Joe Biden was never intended to become "president" of the United States in 2020. That slot was intended for Elizabeth Warren of the bluest of the blue states, Massachusetts, following a strategy that God used yours truly to foil. That strategy was a tag-team effort of the nation-wide Purple Uniparty led on the red side…
with the name john mccain, and that is maverick. where did that reputation come from? well, it s on my mind because i just wrote about it. it s part of my new book the red and the blue, which will hit bookstores in a month. it can be reordered now if you re interested. the story of mccain the political maverick, though, it really takes shape in the year 1999. a goliath is looming over the republican presidential field. george w. bush and his machine. obliterating fund-raising records, monopolizing endorsements, practically every big name governor is on board the bush machine. bush intimidating one candidate after another out of that race. never in either party has a candidate built such a massive machine so early in the process. but there is someone who is not intimidated by it. somebody who steps forward happily, eagerly, almost like he enjoys this kind of thing to try to play the role of david. and it is john mccain. he is 63 years old at the time. he has been in washington for n
early 2000 that most americans find out what he s really all about as a politician. his biggest issue is campaign finance reform. no one really cares about the details. but the symbolism is powerful. here s bush hauling in huge sums of cash, and here s mccain refusing to play the same game, thumbing his nose at the system, even though it means he ll have just a fraction of the money. and people start to take note. they start to see a politician who maybe seems to have some principles. mccain talks about things that no one else is talking about. he talks about honor, about service, about the idea of being part of a cause greater than yourself. he connects his own political mission to his sacrifice in vietnam. and for one magical moment it all comes together. february 1st, 2000, when the unbeatable bush machine is stopped dead in its tracks in new hampshire, crushed by john mccain and his shoestring budget by 20 points. in that moment it actually feels like mccain might run away with the
went into show biz, had a 15-year career. two years ago decides he is going to run for president. defeats 15 very able candidates. the bush machine, the clinton machine. so i think he s in a figuring out period and i think we re already seeing really good things, the press needs to give him a little more latitude and the public if you look at the poll this week, the tip poll, which is the most accurate presidential poll 54% of americans say the press should go a little more easy. they are weary of the attacks on him. so appreciate both you being with us. wish we had more time. definitely do it again. just ahead, was this another example of bringing a formal rival on board with the president offered john huntsman and why it s more than a little complicated. details ahead. modern life deserves a modern way to pay.
coming up at the top of the hour mike barnicle said we missed a key point. we covered it just fine, mike. my god. the transition of power to donald trump is now under way. presidential historian doris kearns goodwin joins us to talk about the magnitude of the moment that most political observers never saw coming. plus right now in every major poll, national poll and statewide poll done in the last month, six weeks, we are defeating trump often by big numbers and always in larger margin than sretary clinton is. thursday morning quarterbacking. could bernie sanders have beaten donald trump? i always thought that was a possibility. i did. some people suggested it. you said beforehand it was a better matchup for democrats than donald trump against the clinton machine just like donald trump against the bush machine. bernie sanders was a wild card