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Edited on Tue Sep-02-08 07:49 PM by Old Crusoe
Right up front, I confessed my disinterest in his candidacy and made it clear I was a life-long Democrat and more now than ever.
He understood that. He vetted me in advance, you see.
We discussed many things. Among them, Palin's immediate future on the ticket and the GOP's future as a political party.
No one on the conference call -- McCain's team -- said I couldn't share this conversation, so here goes.
Palin is gone. There will be a major McCain team shake-up between now and this weekend. Palin's out. She's off the ticket. The cadre of attorneys sent up to Alaska have wired in with discouraging reports on Palin's past political career. No pregnancies were even mentioned -- it's all about corrupt politics.
At times it was difficult to hear everything. It was a conference call and they were playing Abba a little too loudly in the background.
Gnarly old Fred Thompson will be sent out tonight in St. Paul to buy a little time while a way is fashioned to nudge Palin off the ticket gracefully, very likely an exit with an extreme emphasis on her responsibilities to her family, etc.
The team debated keeping her on and limiting her role thus limiting the damage she'd do, but they realized tht Joe Biden would very politely eviscerate her in the veep debate. They wanted huge fundie enthusiasm for the Palin pick and got a more lukewarm response than they hoped for. The corporatist check-writers either never heard of her or didn't think anyone from Alaska should be considered. Soccer moms across the country don't exactly know what a hockey mom is and the young fellow soon to be betrothed to the governor's daughter doesn't seem to quite fit the church youth group model they're most used to and greatly prefer. And besides, he uses coarse speech.
The GOP itself -- and here's the kicker -- will be shocked at Palin's replacement, but as McCain explained it, "It had to be done sooner or later." This is the plan:
The fundies have been long-ago let into the castle walls and now have taken over the whole show. McCain characterized it as "an infestation." They dictated the Palin choice. They'll make Mccain's life miserable if he were to win in November. "They have to go," McCain declared.
"Now John," I said, "You know the GOP can't win any political races without that fundie support. They've become your loudest, proudest base. And your largest, too."
"That's true, " McCain said, munching donuts through the phone wires, "but it's not the point. Barr's polling in double digits in New Hampshire. I used to OWN New Hampshire. But look at things now. We have to cut the fundies off before the party is dissolved by their religiosity. With the fundies, it's Jesus this and Jesus that. Enough, already, for Christ's sake!"
"But it surely means you'll lose the election to Barack Obama."
"I know," McCain said, wistfully, swallowing the last mashed glump of chewed donut. "But I was probably going to get my ass kicked anyway. I'm in way over my head."
"Very true," I agreed. "So who's Palin's replacement?"
"I'm going with Lieberman. To force a sea-change in the party. And in part to ram it down Dubya's throat. Dubya's people have been against me from the beginning. At least Lieberman showed up for the damn convention."
Chomping into a new donut, McCain continued. "If the fundies don't like it, and they definitely won't, they can start their own goddam party. We'll see how far they get in the electoral college. Even if I lose this one, they'll be cut loose from the train of history and will stall on the track. Left Behind, as it were. Ha Ha Ha Ha."
The call ended there, more or less, with a perfunctory thanks and a round of goodbyes to the team. Frankly, I've never heard McCain quite so relaxed. A lot of that pent-up rage seemed to have escaped him through a long-unused valve somewhere, and the man sounded fairly relaxed and happy. Maybe the donuts were extra good. The man does like his donuts.
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