Does the term "Maverick" strike a positive note with you in this environment?

Well, i only think about Top Gun when i hear that

Exactly, I was hoping he would pick a VP we could call Goose and they would do that high-five all campaign long.

Too bad, comedic opportunity wasted.

We’re long past the time when anyone paying attention doesn’t already have an association (positive or negative) with “Maverick.”

But… I think the point of the term is that John McCain is not unduly influenced by other politicians. He calls his own shots, plays by his own rules. He’s his own man. I think he’s trying to appeal to those who feel disenfranchised by “Washington,” and it’s as if he’s an independent-thinking outsider. (Yeah right!)

I already had my mind made up long ago, so it didn’t really influence me.

I know that’s what he’s “trying” to do with the term, but didn’t GW come in with the same promise? Look at where his “maverickeyness” has got us. Someone who won’t listen to the advice of experts (again) is a very scary proposition to a lot of us. Someone who wants to push his will, like it or not, regardless of the law, well….. We’ve seen what becomes of that. Then again, I was always a bit to the left of center. I wonder what moderate or late deciding voters feel when they hear the term Maverick.

God, no.

I haven’t enjoyed that term since Top Gun.

asmonet, Like the new pic!

Whenever I hear the term “maverick” I think of James Garner, who at 80 is only 8 years older than McCain.

Whenever I hear the word “Maverick”, I usually think of Tom Cruise sitting in an F-14 Tomcat shooting down Russian MIG’s.

Maybe we don’t have enough Maverick’s in Washington today who are willing to stand up and challenge the status quo and actually show that they have NEW ideas and that they can really think for themselves. Now that would be a novel concept.

i think of the old tv westerns. wasn’t there a tv show called “maverick?”
he was a gunslinger?

@Judi: Thanks! I still don’t recognize my own posts though. :’(

@Deaddolly: A movie and a tv show actually. :)

From Maureen Dowd, in the New York Times:, October 5, 2008

“Palin, by contrast, uses a heck of a lot of language to praise herself as a fresh face with new ideas who has “joined this team that is a team of mavericks.” True mavericks don’t brand themselves.”

Also Mavericks are generally castrated.

SRM

@asmonet Thanks! Aw, James Gardner—I used to watch that when i was little!

@smorgan: Nice quote!

@deaddolly: You’re most welcome. :D

From the Free dictionary:

Maverick
1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.

I think John McCain used to be a maverick and then he got branded by GW’s team.

When I think of Maverick, I think of the crappy Ford Maverick I had and how I wanted to really have a Mercury Comet….

That’s not really the best way to describe it… I’m no McCaininite, but there should definitely be more mavericks in politics.

Sure doesn’t and it is especially appalling coming from one who changes their convictions with the direction the wind blows. I think it is hilarious that McCain is trying to distance himself from George now that it is apparent he is, how should I say, unpopular?

Doesn’t Maverick feel like “gambler” to anyone and doesn’t that feel risky to anyone but me? Maybe I AM off base.

@Judi: Nah, seems like a damn stupid idea to label yourself someone who is by definition unreliable and unpredictable.

There’s “mavericks”, and there’s “loose cannons.”

I think the idea is to regain the popularity that McCain had 8 years ago when he really was going against mainstream Republicans and really was on the outside of the establishment.

Its a play to the independent voters (who make up 40% of the electorate now).
The problem is he has to visibly wink and nudge the Republican right at the same time he is making his Maverick claim to appeal to the Independents.

All he really has succeeded in doing is making himself look disingenuous and not worthy of the public trust.

The main thing Obama has going for him is that he fully believes in his cause and has no problem speaking truth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05schwartz.html

nuff said.

@dale, Awesome!

No, not really. In this tough environment, I really don’t think we need a maverick. We need good people who are willing to work hard and work smart to solve our nation’s problems. We also need people who are willing to work with others to achieve a goal.

I don’t have a lot of patience for mavericks or prima donnas. The problems facing us are far too serious.

@dale, brilliant piece you provided with us – giving us a little more depth to the history of the term. So glad I read that!

I loved that link too, I knew I had to share it. It really puts the whole “maverick” thing in context!

This blog post by Alan J Lipman is a timely tongue-in-cheek commentary about being a “maverick.”

When I hear the word “Maverick”, I can’t help but think of Miss Tina Fey… mmm glasses…

Anyone who has the time and really wants to assess McCain’s “Maverick” credentials should read this article which is I’ll warn you INCREDIBLY LONG (and coming from me, that ought to scare ya), but it’s an overview of McCain’s entire life from the earliest on record days to the current race. It’s incredibly scathing, but well sourced and fair.

@dalepetrie, to which the “Mavericky” response is “Of course the liberal press is going to say this. Not of it is true.” End of discussion. When you refuse to acknowledge complexity, no one can engage you in an argument.

100% agreed Alfreda

More than ever.

“Maverick” would have been lauded as an excellent choice of words by the press had it been used by a liberal.

We would still be seeing the “maverick” t-shirts had the word been uttered by Obama, win or lose…

@proXXi ; this question was asked in October 2008 when the financial markets began to collapse. We didn’t need a “cowboy,” we needed a strong steady and calm hand at the wheel, as people were pretty panicky at the time.

Ok. My point still stands.

I won’t go into how the collapsing markets were caused by government interference in the name of ‘fairness’ going back decades.