Sunday, September 7, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Think, don't say
Westmoreland's use of the racist term 'uppity'might turn out to be a macaca moment for him. Certainly the Democrats should make every effort to make it so.
But really the fault here lies with the McCain campaign which for months now has been running adverts that are meant to make people think 'uppity' without saying 'uppity'. David Gergen pointed out that 'uppity' is the real message of the 'celebrity' ads.
The problem with a 'think don't say' strategy is that sooner or later someone is going to say what they are thinking. And then the fiction becomes much harder to sustain.
But really the fault here lies with the McCain campaign which for months now has been running adverts that are meant to make people think 'uppity' without saying 'uppity'. David Gergen pointed out that 'uppity' is the real message of the 'celebrity' ads.
The problem with a 'think don't say' strategy is that sooner or later someone is going to say what they are thinking. And then the fiction becomes much harder to sustain.
What have you done for us lately?
McCain is running against Obama as a resume candidate, experience versus policy platform.
That is fine but, what has McCain done for anyone lately?
Most of the time at the RNC convention was spent discussing McCain's war service, forty years ago. Was McCain's record really more heroic than John Kerry's? Shouldn't someone point out that the same delegates who were praising war hero McCain were mocking Kerry's three purple hearts with band aids?
McCain spent five and a half years as a POW. Coincidentally, he spent about the same length of time bucking his party in the wake of losing the 2000 primary to establishment favorite George W. Bush.
Democrats should be pushing on this. McCain has had a very limited scope of interest in the Senate. He is by all accounts utterly uninterested in anything other than warfare. He bucked his party after Bush slimed him in the primaries with the 'black love child' talk. But ever since he realized that he had a chance to win the 2008 nomination he has been busy pandering to the party ideologues, no matter how nutty their ideas.
That is fine but, what has McCain done for anyone lately?
Most of the time at the RNC convention was spent discussing McCain's war service, forty years ago. Was McCain's record really more heroic than John Kerry's? Shouldn't someone point out that the same delegates who were praising war hero McCain were mocking Kerry's three purple hearts with band aids?McCain spent five and a half years as a POW. Coincidentally, he spent about the same length of time bucking his party in the wake of losing the 2000 primary to establishment favorite George W. Bush.
Democrats should be pushing on this. McCain has had a very limited scope of interest in the Senate. He is by all accounts utterly uninterested in anything other than warfare. He bucked his party after Bush slimed him in the primaries with the 'black love child' talk. But ever since he realized that he had a chance to win the 2008 nomination he has been busy pandering to the party ideologues, no matter how nutty their ideas.
Friday, September 5, 2008
How do you spend a quarter century in Washington without becomming an insider?
TPM riffs on Joe Klein.
Republican insiders tell me that McCain has a fragile temper and that in particular he cannot stand any suggestion that he has become corrupted by Washington politics himself.
Democrats should make more of this fracture line. McCain's campaign to clean up Washington started when he lost the 2000 primaries to George W. Bush and ended when he decided to run for President again.
McCain is the type of Republican that caused George W. Bush to derail his presidency. McCain was for an invasion of Iraq on September 12th.
Republican insiders tell me that McCain has a fragile temper and that in particular he cannot stand any suggestion that he has become corrupted by Washington politics himself.
Democrats should make more of this fracture line. McCain's campaign to clean up Washington started when he lost the 2000 primaries to George W. Bush and ended when he decided to run for President again.
McCain is the type of Republican that caused George W. Bush to derail his presidency. McCain was for an invasion of Iraq on September 12th.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Shouldn't a Pit Bull have credibility
the media loved Palin's speech: Palin comes out throwing punches - CNN.com
But did she do what she needed to do to connect to independent voters? I don't think so, the speech was yet another doubling down on Rove's old strategy of pandering to the Republican base.
This is not necessarily in McCain's best interests. If McCain is to win he needs to gain votes from the center. But it might well be in the interests of his advisors for whom it is much better that McCain guarantee a worst cas outcome of an honorable defeat rather than really take a gamble that might risk an Obama blow-out but provide a real chance of a McCain win.
Doubling down on the base was the safe move for McCain's handlers, but a bad move for McCain.
