McCain’s troubles highlight party rift
By Edward Luce in Washington
The Financial Times
Published: October 23 2008
The more trouble John McCain’s campaign encounters, the more it highlights the cultural divide between the “real America” the Republican candidate says he represents and the Washington “cocktail party circuit” that largely disdains it.
That circuit is swelling with disaffected Republicans. Some complain about Mr McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, whose appeal to “Joe Six-Pack” may have been dented by revelations this week that she has spent more than $150,000 (€117,000, £93,000) of other people’s money on her wardrobe. Others are upset at the negative tone of the campaign.
But all point to concerns about Mr McCain’s allegedly impulsive temperament. Citing the candidate’s story of how, as a child, his parents would put him in a bath full of iced water to calm his volcanic temper, Christopher Buckley, the novelist and son of the late conservative icon, William Buckley, said Mr McCain continued to display the same traits at 72.
“I have known McCain since 1982 and what has always stood out is his temperament,” said Mr Buckley, who endorsed Barack Obama last week. “Having observed him during the campaign and in the debates with Barack Obama I think he needs to be doused in another bath of cold water.”
(Continued here.)
The Financial Times
Published: October 23 2008
The more trouble John McCain’s campaign encounters, the more it highlights the cultural divide between the “real America” the Republican candidate says he represents and the Washington “cocktail party circuit” that largely disdains it.
That circuit is swelling with disaffected Republicans. Some complain about Mr McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin, whose appeal to “Joe Six-Pack” may have been dented by revelations this week that she has spent more than $150,000 (€117,000, £93,000) of other people’s money on her wardrobe. Others are upset at the negative tone of the campaign.
But all point to concerns about Mr McCain’s allegedly impulsive temperament. Citing the candidate’s story of how, as a child, his parents would put him in a bath full of iced water to calm his volcanic temper, Christopher Buckley, the novelist and son of the late conservative icon, William Buckley, said Mr McCain continued to display the same traits at 72.
“I have known McCain since 1982 and what has always stood out is his temperament,” said Mr Buckley, who endorsed Barack Obama last week. “Having observed him during the campaign and in the debates with Barack Obama I think he needs to be doused in another bath of cold water.”
(Continued here.)
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