The Candidates
Back when McCain was an essentially an also-ran during the summer and fall, he gave a lot of interviews to journalists about how a McCain Administration would be different than any other modern president. He’s long noted that he would give weekly “fireside-style chats” to the American people and that he will aggressively beat back any attempts by Congress to pass egregious and wasteful spending. But over at Redstate, Adam C reminds me of something I had forgotten about McCain. He does not like the Secret Service much at all. He’s the only candidate left that doesn’t have a Secret Service detail (he also rejected it in 2000):
Sen. John McCain of Arizona waded through a crush of strangers at a crowded roadside diner in Florida two weeks ago, shaking hands and posing for photos with admirers and gawkers alike.
That’s the kind of scenario that energizes voters but makes Secret Service agents shudder.
McCain, though, has no agents watching over him.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, McCain is the only major candidate who is not guarded by a Secret Service detail. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has lifetime protection as a former first lady, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has had protection since asking for it last year.
“The day that the Secret Service can assure me that, if we’re driving in the motorcade and there’s a guy in a rooftop with a rifle, that they can stop that guy, then I’ll say fine,” McCain told reporters late last year. “But the day they tell me, ‘Well, we can’t guarantee it,’ then fine, I’ll take my chances.”
Indeed. This is what he told the Boston Globe last year:
[...]the aspect of Harry Truman’s presidency that McCain recalled most vividly was not his handling of the Berlin airlift or the Korean War, but his laid back ways.
“He could walk out of the White House and take a walk with one Secret Service agent. One Secret Service agent!” McCain said. “My, how times have changed.”
March 28th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Finally… some personality aspect of McCain I actually like! (as opposed to distaste or only grudging respect)
March 28th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Great, All we need is one hothead with a pistol, and we are sans one GOP nominee.
Out of curiosity, what are the rules if he dies before the convention, after the convention but before the election, and after winning the election but before taking office? Does anyone know?
March 28th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I hope he stays well and safe. He and Cindy and the children are a lovely beautiful family.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Let’s not forget that Truman survived an assassination attempt that took the life of a DC policeman (and one of the shooters). Secret Service protects not just the president’s life, but also the American people from losing their leader. McCain should accept the protection immediately.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:06 am
This reminds me of the finishing 894th out of his class of 899 at Annapolis! Its almost inviting an assassination attempt if you ask me, which I know you didn’t!
March 29th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Mark,
“Out of curiosity, what are the rules if he dies before the convention,”
Then the convention delegates pick a new nominee. That’d be some drama. I would guess Huck and Mitt would declare they’re back in the race, and Mitt would get the nomination but be a weak candidate.
“after the convention but before the election,”
This is the worst. We’d have to tell the nation to vote for a dead guy, with McCain’s VP pick being selected by the members of the electoral college as President. In 2000, Missouri’s Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash before the election but still beat John Ashcroft. Jean Carnahan, Mel’s wife, was appointed to take her husband’s place in the Senate and then lost the next election. But there’s a big difference between the Senate and the Presidency. If McCain dies after the nomination but before the election then we pretty much have President Obama.
“and after winning the election but before taking office?”
The members of the electoral college would probably vote McCain’s VP pick President. The Constitution doesn’t say that they have to vote for who they were elected to vote for, after all. There would be challenges by the Dems, of course, but it’d be pretty clear.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
#5 Illinoisguy is sick. He should not make comments like that and should be reported
to authorities.
Do not even joke about things like that, you jerk.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Um, #5, relax. He didn’t call for McCain’s assassination. He’s saying McCain invites it upon himself by flaunting his own lack of secret service. I agree. It’s a dumb thing for McCain to say.
March 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Re #6: Actually, if there is a vacancy on the ticket after the convention but before the election, the Republican National Committee is authorized to select a replacement candidate. (See http://www.gop.com/About/Rules6-10.htm)
In such a case, the vice presidential nominee would be likely to be promoted to the top of the ticket, if he or she were popular enough. But it’s never happened that way; no major party presidential nominee has ever died between the convention and the election.
(In 1872, Democratic presidential nominee Horace Greeley died after the election but before the electoral college voted. And in 1912, Republican vice presidential nominee James Sherman died less than a week before the election.)
March 29th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
#7 - try reading the post, and if you have trouble with that, ask someone to read it for you, and explain it if necessary.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Illinoisguy - do not even try to turn what you said around into making me look
like I did not comprehend your sick post, you little fool behind your computer.
alaska jake-read what he said again.
It had nothing to do with SS!
He was intimating that McCain’s low academic standing was cause for..
I will not even mention that word.
Illinoisguy is a bitter Romidiot.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
McCain had his IQ tested at 133.
Hillary failed her DC bar exam.
Obama got average grades at junior college and a main reason he got into Columbia was because of affirmative action. Then one of the main reasons he got into Harvard because of affirmative action.
McCain is not an idiot to have successfully flown 22 missions before he was shot down. Fighter pilots aren’t idiots.
Who cares how he did at the Naval Academy over 50 years ago when he was a teenager.
McCain’s IQ was tested in the top ten percent range.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:03 am
McCain has many good reasons for this. The secret service causes the average person to have to get to an event several hours before hand. Having everyone go through the metal detectors takes forever. They don’t let you leave and come back once you are at an event even the reporters can’t leave if they want to come back in.
McCain also is against the costs to the taxpayer. This is more proof of McCain who is a small government conservative. He voted against the medicare bill, he hates earmarks and is against the millions that he feel would be wasted. This is completely different from the dems. In 2004 Kerry got SS protection very early and Edwards in the final weeks of his campaign got it when he had no chance of winning. Edwards was able to waste taxpayers money and shut down major roads in manhattan for police overtime. The funny thing is so many blamed mccain on costing the taxpayers money when he went on the overseas trip but in reality he is saving the taxpayers far more by not having the SS protection.
They inconvience the average american by shutting down roads in rush hour traffic. Halting private aircraft within 10 miles of an event disrupting tourism tours. When the president goes to las vegas the tourism flights are all cancelled for that time period.
McCain if he had secret service protection couldn’t interact with the crowd as much. He hates even a rope line separating him from the voters. He also couldn’t stop at places along the road without advance notice.
Now there are some downsides to not having the secret service protection. McCain was late for a meeting with president Bush because he got caught in traffic. If he had the protection all the roads would have been cleared like what happens for obama and clinton. Also he and his staff have to get security checks on them by tsa agents at airports. If he had the protection this wouldn’t happen as the SS would be in charge of the security.
Another downside is the Secret Service picks up a lot of the transportation costs. This again would help McCain but he is more concerned about the taxpayer being hurt.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:14 am
GoMcCain - You were misinterpreting my remarks. AlaskaJake had no trouble knowing what I was saying. I was merely saying that ‘its not very smart of him to turn down secret service protection. Its an integral part of staying alive’.
Jason, I fully understand that McCain’s IQ is about 133, and that happens to be in the top 2% nationwide. IQ scores have a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
My point in using the 894 out of 899 was to make the point that I don’t think it was smart of him to turn down secret service protection. I think his class ranking was a reflection of his dedication to learn as leaving something to be desired…to put it mildly.
I don’t hate McCain. I’m going to vote for him as long as he doesn’t thumb his nose at conservatives by putting a liberal/moderate on the ticket with him.