The first rule of thumb when choosing a running mate is:  Do no harm.  The same could be said for Senator McCain’s acceptance speech last night.  Given the widely praised speech by Gov. Palin the night before, he had a tough act to follow, especially since Sen. McCain’s strong point is not teleprompter read speeches.  I thought his speech did just that.  He had to get through last night with a decent speech.  The reason is for the rest of the campaign he will be in his comfort zone—town hall meetings and give-and-take with reporters.

Though this type of speech is not his strength he seemed relaxed.  I think a big part of the reason is he no longer has to worry about appealing to the conservative base of the Republican Party.  For him, his natural constituency is the moderate wing of the party.  The pick of Gov. Palin energized the base and to use a military term provided him with flanking protection.  This allowed Sen. McCain to move to his comfort zone of the middle and let him appeal to the independent/undecided voters he needs to win the election. 

In poker you play the hand dealt to you—you can’t keep throwing in your cards and demanding new deals until you get the hand you like.  The same is true in politics.  The Democrats hold many of the best cards in this year’s election.  In many ways it is a miracle Sen. McCain is as close as he is in the polls.  I don’t believe any other Republican candidate who ran in this election would have had a chance against Sen. Obama.  I thought it was a wise move for Sen. McCain to speak about reaching across the aisle and working with Democrats on a variety of issues.  If elected he will have to do this since there is pretty much zero chance of Republicans gaining control of either house of Congress. 

 

I personally liked when he called out the Republican members of Congress for falling into the temptation of greed and corruption—it was well deserved criticism.  Most of the problems the Republicans face are self-inflicted.  The best thing they can do is agree with Sen. McCain and work to rebuild the party ranks in Congress.  If they don’t they will be out of power for a long time.