Why John McCain really lost

It should be obvious, but to him at least it wasn't. The truth is that McCain never really had a concrete strategy to win, and that the mood of the country towards Republicans didn't contribute to his loss. In the early days of his campaign, McCain presented himself as a cautious moderate voice that supported gay rights and a host of liberal causes along with conservative causes. This is why I liked him and wanted to vote for him at one point, especially when I became fatigued of Obama's voice plastered all over the airwaves.

McCain began with a concrete enough slogan: Experience. This was smart, because by doing this he was playing his greatest strength by arguing that change cannot be won without one who has spent many years exemplifying his credentials on bipartisanship and foreign policy. (His support of the Iraq War, however, was at times a deal-breaker for progressives looking to support him.)

And when Obama came out with his slogan "Change You Can Believe In", McCain became scared. He fired his campaign manager and brought on somebody who has worked elections before, Rick Davis, also George Bush's campaign manager. By doing this, McCain basically decided to take advice and campaign control from a man who without a doubt would advise him to change his views to become more aligned with the far-right.

From then on, it was downhill. John McCain, I think, was greatly deceived into telling himself that the new Karl Rove strategies would work themselves as he changed his message from experience to 'hope you can believe in'. He lost me right then and there. And while we were all busy watching the Republican party throw everything and the kitchen sink at Obama, what most voters didn't see was the real McCain, an old man tricked into selling out and who behind the scenes became frantic and unyielding in his desperation to win.

The far-right wing of the Republican party became ever more demanding as time went on. And McCain had no say in what was going on. It was too late to change course again - to fire Rick Davis and start fresh. He was forced into accepting Sarah Palin (because he wanted to gain the advantage over Obama by having a woman VP nominee and possibly garner disillusioned Hillary voters, thus potentially neutralizing Obama's black vote).

With all this going on and no way to slow down, McCain became more and more frustrated; It was apparent enough in the debates as he glowed with anger and looked as though he were about to start having fits. Then the economy tanked, and as Obama assailed him yet again as a Bush policy support (who could say he didn't when his political operations were now run by Bush's own campaign manager?), he crippled under the stifling pressure and failed to offer anything remotely considered a response to the disaster economy. A time of crisis, and McCain quakes with silence. Is that what you want from a leader, the country asked?

Of course, if McCain had kept his message of experience constant and his allies both liberal and conservative and not just the far right, he would've had a leg to stand on and perhaps a way to back Obama into a corner. But because John McCain caved to fear and abandoned his principles due to the direction of the political wind at any present time, John McCain lost an election he very well could've won.