i return to a point i made in an earlier post: when you see these two men together on stage, there is no question which brings to mind "change." it would be a totally different story if the republican party had chosen mitt romney or mike huckabee as their candidate.that mccain often looks like a teetering, erratic, out of touch old man has as much to do with why he might lose as any bad economy. choosing to go 100% negative doesn't help, either. there's a difference between fussy, stubborn old man and mean, vindictive, angry old man. the latter is the one i see on the stump.
in 2000 i seriously considered voting for mccain. i wrote to him, telling him i admired him and thought he might make a good president. i even got a response.
from my limited perspective, i don't know where that john mccain is. this is a completely different man than the one i sent that heartfelt letter to. in fact, if anyone in this race embodies "change," it's mccain. it's just a stunning, and unfortunate change.
I also liked him in 2000 and had hoped for a contest between him and Bradley. I thought both of them were admirable men of conviction. If it had been McCain v. Gore, I think McCain would've gotten my vote.
ReplyDeleteBy the time 2004 rolled around, McCain had lost a great deal of my respect. The rest disappeared gradually throughout this campaign and any hint of admiration for the man left the day he picked Winky for his running mate.
I too respected and admired John McCain in 2000 (and may have even voted for him in a primary, I don't recall). I think that the world would be a better place had he won his party's nomination at that time, and (largely) spared us what we have gone through since.
ReplyDeleteWhat the Bush machine did to him during that campaign was despicable and I think changed him fundamentally. I think now he has seen "how things work" and is using those same tactics to try and win this time around.
I think the mean, vindictive, angry old man you see is largely his reaction to the compromises he has had to make and the attacks he has had to endure from within his own party. He cannot be comfortable in his own skin at this point.
Unfortunately for us all, more than one honorable American was screwed out of the White House in 2000. And now, it is unfortunately for all us, too late for John McCain.