Blogs and Stories
When exactly did John McCain become Mad Max?
Recieved wisdom says its all Steve Schmidt’s fault. But sometimes there’s only so much damage a consultant can do.
There's a moment in Boogie Man, a new documentary about the life of Lee Atwater, when you realize that even a figure as dark and compelling as Atwater can be oversold. It comes when South Carolina political reporter Lee Bandy looks into the camera and claims that Atwater saved Ronald Reagan's candidacy. How a single campaign consultant supposedly did this doesn't matter. The point is, he didn't do it. Reagan saved his own candidacy, and won his own elections. Atwater may have helped. But the consultants' brilliance never proves decisive, despite what they tell reporters.
If John McCain wins next month, Steve Schmidt will become the most famous political consultant in America. Not only will he get credit (much of it deserved) for bringing discipline to McCain's stream of consciousness campaign style, but he looks the part. If you were casting the role of Diabolical Republican Operative, you'd pick Schmidt. Bald, burly and profane, he has worked for both Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. McCain calls him Sgt. Schmidt. It fits.
Plus, he's a good talker. One afternoon during this winter's primaries, I sat on McCain's plane listening as Schmidt critiqued the Romney campaign. Romney, Schmidt explained, was doing all sorts of things that were not only wrong, but dumb. Wait a second, I said. Why would Romney do that? Schmidt erupted. How the fuck should I know? Why did Jeffrey Dahmer eat people?
McCain has gone through a lot of different consultants. But he’s the same guy.
It's hard not to like a guy who talks like that. If McCain becomes president, someone is bound to make a new version of Boogie Man, this one starring Schmidt. You can imagine the treatment: McCain, once decent but now addled by ambition, decides he can win only by jettisoning his principles and hiring the most savage knife-fighter in politics, Rove protege Steve Schmidt, a man famous for stirring the racial fears of middle America, etc.
Actually, no one has yet accused Schmidt of racism (though needless to say that will change if McCain wins). But the real problem with this picture is that McCain himself hasn't changed. He's the same candidate he was before he hired Steve Schmidt, the same man who ran for president in 2000. Liberals hate to admit this. Many of them supported McCain eight years ago when he was trying to sink Bush, and they're appalled by him now that he's dared to run against the new Jesus. McCain has gone through a lot of different consultants in that time. But he's the same guy.
Consider the famous South Carolina primary campaign of 2000. McCain lost because the Bush people spread false rumors that he had an illegitimate black daughter, right? Nonsense. McCain lost because he scared the hell out of voters, seemingly on purpose. On election night, McCain appeared on stage in front of an enormous hand-painted banner that read, Burn It Down. I asked his then-campaign manager, John Weaver, about it later. He laughed maniacally. It's like Stokely Charmichael. Power to the people! He threw his fist into the air. Burn It Down - I love that.
Not surprisingly, most primary voters felt differently. They were confused and unsettled. The idea that South Carolina Republicans would respond enthusiastically to a message of radical anti-authoritarianism was — like McCain's support for the surge, or the temporary suspension of his campaign, or his choice of Sarah Palin — a major gamble. And he lost.
A new Obama ad out this week describes McCain as erratic in crisis. It's the new Democratic line of attack — after Bush clone apparently failed as too implausible — but it's not quite right. In fact, McCain's style is predictable. He's a fatalist. When pressed, he rolls the dice, goes for the grand flourish. (Andrew Cuomo for SEC chairman!) Every time. It's Barack Obama who chugs slowly forward like a middle-aged salaryman, cautious and halting. In this race, John McCain is the one for change.
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Justice Clinton?
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono. McKinnon is co-chair of Arts & Labs, a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today's rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers.
Why the White House Bullies Fox
Tucker Carlson is a contributor to the Fox News Channel. He previously hosted The Situation with Tucker Carlson and Tucker on MSNBC after working for CNN.
A Man on His Way to Bitterness
Tucker Carlson is a contributor to the Fox News Channel. He previously hosted The Situation with Tucker Carlson and Tucker on MSNBC after working for CNN.
How Jon Stewart Went Bad
Tucker Carlson is a contributor to the Fox News Channel. He previously hosted The Situation with Tucker Carlson and Tucker on MSNBC after working for CNN.
peterhannan
The above piece would be mildly amusing satire if it happened to be satire. Please at least make Tucker Carlson put his bow tie back on so we can look at him and laugh instead of having to shudder at the thought that someone somewhere might be reading this and taking it even a little bit seriously.
