The Democrats don't need them. The 27% of dead-enders who think George W. Bush is doing a dandy job just got thrown to the wolves by John McCain in a speech that even Fox News panned.
In a setting that highlighted McCain's discomfort, with a venue that came across like a half-filled high school auditorium, John McCain pretended to the the candidate of change, and pretended that Barack Obama was the status quo candidate. That incompetence was the problem with the Bush administration. That he, McCain, is the green candidate with a green background. That John McCain will take the country in a new direction, different than where Republicans have gone before. And John McCain knew it all along.
Say what? Does that mean that Republicans will abandon the President because McCain thinks that this administration is incompetent and has led us astray for eight years? Why would Republicans who like Bush abandon both of you?
Why wait until November, John? You voted with Bush 95% of the time this year. [Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) voted with President Bush 100 percent of the time in 2008 and 95 percent of the time in 2007.] You served birthday cake while New Orleans drowned, then voted against Katrina relief. And, frankly, based on what you've done and not what you say tonight, why would anyone on either side of the aisle believe you?
This is going to be fascinating. Because independents diverge from the Republican base on the issues, McCain can't woo them at the same time. One cable commenter suggested hard-core Republicans might not be watching tonight as he tried to woo independents. Fat chance of that. McCain isn't subtle enough to walk the line that would attract both the rabid base and indies at the same time. If there was any doubt of that, tonight's speech proved it.
And man, McCain better get some improvement out of his media people. He got clobbered tonight in the battle of visuals. He also looked as old and as tired as I have ever seen him. And that is what others saw as well.