That was a horrible year for Republicans. Bush was sitting in office with 25-30% approvals. The Iraq war was dragging. Gas was at record highs. The economy collapsed
McCain would have lost just the same with Pawlenty, Romney, or Huckabee
Absolutely he would have lost. There was no convincing the American people that the Republicans could clean up the mess - especially the mortgage meltdown stuff.
shareNobody was beating Obama in 2008.
shareMcCain would have won.
He was popular and beloved, solid from every angle.
Obama was a wild card with little to show for himself.
He picked Biden exactly for that reason, to have experience and to appeal to broader and traditional America.
McCain picked that loon, and his ticket suddenly looked like the wild one.
The VP debate sealed it, where Biden tore Palin's ass apart.
The film is a little unfair towards palin, mccain ran the most boring low energy campaign in history, it was almost as if he knew he was going to lose and didn't care. at least palin brought something to the campaign, i'm not saying she was the best person to have as a running mate, but she was never prepared right and it seems like the mccain team set her up as the fall guy (well woman) knowing that he couldn't win anyway.
they threw a very unprepared palin to the lions.
it was almost as if he knew he was going to lose and didn't care.
It was insane when you think about it, the atmosphere between 2003 and 2008 was very very anti war, there were those micheal moore documentaries, those silly greenday songs... people were sick of the wars in afghanistan and iraq.
so what do the republicans do?! they nominate a guy whos entire being and life is about war! thats what john mccain was famous for!
they had lost before they had started. then you had the whole cult of personality around obama...like i say, i don't think i would have chosen palin as the VP nominee, but i also don't blame her, they didn't prepare her properly and pretty much made her the scapegoat for an awful campaign.
Mccains most famous moment during that whole thing, wasn't some amazing speech were he laid out why he would be a great president, it was for saying that obama was a "good man"
it was so bad, it seems always staged.