McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

by Todd Beeton, Tue Jan 15, 2008 at 12:37:32 PM EST

From Jonathan Martin at The Politico:

Senior [McCain] Adviser Steve Schmidt strolled back into the press section of their charter plane en route from Traverse City to Yspilanti to start framing potential results.

"Regardless of what happens here, we feel very good about South Carolina," Schmidt said.  

Michigan, Schmidt said repeatedly, amounts to a home game for Romney.  

"I think he ran a favorite state candidacy -- we'll see if it works."

Predictably, Schmidt said the stakes were enormous for Romney here.

Regarding his own candidate, Schmidt said it wouldn't have a lot of impact either way.

"I think that if we win in Michigan, we get a little bit of a bump and I think that if we lose, we take, maybe, a quarter step back, but i don't think it's a big deal any way," Schmidt argued.

Assuming McCain does lose, as I think he will, that will be two primaries in a row where the momentum garnered from a prior win has dissipated in mere days, perhaps a sort of citizens' revolt against the tendency of the media to coronate a winner? At a more local level, it will also speak to the success of Sen. Levin and Gov. Granholm to inject the economy into the presidential debate through their moving the Michigan primary up; in fact, it may end up having singlehandedly derailed the candidacy of the strongest candidate the Republicans have, one for whom the economy is an admitted weakness.

Tags: 2008 Presidential election, John McCain, Michigan primary, Mitt Romney, Republican nomination (all tags)

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26 Comments

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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Yeah, I think they have already figured out that Romney has won.

by jgarcia 2008-01-15 12:41PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss


He's playing expectations. Already, losing by less than expectations is a "win", and winning would be fatal to all the other Republicans.

The media wants McCain so bad you can smell it.

by admiralnaismith 2008-01-15 12:43PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Yep. Tucker Carlson sure does. He's trying to 'will' McCain to victory right now.

by Cleveland John 2008-01-15 01:09PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

he's just playing politics. Hopefully Romney will pull a win!

by Hillary2008 2008-01-15 12:46PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Yeah, it'll be exactly the kind of boost he needs to get around to cracking open his piggy bank and start slinging mud against his fellow Republican candidates for the long haul before finally losing.

by Tatarize 2008-01-15 04:15PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

what time do polls close in Mich?

by sepulvedaj3 2008-01-15 01:02PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

8:00.  But quick, without looking, can you tell me what time zone Michigan is in?

by Steve M 2008-01-15 01:03PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

trick question, i think a sliver is in central --

ok quick --

what time is the dem debate tonite?

by sepulvedaj3 2008-01-15 01:06PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Eastern.

by Zeitgeist9000 2008-01-15 01:12PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Central

by ottovbvs 2008-01-15 01:30PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

You guys are just proving my point, although I had actually intended the question only for the original poster, whom I know to be an East Coaster.

The correct answer is that Michigan is on Eastern time, with the exception of the 4 westernmost counties in the Upper Peninsula, which border Wisconsin and are on Central time.

by Steve M 2008-01-15 01:34PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

What time is the debate?  I have class (Election law no less until 8!)

by sepulvedaj3 2008-01-15 01:40PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Is there a debate tonight?

by sepulvedaj3 2008-01-15 01:41PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

You think if you're gonna quote someone, maybe you could spell their name right?

by AC4508 2008-01-15 01:42PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

The debate is at 9 (NY time).

One of my law review colleagues is now a big-shot expert on election law.  They drag her onto CNN every four years.

by Steve M 2008-01-15 01:43PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

I bet after 2000 the demand for election law experts sky rocketed.

by sepulvedaj3 2008-01-15 01:45PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

She was on TV all the time in 2000.

by Steve M 2008-01-15 02:13PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

     The UP is in the Central zone; the lower peninsula, containing about 95% of the population, is in the Eastern Time Zone.

by Ron Thompson 2008-01-15 01:27PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

McCain's camp does make a valid point: Romney won on a favorite son platform, but does that really improve his standing in a national race? I say, only if he can parlay his win into a broader "change" mantra.

by AC4508 2008-01-15 01:29PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

I hate to be the language police, but you were really bad here - "crown" not "coronate".

by BRoss 2008-01-15 01:32PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

I hope Michigan stops McCain and South Carolina goes with Huckabee. I think McCain would probably be the toughest candidate in a general election and he's really not much better than any of others. With any of the Republicans, the Supreme Court and as a result of that America would be doomed for decades.

by Progressive America 2008-01-15 01:36PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Not to be a word nudge, but "coronate" isn't a word. The appropriate verb is "crown," and we in this country should never be put in the position of having to use it, except in history classes.

by psnyder 2008-01-15 01:47PM | 0 recs
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Exits suggesting Romney win with 35% of vote.

Hewitt is in ecstacy of self abuse. McCain mid twenties Huck 15% which is hell of an achievement for guy who only got on national radar four weeks ago.

by ottovbvs 2008-01-15 02:04PM | 0 recs
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Re: Exits suggesting Romney win with 35% of vote.

What exits? You have numbers? Source?

by Cleveland John 2008-01-15 02:08PM | 0 recs
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Re: Exits suggesting Romney win with 35% of vote.

All I found was something on this gossip site  http://www.drudgereport.com/

by Cleveland John 2008-01-15 02:15PM | 0 recs
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Re: McCain Camp Already Spinning A Loss

Josh Marshall has this up:

NRO's Jim Geraghty posts what are supposed to be the first exit polls out of Michigan. Romney 35%, McCain 29%, Huck 15%, Paul 10%, Giuliani 4%.

We've independently heard the same numbers; but we were not able to confirm them.

(ed.note: Actually, when Eric Kleefeld told me about these numbers about an hour ago he at first accidentally transposed the numbers and had McCain up over Mitt, which was heartbreaking. But he quickly corrected his error.)

At a certain point, you start to wonder whether Rudy should be allowed in any more Republican debates.

My sense is that it is especially dangerous to trust exit polls in a low-turnout election.

by Steve M 2008-01-15 02:24PM | 0 recs

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