McCain Campaign Trail
A month before the November 2008 election, Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator John McCain swept through six states for a flurry of campaign events. Three central campaign officials were close at hand: Steve Schmidt, chief campaign strategist, Rick Davis, campaign manager, and Mark Salter, speech + ghostwriter. All maintained central roles in constructing McCain's platform and image, meanwhile keeping the media at a safe distance. The juncture was critical to the ticket: recent polls indicated a popular parity between McCain and Democratic Candidate Barack Obama, the election was touted as the most important in American history, and the country's economic market had just collapsed, putting pressure on both candidates to adroitly balance commitments to Senate with campaign demands. Initially, the barnstorming went as planned: McCain and running mate Sarah Palin addressed ardent supporters at a "Main Street" rally, met with international leaders, and pursued their unflappable maverick image. Cindy McCain mingled with Jesse Jackson at an international forum on global issues, at which her husband was speaking. However, when the Republican House disputed an economic bailout plan, McCain put his campaign on hold to participate in Washington negotiations. He asked Obama to do the same, and postpone the first of three presidential debates. While the decision was derided by opponents as a capricious and myopic attention-getter, his supporters hoped it would reinforce McCain's campaign of personality, illustrating his "Country First" slogan. When his presence at the table failed to bring about resolution, McCain returned to the campaign trail, the country still mired in economic distress. But the McCain campaign was nothing if not sunny: on the ground, strategist Schmidt pledged on "Meet the Press" that the candidate's campaign hiatus, and performance on the Hill, ensured a "complete framework for economic relief".