John McCain, after a few pathetic attempts at trying to look like something other than George Bush has seemingly given up. Not only are his policies remarkably similar (favoring the rich over the poor, staying in Iraq, machismo over diplomacy, etc) but his campaign organization is looking a lot like that of George Bush. The question is, will this be as successful a move as it was for Georgie?
From Politico:
Steve Schmidt is taking over the day-to-day operation of John McCain’s campaign, according to multiple campaign sources.[...]
McCain sources say Schmidt, who ran Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection campaign and was a top communications aide in Bush-Cheney '04, will coordinate the campaign's daily pro-McCain and anti-Obama message but also will have an increased role in shaping most every facet of the organization including scheduling, policy, coalitions and surrogates.
Davis will focus more on big-picture issues such as general strategy, helping to plan the convention, picking a vice president and tending to the needs of major donors. [...]
Now, accounts diverge on the exact nature of the new chain of command. One top McCain source said that Schmidt "assumed full operational control of the campaign today" and described Davis as "a general manager."
But Charlie Black, another top adviser, said Davis was still in charge.
"Steve is going to function under Rick as a [chief operating officer]," Black said. "Rick still has authority over all things. Steve works for Rick."
But Black made sure to not diminish Schmidt's elevated role in the campaign.
"He'll be the maestro who conducts the symphony," Black said of Schmidt's position in driving McCain's message.
Wow, the chain of command sounds almost as confusing as the candidate's message. With all of these egos thinking they are in charge, the chaos that will blossom from it will truly be a spectacle to behold. Putting lobbyists and ex-Bushies together in a war room may have been good for corporate profits, but when the goal is to make a winning campaign out of losing material the outcome may not be what the players have been accustomed to in 2000 and 2004.
|