John McCain’s Obama-esque remarks about our “wasted” resources in Iraq weren’t the only comments that landed him in hot water after a recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Many of his staff were blindsided by his campaign announcement. And several aides were so outraged that they’ve quit, say Republican insiders.
“They’re imploding—he had a game plan that had him announcing much later in the year,” one top Republican aide tells Radar, adding that the campaign is “in serious trouble … Romney’s plan and Rudy’s jump in the polls caused him to scrap his plans completely. When you do that, and you’re not prepared for it, the staff goes crazy. Some of his coordinators in different states were pulling their hair out!”
Another insider, a guru to the conservative movement, says that McCain himself is growing increasingly desperate in the wake of his downward slide in the polls—a slip hastened by his steadfast support of the very man who savaged him and his family during the 2000 election, George W. Bush, and the president’s unpopular plan for troop surge in Iraq. “One of the top aides to the Republican leadership told me that McCain has lost so much support, he’s simply beside himself. He’s wringing his hands. Things are sinking fast—in two or three weeks, we’ll know if there is any recovery.”
McCain’s campaign clearly is faltering, as evidenced by his miserable performance in the CPAC straw poll and recent slide in the polls, to the benefit of Rudy Giuliani. The announcement via email and Letterman was poorly handled; it’s not shocking that staff would find that incompetence as final cause to leave a sputtering campaign.
But, Radar, can we get some solid facts in this article? No staffers are named, nor are any vacated jobs cited. The article relies on “Republican insiders,” a “top Republican aide,” and “another insider, guru of the conservative movement” to make its case. But none of the sources go on the record with their names. I’m not suggesting that this story isn’t true, just that this is rather thin reporting on what could be a major expose on the McCain campaign.
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[...] Comments Matt Ortega on GOP Candidates Oppose Homeland SecurityEmboldened » Blog Archive » GOP Candidates Oppose Homeland Security on McCain LosingStaff Over Shoddy Campaign Managementmatt on Fire Fighters Not For Rudymatt on Republicans In DisarrayMatt Ortega on Republicans In Disarray The Right’s Field Asks: [...]
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[...] McCain’s stock is falling. He needs his filthy lucre to keep his campaign afloat while the polls are bad and reports of internal strife with his staff abound. But skipping one of the most important votes of the session to hold three fundraisers is shameful. At least Brownback and Hagel had the courage to go on the record with their opposition to homeland security. [...]
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March 14, 2007 at 7:22am