Why McCain Lost and Why I Care

Now that the votes are counted and I am positive Barack Obama is President Elect, I can relax. I was expecting last minute dirty tricks from the Republicans who ran one of the dirtiest and most vile campaigns in my memory.

Want proof? Look no further than the dozens of anonymous fliers and campaign material that appeared in the last days of the campaign. Fake dollar bills with Obama and watermelon on it, fake notices that the election had been moved to Wednesday for Democratic voters to avoid the long lines and many more.

Worse still were the openly racist and race baiting comments made by the McCain campaign themselves. And yet worse was the rabble rousing campaign speeches made by Sarah Palin where the crowds shouted death threats against the Democratic nominee while Palin smiled and ignored them.

Obama was accused of being a terrorist, a Marxist, a socialist, an analog to Hitler! The lies and accusations of the McCain campaign knew no limits and it reflected badly on them and their party.

I believe that kind of attack was one of the big reasons McCain lost. His "throw everything including the kitchen sink at Obama" tactics didn't play well at all with anyone but the most right-wing extremists. Most Americans were not amused or swayed by his outrageous arguments.

McCain went from a Senator who once looked like a straight shooter when it came to political realities and the real issues facing America to a Bush-Cheney sycophant and Americans saw it and understood it. He left his "maverick" credentials at home a long time ago and no matter how many times he repeated it, he still looked like the Bush lap-dog he had become.

And then there was Sarah Palin! She was another of McCain's famous "Hail Mary" moves and instead of scoring, it earned him a penalty. Voters, especially Hillary Clinton voters were not fooled by Palin. McCain insulted them by putting someone as profoundly unqualified as Palin up as VP. McCain calculated that she would win Hillary voters because she was a woman. He forgot that Hillary was a uniquely qualified woman with lots of experience and brains. Palin on the other hand is a pretty face in an empty Neiman-Marcus suit.

Lastly there was the whole McCain "narrative" problem. The GOP has embraced the concept of giving their candidates a good narrative that voters and the press can pick up on. McCain kept changing his narrative. For example, he ran on "experience" until he picked Palin who has no relevant experience. He ran as a "maverick" until he began agreeing with Bush on everything. He ran as a "straight-talker" until he began lying and twisting the truth about his opponent and snubbing the press. A good narrative should be string and consistent and that is McCain's weak point. He likes to be a :game-changer" far too often.

Lastly, McCain lost because Obama is a candidate who resonated with the American public, old and young, white and black, He embodied the hopes and dreams of what America really stands for and people realized that. Thank God they did!