Report: McCain ducking media to avoid questions about Palin
posted at 8:41 pm on January 8, 2009 by Allahpundit
It’s a sore subject, apparently.
Sen. John McCain doesn’t want to talk about the presidential campaign, and he certainly doesn’t want to discuss Sarah Palin…
During a GOP-senators retreat this week at the Library of Congress, McCain told his colleagues that Republicans need to reach out more to diverse groups, rather than just relying on Christian conservatives, if they want to regain majority status, according to sources who attended the event.
“[McCain] talked about the lessons he learned on the campaign trial, and the ‘discussion’ he had with the American public and what he learned from it,” said one GOP insider.
But the man who once called the media his “base” has not done TV or press interviews lately, and he won’t do so for at least several more weeks, according to his aides. He especially wants to avoid discussions about his relationship with Palin, whose nomination as McCain’s running mate was either the best or worst thing that happened to his campaign, depending on who you talk to.
What’s eating him, specifically? Does he feel overshadowed? Bored with answering questions about the backbiting? Reluctant to get dragged into her war with the media? Just had enough of the whole “hockey mom” shtick to last a lifetime? You can run but you can’t hide, Maverick! Eventually he’ll be holding a presser about some bill on the floor and the question will come: “Senator, what do you think of Governor Palin’s statement that she’s had an ‘awakening’ on immigration and now opposes a path to citizenship for illegals?” And then all the bile’s going to come pouring out. Followed by him endorsing Tim Pawlenty in 2012, natch.
Also mentioned at the Senate retreat this week: A lecture about “tone” on immigration. Of course.
Blowback
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Yeah, you said that already.
wise_man on January 9, 2009 at 6:03 PM
karasoth on January 9, 2008 at 5:02 PM
I agree with you completely. While Palin took it to Obama every single day regarding the issues that Obama was the most vulnerable on, McCain seemed to hold back on those themes you mentioned and tried to be more of a diplomat than a Presidential contender. He might not have won the election because of the financial meltdown, but Palin certainly didn’t lose him the election. She did her part and kept the contest closer than many pundits thought it should have been.
technopeasant on January 10, 2009 at 2:46 AM
Repeat a lie often enough, everyone believes it.
Go for it, guys.
“Reach out” to everyone except conservatives again.
Worked for Ronald Reagan.
The Gipper?
Totally watered down message to appeal to the center.
/really shouldn’t need to spell it out
Hawkins1701 on January 10, 2009 at 7:15 AM
McCain is and always has been a disappointment to any conservative. Unfortunately he has come to represent everything negative about the Republican party. Why he was the nominee is a reflection of where the GOP has gone. The only bright spot was Pailin. He choose her and basically threw her under the bus. Wish he would just go away along with the majority of pathetic elected officials that call themselves Republicans. Hope she runs in 2010. I’m sure McCain will be rooting for her…NOT!
whsiii on January 10, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Yea, but didn’t Sean, Laura, and FOX News tell us that McCain was the Cat’s Pajamas? What happened? You rubes bought into all that stuff? Now look at you! Soon they are going to do it to you all over again!
sabbott on January 10, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Just to clarify: I was talking about how the media often mentions Palin without calling her “Governor”, as a show of disrespect.
Lots of commenters call her “Sarah”, myself included.
Mr. Wednesday Night on January 11, 2009 at 2:52 AM
He wasn’t my choice for president and if Palin hadn’t been his running mate I would have left that part of the ticket blank.
The fact he hasn’t defended Palin being attacked by his staff has made it certain in my mind he’s just a jerk.
Palin’s not ready for 2012 but can bone up on the issues and be ready. The problem is if Obama is still popular no one will defeat him and she would be better off to wait until 2016 to run. By then the country should have had a bellyfull of Democrats in national office.
Jeanette on January 11, 2009 at 6:29 AM
Jeanette, McCain has never said anything bad about Sarah Palin. He has only praised her. Sarah Palin – if your version is correct, could at any time trash McCain, but she has not. She has had only positive things to say about McCain and as never trashed him.
- doesn’t this cause you to doubt your version of events in the least? How can you continue to have this opinion without any substantive fact whatsoever to back up your version of what’s going on here.
When these unnamed staff stories came out, what were they supposed to do? One of the comments was that Sarah Palin thought that Africa was a country. Was John McCain supposed to hold a press conference and say that it’s not true? How was he supposed to defend Palin from an accusation that supposedly came from his staff when we don’t even know who it was because no one gave their names.
