Schwarzenegger's Verbal Knee Capper Steve Schmidt Takes Charge of McCain Campaign

A prominent name from Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign is taking charge of the McCain camp apparently as a reward for getting mainstream news to focus on a the shiny thing of fake outrage over Wesley Clark failing to prostate himself before the implication that the presumed Republican candidate's imprisonment in a North Vietnamese POW camp was adequate preparation for running the nation.

 Steve Schmidt should be known among people who watched the 2006 CA gubernatorial race with an perceptive mind as someone who nearly continually attempts to work up outrage over any comment that is not mind bogglingly complimentary to his client. What his office put out in secret to the news media is unknown, but the CA press was woefully inadequate in reporting anything against the former Hollywood actor.  I suppose that Schmidt, with his hissy fit of the last few days supposedly proved to McCain he could, at least partially, manipulate the national press which is less dependent on Hollywood for ad purchases and other money. The McCain camp has forgotten though that  the Senator is not a powerful Hollywood figure who's strings can threaten any news media source forcefully (though the effect gets stronger the closer the media source is to the celluloid kingdom). 

 Washington Post in "McCain Puts New Strategist Atop Campaign " passes on the McCain campaign whines that he is an underdog (send money), and that he just hasn't hit a firm message.  Well, duh on that firm message.  The guys is everywhere promising people everything he thinks they want to here.  In other words he's just another politician with bullshit for a platform.  I'm not kidding.

Just today I heard McCain promise he'd find a job for every American who has lost one.  I'm not kidding.  He's a parody of a guy trying to turn himself into the perfect vote buying candidate.

McCain has flipped too much to flop anymore.

The WP piece also notes:

..skeptics remain, questioning whether the shift is sufficient to put the candidate on a winning path. One strategist wondered whether McCain was continuing to vest authority in multiple leaders, a recipe for continued frustration. Even after the move, he remains surrounded by the same small clutch of political advisers: Davis, Schmidt, former lobbyist Charles R. Black Jr. and longtime chief of staff Mark Salter.

Plus the Post list others influencing the McCain camp from the outside.

Black is not just a former lobbyists, but partners a lobbying company.  He will be back to selling influence with a President McCain should they win or lose. 

The LA Times has a report up on Schmidt now, I see. "John McCain advisor likes running a tight ship "  They start with the Schwarzenegger connection, note the work with Cheney, call Stevo a Rove protege...

Wait a minute.  A Rove protege?  Well then , that's how they hide the KR influence in the McCain camp

The Mackies also have the mentor of Rove's mentor in Charlie Black, remember.

Garry South mentions that Schmidt is not an ideologue  according to the Times, so I'm sure he'll fit well with McCain who's main goal in life is to be president.  The candidate has finally gotten around to realizing that a Republican must serve fat cats and big business first to be the Republican nominee, and even more so to get from there to the White House.  

Addendum.  Just read NY Times "McCain Orders Shake-Up of His Campaign":

Mr. McCain’s advisers said that one sign of Mr. Schmidt’s increasing influence in the campaign’s rapid response operation was the quickness with which it seized on a remark by Gen. Wesley K. Clark questioning whether Mr. McCain’s experience as a naval aviator shot down over Vietnam had qualified him to be president.

I was just going by Schmidt's style when I figured above he was behind that.  I guess you could say I know what the guy is like.

tags: john mccain  steve schmidt  2008 presidential campaign  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit