McCain, One Year After Black Friday
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--It seemed another life ago. Here was Sen. John McCain--the Esquire cover boy and the favorite to win the Republican nomination--letting go of many of his highly paid advisers, his campaign seemingly set amongst the ruins and smoldering rubble of great promise. This was July 2007 and the day everything came down was known to most people surrounding McCain supporters as Black Monday as campaign staff and advisers were sent packing. The money had simply run out.
In many ways it was a pivotal moment in the campaign. McCain--now streamlined and free of many financial burdens--returned to New Hampshire where he's treated as an adopted favorite son and proceeded to take the nomination on his terms, in his way. Mitt Romney had more cash. Mike Huckabee had the evangelical cred. Giuliani had, well, two kids who hate his guts. But McCain had experience and guile on his side and damn if he didn't find a way to outlast other candidates with bigger coffers to become the presumed Republican nominee. The Straight Talk Express was back baby!
But now, a year from Black Monday McCain has rerouted the wiring of his campaign once again. He demoted his trusted adviser Rick Davis to a big-picture-job, the kind of post they used to give magazine editors at on the 34th Floor at Time Inc. once it was clear that their day-to-day services running magazines at the company were no longer needed. In his stead comes senior adviser Steve Schmidt, who, according to reported accounts would stop "unforced errors in the campaign."
Unforced errors. Is this Wimbledon? If it is, McCain's run into trouble in the middle rounds. Though only six points in most national polls, McCain has been hamstrung by a series of missteps and a muddled message. In May he opposed offshore drilling. In June he was for it. He hired and fired lobbyists who'd worked with the military junta in Myanmar. Speeches were made at erratic times, as was his schedule. Supporters weren't vetted and campaign seemed to lack a coherent message. Davis' decentralized regional system of running the campaign has been declared a failure.
So comes Schmidt to save the day, whose appointment itself raises more questions about McCain's viability than any changes Schmidt might make. Say what you will about the missteps of the Obama campaign--'cause there have been plenty. But since the start of his run, the core group of people surrounding Obama have remained the steadfast guardians of the man and his message. They were able to organize a truly national campaign that no one in Sen. Hillary Rodham's camp could see coming. And now, as Obama stumps in places like Colorado Springs and Fargo, they're doing precisely the same thing. While Obama preaches change, his foundation remains entirely solid.
There is a chance that we're making too much of today's moves. What after all does Steve Schmidt mean to an American voter who isn't scurrying on and off the Straight Talk Express or having their third drink at the Palm tonight? Democratic operatives might well be salivating at the thought of a rudderless McCain lifeboat, but they'd best be mindful of the man's ability to outlast such waves. Just ask the rest of the GOP who deemed him a political dead man a year ago today.
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