Q&A: MARK MCKINNON
Transcript: Mark McKinnon On Why He'll Leave The McCain Campaign If Obama Is The Democratic Nominee

© National Journal Group Inc.
Friday, March 28, 2008

National Journal's Linda Douglass sat down with Mark McKinnon for the March 28 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation. Audio of the full show is also available.

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Q: I want to introduce Mark McKinnon. He is the chief media strategist for John McCain. Welcome, Mark.

McKinnon: Thanks very much. Glad to join you.

Q: So let's talk about your candidate, John McCain. Which of the Democrats do you think he has the best chance of beating, Barack Obama or Hillary [Rodham] Clinton? And give us a little explanation about why.

McKinnon: Well, I think there's an argument on both sides, and I go back and forth every day over who might be more formidable. But given the current political environment, I think, first of all, both will be. All the sort of environmental indicators favor the Democratic Party right now, which again, is why we believed John McCain was the best and perhaps the only Republican who could have been nominated that has a good shot to win in the fall.

Q: But why, given the climate favoring the Democrats, do you think he could beat either of them?

McKinnon: Well, because if you look at all the data in the last couple of weeks, it shows that John McCain can beat either one of those and the really compelling data point, Linda, is that when you ask people generically whether they favor the Republican or Democratic party today in this country, people favor the Democratic Party by a margin of 10 or more. John McCain outperforms that generic ballot test by more than 10 points. So, while people are not happy about the Republican Party in general, they like John McCain. And they see him as different and as a reformer and as a change agent in the Republican Party. So he's got a really good shot.

And the other difficult thing for the Democrats is -- this has been an enormous gift to the McCain campaign -- the fact that they've got a prolonged and protracted fight for the nomination. And it's allowed John McCain to go out and start a general election campaign, and perhaps run a general election campaign for months before the Democrats have a nominee, and that's a huge strategic advantage. So it's a great window right now for John McCain, and he goes off on a "Service to America" tour next week that will go to all the places of his life and reflect the characteristics that made John McCain who he is.

Q: So how much damage do you think the Democrats have done to each other?

McKinnon: A lot. And perhaps the most telling point to prove that is that, right now, if you ask Obama supporters or Clinton supporters if they will support the other candidate if they win the nomination, 20 percent of both sides say they will support John McCain. So, in other words, if Clinton gets the nomination, 20 percent of Obama supporters say they will vote for John McCain, and the same thing the other way around.

Q: So President Bush is terribly unpopular in the country over Iraq, over the economy, and yet you've said that John McCain is not going to distance himself from President Bush. Why not?

McKinnon: Well, I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to, but in fact John McCain is making quite clear, as he did yesterday, on very specific issues where he does differ with the president. He respects the president and admires the president. But on fundamental issues that are very important like global warming, John McCain has a completely different position, and again, which is why the Democrats can try, but at the end of the day will not be successful to try to suggest that John McCain is just a third term of the Bush administration. You know, he had a speech yesterday talking about how important it was to deal with our allies, so there are some very fundamental departure points for a McCain presidency.

Q: So you've said that you will leave the McCain campaign if Obama is the nominee. Does that still hold and why?

McKinnon: Yeah. Well, this goes back to a memo that I wrote to the campaign when I came aboard more than a year and a half ago, and I simply let them know that I had spent time with Obama and read his book and I like the guy. I think he has strong character and a fascinating life story, and I disagree with him fundamentally on issues like Iraq and trade and a number of others. But I just flashed forward to the improbable scenario, at that time seemingly improbable, that John McCain and Barack Obama might face off against one other. And I just told them at the time that I thought that I would be uncomfortable being on the front lines -- being as aggressive as you need to be in a presidential campaign -- and not only that I would be uncomfortable, but that it would be bad for the campaign, and that if that circumstance were to come to be, that I would just take a step to the sidelines and continue to support John McCain 100 percent and be No. 1 fan and cheerleader. But just kind of take myself out of the front lines.

Q: So you are still going to do that?

McKinnon: I'm a man of my word.

Q: And it's because, what, you don't want to run negative ads against Obama?

McKinnon: Yeah.

Q: Or is there also a concern on your part that you don't want to run ads against Obama, the first African-American candidate to have this kind of a chance? Is that a factor as well?

McKinnon: I suppose that is in part, but it's more just that I like and admire the guy. I've come to a point in my life where I think character is important. I think he has great character. Again, I think he's really wrong on fundamental issues, but yeah, I just don't want to -- you know, I kind of want to put my guns down. It's just a matter of degrees, and like I said, I don't think I'm the best person to have in that slot for the campaign. So it would just be better for me to step to the sidelines.

Q: So if Hillary Clinton were the nominee, you would stay, presumably. So give us a preview of how you would not hold back if she were the nominee. What would be the campaign that you'd run against her?

McKinnon: Well, you know, I think that fundamentally she represents an extension of the Clinton legacy, which this country is just tired of. They are tired of the Clinton-style politics, and we've seen it manifest itself over the course of this campaign. And I have a lot of Democratic friends who like and respect Senator Clinton, but they don't want another extension of the Clinton administration for another four or eight years. And again, on some fundamental issues I think there's a great departure between her and Senator McCain, so that's where it sits.

Q: So you would look forward to that campaign?

McKinnon: Yeah, sure. I would.

Q: Well, you have many complicated decisions to make down the road, and it's always good to talk with you, Mark McKinnon. I hope you'll come back and join us again soon.

McKinnon: Hey, my pleasure Linda. Thanks.