As the Chicago Tribune explains the strategy:
"McCain's strategy is to leverage the enthusiastic crowds and personal charisma that have created excitement around Obama's campaign and use this celebrity to raise questions about Obama's depth. Framing Obama this way also allows the McCain campaign to highlight what some view as Obama's presumptuousness and inability to relate to ordinary people."
The important thing in this type of campaign is to attack the individual at his strength.
As Wayne Slater, the author of Bush's Brain related in a PBS interview:
So he understands the strength; he goes after him, but it's not direct. These Swift Boat Veterans, there was no [direct] connection [to Rove].
… You could never see his fingerprints associated directly [with] the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who virulently attacked John Kerry's record, while at the same time George Bush was doing what he had always done in a Rove campaign: saluting the service of John Kerry. It's a pattern we've seen again and again and again, and it was very effective in 2004. What the group did was really accomplish one of the basic models of a Karl Rove campaign: Attack the strength of your opponent. If your opponent's strength is his service in Vietnam, then attack that service by raising questions about whether it was all that noble and whether you were really that much of a supporter. …
So Obama is well-loved wherever he goes.
So ATTACK him on that.
Avoid attention on YOUR candidate.
Forget his weaknesses.
You see Senator Barack Obama is QUALIFIED to be President.
He is young, intelligent, likeable, charismatic, speaks well, understands the issues, and offers new solutions to problem.
Contrast this with McCain.
Old, infirm, stumbles on issues, has a checkered past--Keating 5, adulterous affair resulting in dumping his first wife, anger problems.
So let's not talk about McCain.
Let's talk about Barack Obama being a "rock-star".I can just imagine what they would have said about Abraham Lincoln.
Are we 'the fools' again?
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Comments: 84
Regarding what the American people is going to buy I don't hold my expectations too high. Despite the fact that oil companies have 68 million acres they are not drilling on, despite the fact that there is no law that says that what we drill on our shore will be sold in America entirely, despite the fact that we won't see a drop of oil from those shores for 10 years, people believe that additional drilling will help the current oil prices because Bush and McCain said so.
What else can they believe? ANYTHING!
I've seen comments about how Obama actually supported the war in Iraq, but, conveniently, no URLs, no references of sufficient detail to allow anyone to check the facts.
He's a liar as well as a sell-out.
He is on public record in opposition to it as early as October 2002, 5 full months before it even began.
I believe that Rove's pathetic, dishonest, sleazy campaign tactics have run their course. I don't believe there are actually enough people stupid enough for fall for them once again, especially now that there is a progressive voice that's entered the MSM, finally.
This latest ad is pathetically lame, and desperate. You can't vote for THAT guy. He's too popular! He draws enormous crowds, he inspires young people, he collects contributions from hundreds of thousands of ardent supporters. Why, it must be voodoo.
This is nothing but the application of Karl Rove's principles of political sleight of hand. Take your opponent's strengths and try to turn them into liabilities. You've got a sharp-looking, eloquent, intelligent adversary with a law degree from Harvard. Never mind that he was raised by a single mom and Middle Western middle-class grandparents, or that he spent several years working as a community organizer with impoverished Chicagoans. Let's paint him as an "Elitist".
Hopefully, this time around, the American electorate will be a little more savvy about this kind of thing.
The junior senator from Illinois is not rattled. And the "humor" isn't funny. It is sleaze and it is pathetic.
Perhaps if Senator McCain would know how to use a mouse, or knew the difference between Shia and Sunni, or knew not to tell 'rape jokes', well I could go on, perhaps then we could be happy with this approach.
This is not about John McCain.
This is not about Barack Obama.
This is about a gang of law-disregarding hoodlums who have taken control of the apparatus of this nation.
Look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnall.
Despite the general incomprehensibility of your comment I was able to glean that you seem to think McCain's little commercial is intended to be "humorous".
Yeah, the guy is a real comdian all right. With his jokes about gorillas raping women, "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran", and his jibe about killing off the populace of Iran with tobacco, he ought to be a contender on "Last Comic Standing". The real joke is his expecting us to take him seriously as a potential President.
