Now Playing at Reason.tv: Mike Flynn on the Coming McCain Upset

Live from Minnesota and the Republican National Convention, Reason Foundation's Director of Government Affairs Mike Flynn reports that the Sarah Palin VP pick and McCain's go-go offense regarding Barack Obama is energizing the GOP delegates in a way that was unimaginable even a few weeks ago.

The polls are still against McCain, but Flynn contends a strong showing by McCain this week could be the first step in a McCain upset. Click below to learn why.

Comments

[texas_libertarian]

I love that everybody at Reason smokes (and indoors too!). It's so un-PC and so pro-libertarian.

[t. j.]

back during the hillary/obama fight at the tail end of the primary i thought for sure mccain was going to win but now i'm not so sure. voting against the other candidate is how john kerry didn't win last time and the democrats actually like their candidate A LOT this time so i think we're in for 4 years of socialism.

[cuntivore]

We're definitely in for four years of socialism, of either the lefty "equality at all costs" version or the righty "national greatness" version.

[Obamatarian]

Diebold...Rove....Blackwater.... Halliburton....

Reckless wars....Draft...Women will be raped...Blacks will be re-enslaved....children will starve and die in preventable accidents...
the Rich will prosper at the expense of the poor... Fundamentalist Christianity will be the Law of the Land...until the American Empire is destroyed by Global Warming........

but Mike Flynn will win his C-note.

[Episiarch]

McCain definitely has a chance. The real question is how much stupider this whole election will get, and my feeling is: a lot stupider.

[rawdawg]

The real scandal to me regards all these bank failures. Not to mention neither the dems or GOP talk about deflation or all these bank failures, had another one today in GA, Dang, That's makes 10. Yep Paulin will back fire for McCain, but my pocket is more important

[Mike G]

Vote against the herd-- 'cuz that's what Sarah Palin is shootin' at!

I used to post on a movie blog, Jeffrey Wells' Hollywood Elsewhere, the one that earned some notoriety for calling for a new blacklist of rightwingers-- anyway, it's hilarious to see how palpable the fear is of her is there and the astonishingly crude sexism (on the "won't she be incapable one week a month" level) that's coming out of enlightened Dems at the prospect of this kind of broadly appealing non-approved-by-the-liberal-establishment female candidate. They're all convinced she's going to drop out over her daughter's pregnancy... which is to say, they're hoping and praying she does. All the media is, it seems.

[P Brooks]

I couldn't help reading "coming McCain upset" as
Convention Mutiny: Queeg Bound, Gagged, Thrown to Sharks!

There's still time to nominate Flake by acclamation.
I can dream, can't I?

[Joe Strummer]

Mike Flynn is in a bubble called the RNC convention. Outside that bubble, the Palin story continues to break: unplanned pregnancies, membership in secessionist parties, a husband's drunk driving conviction, her utter lack of any qualifications, and the fact that she is going to get crushed by an unending series of gaffes are going to sink this particular candidacy.

[EcoDude]

Does anyone else think Mr. Flynn looks like Harry Connick Jr.?

[Icl]

What is this guy smoking, and where can I get some of that stuff?

[Episiarch]

And here's Joe Strummer to prove my point about it just getting stupider. McCain's choice of Palin was also brilliant just for the hysterical reaction from Obama supporters. I am dumbfounded at how they don't even seem to realize how frantic they are making themselves look.

It's all quite entertaining.

[Obamatarian]

JoeS, it won't matter. Laura Bush committed murder.W is a cocaine addict.Dick Cheney is so mean he shot a man in the face just for snoring.

Outside the Reality-Based Community the dumb rednecks don't think a candidate's spouse's drunk driving conviction when he was 22 is relevant to the campaign.

[Seward]

Episiarch,

There are also portions of the blogosphere which will brook no discussion of whether Palin was a poor pick. In other words, I don't think the "hysteria" on either side is particularly noteworthy.

[J sub D]

McCain definitely has a chance. The real question is how much stupider this whole election will get, and my feeling is: a lot stupider.

To accurately express the amount of stupidity that is forthcoming, exponential notation is gonna be required.

[Seward]

Episiarch,

McCain definitely has a chance.

He always had a chance. We've been having close presidential elections since 1992.

[Episiarch]

Stupider^n

There are also portions of the blogosphere which will brook no discussion of whether Palin was a poor pick

Absolutely. But we seem to have at reason a plethora of the ones I mentioned and almost none of the ones you mention.

[troy]

unplanned pregnancies, membership in secessionist parties, a husband's drunk driving conviction,

Epi's right, the more they rant, the more desperate the democrats look. The DUI and teenage mother things just make her look, IMHO, like a normal person.
Most families have some kind of drama withing them. I kind of get sick of the idea that the only people that run for office are people that have to appear squeeky clean.

But then again, I think Seward has a point too. I am quite surprised how many Palin apologist there are on this blog despite the fact that she is anti-abortion, pro teaching creationism, anti-stem cell research, and lives in a State that can afford to give all its resident a big chuck of change yet sponge federal tax dollars of the rest of us.

IMHO, one thing she bring to the campaign is that "she is one of us." And since there are probably lots of families that could do some time on Jerry Springer, this could prove to be a good choice.

