Americablog: What's wrong with John McCain?

[Coexist]

http://www.americablog.com/2008/08/whats-wrong-with-john-mccain.html

John Aravosis (DC) · 8/04/2008 12:59:00 PM ET

Joe posted a video yesterday from Jed, showing McCain trying to answer a question from an audience member, and the video is really disturbing. From three different angles you just watch McCain get sort of totally confused. It's like one minute he's there and the next he's not. McCain's campaign would like nothing better than to demonize anyone who dares mention McCain's age (he's going to be 72 this month). But the fact remains that there's a real question as to why the John McCain we knew in 2000 was vibrant and on the ball, and why John McCain circa 2008 seems prone to repeated gaffs and bouts of confusion. And let's not forgot, McCain got tons of media attention in 2000 as well - and he wasn't at all as "off" as he is today, so it's not just a question of "oh, candidates make gaffs when they're on cam 24/7" - McCain didn't have these problems in 2000.

[KittyWampus]

1. does anyone have a link to McCain's daily schedule that was posted recently? He takes off weekends

does one event a day?

[PA Democrat]

4. Can you imagine how much worse he'd look if he kept Obama's schedule?

Also, how does McCain's schedule compared to Obama's fit the "presumptuous" meme the media is pushing? Wouldn't a "presumptuous" candidate not feel the need to campaign as vigorously as Obama does?

[jesus_of_suburbia]

2. What's wrong with McCain? He is NOT the same person who ran in 2000.

HE is now a 3rd term of Bush

[Fleshdancer]

3. I watched that video yesterday and I was struck by how uncomfortable he was....

The few times McCain is actually confronted by what his campaign manager has said, he looks and sounds extremely uncomfortable and he doesn't know how to address it.

This tells me that McCain had no control over his own campaign now and that's more disturbing to me than the idea that McCain can't answer a question. He looked embarrassed.

[Bluerthanblue]

5. I read something yesterday about how his "staff" were limiting his

access to talking to the press- because he likes to talk a lot, and messes up the message that the campaign is trying to put out.
IOW- he is not being a good mouthpiece. I'll look for the article, it was pretty disturbing, on many levels.

He's being muzzled by his handlers is the gist of it-

[Coexist]

6. I would appreciate it. I'd like to read that article

[Bluerthanblue]

7. I found this- don't think it

was the same article but says similar things.

After days on the defensive, the McCain campaign drove the political news this week with provocative messages -- a new television ad on Wednesday that compared Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama to celebrities like Britney Spears and, on Thursday, Sen. McCain's declaration that Sen. Obama was playing the "race card." Regardless of the substance of these approaches, the campaign succeeded in getting its message heard above the week's political din.

"It's part of the drill. If you're going to get elected, you've got to have a clear and consistent message," said Mark McKinnon, who was a top McCain adviser through the primaries. Allowing the candidate to riff on any topic reporters bring up is "almost gross negligence or malpractice," he said.

If Sen. McCain, who is known for speaking his mind, had spoken to reporters about the race or celebrity issue directly, he might have given an answer that did not fit the campaign's message. On July 17, the last time he invited reporters onto his bus, dubbed the "Straight Talk Express," Sen. McCain contradicted his spokeswoman, who had likened Sen. Obama's overseas trip to a political rally.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121764003514606519.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

I'll look some more- if I find the other, I'll post it.
:hi:
Thanks-

[justgamma]

8. I've seen him answer some questions

I always got the impression that he was trying to remember which side of the issue he was on. He is so busy pandering he just can't remember the answers that he'd been told to give.