The speech itself played well in the hall. But since when has an acceptance speech not been accepted with rapturous enthusiasm? The problem with the speech from my point of view is that it was all attacks and sneers with no substance.
Palin is new on the national scene, her first priority with the speech should have been to establish credibility with the voters. The speech did play on her background of course, but that is different, that is making an emotional connection with the audience. An emotional connection is not credibility. Most American women seem to love Rosie O'Donnel, that does not mean she has credibility as a senator, let alone as Vice President.
When I hear an attack on someone I respect my first response is not to think less of the person being attacked, it is to ask why should I believe you instead of them. If the attack comes without proof points to substantiate the claims it is going to backfire. I will think more of the victim and less of the attacker.
The GOP knows this of course and it is the reason that they have been milking every drop of hostile media coveage for every last drop of sympathy. But sympathy is not respect either. For this particular gambit to work the voters would have to be convinced that the attacks came from Obama rather than the media, outside the committed supporters I don't think they are.
But did she do what she needed to do to connect to independent voters? I don't think so, the speech was yet another doubling down on Rove's old strategy of pandering to the Republican base.
This is not necessarily in McCain's best interests. If McCain is to win he needs to gain votes from the center. But it might well be in the interests of his advisors for whom it is much better that McCain guarantee a worst cas outcome of an honorable defeat rather than really take a gamble that might risk an Obama blow-out but provide a real chance of a McCain win.
Doubling down on the base was the safe move for McCain's handlers, but a bad move for McCain.
The speech itself played well in the hall. But since when has an acceptance speech not been accepted with rapturous enthusiasm? The problem with the speech from my point of view is that it was all attacks and sneers with no substance.
Palin is new on the national scene, her first priority with the speech should have been to establish credibility with the voters. The speech did play on her background of course, but that is different, that is making an emotional connection with the audience. An emotional connection is not credibility. Most American women seem to love Rosie O'Donnel, that does not mean she has credibility as a senator, let alone as Vice President.
When I hear an attack on someone I respect my first response is not to think less of the person being attacked, it is to ask why should I believe you instead of them. If the attack comes without proof points to substantiate the claims it is going to backfire. I will think more of the victim and less of the attacker.
The GOP knows this of course and it is the reason that they have been milking every drop of hostile media coveage for every last drop of sympathy. But sympathy is not respect either. For this particular gambit to work the voters would have to be convinced that the attacks came from Obama rather than the media, outside the committed supporters I don't think they are.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sarah Palin, earmark queen
Seattle Times Newspaper
One side effect of the Palin nomination is that Americans in the lower 48 states are starting to understand that wages in Alaska are high and the state really does not need to top the list of federal earmarks year after year. This year Alsaka is demanding $197 million despite the state government having so much money that it is planning to give a $1,200 handout to every citizen living there in addition to the $2000 they get from the Alaska permanent fund.
This may not be a set of circumstances other Americans can understand.
One side effect of the Palin nomination is that Americans in the lower 48 states are starting to understand that wages in Alaska are high and the state really does not need to top the list of federal earmarks year after year. This year Alsaka is demanding $197 million despite the state government having so much money that it is planning to give a $1,200 handout to every citizen living there in addition to the $2000 they get from the Alaska permanent fund.
This may not be a set of circumstances other Americans can understand.
Obama to Appear on Fox on Thursday Night - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com
It is a brilliant move for Obama NYTimes.com.
Obama on the O'Reilly factor Thursday night is going to draw viewers away from McCain's big speech and more importantly step on the coverage of McCain's speech the next day.
Team Obama will point out that their guy is willing to appear on partisan attack do O'Reilly's show while McCain is afraid to appear on Larry King in case the questions are not softball enough.
O'Reilly is going to find the task much harder than Obama. If he comes across as blustering or intimidating, all Obama needs to do is to keep his cool and he wins.
Obama on the O'Reilly factor Thursday night is going to draw viewers away from McCain's big speech and more importantly step on the coverage of McCain's speech the next day.
Team Obama will point out that their guy is willing to appear on partisan attack do O'Reilly's show while McCain is afraid to appear on Larry King in case the questions are not softball enough.
O'Reilly is going to find the task much harder than Obama. If he comes across as blustering or intimidating, all Obama needs to do is to keep his cool and he wins.
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