Politico: Schmidt To Run McCain's Campaign
Posted by: Keith Carlson | 07/02/2008 1:03 PM
The day to day operation of McCain's campaign will now be directed by Steve Schmidt. Steve Schmidt, you might recall, ran Gov. Schwarzenegger's 2006 re-election effort in California. Politico notes that it is still uncertain who is in charge of the campaign at large:
Now, accounts diverge on the exact nature of the new chain of command. One top McCain source said that Schmidt "assumed full operational control of the campaign today" and described Davis as "a general manager."
But Charlie Black, another top adviser, said Davis was still in charge.
In any event, it looks like the California-election vet will play an even more significant role in McCain's effort nationwide from now on.
I think the roll that Schmidt played in getting Arnold re-elected has been vastly overrated. The nomination of Phil Angelides by the Democrats all but assured Arnold's re-election.
But one aspect of the governor's campaign that should not be overlooked was the utter disregard that was paid toward down ticket candidates.
Now, this approach is inconsistant with what I have witnessed so far in the McCain campaign. But we will have to wait and see what happens once Schmidt's influence is in full force.
But we should all be warned: If McCain should take a simular approach to Governor Schwarzenneger in his campaign, we can be assured of two things:
1. McCain will cease to run as a Republican.
2. Should he McCain win, his coat-tails will be virtually non-existent.