02-16-2008, 11:47 PM
MCCAIN'S TRIUMPHANT COMEBACK
A Nightmare Opponent for the Democrats
By Cordula Meyer in Phoenix, Arizona
It's been an unbelievable comeback. A year ago, you could have pretty much written the obituary for John McCain's 2008 campaign. And now, one day after Super Tuesday, he's firmly at the helm of the Republican ship. His battle, though, hasn't just been with Democrats. Some of his most vicious enemies are part of his own party.
A young supporter holds a sign for Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a post-Super Tuesday rally in Phoenix.
Zoom
AFP
A young supporter holds a sign for Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a post-Super Tuesday rally in Phoenix.
John McCain's supporters are celebrating like crazy, and their rejoicing is drowning out the loudspeaker announcements. Calm only ensues when the candidate steps up to the microphone for the first time at about 10:30 p.m. local time. But, in the moment of his great victory, he looks reserved. "Tonight, my friends, we have won a number of important victories in the closest thing we have ever had to a national primary," he says, as if he still hasn't even convinced himself yet.
McCain won in the most important states in the Northeast -- New Jersey and New York -- but also in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and, most importantly, in California, which accounts for a fifth of all the delegate votes needed to secure the nomination. "Although I've never minded the role of the underdog ... tonight we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination of president of the United States," McCain says, before pausing. He is wan, but he smiles and adds, "And I don't really mind it one bit."
In fact, John McCain's victory was surprisingly clear. His opponent Mitt Romney won a handful of the smaller states, including Massachusetts, where he used to be the governor. Mike Huckabee, the politically gifted Baptist preacher from Arkansas, performed surprisingly well and won in four Southern states, which makes Romney's successes look even feebler.
McCain's victory is an almost unbelievable comeback story. Last summer he was broke, and he couldn't even afford to pay for his campaign bus anymore. He quarreled with his colleagues, and the majority of those who stayed on had to keep on working without a paycheck. At that time, whenever he showed up somewhere, people would look at each other, shake their heads and talk about the tragedy of the headstrong old man, who just didn't know when to give up.
In the end, McCain took out a $3 million (â¬2 million) loan just to be able to keep his campaign going. Before doing so, though, he was forced to take out another life insurance policy because the bank apparently feared that the 71-year-old man would not survive the campaign.
Now, a good year later, it looks like McCain has locked up the nomination. But he's not celebrating.
Not yet.
He's a superstitious man. Perhaps he fears that victory might still slip through his fingers.
Enemies within His own Party
The Vietnam veteran still has some warm words for his opponents. And then he speaks mostly about "running for the great privilege of leading the party that has been my political home for a quarter-century."
He says even louder those things that should reassure those who fear that he is not really a Republican.
McCain stresses conservative principles. He stresses that he will keep the federal government small and federal spending even smaller. He stresses that the justices on the Supreme Court should apply the law rather than make it.
It is the gesture of a winner, who is extending a hand to the other side. As it is, though, McCain has no more bitter opponents than those on the right-wing of his own party. Right-wing commentators and hosts of the big radio talk shows have joined forces to create a veritable anti-McCain brigade.
For weeks now, right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh has agitated against McCain on his program. The closer the Vietnam hero gets to the nomination, the meaner the attacks become. McCain "has stabbed his party in the back so many times," Limbaugh rages. "I can't even say how often." The radio host says that he would prefer to have his party lose the election over having it be led by McCain. "If I believe the country will suffer with either Hillary, Obama or McCain, I would just as soon the Democrats take the hit ... rather than a Republican causing the debacle."
A Thumb in the Eyes of 'True' Conservatives
James Dobson, the head of an arch-conservative Christian group that espouses family values, warned recently on another radio talk show that: "I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative and, in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are."
These right-wing radio programs are very popular. Each week, Limbaugh alone reaches over 13.5 million listeners.
But it's clear that the voters have not listened to the drums beating loudly against McCain. And, instead of transforming Mitt Romney into a kingmaker, it now appears that the influence of the right-wing opinion-makers is smaller than had previously been believed.
