Last summer, Mark McKinnon, the former chief media adviser to George W. Bush, and now a top aide to John McCain’s presidential campaign, admitted that he liked Barack Obama so much, he didn’t want to work on the campaign running against Obama and he wouldn’t create negative ads against the Illinois senator if he became the Democratic nominee.
Of course, that was easy to say at the time. A year ago, McCain’s campaign was in deep trouble, and Obama still seemed like a relative long-shot. Given that we’re talking about a top-tier politico who was Bush’s top media guy, I assumed he’d come up with some excuse to change his mind.
I assumed wrong. Chris Cillizza reports that McKinnon actually meant it.
Mark McKinnon, the lead media consultant for Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) presidential bid, is stepping down from that role — making good on a pledge he made last year not to work against Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in the fall campaign.
McKinnon confirmed his decision to The Fix this afternoon. “I’ll be transitioning, shifting position from linebacker to head cheerleader,” said the always-colorful McKinnon. He added that he would continued to be a “friend and fan” to the campaign.
McKinnon is not just some low-level staffer — he’s been responsible for shaping McCain’s media strategy. He’s also a trusted member of McCain’s inner circle and Cillizza added that “many within the campaign acknowledged that losing him would be a heavy blow to the effort.”
And now he’s leaving the playing field to watch from the sidelines, because he just likes Obama that much.
To get a sense of his perspective, consider that McKinnon told NPR last year, “I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama. I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign.”
I guess McCain deciding to stay positive and not attack Obama wasn’t an option.
I have to say, this is just not normal. I can’t think of a comparable example of a major candidate’s key advisor stepping down because he or she liked the other party’s candidate so much.
I suppose this leads to two questions:
1. Why would McCain hire a media advisor who was prepared to quit if Obama became the Democratic nominee?
2. Why would McKinnon go to work for McCain if he were prepared to quit if Obama became the Democratic nominee?
I suspect the answer to both is the same: they assumed Clinton would get the nod and this wouldn’t be an issue.
I guess kudos to McKinnon are in order. I never really thought he’d go through with this, giving up a high-profile, lucrative job for the Republican presidential nominee. The follow-through here is pretty impressive.
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first
Obama 08
that’s all you got to say? lame
that is so 2005
2nd
Wow… McCain just lost the last vestige of respectability. Maybe another lobbyist can step it up and insert their vast experience in supporting oppressive regimes worldwide into the McCain campaign.
sorry 3rd
Well at least there is someone with a conscience not willing to create a negative portrayal fueled by racial fear and overall lies.
It would appear the campaign came to him and he agreed to take the job on conditions. Those conditions were that he would leave rather than go after Obama. You gotta give him credit, he’s a man of his word.
The icing on this cake would come if McKinnon became Obama’s media adviser.
The Con strategy is easy to see.
I won’t bother explaining it though since I’ll get bricks tossed at me.
One can also look at this as a sign of how negative and racist the McCain campaign inevitably going to get, that even one of his most trusted advisers are getting scruples - beforehand!
Jeez, a principled gooper. Who woulda thunk? Seriously, I remember when he made that statement last year. I am impressed with his admiration of Obama and sticking to his word.
I have yet to see a GOP presidential candidate that I felt even near the same.
moondancer @ 10:
And I have beach front property to sell you in Kansas.
L.A. Confidential @ 8:
Con? If its a con, it’s a very long and sophisticated one. At the time he made the statement Obama was a blip on the radar. And McCain was in the pack with Giuliani and Romney sucking up the oxygen. So maybe you can explain the motivation of this “con”?
ya there is such an untold story going on here. No way in hell would I swallow this bull being served up.
My head…. it’s imploding! Quickly! A republican sex scandal to make the world normal again!
Chico Hussein @ 7:
I’m sure he would if the money was right.
There are principled GOP’ers, most of them, however, get shredded by the media for not towing the party line.
One who has managed to retain their dignity and integrity is Chuck Hagel.
“Top McCain aide steps aside, rather than take on Obama”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mNDHTfdn1A
If he had any more integrity he would stop being a republican altogether.
Not so principled as smart. Look at the reality of the situation. McCain is the “presumptive nominee” for president for the republican party and last month he only managed to raise $18 million, while he spent $58 million. He came in third in the fundraising, and he’s got the entire republican party behind him.
It’s not looking good for him. I think this guy is keeping his options opened.
I love stories like this. Hopefully he’ll support Obama for the next six months.
But then :::::
Exit polling from Kentucky shows that white Americans would rather vote for mccain than vote for a black man. While I respect their right to chose Clinton over Obama, the fact that so many polled admit that they could not let themselves vote on a race issue is just deplorable.
Shame on Kentucky, you bring America down and are shooting yourselves in the foot.
moondancer @ 12:
April 2004, McKinnon, set up the consulting firm Maverick Media, Inc, “to handle advertisements” for Bush-Cheney ‘04 Inc.. “Campaign officials said the money covered television time in March [2004] and beyond, as well as production costs. The firm [received] about $46 million throughout” Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign.
Anything else moon?
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 20:
Good morning (or evening) Bob. You keep forgeting we’re in Bizzaro World here in the States.
;-)
Snip: . . . . . . .
Two days before the heavily Caucasian Iowa caucus, one forthcoming and self-critical caucus-goer and neighbor told me something I’d been suspecting for some time. Obama, he said, was “a way for liberal and moderate whites around here to pat themselves on the back for not being too prejudiced to vote for a black guy.” But it was all premised, he agreed, on Obama being a “good,” that is non-threatening, middle-class, academic-friendly, and “not-too fiery black” - one who seemed unlikely to confront institutional white supremacy in any way more meaningful than attaining higher office.