Ha, ha.
This other jerkoff is either going to change his name or leave."
I cannot help the name my parents gave me. They never asked me.
RE Obama's Support for the Iraq War!
References you asked for: "Making It" Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker, July 21st 2008
If you would like, I could give you some quotes from the Candidate himself.
Was this supposed to be an article decrying the attacks on Candidate Obama as malicious, mean spirited, and part a larger conspiracy but Rove operators?
"Old, infirm, stumbles on issues, has a checkered past--Keaton 5, adulterous affair resulting in dumping his first wife, anger problems." Robert F.
I guess you are not above being malicious and mean spirited. By exentension, could you be a part of a Rove Conspiracy. McCain's campaign press secretary answered the "Rove Operatives" rumor today on MSNBC. AND NO there are no Rove operatives employed by or advising the McCain campaign.
You guys are living examples of Marshall McLuen's (sp) dire prediction. THE MEDIUM IS NOW THE MESSAGE!
No Rove operatives? How charming. Unfortunately, not quite so fast.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/us/politics/02cnd-manage.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
"The installation of Steve Schmidt, who worked closely with Karl Rove, at Mr. McCain’s headquarters represented a sharp diminishment of the responsibilities of Rick Davis, who has been Mr. McCain’s campaign manager since the last shake-up nearly a year ago.
The shift was approved by Mr. McCain after several of his aides, including Mr. Schmidt, went to him about 10 days ago and warned him that he was in danger of losing the presidential election to Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, unless he revamped his campaign operation, two officials close to the campaign said.
Mr. Schmidt’s elevation is the latest sign of increasing influence of veterans of Mr. Rove’s shop in the McCain operation. Nicolle Wallace, who was communications director for Mr. Bush in the 2004 campaign (and in his White House) has joined the campaign as a senior adviser, and will travel with Mr. McCain every other week. Greg Jenkins, another veteran of Mr. Rove’s operation who is a former Fox News producer and director of the presidential advance team in the Bush White House, was hired by Mr. Schmidt last week after a series of what Mr. McCain’s advisers acknowledged were poorly executed campaign events.
Mr. Rove, who was Mr. Bush’s senior political adviser until he left the White House last year, was said by Mr. McCain’s advisers to have offered advice in recent days to Mr. Schmidt and others on how to get Mr. McCain’s campaign on track, but has stayed mostly on the periphery. Mr. Rove is aware, his associates said, that his own legacy could be helped should Mr. McCain succeed in winning the presidency.
Mr. McCain’s advisers said that Mr. Davis would continue to hold the position of campaign manager, but that Mr. Schmidt had taken over every major operation where Mr. McCain has shown signs of struggling: communications, scheduling and basic political strategy. Mr. McCain’s aides said Mr. Davis would focus now more on longer-term campaign efforts, including helping with the selection of a running mate and planning for the Republican National Convention, which is now just two months away.
Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Davis declined a request for comment. The McCain campaign played down the significance of this latest personnel shift."
Clearly their is a BRILLIANT effort by Rove and his Rovians to direct the McCain campaign towards vicious political destruction of Barack Obama. Sort of like he did with another great American, John Kerry, an effort that was quite effective in electing one of the worst Presidents in history to the White House.
You can congratulate yourself again if you like.
McCain is not at his best when he is being overly partisan and negative. This has worried some in G.O.P. He isn't talking about himself, but Obama, which only shows McCain in a bad light. Fine by me as Obama already has my vote locked up.
I believe he did when I met him at the Denver Tattered Cover bookstore store in October 2006 for his book signing. He wasn't running for President then, but I really like him.
Maybe he does have rock-star status, I see a lot of potential for him to do a lot of good for our country, by bringing the healing and this country back together again.
Let's not stop there, Paul. Let's paint him as an uppity, presumptuous Negro.
Soozan S.: "I guess you are not above being malicious and mean spirited."
When John McCain returned from the war, his first wife had had a terrible auto accident which left her disfigured. Within a year he began seeing other women, developed a relationship with his future "trophy" wife, divorced and remarried. Those are facts. If McCain wishes to discuss "character" issues, then McCain's character is fair game.