None of these facts matter to you, and that’s fine, you can have an opinion based on no facts that is without merit, but it is you who fails here because of your ignorance of the facts and your biased opinion of McCain and Sarah Palin.
wise_man on January 11, 2009 at 1:12 PM
If I remember correctly, most commenters here at the time thought it would have been helpful if McCain could have interrupted his BBQ long enough to issue a supportive statement of Palin.
Something along the lines of “as the leader of my campaign, I worked closely with Sarah Palin. She was knowledgable and capable, and made a valuable contribution to our efforts. I repudiate any statements by anonymous sources that call her grasp of vital issues and integrity into question.” That would have worked for me.
Instead, McCain went silent and allowed the clothes/Africa story to dominate the cycle without rebuttal.
Here’s a question for you- how long would it have taken McCain to issue a statement refuting an “anonymous McCain campaign source” that they had learned Obama didn’t know the difference between Canada’s Prime Minister and (nonexistent) President?
cs89 on January 11, 2009 at 1:53 PM
cs89, Al Gore took it hard too when he lost to George W Bush. As I recall, Al Gore fell into a depression and wasnt seen for months, and then emerged with a beard and then later performed tricks for the moveon pac audience when he screamed ‘he betrayed us! he played on our fears!’ and McCain? He spent his failed campaign to be president taking a weekend off, and avoiding the press.
You know, over the last 8 years, every time I heard the left in the form of politicians, comedians and the press lie about Bush, complete with unnamed sources that didn’t have the balls to stake their name to their accusation, I didn’t automatically think that these were true, if only Bush would deny them.
And similarly here, I didn’t for a moment think that these comments on Palin from these alleged McCain employees were true. While it might have been nice if McCain rose from his depression to seek out the press and say things like ‘that guy who I don’t know who claims that Sarah Palin thought that Africa is a country, not a continent while I never heard this first hand .. Sarah Palin never said that.’ or something to that effect. But for the people who wanted any excuse to hate McCain even more, who absolutely love to believe the worst about him because of the daily diet of BS in reporting and commentary here to stir the pot for controversy and ratings for this blog … this is now somehow proof that McCain hates Palin.
And my answer to you is I don’t think that McCain would refute unnamed sources who calim to speak for no one but themselves if they said something negative about Obama, while the campaign was over. The differences with the other times is such as when the crazy woman spoke to his face at the town hall(while the campaign was ongoing) and called Obama a muslim. Or a dirty aye-rab or whatever. And of course he didn’t want to give the press the opportunity to claim and preach to their liberal audience that because McCain didn’t refute the claim by the random audience member, that he also believed the same. If you recall the time that someone asked McCain ‘how to we defeat the B*tch(referring to hillary) that CNN’s rick sanchez tried for many days to connect that comment and opinion to McCain because he didn’t apologize for what this woman said. McCain probably didn’t want the press – in the eyes of their audience, liberals and ordinary people as well – who can by repeated reporting – make the case that he’s just as bad as Bush senior for that ‘willie horton’ ad. McCain went after Obama, not as much as we all would have liked, in many ways, incuding his association with Bill Ayers. But he didn’t go after him on his former pastor, for that reason of being labeled as a racist. It was his choice.
It was McCain’s choice to try to win fair and square, and he lost. Don’t worry, he’ll soon be out of the picture, and he can’t run for president ever again. It’s too bad that so many people here want so bad to trash him on the way out, with out regard to the facts. I don’t appreciate what they are doing to another human being, another republican and a small c conservative, and yes, he is a conservative. Because if they feel so free to do this, then who else will they trash next time? What other republican will be the focus of the hate from this site without any regard to the facts. And as I have mentioned, the facts are that McCain has never said anything negative about Palin, and Palin have never had anything but praise for McCain. Now that Palin is free of this supposed evil man, she could set the record straight and trash him if she beleive that any of this was true. But she hasn’t.
The powers that be here think that it’s important to label those here who have questions about Obama’s birth certificate as truthers. They don’t want this site to be known as accepting of the supposed mass hysteria that Obama isn’t a natural born citizen. But they don’t seem to give a rats ass that people have this incorrect view of McCain. (as I see it. Again, I have mentioned that this opinion that so many people have here is not supported by the facts.) Hey, it’s Michelle’s site and if this was a problem for her, she could do something about it. Obviously their priorities are their own.
At the very least, I can make my case and move on. I have tried to be as honest and detailed as I can in response to your question. I know this is hours after you posted, and I hope that you or anyone else who thinks similarly can read this and at least clearly understand where I am coming from with this.
wise_man on January 11, 2009 at 9:35 PM
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