I was very impressed with John McCain’s concession speech. McCain has been putting in 18 hour days campaigning. His frantic schedule of rallies and interviews had to be exhausting. You’ve got to admire his gumption, even if, in this campaign, there was little to admire in some of his words. He put in a lot of effort. I imagine right up to the end McCain kept thinking that he could win. And now, he must be going through quite a symphony of emotion.
As senator from Arizona, McCain could give a lot of help to Obama. And, who knows? Maybe he will be just enough of a Maverick to do just that. Showing Senate leadership could be a brilliant second act for McCain, a resounding chord, a culmination of his years of public service.
In his concession speech, I appreciated that McCain said, of President Elect Barack Obama: “These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face. I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences, and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
“Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.”
Taken from the NYT, Read the transcript of the entire speech below:
SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you, my friends. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening. (Cheers, applause.)
My friends, we have — we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama — (boos) — to congratulate him — (boos) — please — to congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.
This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too. But we both recognize that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to visit — to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States. Let there be no reason now — (cheers, applause) — let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth. (Cheers, applause.)
Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer in my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day, though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.
Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans — (applause) — I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences, and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. (Cheers, applause.)
It is natural — it’s natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought — we fought as hard as we could.
And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.
AUDIENCE: No!
MR. MCCAIN: I am so —
AUDIENCE: (Chanting.) John McCain! John McCain! John McCain! John McCain! John McCain! John McCain!
SEN. MCCAIN: I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends. The road was a difficult one from the outset. But your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.
I am especially grateful to my wife, Cindy, my children, my dear mother — (cheers, applause) — my dear mother and all my family and to the many old and dear friends who have stood by my side through the many ups and downs of this long campaign. I have always been a fortunate man, and never more so for the love and encouragement you have given me.
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You know, campaigns are often harder on a candidate’s family than on the candidate, and that’s been true in this campaign. All I can offer in compensation is my love and gratitude, and the promise of more peaceful years ahead. (Laughter.)
I am also — I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I have ever seen. (Cheers, applause.) One of the best campaigners I have ever seen —
AUDIENCE: (Chanting.) Sarah! Sarah!
MR. MCCAIN: — and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength. (Cheers, applause.) Her husband Todd and their five beautiful children — (cheers, applause) — with their tireless dedication to our cause, and the courage and grace they showed in the rough-and- tumble of a presidential campaign. We can all look forward with great interest to her future service to Alaska, the Republican Party and our country. (Cheers, applause.)
To all my campaign comrades, from Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter, to every last volunteer who fought so hard and valiantly month after month in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times, thank you so much. A lost election will never mean more to me than the privilege of your faith and friendship.
I don’t know — I don’t know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I’ll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I’m sure I made my share of them. But I won’t spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.
This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life. And my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and my old friend Senator Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You deserve more!
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: (Chanting off mike.)
MR. MCCAIN: Please. Please.
I would not — I would not be an — an American worthy of the name, should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century. Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone and I thank the people of Arizona for it. (Cheers, applause.)
AUDIENCE: (Chanting.) USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
SEN. MCCAIN: Tonight — tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama — whether they supported me or Senator Obama, I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president.
And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.
Americans never quit. We never surrender. (Cheers, applause.) We never hide from history, we make history. (Cheers, applause.)
Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you all very much. (Cheers, applause.)
A noble and well put speech by Senator McCain. More so than many of his stump speeches and debates. This was the McCain that people admire.
He certainly was up against it. People can argue whether Bush made it virtually impossible for him to win by how he governed with the zelaours support of McCain and other Republicans, that the only issue is whether Obama could sell himself on tv, which he did. Or whether McCain lost it by picking Palin, trading an energized social conservative base for the losses of suburban business class people and independents who recognized that she would not be up for being president. Or if he lost it by wandering around on the stage during the town hall debate, or by changing messages too frequently, or by bollixing Joe the Plumber, or by being too negative, or by not being negative enough. Or that having the economy tank and the Republican President spend $750 billion to buy shares in banks blew holes in the Republican brand, when McCain needed a terrorist attack and Osama did not oblige.
Obama is an inspirational orator who has made America feel good again after the Bush debacle. Now we will see if this translates to running a country as well as he ran his campaign. Also whether he can also transform politics, and get people to give up on gridlock, negativity, corruption and hypocrisy in Washington, and the inability of people to work out their differences and recognize their common humanity and interests on Main Streeet. Expectations will be high, given the level of fervor of this moment and also low, giving the mess of two wars, a forclosure and banking crisis, depleted financial resources, and with pundits predicting a looming recession. How will we react when the promised land doesn’t happen overnight, and when those used to doing things the old way say I told you so. One thing Obama did yesterday is put it on us, both for his victory and for what happens afterwards. That is how it should be in a Democratic country.
Stan, of course Obama put it on us. Do you actually believe for one moment that he will be able to accomplish his grand agenda? Obama seems to be a nice enough fellow who had the hypnotic ability to have his adoring supporters believe anything and everything he said. We will see, I am surely willing to give him a chance to enact the agenda he championed for the better of us all.
I agree McCain was gracious in his concession speech, that is his character. McCain never had a chance to win this election, whether he opposed Obama or Clinton. He was the wrong candidate for the republicans at the wrong time. I am not sure any republican could have won this election short of actually having the “real” solutions that will turn our country around.
I do not know of any future potential presidential candidate out their yet with the COURAGE to repudiate the insanity of the extreme right and left. We need someone who will lead from the middle. We need someone who will utilize the strengths and ideals from both parties and ignore their twisted ideologues. I do not see that someone as Obama. Maybe he will prove me wrong but I doubt it, he owes too many of the extreme elements in his party, the ones who bet the farm on him early on against Hillary.
Only time will tell, unfortunately for Obama, time is now his worst enemy for the reason you list above.