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[Rhindle]

Here's an interesting opinion piece on Obama asking why he never fights back even when he is being swiftboated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090801909.html?hpid=opinionsbox1?=1

There's a difference between not going negative on Palin and being swiftboated. The Dems getting much more assertive aabout responding to attacks and calling out the bullshit. But Stephanopoulos was trying to goad him into taking a stab at Palin, and they've clearly made an unequivocal decision to steer clear of any personal criticism of her for the time being.

 

[polyh3dron]

The Keyes/Obama debates might be the best insight into how Obama deals with an opponent from a different ideology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md2bf9DNVB4

Probably doesn't hurt that Keyes comes off as a few types of crazy. I'd be surprised to see McCain's speaking ability come anywhere near either Obama or Keyes.

Holy shit, this is my first time seeing this. I can't WAIT for him to own McCain like this, and McCain can't make an argument half as convincing as Keyes did right there.

 

[Byakuya769]

"Barack the bomb thrower", ahahahahaha this guy is a great orator and comedian. Debates are coming!!!!

There's a difference between not going negative on Palin and being swiftboated. The Dems getting much more assertive aabout responding to attacks and calling out the bullshit. But Stephanopoulos was trying to goad him into taking a stab at Palin, and they've clearly made an unequivocal decision to steer clear of any personal criticism of her for the time being.

Clearly, if he takes that stab he lets the McCain campaign get back to the "lol campaign organizer" shit. It is really not worth it to state the obvious. It is obvious she is not qualified, and yet people are crazy for her. He is not going to change their minds by pointing it out, the best move is to let it play out and hope they she makes herself get played by exaggerating and LYING about her record, as well as getting destroyed by Biden in the VP debate.

 

[crisdecuba]

Here's Obama and Keyes complimenting each other (a good watch):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-OshC-O6kA

- Cris

 

[Chrono]

To speak about Iraq in those terms is beyond crazy, it is pure fantasy land. We already won the war! We overthrew the government and put a friendly regime in place! That's called winning!! All the troops are doing now is patrolling the streets like beat-cops in a dangerous city. "Winning the war?" Jesus Christ, what is wrong with these people? I can't believe people are so stupid as to see the war in those terms.... un-fucking believable.

This has been really annoying me for a while. Why doesn't Obama point this out? There should be ads making that point all over the country. The first thing he should say in the debate when Iraq comes up is that THE WAR IS OVER AND HAS BEEN FOR YEARS.

 

[Learn2read]

How the hell did Keyes get to run for Senate? He is fukkin insane!

What sorry-ass Republicans did he beat out? :lol

Actually Keyes was a late addition after his previous opponent had to drop out after being involved in a sex scandal. His opponents wife at the time:

Some shit just don't make sense.

 

[laserbeam]

Actually Keyes was a late addition after his previous opponent had to drop out after being involved in a sex scandal. His opponents wife at the time:

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080121/Jeri-Ryan-Star-Trek_l.jpg

Some shit just don't make sense.

Husband liked less than discreet behavior with the wife in public. They were getting divorced and the divorce papers revealed that and it basically ended his chance while he was heavily favored to win.

 

[mckmas8808]

That is why. Trust me, they've focus-grouped all this stuff and him getting angry and going off (possibly on a woman as well) will end up hurting him.

Especially when the dirt-bags at Fox News run it 24/7 with their spin..

The only thing they have to do better is respond aggressively to the lies. Their main plan is win on the issues. This economic climate should be perfect for that and that's what they're banking on. Whether America is ready for a black president is a different story...

Yep I heard a lady on the TV admit that Obama shouldn't win because he is an angry man. And that in his acceptance speech he looked really angry while McCain didn't.

 

[Byakuya769]

Yep I heard a lady on the TV admit that Obama shouldn't win because he is an angry man. And that in his acceptance speech he looked really angry while McCain didn't.

Heh, Obama's face is always dark with rage.

 

[mckmas8808]

This has been really annoying me for a while. Why doesn't Obama point this out? There should be ads making that point all over the country. The first thing he should say in the debate when Iraq comes up is that THE WAR IS OVER AND HAS BEEN FOR YEARS.