“94 Percent Of Donations Under $200″
Roar!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama’s spin team really needs to start coming clean.
Any of Hillary’s “people”, here, reading this? Jump ship while you can still keep your dignity. Go over to the side of good. (Obama, of course.) (I am Edwin the Appeaser, and I approve this message.)
*NOT that Hillary is bad… oh …nevermind.
Mark McKinnon, the lead media consultant for Sen. John McCain’s (Ariz.) presidential bid, is stepping down from that role — making good on a pledge he made last year not to work against Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in the fall campaign.
McKinnon confirmed his decision to The Fix this afternoon. “I’ll be transitioning, shifting position from linebacker to head cheerleader,” said the always-colorful McKinnon. He added that he would continued to be a “friend and fan” to the campaign.
******************************
Whaddaya know…a conservative with a conscience.
Yah. Remember, Rove resigned too.
“Barack Obama is quietly planning to take over the Democratic National Committee and assemble a multistate team for the general election.”
Shhhhhh! Quiet now. Don’t let this get out to the Public
Hmm, so McKinnon kept his promise. He just did something a politician seldom does unless their arm is twisted out of joint.
Is it that he likes Obama so much or the fact that he dislikes McCain more and figures McCain can’t win against Obama in any case? If so, then McKinnon’s resignation speaks volumes about the type of backing that McCain has behind him. It indicates to me at least that the Conservative/Republican movement remains in tatters and now that Obama appears to be the nominee the Republicans are starting to jump ship.
L.A. Confidential @ 23:
I’m just sitting back and loving your meltdown. [Deleted. Let’s not call names here, OK? Thanks-Sitemonitor] Aahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
L.A. Confidential @ 22:
I take your point, I’m just so surprised that the pockets of bigotry in America are still so
strongstupid, and seem to reside in the so called bible-belt. I live amongst Thai people and I don’t think I have ever experienced feeling discriminated against, I mostly just feel bad for my poor ability with the language over here (hard because it is tonal) but nobody has EVER slighted me, they encourage me to keep trying. The good part is, I have NEVER been asked anything that has to do with religion, and when people wai (put their hands in that pray position) it’s just a way of greeting you like they see good in you.Chico Hussein @ 7:
I am inclined to give the guy credit, but if I’m Obama, it wouldn’t be THAT much credit.
Besides, I believe he is on the record as saying that he intends to vote for McCain.
Left&Left @ 31:
Actually I’m perfectly calm, analytical, and unattached.
One look at your reply above though certainly tells your story.
addendum: I suspect he likes Obama, but I also suspect the departure may be more a product of personal discomfort with the inevitable decline to racial polarization as a political tool in the campaign that spurred his decision.
L.A. Confidential @ 34:
the padded-cell laugh.
L.A. Confidential @ 22:
Oooooh, “someone said”. Compelling argument, Faux News style.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 32:
It’s really bad here now Bob. Religion has screwed it self into the sinews of everything.
Even Obama had to step into the sewer with his Kentucky “I’m A Christian” Flyer. Still didn’t work he got his butt trounced.
Maybe McCain is just a douchebag and nobody likes working for him.
He certainly gives that impression when you see him caught “off camera”.
♠Bangkok-Bob♠ @ 36:
the padded-cell laugh.
I’m surprised Left&Left didn’t use “bwahahahahahaha” to try to shake me up.
LOL oh man.
i’d like to believe this and maybe it’s true but….if it sounds to good to be true……..
I heard on tv this morning that Hillary’s campaign is now 31 million dollars in dept. I couldn’t believe she told that story about the little boy selling his bike and video games in order to give her money. Hell, I would go hungry before I would take money from a kid like that.
Maybe there is another part to this McCain story. Maybe the guy left because he does like Obama and maybe the McCain campaign is also short of money.
I would like to believe McKinnon, but since he’s a republican I won’t.
He’s probably going underground, to do McCain’s dirty work, without direct accountability leading back to McCain.
Never trust a republican. Especially not anything they say.
In fact there’s only one thing I ever want to hear from any republican.
“In the past eight years our republican party has caused grave damage to the national security of the United States — and we need to be held accountable for what we have done.”
That is where they need to start — and anything else is just another lie.
L.A. Confidential @ 38:
mckinnon has worked too hard to install this particularly vicious crowd of neocons and cronies; i highly doubt he’s disappearing from the scene. more likely, he’s just taken the lower profile to avoid having the inevitable race-baiting and scumbaggery that the republicans will employ against barack obama associated with his name.
Maybe he’s been reading some of McCain’s history.
“McCain’s most horrendous loss occurred in 1967 on the USS Forrestal. Well, not horrendous for him. The starter motor switch on the A4E Skyhawk allowed fuel to pool in the engine. When the aircraft was “wet-started,” an impressive flame would shoot from the tail. It was one of the ways young hot-shots got their jollies. Investigators and survivors took the position that McCain deliberately wet-started to harass the F4 pilot directly behind him. The cook off launched an M34 Zuni rocket that tore through the Skyhawk’s fuel tank, released a thousand pound bomb, and ignited a fire that killed the pilot plus 167 men. Before the tally of dead and dying was complete, the son and grandson of admirals had been transferred to the USS Oriskany.”
think about it @ 41:
Or maybe it’s been so long since we have seen anyone associated with politics who also had principles, that we are cautious of such things.
Billy Shears @ 43:
AMEN. . . It’s bad enough that Dems have to stoop to the lowest games imaginable to beat these guys but Cons can NOT EVER BE TRUSTED.