Rumors

[ksmith]

That Palin will step aside, or that McCain will dump her.

Thing is, he could then pick someone like Romney or Ridge or Lieberman. He's already seen that shoring up the base alone likely won't get him where he needs to be. So why not throw another Hail Mary and trade Palin for someone who would appeal to the moderates, indies, some conservative Dems, and the portion of the base that would rather be found dead in a ditch than vote Dem and that don't want to sit out the election.

He would lose the hardcore values conservatives for whom choice is a make or break issue. But they wouldn't vote for Obama either. Would Barr then be their man, and could he take enough votes away from McCain to assure an Obama victory?

I have no flippin' clue.

Comments

[mithriltabby]

I’d be surprised if he dumped Palin; she’s been very good at getting the social-conservative wing of the party stoked up, and it might go very poorly for McCain if he were seen to smack them. One theory I’ve seen is that there’s no expectation that McCain can win the election, but if McCain delivers the moderate Republicans to the polling booth while Palin delivers the extreme ones, they’ll be able to help the Republicans on other issues (Congressional seats, ballot measures).

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I don't know if McCain is capable of that brand of long-range planning. Would he really go through the motions, knowing he has no shot? He'll turn into a rage machine.

[nicbemused.livejournal.com]

I don't think he can dump her at this point. People are already wondering about his erratic behavior what with the campaign suspension, debate/no debate/debate. One more weird thing and he'll have all the independents and maybe even the moderate Republicans going "OMGWTF?!"

[mithriltabby]

I’m sure all the people surrounding McCain are telling him he has a shot, if he can only just do this one thing, and that one thing, and another thing, and another...

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

If he dumps her, it seals his defeat, because it would be admitting he was wrong on the one major presidential decision he's made in public.

Interesting that the rumor's going around though. Where did you hear it from?

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

A couple of diaries at Daily Kos, which granted may not be worth much. But given the increasing number of pundits in print and on TV who are coming right out and saying that McCain made the wrong choice, I wonder if cut 'n' run has crossed the McCain camp's minds.

Then there's this tongue in cheek list.

It may be yammer more than rumor with any basis in fact, but this is the first I've seen of it.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

Nah. The McCain campaign has the October surprise all figured out, and they need Palin for it.

What is it?

The wedding of the daughter and the unwedded dad. No, seriously. It'll be just like Entertainment Tonight or one of those reality show weddings, only BETTER.

Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week.”

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I saw that.

They really are sick, aren't they?

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

...

This is the sound of my head exploding.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

sorry. didn't mean to induce exploding.

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

Here's what I see about the existence of the rumor: that in at least some segments of the public, Palin is starting to be seen as a liability rather than the deal closer that she was supposed to be. That's very, very interesting.

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

Not meaning to doubt, but..where on earth did you hear that one?

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I saw it on a sidebar at Talking Points Memo. The original story was in the Times of London. Vicious quote from David Letterman, who is apparently going to swing for the fences against McCain for the rest of the campaign:

David Letterman, the late-night television chat show host, joked that Palin’s meetings with world leaders at the United Nations in New York looked like “take your daughter to work day”.

TPM is taking it with a grain of salt. I wouldn't put it past the McCain campaign to float it out there to see how it plays--it falls in with their Hail Mary campaign strategy.

But any voter who would be reeled in because of a wedding should be examined for brain damage.

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

Well, Gov. Palin has become a kind of cult celebrity among a certain segment of the population, and that she and her husband and their handlers are going to force their underage pregnant daughter into marriage is seen as an incredibly life-affirming act, so what could be better than having a celebrity wedding to send the base into further ecstasies.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

I believe this was reported in The Times (London), but you are right I should have said it is a rumor. I do find it unbelievable and yet, after everything I've seen in this campaign, who knows?

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, that wouldn't stop them from voting.

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

These people need to see The Birdcage. Dianne Wiest has a great line about how the daughter's wedding will save their family from the scandal, how it's a sign of hope and life etc.

It's too much to hope that Levi Johnston was raised by a pair of gay men, I suppose.

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

I wonder if, in light of the tailspin the campaign is in with this week's financial crisis and the unnerving rallies, they'll revive this idea for positive impact!
We can hope.