McCain Running on Empty

Just how bad have things gotten for John McCain, the once-presumptive heir to George W. Bush, inevitable GOP nominee and likely president?

He's broke and laying off boatloads of staff. He's down to single-digits in polls in Iowa. He's angered the general public by taking the lead in support of the war in Iraq and enraged conservatives by taking the lead in support of immigration reform. And he's considering opting into the collapsed presidential public financing system, not out of principal, but because of financial necessity, all-but ensuring that he'll be badly outspent should he somehow manage to become the GOP nominee.

Some Republicans are waiting for him to drop out of the race. Grover Norquist, the conservative organizer and longtime McCain antagonist, floated that possibility in an interview (not on the transcript) with progressive journalists a few weeks back. Does he want to leave with honor, his legacy largely intact, or badly bruised and humiliated, Norquist asked? He predicted McCain would opt for the former.

Comments (29)

1. it's all over but the whimpering for McCain. and good riddance, no integrity. the next one to go will be mean Rudy.

   Posted by johannesrolf at 07/03/2007 @ 12:41pm

2. it's all over but the whimpering for McCain. and good riddance, no integrity....

   Posted by JOHANNESROLF 07/03/2007 @ 12:41pm

   McCain may not be your cup of tea, but he is most certainly a man of integrity when measured against his peers in Congress. He stood up against torture, for immigration, against pork spending.....and backed his convictions w/his votes.

   For you to call McCain as having "no integrity" only shows that you have no integrity and is purely a partisan hack! The Dems' counterpart for McCain, someone that actually can't be `bought', is Dennis K.....Perhaps NOT electable because they both have more "integrity" than the front runners! McCain is the type of pol the country needs but like I said, even informed Libs won't acknowledge good pols when they know it to be true!

   Posted by Happy at 07/03/2007 @ 12:56pm

3. I respect Senator McCain for his great contribution to our country. I do however feel that he sealed his own fate with his untenable position on Iraq and Immigration Reform. I am not a Republican and wouldn't have voted for him in any case, but he does not even try to see the other side of the picture and many Republicans are aware of this.

   Posted by Hernova at 07/03/2007 @ 1:09pm

4. Which Republican presidential candidates aren't running on empty?

   Posted by nathanhale at 07/03/2007 @ 4:03pm

5. Thompson, Rudy, Mitt...

   And, McCain running out of gas? He never had any...he went down at the gate with Biden, Edwards, and Kucinich....this is not news, nor a surprise...except maybe here..

   Posted by john maasch at 07/03/2007 @ 4:27pm

6. Johannesdork used the word "integrity"!!! Note to Johannessdork: words like " integrity, accountability, personal responsibility, morals, values, etc." are very bad words to most liberals, so you might want to stop using them! As far as McCain goes, GOOD RIDDANCE!!!! McCain is a sellout! An elitist liberal, in my eyes, who has no problem selling out real American citizens for profit and pandering to Illegal immigrants. What a dumb fuck! How could this idiot think he could garner the conservative vote when he's down with turning our country into a third-world dump!!!! Take a drive around L.A., or most of Ca. and see what is going on! This moron doesn't have to deal with all the shit Illegal immigration brings while flying around on private jets and livoing in a mansion. He has betrayed conservatives like myself sooooooooo blatantly, that (i can't believe I'm going to say it), I would accept Hillary as our Pres. before I'd vote for McCain, just on illegal immigration alone!

   Posted by barry25 at 07/03/2007 @ 4:59pm

7. so who's yer guy? Maasch

   Posted by johannesrolf at 07/03/2007 @ 6:50pm

8. Rudy, McCain, and Mitt have already self-destructed before they ever got off the launch-pad. It's why the R's are clinging desperately to Thompson...they know the others don't have a snowball's chance of beating ANY of the candidates currently running at the top 4 or 5 spots in the pack of potential D's.

   The funny thing is, Thompson only looks good to most because he's been out of the limelight for so long, most folks aren't familiar with his political views. Once they find out, the race will be as over for him as it is for those other R losers. In fact, it'll probably be McCain and Rudy, in a desparate attempt to salvage their own failing chances, that will be most responsible for dredging up the muck that will ultimately take Thompson out.

   It's going to be entertaining to watch the carnage...

   Posted by Lillian at 07/04/2007 @ 01:54am

9. so who's yer guy? Maasch

   Posted by JOHANNESROLF 07/03/2007 @ 6:50pm

   Don't know yet..I do like Thompson..but I need more time..I want to hear a guy on immigration that protects our culture, and not is bent on blending it with the 3rd world....not against immigration but rather some kind of controls..

