Kicking Ass: The Democratic Party's Blog

Shakeup in McCain Camp?

Posted by Michael Link on July 2, 2008 at 01:51 PM

Many of you will remember the petition we circulated in May telling John McCain to fire lobbyists Rick Davis and Charlie Black. He still hasn't done that. However, it's being reported by the Politico that Rick Davis will no longer be running the day-to-day operation of the campaign:

Steve Schmidt is taking over the day-to-day operation of John McCain’s campaign, according to multiple campaign sources. [...] Schmidt, a bald and barrel-chested operative known for his aggressive brand of political combat, responded by exhorting campaign aides with a speech that one staffer likened to a locker room pep talk out of the football movie "Rudy." [...] One source familiar with the inner workings of McCain's campaign said that the move came after a sluggish ramp-up to the general and number of unforced errors had left the candidate, senior staff and elected officials unhappy with the state of the campaign.

Could be. Or it could be that he was feeling the heat, knowing that the American people didn't like that his campaign is being run at the highest levels by lobbyists. That still happens to be the case, however. The article also quotes Charlie Black (another top McCain lobbyist/aide): "Rick still has authority over all things. Steve works for Rick."

Read more about Rick Davis here. And here.

Comments (2) »


Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment.
(sign out - change name - manage account)