Because he knows that most people are too stupid and will think, "what has my son or daughter been doing in Iraq if they are not in a war?"

And people will think Obama doesn't know wtf he is talking about. Yes it's an occupation, but most Americans don't know the difference.

 

[crisdecuba]

Obama responds re: "change": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVWuZE-OPgQ

 

[polyh3dron]

I love watching these. It just shows that Obama fucking knows the the hell he's talking about.

Get McCain under fire like that and watch him buckle so fucking hard. Palin? :lol

Get McCain under fire like that and he won't answer your questions, just look at the Time Magazine interview. Obama is doing damn good so far with O'Rly.

 

[Rur0ni]

Yep I heard a lady on the TV admit that Obama shouldn't win because he is an angry man. And that in his acceptance speech he looked really angry while McCain didn't.

:lol Angry Black Man.

 

[mckmas8808]

Here's Obama and Keyes complimenting each other (a good watch):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-OshC-O6kA

- Cris

Oh crap Alan Keyes using the media elites line back in 2004! :lol :lol

What's with this excuse?

 

[mckmas8808]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtBQoi4X4N8


:lol :lol :lol

 

[Nabs]

Obama responds re: "change": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVWuZE-OPgQ

don't fail me america

 

[mckmas8808]

Okay I'm trying to understand why GAF belives that Obama isn't hitting back hard enough when I see videos like this given to the press while Palin sits behind McCain's staffers in hiding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHv-slC8Vr8

And do small quick videos like this make Rudy and Palin look stupid?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htnL6QRCqK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDma2Pi77UU

 

[PantherLotus]

I'm taking the term "elitist" back. It's like Americans revel in their mudbath of self-gratifying stupidity. Of course we're elitist. We want to be the best, we want to have the most stuff. We want to succeed and give our children chances we didn't have. We want to have the strongest defense and the smartest scientists and engineers. We want to have the best education in the world and the strongest economy anywhere. And we want it now.

I'm taking the term ELITIST back, because anything less is un-american. Imagine, Washington and Jefferson and Adams and Franklin and Lincoln and Edison, striving not to be elite, not to be the best and the brightest and the strongest and a beacon of hope, but to avoid all that. Imagine that.

I hearby reclaim the word elitist back, and you can call me that and I will wear it with pride.

Of course, that would make you a mediocre-ist.

 

[Slurpy]

Here's an interesting opinion piece on Obama asking why he never fights back even when he is being swiftboated.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090801909.html?hpid=opinionsbox1?=1

It is true that on the stump, Obama goes on the attack. But those are fragments -- maybe 15 seconds on the evening news. It is with extended interviews, such as the Sunday shows, that we get to visit with the man -- and that man, for all his splendid virtues, seems to lack fight. Maybe he's worried about how America would receive an angry black man or maybe he's just too cool to ever get hot, but the result is that we have little insight into his passions: What, above all, does he care about? The answer, at least to the Sunday TV viewer, was nothing much.

That's a pretty shitty conclusion. So, he doesn't care about much because he's above throwing the low-blows that his opponents throw? I'm constantly impressed at the discipline that Obama has- even when somebody asks him to comment directly on his opponents apparent weaknesses- if its not purely based on the issues, he avoids the temptation of tearing them down. I mean, what a fucking massive difference. Imagine anyone else in that situation. Every single 'attack' he's ever done is completely fair, above the belt, and always about the issues. He never delves in inuendo. I'm still shocked he made it this far, and is the primary reason I want him to succeed. We sorely need a leader with that caliber of character.

 

[mckmas8808]

That's a pretty shitty conclusion. So, he doesn't care about much because he's above throwing the low-blows that his opponents throw? I'm constantly impressed at the discipline that Obama has- even when somebody asks him to comment directly on his opponents apparent weaknesses- if its not purely based on the issues, he avoids the temptation of tearing them down. I mean, what a fucking massive difference. Imagine anyone else in that situation.

Bu.bu.bu.bu.b.b.b.b. Obama will be basically like McCain because all politicians are the same. WTH? Why would anyone think such a thing?