   Posted by john maasch at 07/04/2007 @ 02:06am

10. Posted by HAPPY 07/03/2007 @ 12:56pm | ignore this person

    BLIND! YOU ARE TRULY BLIND! McCain came out against torture only because at one point, he was tortured. Were he the complete chickenhawk that most rightwingers are,(he was a POW but truly does not understand warfare on the ground) he would have been all for it. Do you think the continued war in Iraq does not produce torture of some kind? The War (as well as torture) continues and since McCain still supports the war to the bitter end, he is therefore, de facto supporting torture.

    Good Riddance to that Arizona street trash, John McCain. Next to go to the trash heap of a lurid history: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Drag Queen Rudy Guliani, Fred "NO Such Thing as the Rule of Law" Thompson, Mit, "I Can't make up my mind if I am a moderate or a rightwing fanatic" Romney, Joe Biden, Joe "Let's kill all the Arabs and Muslims" LIE berman, and another Demopublican or Republicrat who still thinks that waging war across the entire planet is still a good idea............

    Posted by POSEIDON at 07/04/2007 @ 10:19am

11. Posted by LILLIAN 07/04/2007 @ 01:54am | ignore this person

    And that is only half the battle................

    Time for someone to dredge up the muck that will take Hillary and Barack Obama OUT...................

    Posted by POSEIDON at 07/04/2007 @ 10:21am

12. Posted by JOHN MAASCH 07/03/2007 @ 4:27pm | ignore this person

    McCain went down as soon as he started kissing Jerry Falwell's big fat useless behind...................

    Posted by POSEIDON at 07/04/2007 @ 10:23am

13. here's a newsflash. dems raising a lot more moolah than repubs, a stunning reversal and a harbinger of things to come: the total repudiation by patriotic americans of the lawless repubs. no more republicans, may they go the way of the Whigs and be relegated to the slagheap of history.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 07/04/2007 @ 10:38am

14. Time for someone to dredge up the muck that will take Hillary and Barack Obama OUT...................

    Posted by POSEIDON 07/04/2007 @ 10:21am | ignore this person

    what if there isn't any? Hillary and Bill have been investigated to the max, years and a fortune spent, and? nothing. Obama? he scares the shit out of you people. why? 'cause he's popular.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 07/04/2007 @ 10:51am

15. Time for someone to dredge up the muck that will take Hillary and Barack Obama OUT...................

    Posted by POSEIDON 07/04/2007 @ 10:21am | ignore this person

    The neocon wet-dream fantasy...won't happen. As Johannes noted, they been trying...HARD...for nearly 2 decades with Hillary. Anything they have, we've all seen many times over. You know, if you warm it over enough times, even if it really IS excrement, it simply doesn't smell anymore.

    Even if she does something really stupid to take herself out (yeah, right...another wing-nut wet-dream fantasy) they'd have to take out Obama, Edwards, AND Gore before they get to someone they have a chance to beat.

    Meanwhile, back in reality, here is Hillary, leading ALL others, with an inside track to become this nation's first female president.

    Posted by Lillian at 07/04/2007 @ 1:51pm

16. Lill,

    our big Three: Hill, Obama, Edwards

    their three: Rudy, Romney, McCain.

    no contest, the repubs are finished. three to two in raising funds, is the dems lead. that is significant.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 07/04/2007 @ 2:41pm

17. Lill, one thing about Hill, she is poised and disciplined.she will make a fine pres, as would the other two, and most of all, Al.

    that last one sounds kinda catchy.

    Posted by johannesrolf at 07/04/2007 @ 2:43pm

18. their three: Rudy, Romney, McCain.

    Posted by JOHANNESROLF 07/04/2007 @ 2:41pm | ignore this person

    Not long ago, I remember seeing a poll result that showed each of "their three" losing a hypothitical race against, basically 'any generic Democrat'.

    It's why they're putting so much hope (deperate, pleading, begging, please, please, please...) in Thompson. It's virtaully certain that any of their three will be crushed...not so certain (yet) that Thompson will suffer the same fate...because not enough people know him well enough...including (to no one's surprise) those now touting him as 'their guy.'

    That will change of course...the facts about Thompson will come out...starting with his unflagging support of Bush, the Iraq war, and Scooter...and for most, the new familiarity will breed contempt.

    Then, he gets lumped in with the rest of the R losers.

    Posted by Lillian at 07/04/2007 @ 4:24pm

19. liberal fantasyland at play here in the minds of the fringe left.

    Posted by antiliberal at 07/04/2007 @ 6:07pm

20. Hey Ari,

    Does this mean that Edwards is also through? He raised less than McCain so by your standards, Edwards should be dropping out this week?

    This isn't meant as a supporting statement for McCain. He knocked himself out with his unwavering support for the immigration bill.

