attempts to show how the American right have become more and more influential and more and more in tune with American voters ....a must read.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

toad's sixth reader — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:03:49 -0000

Tom,

Gov. Palin knew what she was getting into when she accepted the job. She's a former beauty queen with Ted Nugent credentials.

She has a five month old special needs infant and a 17 year old pregnant daughter. As a parent, I don't think it's out of order to question the wisdom her acceptance of the second most all-consuming job in the world at this particular moment. She's the mom. All infants need their moms. It's that simple. Young pregnant daughters also need their moms. also a fact.

especially when you consider the megawatt glare of publicity and media inquisition that we all know that joining the presidential campaign entails. and that she knew would inevitably be shone on her family.

Presumably she knows what she's doing. is she planning on using her daughter's unplanned pregnancy as proof of how pro-life she is. i'm guessing she is. that would be uncool. is she that ambitious?

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Tom Kasperski — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:04:47 -0000

Good analysis Alan, except I don't believe the Republicans necessarily chose between the lack of experience or elitistism argument. Obama's own lack of experience innoculated Palin against that line of attack.

What blows me away is the deluge of sexist comments from the typically pc media and left-leaning commentators. Unbelievable. If an African American had been the GOP pick for POTUS they'd probably be asking if fried chicken and watermelon would be served at the convention.

"secretary of blowjob...With Palin, I can get laid." < the closet sexists have been unleashed

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

VinnyWarren — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:42:21 -0000

alan, i know. and that's the scary thing . we simultaneously seem to want an invincible white knight demigod who is also just one of the boys. that doesn't exist.

also, there's the whole thing of leader vs. servant. in europe we elect the person we think can get the job done. in the knowledge that they're all JUST politicians and are therefore inherently suspect. but they are our servants.

here it seems we want a great leader. but then we still somehow keep electing george bush. neither a man of the people or a great white knight. our judgement therefore is suspect. in reality and in the eyes of the outside world. and that's a problem. we aren't belgium. who we elect matters globally.

PS: have you seen the pic of Palin in the bikini with the gun? please tell me it's photoshopped. please!

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Alan Wolk — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:10:59 -0000

Just read a post by Billy Kimball (Al Franken's producer) over on Huffington Post that echoes what we've been saying here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.c... or http://is.gd/298D

@Vinny: I find that many Americans are far more suspicious of a perceived "whadda ya think- you're better than us?" intellectual elitism than they are of any sort of economic-based one.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

pamela lewis — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:29:42 -0000

If John McCain wanted a woman on the ticket, there were plenty of conservative women to choose from, who have a respectable record as public officials, and who would arguably be ready to be Commander in Chief. That he chose Sarah Palin, who is nothing short of an embarrassment, speaks volumes about the kind of judgment McCain will show as President. For if he's willing to put a nearly-recalled, under-investigation inept hack one heartbeat away from the Presidency, what kind of judgment will he show when choosing Judges and Justices, Secretaries of top departments, and administrators of lead agencies?

Where's the brilliance, exactly?

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

VinnyWarren — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:37:58 -0000

Palin was good cynical casting - guntotin' frontier gal. Just as Biden was. Foreign policy totin' older guy.

McCain had to have known about the pregnant daughter, right?

As long as I've been in this country, this is the first time i've really paid attention to the prez-picking process. And i have to say the whole thing is absurd. Americans are sooooooooooooo rigorous. poring over every policy and election promise. And pretending they understand macro-economic and monetary policy. which is great.. god bless us for trying.

And THEN we elect Bush/Cheney. And then we go and re-elect bush/cheney.

the meaningless charge that Obama is elitist is typical of how we focus our energy looking at the wrong things. both obama and mccain hopefully represent the elite of our country. we've had eight years of a plain-speakin' idiot who has led our country to the brink of catastrophe on pretty much every front.
the country needs lots of elitism. fast!

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

yikes — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:42:58 -0000

I'd just like to go on record as saying that voting for a demographic is idiotic. Regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof.

That being said, we get the representation we deserve.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

bob hoffman — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:08:40 -0000

Alan,

Congratulations on one of the most astute analyses I have read.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Alan Wolk — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:13:13 -0000

Brad:

For millions of people, the answer to that question is "I'd rather
have Palin than Obama."
It may seem completely illogical to you, but for them, your opinion is equally illogical.

And here's some proof they actually do exist, from (of all places) the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008...