 

[polyh3dron]

I'm taking the term "elitist" back. It's like Americans revel in their mudbath of self-gratifying stupidity. Of course we're elitist. We want to be the best, we want to have the most stuff. We want to succeed and give our children chances we didn't have. We want to have the strongest defense and the smartest scientists and engineers. We want to have the best education in the world and the strongest economy anywhere. And we want it now.

I'm taking the term ELITIST back, because anything less is un-american. Imagine, Washington and Jefferson and Adams and Franklin and Lincoln and Edison, striving not to be elite, not to be the best and the brightest and the strongest and a beacon of hope, but to avoid all that. Imagine that.

I hearby reclaim the word elitist back, and you can call me that and I will wear it with pride.

Of course, that would make you a mediocre-ist.

I recommend that you use masking tape to make the back of your shirt read "Elitist 4 Life" and when people ask you about it, say "It's OK, I'm taking it back!"

 

[PantherLotus]

^ That would work.

That's a pretty shitty conclusion. So, he doesn't care about much because he's above throwing the low-blows that his opponents throw? I'm constantly impressed at the discipline that Obama has- even when somebody asks him to comment directly on his opponents apparent weaknesses- if its not purely based on the issues, he avoids the temptation of tearing them down. I mean, what a fucking massive difference. Imagine anyone else in that situation. Every single 'attack' he's ever done is completely fair, above the belt, and always about the issues. He never delves in inuendo. I'm still shocked he made it this far, and is the primary reason I want him to succeed. We sorely need a leader with that caliber of character.

I think its a mistake, personally. There's only two things that can happen if you don't defend* yourself, and only one of them is martyrdom. And you don't become a martyr by winning.

* by defend i mean attack your opponents weaknesses.

Yes, he's a model politician and he brings me hope for our future of politics in the US, but does anybody think for a second that the Republicans won't attack him because he wants to play nice?

 

[140.85]

Hers an interesting Pew Research Center piece about cell phones and the 2008 vote.

 

[Rhindle]

I think its a mistake, personally. There's only two things that can happen if you don't defend* yourself, and only one of them is martyrdom. And you don't become a martyr by winning.

* by defend i mean attack your opponents weaknesses.

Yes, he's a model politician and he brings me hope for our future of politics in the US, but does anybody think for a second that the Republicans won't attack him because he wants to play nice?

The genius of the Republican strategy is that the election is now framed the hockey mom and the POW vs. the other guys.

You can't attack hockey moms and POWs in any way without attacking (1) hockey moms everywhere and (2) America.

There's not much the Dems can do for know but play defense and hope to God the Palin balloon deflates over the next few weeks.

 

[PantherLotus]

I'm just pointing out how effective the Right is at defining the narrative and running the "We're Just Like You" (tm) campaign.

Democrats need to start running the "You're not that stupid, right?" campaign. And now. They are being totally outclassed by the Republicans who are effectively defining the issues and have been paralyzed by an ineffective second message. It's like the Palin pick was so fucking stupid and off the wall that it took them off guard and they don't know what to do.

It's like watching the pigs start to walk and not being able to say anything because saying anything is against the rules.


They need to redefine every word that escapes their lips. Every word needs to be cleverly redefined, reused, and shot back across the bough. It worked perfectly for the 'celebrity' bit, and it can work for words like elitist as well. I think Obama's altruism is taking an enormous amount of faith in the same american people that turned out to reelect the worst president in history because they were afraid of gay people.

 

[Rugasuki]

A couple updates to the Palin rape kit story. Firstly, rape in Wasilla occurs at about 3x the national rate.

taken from http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3858420

Secondly, Palin hired the sheriff that is quoted as saying he does not agree that tax payers should pay for the rape kits of victims.


From: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/8/20552/56258/308/591588

Police Chief Accused Palin of Politically-Motivated Firing. "Wasilla got a new police chief Thursday, one who said he will bring to the job a philosophy of personal freedom that doesn't include his predecessor's support of limiting bar hours…'I don't think the answer to crime is restricting people's freedom more and more.' Fannon is replacing Irl Stambaugh, whom the mayor fired in January. Palin said she did not think Stambaugh supported her administration...Stambaugh has sued the city, alleging Palin fired him because local bar owners and the National Rifle Association asked the mayor to do so. Stambaugh wanted the city to adopt earlier bar closings as a way to combat alcohol-related traffic accidents, according to the complaint." [Anchorage Daily News, 3/28/97]

The Frontiersman:

Gov. Tony Knowles recently signed legislation protecting victims of sexual assault from being billed for tests to collect evidence of the crime, but one local police chief said the new law will further burden taxpayers.

