"Over the weekend, the New York Times and the Politico published stories about growing worries in Republican circles about the direction of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign. Many of the complaints as voiced by the Republicans in the article were structural; this state activist hasn't been consulted by McCain's team; that state party chair hasn't been in contact with his or her regional campaign manager. The complainers implied that if McCain only did X, or if his campaign did Y, then they'd be more comfortable. At the risk of sounding unduly ungenerous, what was missing from many of the complainers was any insight about the scope of McCain's challenge, any sense of time, and any true evaluation of the causes of the malaise.
(1) McCain is indelibly linked with the Bush Administration on Iraq, and he is indelibly linked with the Bush economy. On the latter, the campaign points out that McCain long ago criticized the way the war was run; that is an academic point (arguably, a true point) in a world of perceptions. (On the economy, McCain had the chance to forcefully separate himself from President Bush, and he chose not to. He is responsible for this part of the problem, to the extent that it's a problem.)
(2) Since 2005, independents have been voting Democratic, have been identifying as Democrats, and have grown incredibly resistant to the Republican brand. That's not John McCain's fault. There is little he can do.
(3) The Democratic party's 50-state nomination process has turned out to be a boon for the party in so many ways; millions of Democrats and independents have already practiced voting for the Democratic candidate; hundreds of state and local parties have benefited financially and existentially from the competitive presidential race; activists are spirited and enthusiastic. "
more at the link:
http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/dont_blame_mccain_for_mccains.php
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