McCain Team Already Trying To Spin Michigan Loss
Here's an interesting bit of color from John McCain's campaign plane today in which a top McCain adviser is already lowering expectations for McCain's performance in today's contest in Michigan:
Senior Adviser Steve Schmidt strolled back into the press section of their charter plane en route from Traverse City to Yspilanti to start framing potential results."Regardless of what happens here, we feel very good about South Carolina," Schmidt said.
Michigan, Schmidt said repeatedly, amounts to a home game for Romney.
"I think he ran a favorite state candidacy -- we'll see if it works."
Predictably, Schmidt said the stakes were enormous for Romney here.
Regarding his own candidate, Schmidt said it wouldn't have a lot of impact either way.
"I think that if we win in Michigan, we get a little bit of a bump and I think that if we lose, we take, maybe, a quarter step back, but i don't think it's a big deal any way," Schmidt argued.
Of course the stakes are vastly higher in Michigan for Romney than for McCain. If Romney loses here, it'll be his third big loss -- and it will have come in a state where he has deep roots and spent $2 million on TV in the last month alone. A loss here will effectively seal the deal, indicating that all the money and all the technology invested in creating this impeccable robot of a GOP presidential candidate has been for naught.
Meanwhile, McCain has already racked up a victory in New Hampshire, and the momentum of good "comeback kid" press he's riding can carry him through a loss in Michigan, particularly since Romney once called it home.
Comments (16)
Ron Thompson wrote on January 15, 2008 4:00 PM: I completely disagree with your analysis. If Romney wins tonight, he will have two wins (Wyoming and Michigan) and two second-place finishes (Iowa and New Hampshire) in the four contests so far. If he loses, it's one win and three second-places. How is that less impressive than Giuliani (no top three finishes) or Huckabee (a first and two third-places; I don't know what he did in Wyoming), or Thompson? So would the story then be that none of Romney, Giuliani, Thompson, Huckabee, or Paul can win?
We need to build Romney up, not join the Beltway Establishment meme that a strong second place finish in Michigan would be a crippling blow that would propel Saint John McCain (who's every bit as phony as Romney, but better at it) to the nomination.
I agree with Ron Thompson. I don't understand why the media keep insisting that it's do or die for ol' Romney. He is the only candidate with one win and two second place finishes. And, barring some real surprise, he's sure to get 1st or 2nd in Michigan. Also, Romney's gotten the majority of the REPUBLICAN vote (in this supposedly Republican primary)in New Hampshire and, I'm sure, he'll do the same in Michigan. He is already the most successful Republican candidate. I blame him for not doing more to get that message across. And, in all fairness, I blame the media for not reporting the facts objectively.
Greg wrote on January 15, 2008 4:12 PM:right, but we can't overlook two key facts: Romney's huge expenditures, and his roots in the state. If he can't win there, this really does speak to his weakness.
Nick wrote on January 15, 2008 4:17 PM:Yes, Greg ... but is there ANYTHING McCain can do that would hurt him? Sleep with a goat? No; it would show he understands rural life or something. Tell a disgusting joke about a teenage girl? No; been there, done that; the press didn't care and probably laughed. This guy's teflon makes Bush Jr. circa 2002 look like velcro. Geezus.
Steve wrote on January 15, 2008 4:24 PM:Romney has spent so much and is so unloved. He's such a silly man, I'm sorry to say.
Bill wrote on January 15, 2008 4:32 PM:To make a slightly different argument, why isn't Michigan just as important to McCain? If he can't win there, where can he win? If Romney wins Michigan, McCain is likely to finish third in South Carolina; he's running out of money, and he'll have a tough time competing on Super Tuesday.
As your post indicates (and Nick says above), he has the best spin machine of any of the R's, best exemplified by portraying a fourth-place finish in Iowa as some sort of victory.
Brandon wrote on January 15, 2008 4:36 PM:This thing will never end! The Mittster is going to keep this train wreck rolling on. I'm hoping for McCain. He might be tougher to beat, but at least he is greener...
http://greenpieceblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/mccain-and-environment.html
Ron Thompson wrote on January 15, 2008 4:50 PM:Greg, in a five-way race it's not necessary to win anywhere to be a viable candidate, if Romney can finish second in a number of different states while the other candidates finish first here and fourth there (as McCain has done). It might be necessary for a candidate who relies on fundraising to win, lest his contributions dry up. But Romney can just write another check. It's his life's ambition, and he'll never have a better shot at it than right now, so what would be the point of dropping out? At the very worst, he gets some delegates and has a seat at the table when the nomination is decided.
dconrad wrote on January 15, 2008 4:51 PM:Oh, man, 'Deseret'ian, are you counting Wyoming? Are you seriously counting Wyoming? Are you aware that absolutely no one else is?
acf wrote on January 15, 2008 4:52 PM:'This guy's teflon makes Bush Jr. circa 2002 look like velcro'
Comparing him to Bush, in any manner, should only serve to remind everyone that he is another pampered son of political legacy. We should drive a stake through the heart of his candidacy, now, and not risk another Bush by letting him get by the nominating period into the final election. His money, and his willingness to resort to any tactic to get what he wants should be a warning to voters.
Anonymous wrote on January 15, 2008 4:56 PM:This just in--Wyoming is a state in the Union. It must be--I've got a quarter that says so. Says it was admitted in 1890. What's that 118 years ago? They have senators and everything. I understand that people in Wyoming pay federal income tax, too.
David wrote on January 15, 2008 5:05 PM:Re the "impeccable robot" -- check out this amazing technological breakthrough:
http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10076
Are you seriously counting Wyoming? Are you aware that absolutely no one else is?
I am aware that no one else is, but I guess I have to wonder, like Desertian and Ron Thompson, why WY is not supposed to count? It was an official Republican state caucus. It awarded actual delegates to be seated at the convention in the Twin Cities. Why is this not an actual victory for Romney?
Ron Thompson wrote on January 15, 2008 6:02 PM:Bill, don't kid yourself. It wasn't McCain's spin machine that made chicken salad out of his fourth-place finish in Iowa. Nobody's spin machine is that good. It's that the corporate media, the beltway insiders, the Washington Kool Kids Club, or whatever you want to call them--Russert, Chris Matthews, Broder and their ilk--have a HUGE man-crush on McCain, and will do ANYTHING to see that he wins the nomination and the election. He is, you know, a Very Serious Person.
Marc wrote on January 15, 2008 7:30 PM:Joe Scarborough said it best about the MSM involved in the New Hampshire Primary, but it applies to so much of the MSM, if they could they would move to Massachusetts and marry McCain. Especially, one drunken sot on MSNBC.
Susan T. wrote on January 16, 2008 10:15 AM:Re: Wyoming, it doesn't matter if people don't report it as a win, it's still some delegates for Romney. In fact, Romney was the delegate LEADER even BEFORE Michigan. - - -
It's true that in this race, a number of close second places can end up winning overall. While a large majority of Republicans do NOT like McC, Huck, and Rudy, Romney still gets at or near the top of all Repub polls. This suggests that he is overall more representative of Repub voters and truthfully more representative of American voters. - - - -
He has the leadership qualities to work with congress (regardless of whether Dem or Rep) and get things done. He's also extremely intelligent and has a firm moral background. And yes, for those Huck-ites that keep harping on the Christian thing, Romney is a Christian as well ("Church of Jesus Christ..." - how much clearer could they be?). (In fact, all the candidates are Christians. Did any Huck-ites notice that?)
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OUT!
Susan T.