While the Alaska State Troopers and most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams, which cost between $300 to $1,200 apiece, the Wasilla police department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests.

Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon does not agree with the new legislation, saying the law will require the city and communities to come up with more funds to cover the costs of the forensic exams.


Thirdly,

She was his chairman when he ran for Mayor.

Palin Chaired Campaign for Mat-Su Mayor that Involved Methane Exploration While on OGC, Said there Was No Conflict Because The Mayor’s Race Was Non-Partisan. “This fall Palin was the chair of Charlie Fannon’s unsuccessful campaign for Mat-Su Borough mayor. A central issue in the race was proposals by Denver-based Evergreen Resources Inc. to explore for coal bed methane on 300,000 acres of state gas leases in the Mat-Su. Fannon was more of a coal bed supporter than his opponent was. Palin’s commission would regulate Evergreen’s drilling. That’s not a conflict of interest, she said Friday. Palin said her position on Fannon’s campaign wasn’t comparable to Ruedrich’s with the political party. The Mat-Su mayor’s race was nonpartisan, and so it falls outside the scope of the state ethics act, Palin said. She also agreed to serve on Fannon’s campaign months before the uproar over gas exploration started.” [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 11/8/03]

 

[Stinkles]

Hers an interesting Pew Research Center piece about cell phones and the 2008 vote.

The more serious challenge to survey research posed by cell phones is the declining absolute numbers of certain types of respondents, most notably the young. In recent Pew Research Center surveys, only about 10% of respondents in landline samples are under age 30, which is roughly half of what it should be according to the U.S. Census. Young voters reached on landlines share many of the characteristics of the cell-only group, especially in terms of political views. That is why statistical weighting of the landline samples helps to correct for the absence of the cell-only. But the shortfall of young respondents in absolute numbers means that pollsters are limited in their ability to analyze differences within this age group.

.

 

[Rhindle]

It's like watching the pigs start to walk and not be able to say anything because saying anything is against the rules.

That's very true. You see Obama in some of teh interviews today, and you can tell he's self-censoring everything he says three times over before it comes out of his mouth.

There's no doubt that they're tripping all over themselves at the moment, but I don't think they have much choice. Right now Palin is absolutely bullet-proof, probably more so than any candidate in recent memory. And McCain sort of falls within her force field.

I don't think it's the Obama campaign being altruistic or whatever. They're in a genuine bind, for now.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Yes, he's a model politician and he brings me hope for our future of politics in the US, but does anybody think for a second that the Republicans won't attack him because he wants to play nice?

Of course they will. They know that. They expect that. That's why they're going to fight well if they've got their counter-team preparing for all possible subjects and assaults.

If it comes down to it, you're going to see Dems, high ranking ones, take the smears and lies back to the GOP pretty hard and make them own them with disgrace. Doesn't matter if Obama's campaign wants a super-clean fight, the old hands in the party won't be shy. Look at Ed Rendell and how he came back hard on the Repubs for their obvious bullshit about Reform/Change earlier today. You'll probably see more from other Dems who will speak out if they don't feel like it's being addressed quickly or forcefully enough.

 

[PantherLotus]

And therein lies the problem with attacking the Right wing. Since they've so effectively defined their party as the "everyman" party, when one attacks it, they are attacking the American people themselves. This can only change by redefining the narrative, by effectively convincing the American people that they do not in fact look like the Republican party and are hurting themselves every time they do so.

That's very true. You see Obama in some of teh interviews today, and you can tell he's self-censoring everything he says three times over before it comes out of his mouth.

There's no doubt that they're ripping all over themselves at the moment, but I don't think they have much choice. Right now Palin is absolutely bullet-proof, probably more so than any candidate in recent memory. And McCain sort of falls within her force field.

The Democrats need Hillary Clinton to unleash hell.

