Letters to the Editor
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McCain sucked up to the media
Part of McCain's problem is that he sucked up to the media. The media fell for him in 2000 because he was standing up to people that the media didn't like (e.g. the religious right, right wing donors because of his desire for campaign fiance reform). They forgave him comments about "gooks" and his anti-abortion stand (they probably assumed he didn't mean it) that otherwise would have been used to destroy a politican.
Flash forward:
McCain is pro-Iraq War, certainly a courageous maverick position right now. But, the media hates the war so McCain loses all of their sympatheric coverage.
Next, McCain pulls one of his "stand up to the base" stunts and sides with Kennedy on immigration. Remember, it not just the Republican base that didn't like the bill but a healthy percentage of Perot-type independents and pro-union liberals.
End Result: He has no base anymore.
Now, the good news is that right now is not an election year and most voters do not care a whit what the "candidates" are saying. He's got built-in name recognition so can be a player in any primary if he can find something that resonates.
The bad news is that the media will not forgive him for his Iraq position so even if he finds something that resonates, his ability to get a message out is severely diminshed.
The other bad news is that he looks old.