Romney tried to take advantage of the boost provided by talk radio, and he declared the election to be a battle for "the direction of the Republican Party." But now the voters have decided in favor of McCain's direction.
The voters evidently want to step back from the slavish obedience to party doctrine that continues to move to the right. Moreover, McCain fits the bill because he presents himself as a man with principals, good judgment and decisiveness.
'I Like the Straight Talk'
As Barack Obama's success also shows, Americans are looking for a leader and not for someone who, like Romney, adapts his beliefs to whichever way the wind blows. "I voted for honesty and integrity," says Mary Dobbins, a retiree from New Hampshire. "Everything else comes after that." That, in a nutshell, is the position of many McCain voters.
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More than anything else, though, this vote was one about character. The voters' beliefs are often at odds with John McCain's, but they put a high value on his character.
"I like the straight talk," says Rick Page, who works in commercial real estate in Illinois. "He just lays it out like it is. Sometimes it doesn't sound great. It's not what you want to hear, but you know what he believes."
This explains what is actually a rather paradoxical situation. America's tanking economy has become one of the most important election issues, but it is not one of McCain's strong suits. Nevertheless, he is still winning because his character outshines everything everything else.
The same holds true when it comes to the war in Iraq. McCain is one of the war's unshakeable advocates, and he only has differences with President George W. Bush when it comes to the question of which strategies are the correct ones. Nevertheless, the former Navy pilot is also currently attacting the votes of Republicans opposed to the war.
On Thursday, McCain will attend a conference of conservatives in Washington in the hopes of dispelling doubts about the legitimacy of his candidacy. It certainly helps that all the surveys say that McCain is the Republican candidate with the best chances of defeating the Democrats in November.
Frank Fahrenkopf, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, sums up his prospects thusly: "I think he'll be very difficult to stop because of the electability issue. Knowing the party as I know the party, the party doesn't want to lose."
A Nightmare Opponent for the Democrats
By Cordula Meyer in Phoenix, Arizona
It's been an unbelievable comeback. A year ago, you could have pretty much written the obituary for John McCain's 2008 campaign. And now, one day after Super Tuesday, he's firmly at the helm of the Republican ship. His battle, though, hasn't just been with Democrats. Some of his most vicious enemies are part of his own party.
A young supporter holds a sign for Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a post-Super Tuesday rally in Phoenix.
Zoom
AFP
A young supporter holds a sign for Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a post-Super Tuesday rally in Phoenix.
John McCain's supporters are celebrating like crazy, and their rejoicing is drowning out the loudspeaker announcements. Calm only ensues when the candidate steps up to the microphone for the first time at about 10:30 p.m. local time. But, in the moment of his great victory, he looks reserved. "Tonight, my friends, we have won a number of important victories in the closest thing we have ever had to a national primary," he says, as if he still hasn't even convinced himself yet.
McCain won in the most important states in the Northeast -- New Jersey and New York -- but also in Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma and, most importantly, in California, which accounts for a fifth of all the delegate votes needed to secure the nomination. "Although I've never minded the role of the underdog ... tonight we must get used to the idea that we are the Republican Party front-runner for the nomination of president of the United States," McCain says, before pausing. He is wan, but he smiles and adds, "And I don't really mind it one bit."
In fact, John McCain's victory was surprisingly clear. His opponent Mitt Romney won a handful of the smaller states, including Massachusetts, where he used to be the governor. Mike Huckabee, the politically gifted Baptist preacher from Arkansas, performed surprisingly well and won in four Southern states, which makes Romney's successes look even feebler.
McCain's victory is an almost unbelievable comeback story. Last summer he was broke, and he couldn't even afford to pay for his campaign bus anymore. He quarreled with his colleagues, and the majority of those who stayed on had to keep on working without a paycheck. At that time, whenever he showed up somewhere, people would look at each other, shake their heads and talk about the tragedy of the headstrong old man, who just didn't know when to give up.