The fact is that McCain does "stumble" on issues and has unintelligible postions on the economy or the war, other than support for "endless war."
In order to contribute to the "higher plane" that you and all of us desire, I'll help you out with both the spelling of Marshall McLuhan's name and the title of his 1968 book: The Medium is the Massage.
p.s. John Kerry was "swift-boated" by a 527 group w/ no connection to Rove.
I was pointing out that the more we spin the spin and the garbage out there, the more we ignore the issues in this campaign. Not suprisingly, you fell right into the garbage. Why bring up McCain's marital life? I happen to still admire JFK although I deplore his standards of moral behavior.
P.S. Don't you mean "The Medium is the Message" and not the "Massage." :P
I mentioned a couple of specific issues that I thought McCain is weak on. Hmm, you didn't. I guess the ball is actually in your court.
The point of the article is that McCain has already gone negative, Soozan. It appears that you are the only one that doesn't understand that. Luckily, most Americans will likely see the childish sleaze for what it is. The chickens will come home to roost in the McCain camp and his increasingly desperate handlers.
Regarding Rove and the Swift-Boaters, I would refer you to an interview with Paul Alexander, who authored the book "Machiavelli's Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Karl Rove". He was interviewed on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe'.
http://rawstory.com/news08/2008/06/20/author-rove-helped-manage-swift-boat-attacks-on-kerry/
"Asked by Pat Buchanan whether Rove had “a hand in the Swiftboat thing,” Alexander replied, “Sure, absolutely. He helped arrange the sort of message, arranged the funding. … That was probably the key smear in the 2004 campaign.”
Rove had his influence on the entire swift boat thing and it is apparent that he has his impring on the McCain attack on Obama.
Robert, when you compare and contrast the two candidates. You point out McCain's connection to Charles Keating (not Keaton), and personal shortcommings, but you fail to mention any of Obama's obvious weaknesses.
Some people, like myself, would like to support Obama, but are having trouble with some of the negatives you leave out of your analysis, such as his connection to an anti-American reverend and a questionable land deal with a convicted businessman.
Wright and Rezko have been dealt with in detail and are no longer news, except to exploit by those who wish to remain in thrall to the despots leading this nation astray.
Even McLuhan acknowledged that "Massage" was a typo for "Message." He kept it and continued to develop the concept RE: your brain on media.
I wonder what he would say if he could see us now. He would probably celebrate the fact that I can maintain my support for McCain in the middle of this blather. You may think I should pick up the ball and "slam" it back at you but I am not sufficiently tempted by this medium nor the apparent "mindlessness" of this field. Thanks anyway.
Do you think if I had a free beer and pizza party with a well known rock band in concert, maybe I could draw a large crowd too?
Obama plays fast and loose with the truth in his koolaid commercials and the lemmings lick it up.
I highly doubt that the McCain campaign would agree that the Wright and Rezko issues have been dealt with in the necessary detail. This is the point I am trying to make. If you do not acknowledge the negative aspects of your candidate, you will feel let down by people who were influenced by those negatives. You will have a sense that people were "fooled". Robert is frustrated and worried about Obama getting "Swift Boated" because he refused to acknowledge that the swift boat ads provided a powerful message that ended up hurting his candidate.
Obama may face a similar threat. People on his campaign might use Robert's tactic of trying to make people think that to question his integrity is to be "fooled" by Republican "enablers".
Sinking the Swift Boaters
ROFL!
The swfit boat ads were EXTREMELY effective. I respect their effectiveness. I think that the Reverend Wright thing and the Rezko 'scandal' are lightweight compared to the Keating 5 issue which directly involved McCain and his wife Cindy, and simply McCain's lack of the proper temperament to be President. His advanced age. And his relative infirmity. And with that I mean his problem with one of the worst cancers known to man, melanoma.
I also believe that his 5+ years as a POW are NOT a plus. At that time he was literally BROKEN, reduced to trying to commit suicide and dipping into a fantasy world.
If he doesn't suffer from PTSD from all of this, I don't believe that any soldier does.