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Brad — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:59:44 -0000

Alan...

More commentary on Ms. Palin from around the country. This one has a bit of an Andrew Dice Clay feel to it.

http://video.google.com/vid...

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Brad — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:51:30 -0000

Alan...

Simple questions to all -- from NY or around the country -- if McCain (a man I like and respect) were to kick the bucket in office, would you want Palin as your Commander and Chief?

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Alan Wolk — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:03:07 -0000

Brad/Pam - Thanks for the comments and the opposing viewpoints, but I'd urge you both to re-read my NASCAR Blindness post: http://tangerinetoad.blogsp... - especially.the quote from Arthur Miller. Because yes, the people you both know will react exactly as you've suggested.

But as many others on here have affirmed, there's a whole world out there of conservative blue colllar women who are thrilled to see someone like themselves running. As Carl Loeb points out, Palin is both charismatic and well-liked in her home state. She will connect with the sorts of people you'd never encounter in a NYC ad agency. And to further quote Mr. Loeb (a Bay Area liberal, if ever there was one, to put his quotes into context) Gov. Palin incites the same exact sort of hatred among liberals as Sen. Obama incites among conservatives.

Or to put it another way, you may not want to believe that there are people out there who will connect with her, but that doesn't make it not so.

@Yikes: I suspect the scenario you lay out is spot on. But much room for tactical errors, misstatements and October surprises. If nothing else, it will be most interesting.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

yikes — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:38:05 -0000

I think Alan's general thesis is totally correct.

However, I don't know how much it will help McCain in the electoral count. I don't think she'll help him turn over Michigan (right or wrong, his "your jobs aren't coming back" comment probably killed him there), Pennsylvania can relate more to Biden than any other name on the tickets, and she won't help in Florida at all. She might help in Minnesota and Ohio. I think the other "toss up" states are mostly a lock for McCain (CO, NV) or Obama (NM, NH) and NC and VA could go either way, but not due to Palin.

As for Biden/Palin debates, Joe will massacre her, but might come off as mean.

She seems genuinely nice. I just hope the fine 700K people or so of Alaska don't lose their nice governor.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Brad — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:24:05 -0000

Alan/

I couldn't disagree with you more. Right-minded American women will NOT vote based on gender -- especially not for a hot, pro-life mama.

Sarah Palin's lack of experience, coupled with McCain's age and history of illness (skin cancer) make this one a non-starter for most folks.

The final nail in the coffin will be during the Biden/Palin debates.

This was a rogue move and a strategic misfire. He's a goner.

Brad

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

CK — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:22:56 -0000

Love the video posted by Paul. Brilliant.

Paul -- please post your remarks against Palin on your blog...some of us (OK, 1 of us) will no longer access Facebook due to ethical grounds. Or at least send them to me in an email (I really want to see what you wrote ;-).

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

pamela lewis — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:32:13 -0000

Just when you thought McCain did or said the dumbest thing ever, there's this. Here's why. The main concern about voting for Obama is his lack of experience and the biggest concern about McCain is his age (ie huge chance of stroke, heart attack, alzheimers).

McCain failed, once again, to show that he has the judgement to take the problems of this country seriously. This is a very important time in our country. I don't see how any sane person would be happy with such an inexperienced person advising the president -- much less a heart-beat away from it herself.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

mtlb — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:26:26 -0000

@Paul-After seeing this report, I’m staying away more than ever. ;-p

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Not to quibble over semantics, but it’s too bad ‘surprising” has now been associated with ‘maverick’ as it relates to McCain. When did being a maverick mean it had to surprise? It’s just about being different.

Palin is the GOP ideal reimagined as younger female running mate. No ‘surprise’ there and hardly different—just more of the same.

Re: McCain's Brilliant Maneuver

Carl Loeb — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:38:57 -0000

I think it's a brilliant choice.

The problem with liberal-arts-educated, urbanish Democrats (and I include myself here, very much) is that we can't even process what it is that makes blue-collar middle-america tick. And even if we did, we wouldn't want to live in their world.

But it is their world, and it's different, and they love it. And she's a shining example of everything the Republican party upholds as their core values.

It will be difficult for the D's to attack her character.

And as her opponents in Alaska discovered, people just like her. And they vote for her. She stirs the same enthusiasm on the Right that Obama stirs on the left. (And the same anger among people on the other side.)