 

[Gruco]

I remember the cell phone thing in 04, in fact I remember it being the main reason I thought Kerry would when. Sigh. Maybe it was a legitimate effect, but just one which was offset/washed away with all the other factors. OR maybe it was the beginning of a more significant trend which hadn't yet fully manifested. I dunno. But I'm gonna take it with a grain of salt, along with most other "the polls are systematically understating my candidate" type stories. I had enough of that kind of wishful thinking last time around.

 

[mckmas8808]

That's very true. You see Obama in some of teh interviews today, and you can tell he's self-censoring everything he says three times over before it comes out of his mouth.

There's no doubt that they're tripping all over themselves at the moment, but I don't think they have much choice. Right now Palin is absolutely bullet-proof, probably more so than any candidate in recent memory. And McCain sort of falls within her force field.

I don't think it's the Obama campaign being altruistic or whatever. They're in a genuine bind, for now.

You're panicking too much. Palin is in no force field. She just got hammered today on CNN and MSNBC.

And for everyday that she hides it's one more day that the press will opening bash her past with no defense in sight.

Obama doesn't have to pound this out when the press is doing it. And why are you guys acting like Obama and Biden aren't hitting Palin? I just seen both of them doing it today and yesterday.

 

[mckmas8808]

I remember the cell phone thing in 04, in fact I remember it being the main reason I thought Kerry would when. Sigh. Maybe it was a legitimate effect, but just one which was offset/washed away with all the other factors. OR maybe it was the beginning of a more significant trend which hadn't yet fully manifested. I dunno. But I'm gonna take it with a grain of salt, along with most other "the polls are systematically understating my candidate" type stories. I had enough of that kind of wishful thinking last time around.

The problem is Kerry didn't have the numbers that Obama has now. I wish I could get a dollar for every Gaffer that had to be taught on the 2004 election.

Bush was winning Electorally for most of the race and Kerry didn't have the money that Obama has. And Kerry didn't have the voter registation that Obama has either.

 

[PantherLotus]

I think the fact that Obama doesn't have a 10 digit lead in every poll is what is upsetting most democrats right now. Anything else is shocking. It's easy to lose faith in the American people after being so readily duped for the last 8 years.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

And therein lies the problem with attacking the Right wing. Since they've so effectively defined their party as the "everyman" party, when one attacks it, they are attacking the American people themselves. This can only change by redefining the narrative, by effectively convincing the American people that they do not in fact look like the Republican party and are hurting themselves every time they do so..

Well, the narrative has been well seeded for many people to see the GOP for what it is: old and busted. It doesn't take an exceptionally aware person to see how raving angry, dishonest about themselves and their competitor, and evasive of the real issues the GOP is if you watched the convention. Every lie and stupid thing that comes from the mouths of McCain and Palin will be scrutinized and is already revealing a completely negative picture on its own. No need to start the shit, just take a shot after it's been trained on by the press enough and you've got a clean target.

And this media shield that Palin currently has will only hurt her as the media will frenzy all over anything to do with her. You don't tell the media when to do its job, they'll do it anyway...with or without you. Like sharks, they can smell blood in the water and if you refuse to cooperate with them in a reasonable manner, you get bit.

 

[GhaleonEB]

You're panicking too much. Palin is in no force field. She just got hammered today on CNN and MSNBC.

And for everyday that she hides it's one more day that the press will opening bash her past with no defense in sight.

Obama doesn't have to pound this out when the press is doing it. And why are you guys acting like Obama and Biden aren't hitting Palin? I just seen both of them doing it today and yesterday.

And today Obama ran his first ad directly attacking Palin, and he calls her nothing less than a liar. Obama has echoed this on the stump the past two days. I don't have the sense that he's holding back on her any longer. And as you said, the media seems to be piling on.

Let's see how this evolves over the next week or so. I have a feeling the gloves are off with respect to Palin.

 

[mj1108]

I recommend that you use masking tape to make the back of your shirt read "Elitist 4 Life" and when people ask you about it, say "It's OK, I'm taking it back!"

Nice Clerks 2 reference. :lol

 

[echoshifting]

Wow that "Maverick" ad is great. I hadn't seen that yet. Glad to see them nailing Palin on the bigger issues she can't really cry victim over.

