McCain A Sinking Ship?

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29 May 2007

Written by: Perico Posted under Fred Thompson, In the News, 2008 Elections, GOP Primary, John McCain

John McCain is once again bucking the mainstream GOP base. The difference this time out, is that he’s bucking the grassroots base, opposed to the establishment GOP. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Senator McCain as a man, but once again he proves that he might just not be the right choice for the Republican Party. He’s staked his political life on this immigration bill, and it could be what puts the stake through the heart of his political viability. There is a good account of what to expect here.

While it may be too soon to write the obituary for McCain’s 2008 campaign, that day might not be far off. Before long, McCain could forseeably fall to fourth place in GOP polls once Fred Thompson enters the race. As an unannounced candidate, Thompson is polling just points behind Senator McCain; once he actually gets in, Thompson is sure to be much more of a force.

Although some pundits have argued that McCain would prefer to fight as the underdog, he has made some risky political gambles that are not paying off. His support for th surge in Iraq has been far from a success as the situation there has yet to stabilize. Additionally, his work on a compromise immigration bill is winning him few plaudits.

At this point, I don’t know that it’s possible for McCain to right his sinking campaign. For that to happen, either the surge has to start working, making him look prophetic, or people across the country better start having epiphanies about the immigration bill. Neither, I think, is terribly likely.