I respect him for having survived that horrible time, but I am not willing to elect him to the Presidency.
And insofar as his inability to check his email or 'go online', we can all only imagine what that means of his ability to go beyond his age question and keep current with modern technology and culture.
The guy "qualifies" for "rock star," throws a good concert (with meaningless speech attached) but is a Political LIGHTWEIGHT.
I would "Hope" that an adult male such as yourself had a more discerning criteria than his youth and "charisma" when deciding who to vote for in the up-coming election...
Perhaps it will help to drown out some of the really half-hearted, or just plain poor, coverage by major news organizations. The fact that those major organizations seem so vulnerable to picking up on the talking points of the campaigns and repeating them without reference to their credibility is as more a problem, in my opinion, than banal blogging.
No matter, I'm still not voting for either one. I think this is the most pathetic election I've been involved with since I began following them. Either that or I'm just getting more jaded. =\
Obama is a man like all men and has feet of clay. You guys confuses enthusiam born of Bush revulsion with naivete. Obama represents a new direction and a return to the values, traditions and yes, hope of our great system of governing. Instead of bemoaning and dismissing the appeal of Obama do some soul searching why millions applaude him and billions hate what this nation has become. Hundreds of thousands waved AMERICAN flags at Obama. Those crowds are a thunderous message that world longs to have America back. The rantings of an idiot minister and penny ante land deals mean NOTHING to fate of our nation. Get real.
That is it exactly, Obama talks about 'we' need to work to fix our country. McCain tends to be 'I will'. It was never meant to be the government and the people. It should be We the People of the United States of America. We employ a leader, they work for us. This is not a Kingdom as Bush would have you believe.
That message alone excites people, that what we have lost in the last eight years can be reached again.
I witnessed this yet again on Tuesday night. As Barack Obama supporters packed the campaign's newest office here in my town, to the point that the crowd spilled out the doors. About 300 people attended the opening based on a sign in sheet.
There weren't free beer, pizza, or a well known rock band. Actually, Senator Obama wasn't even there, but his ideas were.
Exactly, this is the difference between leadership, and despotism.
We need leadership, the despotism thing didn't work out too well.
I prefer the "we need" right now over the "I will" mostly because of the lines that follow those sentence starters.
We need to work to improve the level of education in this country....We need to provide a better health care system so that no one goes without medicince, treatment, surgery, care that they need.....
Or I will make the tax cut to the over 250K a year people permanent.
I will just say I believe in free market systems when asked about health care even though I will cover my face with my hand, when I am asked a question about something I voted to approve but will make me look bad if I admit it or try to answer it and then say I don't recall that at all. I will jump up and say he is playing the race card at the very first chance I get so my peeps don't look so bad for using terms like Baby Mama, noose, lynching party, terrorist fist jabs every chance they get.
Not the least bit likely. You're a republiCON. For starters, no real rock musicians would be seen anywhere near you. Additionally, you could offer all the free beer, gay male sex, and drugs that you wanted, but as a republican, you would NEVER draw anywhere NEAR the crowds that Obama does, simply because your party is a disease that, at this point, very few want to get anywhere near.
The GOP is in complete freefall collapse, and McCain's pathetic, desperate, lying, smearing campaign illustrates this well enough for even the brain dead, zombie wingnuts to figure out. The party is a rotting corpse, waiting to be buried. Thank God, the burial is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2008.
I am sure that he will enjoy his T-shirt! I am sure you will be glad when John McCain wins the White House so that we shall not have to worry about having a President well-liked wherever he goes because he stands for hope for all people and not just those with privilege.
Why do Right-wingers assume that since someone in Europe likes Obama, they must be a "European Socialist". Is that what you have been told by
Fox?
So, you would prefer to stick with the party that has been rubber stamping the 'lousy president's' every need for the past 7 years?
What is the saying, "fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, same on me." How many times do you need to be fooled, Bill B., before you finally figure out how insignificant the GOP sees you as a person?
Bill: What is your suggestion? Do you really believe that McCain offers us anything different? He has supported 95% of all Bush's bills/legislation over these eight years. What does that tell you?
