|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Some Republicans sense disorder in McCain campaign
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Race
|
| Contributor | The Sunset Provision |
| Last Edited | The Sunset Provision May 25, 2008 01:40pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | News |
| News Date | Sunday, May 25, 2008 07:40:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | John McCain's presidential campaign is in a troubled stretch even before his formal nomination, hindered by resignations of staff members, a lagging effort to build a national campaign organization and questions over whether he has taken full advantage of Democratic turmoil to present a case for his candidacy, some Republicans say.
In interviews, some party leaders said they were worried about signs of disorder in his campaign and about whether the focus in the last several weeks on the prominent role of lobbyists in McCain's inner circle might undercut the heart of his general election message: that he is reformer taking on special interests in Washington.
"The core image of John McCain is as a reformer in Washington, and the more dominant the story is about the lobbying teams around him, the more you put that into question," said Terry Nelson, who was McCain's campaign manager until he was forced out last year. "If the Obama campaign can truly change him from being seen as a reformer to just being another Washington politician, it could be very damaging over the course of the campaign."
Some leaders of state Republican party organizations said they were apprehensive about the unusual organization that McCain had set up: The campaign has been broken into 10 semi-autonomous regions, with each having power over such things as buying television advertising and the candidate's schedule, decisions normally left to headquarters.
More than that, they said, McCain organizationally still seems far behind where President George W. Bush was in his re-election campaign in 2004. Several Republican Party leaders said they were worried the McCain campaign was losing an opportunity as they waited for approval to open offices and set up telephone banks.
|
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
