John McCain's peculiar choice of behavior for the evening of the upcoming election has "defeat" written all over it...
From the Associated Press:
John McCain's election night watch party might be missing John McCain. Instead of appearing before a throng of supporters at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix on the evening of Nov. 4, the Republican presidential nominee plans to deliver postelection remarks to a small group of reporters and guests on the hotel's lawn. Aides said Thursday that the arrangement was due to space limitations and that McCain might drop by the election watch party at some other point.
Space limitations? If space is really limited, wouldn't it make more sense to un-invite one or two REPORTERS? It's ridiculous for the nominee or guest of honor to remove himself from the list of attendees due to space limitations. There just has to be another explanation for such a ridiculous choice.
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McCain's remarks will be piped electronically into the party and media filing center, aides said. Only a small press "pool" — mostly those who have traveled regularly with the candidate on his campaign plane, plus a few local Arizona reporters and others — will be physically present when he speaks.
Thomas Patterson, a government professor at Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, called the arrangement "unusual" but said the campaign may simply be bowing to the reality that the candidate's remarks are geared toward the televised audience rather than those in the hall.
Hmmm... Once again, his actions don't really fit those of a man who's planning to celebrate his hard-faught victory with his staff, friends, family, and select constituents. They are, instead, consistent with someone who's ready for the game to be over. Imagine how hard it must be for McCain to be facing the end of a race that has been lost by his own lack of leadership and failure to show integrity. Seems to me as though John McCain would like to sing his swan song as quietly and from as far away as he possibly can... so that he can go somewhere and sulk.
Obama, by contrast, plans to address a giant outdoor celebration election night in Chicago's Grant Park. The event is free and open to the public, but the campaign was charging media organizations a hefty fee for close-in spots on the camera risers and platforms and for cable and wireless Internet at those spots.
Now THAT'S what it looks like when a candidate is planning his or her victory party. I'll just accept this article as one more piece of evidence that John and Sarah are quietly throwing in the towel.
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THIS IS MY FIRST TRIP TO THE REC LIST! THANK YOU!!!
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UPDATE:
As many of you have already stated in your comments, this is NOT a time for us to become complacent! (Yes, yes! This story is wildly entertaining- I agree! But continue to be alert and vigilant during these last 12 days!) Keep canvassing and keep phone banking. Keep talking to your friends, families, and coworkers about why Barack Obama is the best candidate for the job. Keep responding to the hateful e-mails that are clogging your inboxes. And by all means- OPEN YOUR WALLETS AND MAKE A DONATION! Barack needs us to keep campaigning- even when things appear to be favorable for the Democrats! I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. =)
UPDATE #2- Let's Not Be Superstitious!
While it's important to continue working as hard as we can for the Obama campaign, it's silly to think we might somehow jinx Senator Obama by openly enjoying what are clearly the fruits of a well-run campaign. Things are looking favorable for Obama. There's nothing wrong with saying it out loud. It would, however, be a bad thing to stop fighting 12 days before the election because we think we've won.
UPDATE #3- Keith Olbermann: McCain Campaign Aide Denies AP Story
According to Keith Olbermann's broadcast, one of McCain's aides has totally denied this story. According to him/her, the AP has "made a mistake."