    Posted by antiliberal at 07/04/2007 @ 6:09pm

21. liberal fantasyland at play here in the minds of the fringe left.

    Posted by ANTILIBERAL 07/04/2007 @ 6:07pm

    ah, so McCain isn't running on empty. Glad you cleared that up for us

    Posted by Will C. at 07/04/2007 @ 6:17pm

22. Does this mean that Edwards is also through? He raised less than McCain so by your standards, Edwards should be dropping out this week?

    Posted by ANTILIBERAL 07/04/2007 @ 6:09pm

    psst, I don't want to challenge your awe inspiring intellect here but it was grover norquist not Ari that was speculating on whether McCain will bail

    Posted by Will C. at 07/04/2007 @ 6:23pm

23. Don't know yet..I do like Thompson..but I need more time..I want to hear a guy on immigration that protects our culture, and not is bent on blending it with the 3rd world....not against immigration but rather some kind of controls..

    Posted by JOHN MAASCH 07/04/2007 @ 02:06am

    KNOW WHAT THOMPSON ANSWERED...

    When asked what he would do as President?

    "Oh, lots of things."

    Just what we need. Another stupe in the White House.

    Posted by w_m_bear at 07/04/2007 @ 9:12pm

24. Posted by HAPPY 07/03/2007 @ 12:56pm | ignore this person

    BLIND! YOU ARE TRULY BLIND!

    Posted by POSEIDON 07/04/2007 @ 10:19am

    You miss my point entirely on McCain's integrity! I don't agree w/McCain on more than half of the issues important to me.....but, I respect politicians that stand by their stated positions! Call me naive or old-fashioned if you want....but to earn my vote, they better do as they promised to do while campaigning! One big reason I regretted voting for "Read-My-Lip" Bush in `02 and was NOT UNHAPPY he lost (due to 19% Perot who I should have voted for)!

    That was the only time I regretted my presidential vote cause Bush violated the most important economic issue to me! Like I said before, I look forward to all you HRC-haters who will end up voting for her anyway and try to backpedal! I never hated Bush 41 (just pissed off) even if I regretted voting for him the second time!

    Posted by Happy at 07/05/2007 @ 11:18am

25. Time for yet another history lesson, class. McCain's reputation for straight-talking integrity is somewhat self-enacted: Let's not forget either the brown-nosing of Jerry Falwell at Liberty University's commencement or the fact that Senator Mccain was one of the infamous Keating Five, who was shilling for Keating and his doomed to failure S & L chain which cost we taxpayers how many billions of dollars ot clean up? Just because Chris Matthews is in love with someone doesn't mean they aren't just another politician who called Falwell an agent of intolerance in '00 and kissed his considerable backside when it needed to be done. Besides, after his walk through Bagdad and McCain saying it was safer than an American city, I wonder how senile 'ol John is?

    Posted by The Goods at 07/05/2007 @ 3:18pm

26. McCain would not be so far up a creek if he actually had a "sensible" position on Iraq.

    A lot of people still think he has integrity despite his cozying up to the "agents of intolerance" in his party but he seems to have missed his moment. We want more than "straight talk" now, we crave competency, something markedly absent nowadays. Defending that incompetency can't help much either.

    That said, the GOP in general is having a problem shedding their image as being wrong on oh, basically everything. Conservatism is not yet an albatross but the Bush presidency certainly is and if you defend its policies (Free Libby!) you probably don't have a good future ahead of you.

    Sorry Senator, when Bush push-polled you onto the ropes in South Carolina in 2000 you lost your chance (don't you see, dirty-tricksters have long done well in your party: see Bush pere (Lee Atwater) and Nixon (John Mitchell, Maurice Stans, Donald Segretti, Chuck Colson) if not convinced.). Besides, since when does the GOP let outsiders win and you built your candidacy on being an outsider. When you tuck tail and run from that position to curry favor with party mandarins you lose the support of the grassroots crowd you need to make a respectable showing in the primaries.

    It's a tough life.

    Posted by hhemwm at 07/05/2007 @ 3:21pm

27. Besides, never fear! Fred "flavor of the month" Thompson is here to bring true conservatism back to the people. After all, we all know that the 2006 midterms were the results of the GOP straying from its conservative roots. . . .

    Posted by hhemwm at 07/05/2007 @ 3:24pm

28. Thompson is the real deal because Bush proved that wearing a cowboy hat makes you a cowboy, therefore saying you are a conservative makes you one.

    This is what happens when no one else is around who appears "electable." Remember John Kerry?

    Posted by hhemwm at 07/05/2007 @ 3:25pm

29. What a dumb fuck I am.Posted by BARRY25 07/03/2007 @ 4:59pm | ignore this person

    Posted by johannesrolf at 07/05/2007 @ 7:51pm