Senator Mccain’s Electability Problems!

Senator McCain wants to be the President of the United States. He has made some very smart moves but there are some things which are against him. He is doing some things right but some just do not add up. If I was Senator McCain I would do the following to get into the winners state of mind.

I have published an article on why Senator Obama will be elected president. It can be read here to obtain a balanced perspective.

The entire world knows that Senator McCain is seventy two years old. This is a major factor against him. Senator McCain cannot change his age but he can appear to look younger to the voters. Each time I look at his picture I see his “pursed lips.” To the casual observer this may not mean much but for someone who wants to be the president of the United States he cannot appear to be ill, aged or weak. Yes, age discrimination, sex discrimination and disability discrimination are against the law but few people would disagree that these groups do not have the same clout as healthy individuals.

Picture: Senator Obama. Dignified, “in-control” image from here.

On many of the pictures Senator McCain appears to be holding onto the podium. This is not a sign of someone who is healthy. It is a sign of someone who needs help to stand. If Senator McCain needs help to stand than he becomes less electable. He needs to publicize the fact that he is a young “seventy two”; also that he is physically fit and able to lead. Most people are retired at his age. Many are dead, buried and forgotten. So he needs to make a “special circumstances” case which is strong and convincing.

Picture of Senator McCain. Holding on to the podium. Appearing obese, short of breath and labouring to make a point. Look at the veins in his neck. Picture from here.

Senator McCain has NOT made a good political choice of a running mate. Sarah Palin is young, enthusiastic and motivated. In pictures she appears like “his wife.” She appears to be young, enthusiastic and motivated. However, there is no evidence about how the country will vote when they “unconsciously” see this “husband wife relationship. My feeling is that the country sees a “father daughter” relationship and I am not sure how the country will vote when it perceives this relationship. Irrespective of how the country perceives the relationship; it was initially helpful to the senator but the novelty seems to be wearing off. My advice to senator McCain would be to allow her more freedom to express her ideas. Of course this is a double edged sword. I say this because if Ms. Palin expresses the wrong thoughts then Senator McCain risks losing the election. However, if she is perceived to be “too controlled” by Senator McCain then he risks losing the election too. So, senator McCain has to walk a tight rope here.

Sarah Palin is not as popular as the Republicans believe her to be. She is a polarizing figure at best. She is not your average “hockey mum” as she Senator McCain has tried to portray her. Sarah Palin’s does not “have the right value system” to raise her own children. A teenage daughter who is pregnant speaks volumes. This was never a value system advocated the by right. Further, not appearing in front of a tribunal after saying that she will cooperate, and then say that the tribunal is democrat controlled does not spell well for Sarah Palin, Senator McCain or her husband. Investigative panels are always made up of one party which has a majority. This does not give anyone the right to refuse to testify under oath. Americans can see between the lines. They know that Sarah Palin is hiding something.

What other people, outside the US right supporters have to say about Sarah Palin can be read here. I agree with Heather Mallick’s assessment of Sarah Palin. Yes she comes across as one who is power grabbing. The reasons given for her refusal to testify under oath are reasons which only Bush and Palin can use and “get away with them reasons.”

Picture of Female voters who support Obama for president. Image from: here.

Senator McCain has alienated female voters. They make up more than 50% of eligible voters. This will certainly work to his disadvantage. Senator McCain should consider contacting Senator Hillary Clinton. She may agree to be his running mate. That will make him more electable.

At the Republican convention Senator McCain showed his mother who is alive and well supposedly. He should have shown his father. That would have been more appropriate. Senator McCain is a male. His life expectancy is more likely to be in line with his father’s life expectancy. I do not know if the Senators father is alive or not. If I were senator McCain I would not have raised the issue of my age. If the democrats raised that as an issue then I could accuse them of “ageism” age discrimination and a whole lot of other things.

Visually, Senator McCain appears obese. He needs to shed some pounds if he wants to give the impression that he is healthy. Obese people have a shorter life span, are more likely to suffer from depression, are slower and die younger. Americans who watched the Republican Conference would have noted that Senator McCain’s mother is a slim ninety year old lady. It is for that reason that she is alive and well. So, the senator needs to be slimmer to be more electable.

Senator McCain needs to appear as if he understands the people’s problems. He did not support his cause by not knowing the number of houses he has. He did not do justice to his cause by acknowledging that he cannot use the internet and that his staff can use the internet. I would expect the president to know and understand my problems.

Senator McCain has been a good and faithful Republican. His party would love to see him win. However, Senator McCain needs to help himself and the Republican Party to help him get elected. He should not have memory lapses like forgetting the number of houses he has. Further, he should not tell lies and “get caught.” His advertising which accused Senator Obama of calling Ms. Palin a “pig” was a good example of this. He got caught and had to “literally say sorry”. Incidents like this cause votes. In a contest like this, every vote counts.

Picture: Senator McCain. Stressing to make a point? Picture from here.

Senator McCain should avoid offering quick fixes to the economic problems. It is clear that he does not have the necessary economic expertise. His plan to fire Christopher Cox, was an attempt to appease the economic market. This did not go well with his Republican Supporters, the Republican Party or the Bush administration. As a slap in the face to senator McCain President Bush showed up with Christopher Cox as a sign of support for him. Where does all this put Senator McCain? It makes him look old, out of touch and unelectable.

The American public knows that Senator McCain was a friend of Christopher Cox. Christopher Cox is the Head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. When he made the statement, “I would fire him,” on Thursday of last week Senator McCain was clearly trying to appease the public. This did not do him any good. “He chose the wrong scapegoat,” said James Cox, a professor of corporate and securities law at Duke University who is not related to the SEC chairman.

“It shows a profound ignorance of something (McCain) ought to know about being in Washington, and that is the limited regulatory authority of the SEC.” Now Senator McCain has to spend valuable time putting the mass right. This is time which he can ill afford at this late stage of the election.

It was a good thing for the senator to declare his medical records open to the public. Cancer is a bad word. His cancer is fully cured and it did not spread to any lymph node or any other part of the body. It would be nicer if the senator could have had his doctors declare that there were no secondaries or metastatic deposits.

Last but not least, Senator McCain needs the support of the Christian Right to win. He needs to advocate for their vote. This will best be done by him directly appealing for their support. However, this could prove to be counterproductive as he could alienate the independent group of voters.

Ms. McCain’s running mate’s decision not to testify under oath is seen by the public at large as “hiding something.” It would have been better for her to publicly testify in from of the tribunal and then defend her actions. She now has a national audience who will be willing to listen to her.

Ms. Sarah Palin’s husband has also refused to testify in front of the commission. This, to the American Public, indicates that he has something to hide. Again, it would have been better to testify and then defend that position unless, of course, the evidence which is likely to merge is “damning.” Running away will not help them or their course.

The people of the United States, the voters, know that Senator McCain is closely aligned with the Bush Presidencies. It is a well known fact that the Bush presidencies have driven the National Economy into the ground. The collapse of the housing and stock markets are proof of this. The country knows it. The voters know it too. The popularity of the Bush administration is at an all time low. He clearly needs to create a “niche” for himself. To this date he has not been able to do this. To win the elections he needs to be able to this. Maybe he is just too old to be president?