I hope there's another "Bridge to Nowhere" ad in the future featuring her flat-out lie from the convention.

 

[Bishman]

New Obama ad up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBtbG5xjFBY



That's going to get some people chatting. Note the bold, calling people liars is upping the ante and a very aggressive thing to do.

Edit: This is the kind of ad you roll out, on, say, the first day after the other guy's convention where they tried to paint themselves as mavericks. Hitting them where they are strongest is the way to go on this one because the facts behind the matter are just not flattering for McCain.

This is exactly what I have been waiting for! I will donate now.

 

[mckmas8808]

And today Obama ran his first ad directly attacking Palin, and he calls her nothing less than a liar. Obama has echoed this on the stump the past two days. I don't have the sense that he's holding back on her any longer. And as you said, the media seems to be piling on.

Let's see how this evolves over the next week or so. I have a feeling the gloves are off with respect to Palin.

Thank you Ghaleon for noticing because too many scared Obama/DEMs folks here are not noticing this stuff.

To the story that you posted....

We've now had a week of blaring headlines and one-liners about Sarah Palin as the mavericky, pork-busting reformer from Alaska. But we seem to be witnessing the first stirrings of a backlash and a dawning realization that the 'Sarah Palin' we've heard so much about over the last few days is a fraud of truly comical dimensions.

The McCain camp has made her signature issue shutting down the Bridge to Nowhere. But as The New Republic put it today that's just "a naked lie." And pretty much the same thing has been written today in Newsweek, the Washington Post, the AP, the Wall Street Journal. Yesterday even Fox's Chris Wallace called out Rick Davis on it. (Do send more examples when you find them.)

On earmarks she's an even bigger crock. On the trail with McCain they're telling everyone that she's some kind of earmark slayer when actually, when she was mayor and governor, in both offices, she requested and got more earmarks than virtually any city or state in the country.

Think about that. On the stump, not a single word that comes out of her mouth -- or not a single word that the McCain folks put in her mouth -- is anything but a lie. I know that sounds like hyperbole. But just go down the list. None of them bear out.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/214828.php


Thanks for the write up. Guys STOP (please stop) saying that she is being handled by kid gloves when the strongest newspapers in the country are killing her on one of her #1 issues.

What you guys are worried about is the polls. But those polls represent the REP convention bounce. Wait until Wednesday or Thursday and you will see some of these stories starting to resonate.

 

[Chiggs]

I think the fact that Obama doesn't have a 10 digit lead in every poll is what is upsetting most democrats right now.

Leading anything?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html

 

[Gruco]

The problem is Kerry didn't have the numbers that Obama has now. I wish I could get a dollar for every Gaffer that had to be taught on the 2004 election

I know this and have made the point myself in this thread several times. The point is how much the numbers are expected to move, not where they are already.

The voter registration drive in particular could be significant, but I'm particularly skeptical over the cell phone argument. Honestly I'm trying to remain tepid on the voter registration/ground game issue as well, precisely because there's no way to measure it (and no way to measure whatever mitigating factors may exist for the other side).

So anyway, polling number look good = reason for cautious optimism. Assume the results will be significantly better than the polling numbers are already = put down the hopium

 

[GhaleonEB]

Thanks for the write up. Guys STOP (please stop) saying that she is being handled by kid gloves when the strongest newspapers in the country are killing her on one of her #1 issues.

What you guys are worried about is the polls. But those polls represent the REP convention bounce. Wait until Wednesday or Thursday and you will see some of these stories starting to resonate.

It gets even better than that. The McCain camp is already backpedaling on the bridge lie, and adding more lies to it.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/mccain_campaign_piling_up_the.php

McCain and his advisers are now conceding that, yes, Sarah Palin was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it -- but they're casting this as more proof of her reform credentials.

In so doing, the McCain camp is piling new falsehoods atop the old ones.

McCain himself rolled out the new push-back on the campaign trail today, saying the following:

"The fact is that Gov. Palin learned that earmarks are bad and she did say, we don't need our bridge to nowhere, and we will pay for it ourselves if we need it. I mean, that is just a fact."

Meanwhile, McCain adviser Tucker Bounds appeared today on MSNBC, where he acknowledged that Palin used to favor the bridge, but said she turned against it for good reasons.