And Bill, by the way, I know of a good de-programmer. Let me know if you're interested. In the meantime...stay away from that Kool-aid.
Fox? "
The important factor to realize is that they've been brainwashed into believing that fascism is a good thing, and therefore reject ANY truly democratic ideal. It's no different than what Hitler did to sway the German population to fascism in the 30's. He convinced them that the origin of all of their pain was "socialism," and he offered to remove that pain by removing democracy. This is what lies at the core of the republican party. They have ALWAYS stood against democracy in this country, and abroad, and they always will. Anything that lifts society and brings corporate rule down is a bad thing, in their eyes. We're all supposed to just happily cave in to corporate rule, regardless of the cost to society and democratic principles.
Conservatism is an utterly failed ideology. Virtually NOTHING positive has stemmed from it, while virtually EVERYTHING positive, INCLUDING the birth of this very nation, has stemmed from liberalism. Go figure. Conservatism opposes democratic ideals, while liberalism embraces them. Conservatism favors the elite at the expense of the masses, while liberalism favors the masses, and recognizes the threat that elitism poses to democratic society. Since before the birth of this nation, conservatism has been the core enemy of democracy.
It's important to realize that the core essence of democratic idealism is socialism, to one degree or other. The conservative movement has been very effective at demonizing that word, and convincing people that it's an evil ideal, but, in reality, it is the very core essence of a democratic society, which, of course, is why conservatives so strongly oppose it, and always will. "The people" are not SUPPOSED to have power. They're supposed to be good little workers, and provide the masters with massive wealth.
Just look back over the decades at what this nation has done to democratic movements around the world. How many democratically elected governments have we overthrown, and replaced with fascist dictatorships? All around the world, we've done this. And, anytime there's been a democratic movement that's begun to gain favor within a fascist society, we've stepped in with our military to squash it, because it's "communist."
Venezuala is a great example. When Chavez came to power, one of the first things he did was to remove the corporate oligarch's control of the nation's oil, and nationalize the industry, for the benefit of the masses. What did the criminal BA do in response? They sent goons in to overthrow the democratically elected government in a coup. Fortunately, the military of the country was wise enough to see what was going on, and they re-took control for Chavez. The key oil oligarch fled the country in exile, to none other than the state of FL, which was run by a bush crime family member at the time. Go figure.
Over and over and over and over and over again, this nation has stepped in to overthrow democratically elected governments around the world, and replace them with fascist dictatorships, for the sole benefit of the corporate masters. And, every single time, it is the conservatives who've stood in support of such anti-democratic behavior.
Yes, "socialism" is evil. Always accept that, and never, ever question it. It is the mantra of the oligarchs, and straying from it endangers their positions of power and control. They will ALWAYS rely upon the conservatives to support them by misinforming the public. Always.
The Barack you will get...
See now THAT is a good example of swiftboating by Don H. Telling the truth about democrats is basically all swiftboating is. The loader the democrats cry after a new ad, the closer to the actual truth it is. Truth hurts.
As far as this article and most of the comments......let the crying begin!
No the are usually around fellow derelicts, shaddy women, drugs, and democrats. Good point Clark.
I agree that the American dream is to work hard and do well, so what in the heck allowed W in office is beyond me, because it wasn't that he worked hard or did well, back to my original thought. But this isn't it. I don't hold a grudge against a person who really works hard and well and makes a fortune at it. But I do hold a grudge when these companies who are in the back pocket of most of the politicians, and forever getting tax breaks and the like and continue to scrape in over 10B a quarter and not investing it into refineries that work harder, and cleaner, and making sure their employees at the bottom who are just as hard working are getting an extra 25 dollars a month while the guys at the top who have every tax break and loop hole in the world managed to get a Rep controlled congress to give them all sorts of breaks and incentives with a President who tried many times to make it in oil and failed and has gone out of his way to limit if not destroy any and all regulations of these companies. So call it socialism, call it communism, call it whatever you want but in truth the things that "liberals" support in the end, benefit everyone regardless of party aggilitation, the things that W has supported really have only benefited the top wage earners.
