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Ad Age on the destruction of the McCain brand

by mtippett | November 10, 2008 at 09:45 am

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Country second. Political expediency first. Strategic rigor about 18th. My friends, what a terrible campaign.

That is how Ad Age Magazine - the bible of the advertising world - begins an article that truly exposes how poorly his campaign was run. But as one of the commenters says at the bottom:

The real point is: what does a presidential candidate's campaign say about how he would actually behave as president?

If McCain couldn't even maintain the integrity of his "brand" through the election, how would he have been able to maintain it under the rigors of running the country?

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politisite

at 13:43 on November 10th, 2008

Point well taken

mtippett

at 14:38 on November 10th, 2008

I wonder how McCain feels about the campaign now that the dust has settled? It'll be interesting to see how he describes it once he has some distance on it.

moonwolf

at 16:54 on November 10th, 2008

He is totally p***ed-off. Two runs at the Presidency, two failures, and no chances left. He is done and his ambition flushed down the toilet. To anyone who wanted the Presidency enough to make such an abject fool of himself in the process, the fact that it will never happen must rankle him beyond belief. He is a bitter and angry man, count on it. Do I have any sympathy? Not a bit.

politisite

at 17:33 on November 10th, 2008

McCain is not a bitter nor an Angry man. The rest of your comment is pretty accurate as he left his campaign to the experts. These guys destroyed, what Tippett stated here, his brand. McCain will go back to the Senate and work as he has in the past. Yes he will be heated at times. Moon, I am surprised that you do don't see the benefit this man has brought to America. He is not the typical Republican and has called the GOP on their stuff many times.

For those of us who are not happy with the outcome... the smart ones will keep their powder dry to fight another day. There is no reason to fight when a battle has been won. I am sad to see some in my party thinking that there is some value in continuing a fight when it is lost.

The best thing to do for those who believe in real conservatism is to allow Obama to lead and give him room to make good decisions. He is the President and he deserves that respect. I will do my part, as a writer, to hold him to the standard, the constitution, the same way I was held President Bush.

Primal Fear (not verified)

at 16:33 on November 10th, 2008

The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can "throw the rascals out" at any election without leading to any profound or extreme shifts in policy. [Pg. 1247-1248.]

... from Tragedy and Hope (1966).