"But as it became more wasteful, the budget ballooned, it became a staple for wasteful spending, she said No," Bounds said. "And she was the one that drove the nail in the coffin that killed the bridge to nowhere."

Nope.

It's bogus to say that Palin turned on the project because the costs ballooned. The real reason she came around to opposing it was not that the overall costs went up -- the project was always a boondoggle, and costs were always going up -- but that one particular element of the project's cost ballooned: The portion that Alaska would have to pay, instead of getting the money through federal pork.

In her statement finally ending the project, Palin explicitly lamented that fact. "Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329-million short of full funding for the bridge project," Palin said at the time, "and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island."

As for the claim that Palin drove a stake into the project's heart, the project was practically dead already by the time Palin officially shut it down, as the non-partisan CQ's PolitiFact section pointed out. She shut it down after it became clear that Congress would no longer fund it -- meaning that Alaska would have to use its own $329 million to build it, thus leaving Palin no other choice but to shut it down.

Bottom line: Palin did not tell Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks," on the bridge. It was Congress who cut off the money to Alaska. Oh, and she didn't Say No To Pork, either -- when Congress wouldn't spend that money on the Bridge, Congress did allow her to keep it for other projects. And she did.

Lies on top of lies.

 

[Rhindle]

And today Obama ran his first ad directly attacking Palin, and he calls her nothing less than a liar. Obama has echoed this on the stump the past two days. I don't have the sense that he's holding back on her any longer. And as you said, the media seems to be piling on.

Let's see how this evolves over the next week or so. I have a feeling the gloves are off with respect to Palin.

The strategy is to hang back for now, wait for some of the sheen to start wearing off, and for the press to start to chip away at her armor. Yes, there's a constant drumbeat of critical/negative press. But that's been the case since Day 1, and so far none of it has amounted to anything. The star-power needs to fade before any of it can do any real damage.

It's one thing for them to run a negative ad. It's another for Obama to be seen personally attacking her for now. That may change in week, or in 2 or 4.

 

[echoshifting]

Well, the fact that they're responding to it at all is a good sign. They know this is going to resonate. It will be tougher to get all the relevant info to voters, though, unless Obama gets really aggressive on it.

 

[mckmas8808]

Leading anything?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html

CONVENTION BOUNCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mckmas8808]

The strategy is to hang back for now, wait for some of the sheen to start wearing off, and for the press to start to chip away at her armor. Yes, there's a constant drumbeat of critical/negative press. But that's been the case since Day 1, and so far none of it has amounted to anything. The star-power needs to fade before any of it can do any real damage.

It's one thing for them to run a negative ad. It's another for Obama to be seen personally attacking her for now. That may change in week, or in 2 or 4.

Dude! The REP convention just ended. This is the first day of this week. Everything starts on Monday. So when you say "none of it has amounted to anything", you're really not making any sense.

We have to wait until we get the facts first. Lets wait for the polls numbers on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

 

[polyh3dron]

It gets even better than that. The McCain camp is already backpedaling on the bridge lie, and adding more lies to it.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/mccain_campaign_piling_up_the.php


Lies on top of lies.

Holy shit. The McCain campaign is SO taking advantage of the media's reluctance to point out their lies. Their whole strategy is "We can tell the people easily disproven, bold faced lies to the point where we say LOOK WE'RE LYING TO YOU AND YOU'RE TOO DUMB TO KNOW LOL, so we'll continue to ratchet up the outlandishness of them and see how much mileage we can get out of this strategy!"

I think that again, the Obama campaign is employing the Rope A Hope strategy and that they are giving McCain's campaign enough rope to hang themselves before they really fight back.

 

[ralexand]

So what is the McCain effort doing in their GOTV campaign? All I hear about is their great tracking database. Are the registering new voters?

 

[LuCkymoON]

The DNC should put out an AD to take back the words Elite and Elitist.
The ad would go along the lines of starting with how great America is compared to the rest of the world. It will then follow up with the definition of Elitism and end with all Americans are Elite.
/cut to scene of Obama standing on a cliff overlooking the grand canyon
"I'm Barack Obama and I'm proud to be an American!"