Aelora
Oh, Tucker. Sometimes I positively adore you; other times I am absolutely horrified by you.
chuckes
"When exactly did John McCain become Mad Max? Answer -- In Vietnam!
juliepo
Thanks for this, but please change font to black instead of gray to make it easier to read.
sharpstyx
Im sorry tucker you sound so much like that other tucker, that i get you guys confused, Dont forget your talking points
DrEvil
(but it's not quite right. In fact, McCain's style is predictable. He's a fatalist. When pressed, he rolls the dice, goes for the grand flourish. (Andrew Cuomo for SEC chairman!) Every time. It's Barack Obama who chugs slowly forward like a middle-aged salaryman, cautious and halting. In this race, John McCain is the one for change.)
That's because Barack Obama is a bureaucrat but you already knew that.
It is great to see you up and blogging for The Daily Beast. I stopped watching MSNBC, when they fired Imus. I have only missed watching you, Willie Geist, and to be honest Contessa Brewer for the laughs. Contessa's Tommy Chong interview that was brilliant journalism JMO/ LOL.
imajoebob
Tucker, you ignorant slut.
Pure and simple, McCain is trained to win, no matter the cost. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs, do it. To paraphrase my dear, 80 year old aunt: He thinks his sh** don't smell.
Carlson almost always starts with a reasonable thesis, but far too often abandons it for some Republican company line pabulum in an obvious (and just as obviously vain) attempt to return to his glory days as a right wing hatchet.
No reasonable person thinks MaCain lost in 2000 simply because of smears; he lost because he was outsmarted and outgunned by the Cheney cabal.
People are disgusted with McCain because he not only uses the smear tactics he claims beat him in 2000, but he actually HIRED THE GUYS WHO SMEARED HIM!! He's became a whore for the ultra reactionaries in the GOP, in his attempt at glory. He's about as much a Maverick as Palin is a Rocket Scientist (see 10/05 NYT Week In Review for a great Maverick piece)
Were I a psychologist (or played one on TV), I'd venture that with his wounds preventing him from becoming an Admiral just like his father and grandfather (unjustly, I believe), McCain tried politics, became a Senator, and when that didn't satisfy him, he decided to run for president.
He learned a hard and very important lesson in 2000 - don't bring the proverbial knife to a gunfight. That's why after the 2002 elections he stopped slamming Bush and became his biggest supporter. Looking at his current team, He's hired the big guns. I wouldn't be surprised to know that the Bushies promised him 2008 if he backed Bush in 2004. If he'd backed Kerry - as a true Maverick would - it's likely that Bush would have lost.
You may be right that McCain hasn't changed. He's still the same venal, self-deluded politician he was in the eighties. His connections saved him from being thrown out of the Senate after the Keating 5, and now they control his candidacy from top to bottom.
Mccain learned well from Karl Rove, whose personal role model must be wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Rove has taught McCain Freddie's mantra:
WIn if you can; lose if you must. But always cheat!
So your thesis is correct, Tucker. McCain is still the same guy he used to be.
jrustyr58
Tucker, you ignorant slut! There ya go again tryin to take that boyish face and stupid bow tie and make an outrageous suggestion that the American people are smarter than to believe that McCain had a black baby out of wed lock, or that Ann Richards and Hillary were either Dykes or inclined to Dykedum, that John Kerry was a war traitor or that Bill Clinton and John Edwards had paramours on the side.....Opps. Ok, are you saying negative doesn't work.....come on Tuck.....get with the program, you are just plain wrong......
lyons5
Great to be able to read your comments again.
townhome
Tucker--great to find you--do you still work for MSNBC?--you should do a dailey blog of the morning joe show--they are so bad --Why do I still watch?--I thought OBAMA's campain manager was a new talking head for the show!--McCains the best we have---what dois that say...
DrEvil
Marty Davis has been keeping us posted on the Daily Beast debut.
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2008/10/tina-v-arianna-beauty-and-beast .html
kiernan7
From John McCain (2000):
"Sooner or later people are going to figure out that if all you run is negative attack ads, you don't have much of a vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it."
See it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsX2Gx9jl_o
no-doz
"...after Bush clone apparently failed as implausible..."
Hysterical! Gosh darn the polls don't agree with you there Tucker. But, hey, when the truth hurts, make stuff up!
wayne-asa
Where is Soupy Sales when we need him?
A custard pie-in-the-face for ole Tucker!
DrEvil
What Is that I hear, Is that...Is that, Chickens coming home to Roost.
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/06/mccain-blasts-obama-democrats-for- fannie-mae-meltdown/
Obama sued Citibank because they didn't want to issue sub prime loans, when he was a practicing Lawyer. I can't wait for the Spin to explain how Obama, was warning everyone about the Sub Prime Loan debacle, and taking 42,000 in campaign contributions, from Fannie Mae at the exact same time. Bawk, Bawk, Bawk.
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.