What Is John McCain's Next Get Rich, Er Elected, Quick Scheme?

[Median Democrat]

John McCain perhaps more than any presidential candidate I remember reminds me of a get rich quick huckster who thinks he is smarter than he really is, and is trying to go for the financial home rum without minimal effort. At the start of the campaign season, John McCain went for the Paris and Britney ads, which got a lot of attention, but did not exactly further his stated goal of conducting a campaign on the issues. McCain then accused Obama of throwing the race card when Obama merely mentioned that he did not look like other Presidential candidates. During the Georgia conflict, McCain got on television, and started making bellicose threats to Russia. Then McCain picked Sarah Palin. Most recently, McCain made a show of "suspending" his campaign to fly into Washington to screw things up with respect to the bailout.

With this history, what is the next great stunt? So far, we have the following suggestions:

1. Bristol Palin's Wedding.
2. John McCain voting against the bailout that he came back to Washington to save.
3. McCain replacing Palin with Rudy Giulani.
4. McCain suspending his campaign to search for Bin Ladin. (SNL Suggestion).
5. Have Palin conduct a press conference.

Apparently, we are not the only ones trying to come up with the next hail mary stunt:

Mother Jones:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9943_what_stunt_john_mccain_next.html

Slate:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2200927/

Times UK (Bristol Palin Wedding Being Pushed):

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4837644.ece

EDIT: Update with recent poll numbers, McCain is going to have to come up with a REALLY big stunt.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Something's coming--I feel it. He's been so nutz, so impulsive, that he's

not going to start being careful now that the poll numbers aren't going his way this late in the game. I fully expect something to "happen" with terra, Georgia, the Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, Osama Bin Laden--something like that. Also, there will be a full-on, ugly, racially-tinged no-holds-barred ad attack on Obama--multiple ads released in a matter of days. That tactic helped lower Obama's poll numbers in June and July, so that tactic will be reprised. Kitchen Sink 3 is coming to theaters near you.

[adamuu]

3. 7. Announces plan open global craps table to solve financial crisis

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

21. I think you've pretty well summed up the McDouche end-game.

[adamuu]

2. 6. Palin drops out for "family reasons". New VP selected.

[Mz Pip]

4. In all seriousness

I think the McCain ads will get uglier and even more racist. Hopefully, they won't work but that's really all he has left.

How a Levi/Bristol wedding will get him votes is beyond me. Maybe they'll have it at one of his houses and they can drive off in one of his cars to the airport to fly off in one of his planes to another one of his houses for a honeymoon. :puke: FREE LEVI!!!

[Median Democrat]

14. Its Not That Simple - McCain Is Trying To Hit The Racism Sweet Spot

The SNL skit illustrates the issue of simply flashing images of unpopular black men on the screen in order to promote a racist reaction. At a certain point, it becomes so transparent, that you get blowback. For example, look at David Dukes run for governor of Louisiana. Yes, there were a lot of racists in Louisiana that voted for Duke in the primaries. However, once you got a full fledged former Grand Dragon of the KKK running for governor, a lot of people turned out and voted against him.

McCain faces the same challenge in pushing that envelope. At a certain point, it becomes obvious to anyone that McCain is race baiting. For example, lets say McCain shows a commercial featuring the NBA player who refused to say the pledge of allegiance. The problem, of course, is that there is no relationship at all to Obama. So, it is obvious that McCain is race baiting. This will cause even folks who hold certain prejudices to vote against McCain, because while people may be prejudice, its another thing to embrace a racist ala David Dukes.

Put another way, the unabashed racists are already voting for McCain, so McCain does not need to convince them to vote for McCain. Rather, McCain needs the folks who are subliminally racist, and coming out with an overtly racist campaign would cause them to recoil the same way David Dukes did.

[Mz Pip]

16. McCain has run 3 ads

that I thought were outright racist.

One was the "Disrespectful" ad that implied Obama was disrespecting Palin. Subtext: Black man disrespects white women.

Then there was the Obama/Raines ad that had both of them looking very sinister. Subtext: Black men will steal your money.

Then there was the very sleazy anti-abortion ad that implied Obama supported infanticide. Subtext: Black man wants to kill your children.

This is what McCain is already doing. It's not even subtle, at least to me but to someone who isn't paying that much attention, it could do the trick.

I hope it does backfire on McCain. It's appalling that McCain has sunk so low already and the fact that he has doesn't give me much hope that he won't go even lower.

[Ikonoklast]

5. He's gonna hang upside down for sixty hours straight.

He'll show us what a 'suspended' campaign really looks like.

[Median Democrat]

9. So, He's Going To Stand On His Head Until His Ears Are Turning Red?

As a shout out to Cal Worthington?

[adamuu]

6. 8. Blames "Bizarro McCain", his clone, for his tarnished image

re-suspends his campaign and vows to chase him to the Gates Of Hell(tm)

[votetastic]

7. One other stunt you didn't mention: When McCain "canceled" the convention

[adamuu]

8. 9. Lands on an aircraft carrier.

[Median Democrat]

10. Oh, good idea, a similuated dogfight against George Bush!

To symbolize his breaking from Bush!

[adamuu]

11. 10. Announces that he's checking into rehab, but he's just "a few tracks away" from a new album

it will be a breakthrough
it will be his "comeback" album.

[adamuu]

12. 11. Goes on a hunting trip with Cheney, announces that it will be televised.

[Phoonzang]

13. I don't know...he's going to be like a cornered animal now.

He'll pull something. He'll probably pull several stunts in the hope that one of them sticks.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

15. He's going to put marks on his ears with a knife and then cut them off

to show America how much he's against earmarks.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

17. The next question is......

Will whatever he does win him the election? Having done what he recently did, isn't there a better than average chance that people are going to, like McCain surrogates said about his refusal to look at Obama, see right through him?

Also, WHAT, aside from incontrovertible evidence of Obama having had his fingers (or other body parts) DIRECTLY in the middle of some HUGE scandal, will bring people "home" to him, particularly after Friday's debate?

My thinking is that Obama's campaign would practically have to implode for people to seriously consider McCain at this point and right now the only campaign in any kind of danger from impoding seems to be McCain's.

[adamuu]

18. 12. Releases a grainy video demonstrating that he can leg-lift 800lbs.

[adamuu]

19. 13. Martial Law

[adamuu]

20. 14. Dies

[adamuu]

22. 15. Or, Fakes his own death.

You gotta admit, that would be one helluva stunt.