George Allen… The man who at one time occupied the #3 spot in our Power Rankings. He was the one guy who I felt, in this field, could buck history and take the nomination from the frontrunners.
There is no better example of the new age of political campaigns that we live in than him. 10 years ago, the “macaca” story would have been in the papers for a few days before it faded into memory. And although it still would have been close, I am sure that we would have pulled out a victory in November.
Circumstances are so different now where every mistake can be reviewed by millions on YouTube over and over again.
I completely agree with your last two paragraphs. It was eye-opening how fast Allen got taken down over that video, and was a harsh introduction into the world of YouTube politics.
I don’t know if Allen could have won in a race for President, though… he’s way too much like Bush, and party fatigue would have hit us like a ton of bricks I think. But now we’ll never know how it would have played out.
Allen would have lost in a landslide. His collapse was practically the only redeeming feature of the 2006 elections. He was obviously gaffe prone and an absolute “good ole’ boy”. Not to mention, he’s an intellectual lightweight.
I tend to agree with Matt (in #3) that, once significantly challenged and more thoroughly vetted, George Allen was shown in 2006 to be not nearly as strong a candidate for 2008 as so many Republicans contended.
I agree that Allen wouldn’t have been the best Presidential candidate, and had he won he might have become the frontrunner. However, I think losing the Senate will end up being much worse than we thought and it will impact America for decades if this bill passes. Kyl, Cornyn and the rest would have worked out a much better deal had they been in the majority.
Also, I think Allen’s poor response is what really killed him. Who knows, maybe politicians now have learned from him and otherwise would have made a similarly poor response with that lesson. I think that Romney and Thompson have both showed that they know how to use Youtube to their advantage, which will be vital to any candidate in the general election. Whether real gaffes, or fake ones generated by the Clinton machine, whomever we nominate will certainly need to be able to respond quickly and effectively.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm
George Allen… The man who at one time occupied the #3 spot in our Power Rankings. He was the one guy who I felt, in this field, could buck history and take the nomination from the frontrunners.
There is no better example of the new age of political campaigns that we live in than him. 10 years ago, the “macaca” story would have been in the papers for a few days before it faded into memory. And although it still would have been close, I am sure that we would have pulled out a victory in November.
Circumstances are so different now where every mistake can be reviewed by millions on YouTube over and over again.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Kavon,
I completely agree with your last two paragraphs. It was eye-opening how fast Allen got taken down over that video, and was a harsh introduction into the world of YouTube politics.
I don’t know if Allen could have won in a race for President, though… he’s way too much like Bush, and party fatigue would have hit us like a ton of bricks I think. But now we’ll never know how it would have played out.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Allen would have lost in a landslide. His collapse was practically the only redeeming feature of the 2006 elections. He was obviously gaffe prone and an absolute “good ole’ boy”. Not to mention, he’s an intellectual lightweight.
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:54 pm
I tend to agree with Matt (in #3) that, once significantly challenged and more thoroughly vetted, George Allen was shown in 2006 to be not nearly as strong a candidate for 2008 as so many Republicans contended.
May 22nd, 2007 at 2:18 pm
I agree that Allen wouldn’t have been the best Presidential candidate, and had he won he might have become the frontrunner. However, I think losing the Senate will end up being much worse than we thought and it will impact America for decades if this bill passes. Kyl, Cornyn and the rest would have worked out a much better deal had they been in the majority.
Also, I think Allen’s poor response is what really killed him. Who knows, maybe politicians now have learned from him and otherwise would have made a similarly poor response with that lesson. I think that Romney and Thompson have both showed that they know how to use Youtube to their advantage, which will be vital to any candidate in the general election. Whether real gaffes, or fake ones generated by the Clinton machine, whomever we nominate will certainly need to be able to respond quickly and effectively.