Tuesday, August 19 2008 by Bret McAtee

From http://backwaterreport.com/?p=982

Tuesday, August 19 2008
McCain Plays The “Conservative” Base
Bret McAtee @ 1:43 pm


Politics is as much about expectations and perception as it is about reality. This has been seen recently in the whole hub bub about John McCain possibly picking a pro-choice Democrat or Republican Vice presidential running mate.

John McCain is not, nor has ever been so politically stupid as to do such a politically suicidal thing, but he is as clever as a fox. Even with no intent to choose a Vice presidential pro-choice candidate McCain scores big in the expectations and perception categories.

First, by floating the trial balloon that he might choose a pro-choice democrat as his VP he creates a scenario where the firestorm of negative reaction by the brainless Republican “conservative” base gives them the sense of having political muscle when McCain pulls back from the edge of that kind of choice. Hence, McCain, by threatening to violate his already alienated base ends up giving them the perception that John McCain will listen to them.

Second, by leaking that he might choose a pro-life Democrat, McCain insures that a only marginally conservative Vice Presidential nominee looks good in comparison to the VP nominee that was McCain was contemplating. By floating the pro-abortion possibility McCain wins the perception game.

Third, McCain gains with the Independents he is courting by suggesting to the Independents and pro-death Republicans that he is broad enough to actually consider somebody that they would be appealing to them. Even if McCain doesn’t choose a pro-choice candidate now he has delivered the message that he is broad enough to unite the party.

Fourth, by floating this balloon a this time it serves as a good balancing act with the conservative performance that he knew he was going to put on at CEO and CFR’s Rick Warren’s Community Center. McCain was going conservative with Warren but that is balanced by talking about choosing a pro-death candidate.

Personally, I wish McCain would choose a pro-choice candidate for that would forever expose him to be as liberal has he always has been. Maybe if he chose a Lieberman or Ridge type VP the brain dead “conservative” base might actually begin to get it. Unfortunately, McCain is just being a good politician and is playing to his brain dead “conservative” base.

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