The once former Republican nomination front runner, John McCain is now struggling in the polls and placed last for fundraising between the top six candidates. In Chris Cillizza’s Washington Post blog entry (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2007/04/can_mccain_win.html?nav=rss_blog), he expresses the notion that McCain needs to find his footing in order to get back on top. Cillizza believes that even though McCain hasn’t had much success lately, it is still too early to count him out of the race. He supports this argument with a few main points. His first argument is that McCain’s campaign is organized. His campaign has constantly been unveiling new endorsements in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Another argument in McCain’s favor, is the Republican party history and how some candidates who ran unsuccessfully for its nomination for one election, were nominated in following years (Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole). Thirdly, McCain has already had some experience for running for President in the past. He knows how to pace his campaign, so he will be able to last for the long haul. Fourthly, McCain is a close second to Rudy Giuliani in most state surveys and national polls, so he definitely isn’t far out of voters’ minds. Lastly, McCain is a likeable candidate. Do you agree with Cillizza’s blog posting that it is too early to count McCain out? Why/why not? Is there anything else McCain has going for him not mentioned in Cillizza’s blog that could be used to his advantage?
McCain has realized he hasn’t been doing as well as he hoped and in a way to help bring back vigor into his campaign, this week McCain will begin to actively support the idea that the war in Iraq is winnable. He believes this will be the issue that defines his campaign. He argues that it is imperative for American security to have a victory in Iraq. Do you think by doing this, it will help to “reignite his stalling bid for the presidency” (Shear)? If you were in charge of McCain’s campaign, what would you do to breathe new life into his campaign? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/06/AR2007040602202.html
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3 comments:
I agree with the Washington Post reporter. I believe it is far to early to count any candidate out of this upcoming election. There is so much time before candidates are even nominated by their party let alone run for the presidency. McCain still has a good shot at the republican nomination many people are still reluctant to support Rudy. McCain has the advantage of being a war veteran which is an aspect about himself that I think he will use to his advantage in the race.
McCain could use a spark in his campaign. If I were running it I would look for ways to create more television appearances. Getting his face and messages out to the public is the only way he will generate more money for his campaign. People have to know he has a legitimate shot at the nomination and then they will support him financially in his presidential bid.
John Canale
Although John McCain is recently quoted in the polls as struggling in terms of fundraising, I do not feel McCain is out of the race. I also think it is too early to count John McCain out. In Cillizza's blog, as the lead blogger articulates, he states several positives of McCain's campaigning. The citation that "the McCain campaign constantly has been unveiling new endorsements in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina," along with the fact that McCain has previous experience in running for President indicates to me that McCain is still a valiant candidate. I also do not think it is a good idea to draw conclusions surrounding the idea that the person who performs the best in terms of fundraising will receive the party endorsement and go on to win the race to the White House.
I would also like to call attention to a political conversation I had when I was performing acts of community service in New Orleans, Louisiana. After working a few hours serving meals to local Louisiana residents, I decided to go talk with a resident that was sitting alone. After a quick introduction a political discussion was ignited when the resident questioned me on who I think has the best chance of winning the presidential election in 2008. The resident was made aware in the brief introduction that I am a political science minor at Quinnipiac University and that I follow political issues quite closely. After contemplating the question and remembering class discussions, during my Political Communications classes, I told the resident that I believe it is too early to tell, due to the fact that the candidates have begun campaigning so far in advance. After hearing my answers, the resident told me that he believes John McCain is the only candidate running that has any military background and has an upper hand on the other candidates. It was not conclusive that the resident supported McCain, but it was apparent that the resident had confidence that McCain will gain momentum when it comes time to vote. For all of the reasons listed, I would not count McCain out of the race by any means.
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