In the end, McCain took out a $3 million (â¬2 million) loan just to be able to keep his campaign going. Before doing so, though, he was forced to take out another life insurance policy because the bank apparently feared that the 71-year-old man would not survive the campaign.
Now, a good year later, it looks like McCain has locked up the nomination. But he's not celebrating.
Not yet.
He's a superstitious man. Perhaps he fears that victory might still slip through his fingers.
Enemies within His own Party
The Vietnam veteran still has some warm words for his opponents. And then he speaks mostly about "running for the great privilege of leading the party that has been my political home for a quarter-century."
He says even louder those things that should reassure those who fear that he is not really a Republican.
McCain stresses conservative principles. He stresses that he will keep the federal government small and federal spending even smaller. He stresses that the justices on the Supreme Court should apply the law rather than make it.
It is the gesture of a winner, who is extending a hand to the other side. As it is, though, McCain has no more bitter opponents than those on the right-wing of his own party. Right-wing commentators and hosts of the big radio talk shows have joined forces to create a veritable anti-McCain brigade.
For weeks now, right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh has agitated against McCain on his program. The closer the Vietnam hero gets to the nomination, the meaner the attacks become. McCain "has stabbed his party in the back so many times," Limbaugh rages. "I can't even say how often." The radio host says that he would prefer to have his party lose the election over having it be led by McCain. "If I believe the country will suffer with either Hillary, Obama or McCain, I would just as soon the Democrats take the hit ... rather than a Republican causing the debacle."
A Thumb in the Eyes of 'True' Conservatives
James Dobson, the head of an arch-conservative Christian group that espouses family values, warned recently on another radio talk show that: "I am convinced Sen. McCain is not a conservative and, in fact, has gone out of his way to stick his thumb in the eyes of those who are."
These right-wing radio programs are very popular. Each week, Limbaugh alone reaches over 13.5 million listeners.
But it's clear that the voters have not listened to the drums beating loudly against McCain. And, instead of transforming Mitt Romney into a kingmaker, it now appears that the influence of the right-wing opinion-makers is smaller than had previously been believed.
Romney tried to take advantage of the boost provided by talk radio, and he declared the election to be a battle for "the direction of the Republican Party." But now the voters have decided in favor of McCain's direction.
The voters evidently want to step back from the slavish obedience to party doctrine that continues to move to the right. Moreover, McCain fits the bill because he presents himself as a man with principals, good judgment and decisiveness.
'I Like the Straight Talk'
As Barack Obama's success also shows, Americans are looking for a leader and not for someone who, like Romney, adapts his beliefs to whichever way the wind blows. "I voted for honesty and integrity," says Mary Dobbins, a retiree from New Hampshire. "Everything else comes after that." That, in a nutshell, is the position of many McCain voters.
NEWSLETTER
Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday.
More than anything else, though, this vote was one about character. The voters' beliefs are often at odds with John McCain's, but they put a high value on his character.
"I like the straight talk," says Rick Page, who works in commercial real estate in Illinois. "He just lays it out like it is. Sometimes it doesn't sound great. It's not what you want to hear, but you know what he believes."
This explains what is actually a rather paradoxical situation. America's tanking economy has become one of the most important election issues, but it is not one of McCain's strong suits. Nevertheless, he is still winning because his character outshines everything everything else.
The same holds true when it comes to the war in Iraq. McCain is one of the war's unshakeable advocates, and he only has differences with President George W. Bush when it comes to the question of which strategies are the correct ones. Nevertheless, the former Navy pilot is also currently attacting the votes of Republicans opposed to the war.
On Thursday, McCain will attend a conference of conservatives in Washington in the hopes of dispelling doubts about the legitimacy of his candidacy. It certainly helps that all the surveys say that McCain is the Republican candidate with the best chances of defeating the Democrats in November.
Frank Fahrenkopf, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, sums up his prospects thusly: "I think he'll be very difficult to stop because of the electability issue. Knowing the party as I know the party, the party doesn't want to lose."