Sep 04 2008

Maverick just doesn’t work as a following act

Posted by Neocon in 2008 Race, McCain, Republicans

I don’t think that even the most devoted of Republican spinmeisters would argue that John McCain can hold a candle to his newly adored VP pick in delivery of prepared remarks. Of course, McCain didn’t have it easy to begin with on this particular outing. While Palin’s explosion onto the national stage effective castrated any lingering bedroom cuddle talk between the Dems and the MSM, it also overshadowed the man at the top of the ticket. With some 40 million viewers already having tuned in to get their fill of Republican party antics earlier this week with the Barracuda, did we really expect for the Maverick to be able to rev up the same kind of enthusiasm that a fresh face (who is being compared to no less than Reagan after only two major speeches!) could generate?

The answer is clearly no, but I was still underwhelmed by McCain’s delivery. Between being clearly startled by the code pink intrusions and muddled applause lines, our Maverick just seemed to be plodding along. I didn’t see any fire. I didn’t hear the hatred that he must have for pork barrel spending and Washington politics given what I know of his history and the lengths that he has gone to try to ‘clean up’ the political process, which unfortunately includes violating the constitution with trash like McCain-Feingold. I wish I could say that something else particularly strong stuck with me, but really that’s all that I can come up with.

If I had to pick something positive, I suppose that coming in at a close second behind his general unease was the passion he managed in the last moments of his speech. That modifier ‘last’ being the key term here. When the crowd was roaring, be it in preplanned bursts of applause or not, McCain managed to ramble through a rallying battle cry- no less than a sincere invitation to join his campaign as his ‘friend’ -that actually seemed to come from the heart. I know that he isn’t comfortable with teleprompter deliveries, but it’s going to take the glint of dignity, honor, authority, and compassion that he found in those final moments to defeat the gimmicky ‘hope’ that Obama will no doubt offer up in the three scheduled debates.

The party is over, you scored big with your VP, so get with it Maverick. The Straight Talk Express is fueled up with super unleaded, the good stuff straight from Alaska, ready to go. See you in November.