"No the are usually around fellow derelicts, shaddy women, drugs, and democrats. Good point Clark. "
You're every bit as clueless as the diseased political religion that you worship. This is why your party is destined to become a minority status party for decades to come.
I don't know. Why don't you tell us exactly. It should not be that large of a number. I want to see what countries and who the leaders were that we got rid of and who their replacements were. Should be an easy task for you, Superman.
I do predict he will tell us about Panama and Haiti and other stellar examples of democracy... cuz he's a CLOWN.
Just in case you would like to read something to educate yourself:
Power, Faith, and Fantasy-America in the Middle East 1776 to the present, Michael B. Oren
While America has never endorsed or publicly supported facism or communism, it has constantly wavered from economically and militarily supporting almost every country in the Middle East along with the religious and cultural ideals of each.
Your adamant abhorence of Obama despite even any real knowledge of the man is distressing. I can only assume you believe the country would be in dire straits under his leadership.
What do you base this on?
As I stated in another article's commentary, the principles driving Obama to become president reflect an underlying sentiment in the American electorate. No matter how "spin on spin" will eventually translate to a president taking the oath of office next January, there will be a historic lack of presence of the Republican party in both houses of Congress and perhaps more importantly, among the state legislatures and governments of historically Republican pastures.
California's Schwarzenegger is now part of the split in the Kennedy clan, having cast his Austrian support to McCain. Well, he's contracted to do a cameo for next summer's Terminator 4, so perhaps his cameo in politics will be equally terminal if he continues to support this particular status quo.
anti-Obama = uneducated. lol... you guys are trippin'
I'll repeat what I wrote elsewhere:
Don, get a life...
Oh, I forgot. You are trying to commit mass suicide, like another guy a few decades ago in French Guyana.
Well, the cool aid is at your nearest McCain campaign office, which in your neck of the woods would be the Sexual Dysfunction healthcare center (207 W. Gore St, Suite 200, Orlando, FL), where they dispense Viagra.
I see the same hate rhetoric against ALL BLACK LEADERS.
MLK and Nelson Mandella were called communists by their critics, aren't the wackos posting Obama in Che garb.
Nelson Madella was going to retaliate against all white Afrikaners once he was elected. Listen to the LIES of the "whitey" quote and the "Bitternes" posts from Faux Noise Network.
They have no argument, all they have is hate. Pathetic creatures.
One, the 'Swift Boat' group was indeed factual in their claims and accusations.
Two, Obama is not being 'Swift Boated' by any stretch.
I wonder if any of you know that John O'Neil (the person who created the Swift Boat group) debated Kerry in 1971 on the Dick Cavett Show and the issue was the same. You guys all make it sound like it was something made up out of thin air for the Bush election in 2004... and Rove orchestrated it. As I see it, you people whining about this are either ignorant, or playing on others ignorance of the facts. Either way, it's kind of pointless to debate it because I've looked at the issue and I know I'm right and you're wrong.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36YC-8rWklk
After you've watched this (try and find the entire program), ask yourself if Karl Rove was planning this in 1971. It is ABSURD. Thank you.
I am not interested in your personal attacks on a well respected veteran and Senator of the United States.
I asked why it seems that you have a deep seated hatred for Obama, and if you do, what do you base that on?
I mean, I understand there are many scandals on right and left sides. I just want yoou to tell everyone what it is about Obama the person, the senator, the American citizen that is so upsetting to you that we should not vote for him.
Can you quote me where I attacked Kerry? I never did. I respect his service, but what he did after... he has to answer for -- and pay a price, which he did.
Ricky’s Teaser Tees & Things - Inspirations
For the naysayers and those still stuck on the stump, I guarantee that in time, in due time, you will understand what's best for humans, individually and collectively.
And no, it's not Socialism that bequeaths such a wealth of progress; it is humanism, in which I am a proponent - a mainstay from the "High Renaissance."
See Ficino (Marsilio Ficino)
Another thought of mine: "There are many tragedies in this world but the greatest tragedy is the one that is born from ignorance."