[Not a Dumb Redneck]

a candidate's spouse's drunk driving conviction when he was 22 is relevant to the campaign

It's not relevant at all. Neither is her daughter's pregnancy. What is relevant is the apparent (although admittedly as of yet unproven) abuse of power, connections to Ted Stevens, her abysmal record and stance on the environment and education, and even her IQ.

A lot of dems are unfortunately letting very relevant issues about Sarah Palin be eclipsed by trivial matters that would be more appropriately dealt with in the pages of People or Us Weekly.

[Episiarch]

A lot of dems are unfortunately letting very relevant issues about Sarah Palin be eclipsed by trivial matters that would be more appropriately dealt with in the pages of People or Us Weekly.

Which, ironically, is exactly what the GOPers were doing with Obama. So McCain just flipped this on them. I have to question whether he or his staff are that saavy to have done it purposefully, but it's still happening. We are most likely in for some weeks of the Palin equivalent of "Obama's birth certificate!!!" and "Rev. Wright!!!".

[cuntivore]

I am quite surprised how many Palin apologist there are on this blog despite the fact that she is anti-abortion, pro teaching creationism, anti-stem cell research, and lives in a State that can afford to give all its resident a big chuck of change yet sponge federal tax dollars of the rest of us.

anti-abortion: there are a lot of anti-abortion libertarians

pro-teaching-creationism: that's not true

anti-stem-cell research: more accurately, anti-taxpayer-funded-stem-cell research, which is actually the libertarian position.

Add to that the fact that you don't have to like someone to recognize that they're being mistreated, and you see why you shouldn't be surprised.

[joe]

It's funny. I go to actual liberal web sites - TPM, Yglesias, DailyKos, Eschaton - and the mood is somewhere between a titter and a high five.

Then, I go to other web sites, and read about how panicked the liberals are.

[Warty]

cuntivore | September 2, 2008, 8:42am | #

Ha! A worse name than mine.

[The Angry Optimist]

Yes, joe, that's why Kos featured a hit piece on the level of Loose Change and Alan Colmes is implying that Palin failed to provide proper neonatal care.

No panic there.

[Seward]

Episiarch,

Absolutely. But we seem to have at reason a plethora of the ones I mentioned and almost none of the ones you mention.

Which may simple make Hit n' Run unrepresentative. Then again, I think there is plenty of the latter going on here.

[Justin Slotman]

Alan Colmes? The Jack Tunney of liberals?

Yeah, joe is correct. Maybe liberal blogland should be panicking but they seem to be in deep LOL mode.

[h-dawg]

Watching someone smoking while telling me the way it is actually does not provide me any reassurance.

I know a lot of folks on this blog reflexively consider smoking to be "libertarian?" Sure, the right to smoke is a libertarian position; all for that. But actually smoking goes against all reason (which, BTW, is supposedly what this zine is really about). Unless you want to argue addiction, which makes the libertarian angle a bit more complicated.

[R C Dean]

McCain's choice of Palin was also brilliant just for the hysterical reaction from Obama supporters.

Palin presents unlimited opportunities for the Dems to make unforced errors. So far, they seem to be seizing every opportunity.

The genius of the Palin pick is the normalcy of her background and family. McCain is betting that voters are going to have a bad reaction to a normal life and family being relentlessly attacked by apparatchiks. I think that's actually a pretty good bet.

It comes down to whether she is likable or not. If she is, the attacks will backfire, probably in a pretty big way.

The other variable is whether the McCain folks are smart enough to keep her away from reporters determined to trip her with irrelevant trivia.

[joe]

The Angry Optimist,

You're citing the fact that the Daily Kos is running hit pieces on a Republican as evidence of panic?

OK. I guess they've been in a constant state of panic for the past six years, then.

Do you know what The Poorman is calling Sarah Palin? "Ponylanche." And avalanche of ponies.

[SIV]

But actually smoking goes against all reason (which, BTW, is supposedly what this zine is really about).

Drink ! errr Smoke!

[Seward]

Episiarch,

Basically some people (pro and con) are getting far too ahead of themselves when it comes to the Palin pick.

[SugarFree]

The Dems are just jealous. Nobody would have knocked-up Chelsea at that age.

[joe]

Gotta do something to keep warm up there.

[h-dawg]

"Nobody would have knocked-up Chelsea at that age."

The point is, if Chelsea had gotten into trouble in a family way, would we have ever heard about it?

A good guess is that the Clintons would have had a most trusted confidant/friend take Chelsea to some clinic in Dakota to take care of it--someone like Vince Foster.

[Topper Headon]

This video is the danger of 1) making a prediction early in a fluid news cycle and 2) having a Republican flack make said prediction.

While the story could evolve to McCain's benefit, at this time - 4:40 9/2/08 - it's looking pretty fucking bad.

Also, just because someone smokes a cigarette and dresses like a 70s swinger does make him a libertarian.

[Paul Simonon]

"Also, just because someone smokes a cigarette and dresses like a 70s swinger does make him a libertarian.".

I get what you meant to say there, Topper, but Mike Flynn looks like the piano-playing freak from "Reefer Madness".