The Washington Outsider


Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain

Previously published on December 5, 2008

With 365 electoral votes and a strong majority of voters siding with Barack Obama, our Nation decisively chose its new leader in the 2008 Presidential Election. On the losing end, John McCain was left standing among the tattered remains of his Grand Old Party. Although a moderate Republican was the only hope for the GOP, clearly this "Maverick" could not overcome the baggage of the George W. Bush era. For at least ten major reasons, voters did and would not support McCain.

The tenth reason, and probably least significant, not to vote for McCain was his poorly run campaign. Although the complete collapse of his desperate campaign effort in the final stages of the election leaves voters to wonder what his Presidency would be like, he was still able to draw out a significant following and could have stolen the race if Obama were a weaker opponent. Unfortunately for the GOP, Obama and his team only made two major mistakes when Obama poorly phrased his position on tax break distributions to Joe the Plumber and Joe Biden reassured voters if Barack Obama were elected, he would be tested by an international crisis. Meanwhile, John McCain needed to employ a successful defensive by explaining why he voted 90 percent of the time with George W. Bush and reassure voters, if he had been President, these stances would have been correct as he offensively broke down Barack Obama's inexperienced views. Instead, McCain skewed his views toward Conservatives in an attempt to energize the GOP base while Obama explained his stances as moderate positions that a majority could support.

The ninth reason stems from an outdated campaign strategy, but stands on its own, because it represents a fundamental change in the political environment. McCain could not demonstrate his experience outweighed Obama's insight and vision for the future, thus voters were able to punish Republicans for their attack ads. Too often, campaigns have focused on mischaracterizing political leaders and their views; however, John McCain and Barack Obama once stood for a healthier political process.
Not only did McCain pledge to fight the exact attacks used against him in the 2000 Republican Primary then used those attacks against Obama, but he called foul on Obama for using his negative ads. While Obama did outpace McCain in negative ads during the final stretch of the campaign, McCain used attack ads to mischaracterize Obama's positions and slander his character to the point Republican supporters feared the election of the Democratic Nominee as a radical supporter of terrorists. Moreover, negative ads targeting the flaws in an opponent's positions are necessary in the political process when they are coupled with positive ads; whereas, attack ads are simply destructive.

The eighth reason is that he is a Republican. While this can seem superficial, the Republican Party holds fundamental views that helped the Bush Administration pushed so many failed policies.
While McCain's party may have called him a maverick, as both an insult and campaign slogan, he still held fundamental Republican views and mostly supported Republican policies. Although there are healthy views that the Republican Party holds, they have lost touch with the needs of America
and Americans.

The seventh reason dates back to the 2000 Presidential Campaign when McCain ran as the grass roots candidate, who conducted town meeting after town meeting in order to discuss the needs and wants of the American people.
Unfortunately, the 2008 McCain was so busy allying himself with the "conservative base" of the Republican Party that he alienated independents and democrats by failing to understand their interests.

The sixth reason is that John McCain actually did try to run a campaign that suggested the policies of the Bush Administration and Republican Congress were mostly correct, but failed to proof they were quality policies in need of modification, and thus, he failed to demonstrate he represented a change in direction. Throughout the campaign, McCain often answered questions with generic, well-rehearsed points that failed to provide much detail in his policies. Having served in the US Senate for three decades, McCain's experience proved to be a liability that suggested he could not provide the new ideas needed to change the direction of the Country away from the Bush Administration. Essentially, McCain's policies were either the same stances as the Bush Administration or, where he broke from the GOP, they appeared to be very similar to Obama's stances.
With his history, the Senator needed to demonstrate his specific policy changes could bring about change.

The fifth reason revolves around the fact the Maverick took on stances that tended to be out of touch with the interests of common Americans. While McCain failed to proof his policies could have addressed the interests of most Americans, the Obama team was able to find personal examples of why McCain's policies were out of touch. When ads aired quoting McCain uncertain of how many houses he owned, it showed Americans the Senator lived in a different world than most America
and illustrated why his policies favored the wealthy, not minorities, the youth, or every other average American.

The fourth reason resulted from McCain goading Obama into taking his campaign overseas. He quickly regretted this tactic as Obama was able to draw foreign powers back to the US
with a new perspective on the world.
Although McCain does have more experience when it comes to foreign affairs and he is respected around the world, his views on the world are either outdated or failed to energize world support.
Moreover, outdated views on the world and America's role in the international community can be dangerous as illustrated by the numerous blunders make during the Bush Administration. Old fashion ideas are not necessarily a bad thing, but there are unhealthy policies that have developed because national leaders have failed to understand the modern international community.

The third reason is McCain's support of the Iraq War as it has always been a time bomb of poorly planned and executed polices that killed and maimed far too Americans and far more Iraqis while costing trillions in taxpayer dollars.
Although the success of the Military Surge in 2007 helped rally some support for the military effort, it also justified withdrawal for both Iraqis and Americans. In truth, McCain and Obama would likely have ended this war in their first terms; however, McCain would have started withdrawing troops later, which could have caused a resurgence of Iraqi violence against Americans while he, quite frankly, adopted a stance for an open ended commitment without demonstrating reality allowed for him to win Iraq while stabilizing Afghanistan.

The second most significant reason not to have voted McCain would have to be Sarah Palin. Although she is a successful, charismatic politician capable of energizing supporters, she clearly failed to demonstrate she was qualified to be advisor and potential successor to a President John McCain. Although many McCain supporters could justify a self proclaimed hockey mom with just a few years of political experience as a good Vice Presidential pick after a convention speech, the majority of voters required further proof.
Instead, Americans listened to Sarah fumble over the simplest of policy questions. Quite frankly, she is an intelligent individual; however, her statements were simply recited Republican stances, because she has not critical considered the national and global issues facing the American people nor has she considered the interests of others. Taking into account Obama's choice for Vice President, someone capable of overcoming his lack of experience, a week before the GOP convention, McCain should have been able to avoid this detrimental decision.

The first reason, as well as the most important, not to have voted for McCain is his economic stances. For years, the majority of Americans have tolerated their economic interests being overlooked by Republican policies that favored businesses and the wealthy because the benefits supposedly trickled down to all Americans. To someone who believes in this view, such as John McCain, a successful Wall Street means Main Street is also healthy. When the long brewing economic failure exploded into a crisis, McCain still held the fundamentals of our economy were strong and pushed an expansion of the Bush Administration's policy by espousing greater privatization, deregulation, and deeper tax cuts for the wealthy with some reforms. Frankly, John McCain did not understand how terrible the economy had already been treating the average American and failed to directly address the interests of Americans. The failure on Wall Street during the Campaign only served as a catalyst that rallied voters against the GOP contender.

Moreover, John McCain clearly could not have won the White House while Republicans can only hope Democrats create future opportunities by making a few giant missteps, so they can retake the Houses. On the other hand, members of the GOP must understand their defeat was not solely a political tsunami created by the failures of George W. Bush Administration, but rather, a failure of Republican views on many issues including the economy. For the future, Republicans must understand the true reasons they fell from grace, so they might adapt to political climate change, but this will require a great deal of self-reflection. Unfortunately, it is more likely Republicans will attempt to run underhanded attack campaigns, which mischaracterize their opponents as people and political leaders; hopefully, such a strategy will end with the GOP becoming ever more disfavored.
In all, a new political era might be an opportunity for a third party to upstage the GOP in the near future by slowly eroding away their base.


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        • The Negatives of Socialism
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        • Corporate America Pleads the First
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        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
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      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
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      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
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      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
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      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
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      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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