McCain’s "Fiercer Strategy" (Saturday, October 04, 2008)

DISCLAIMER: this blog is mine & mine alone. Thou shalt not blame family nor friends nor employer for what you may read here.

As I stated in my first politically-oriented rant, I'd forewarn if a blog post is potentially abrasive to some, or generally slanted one way or the other. This may be one of those, so read on if you wish.

I'd like to take an excerpt from the first part of an article on the Washington Post website. The full article is here.

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.

With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.

"We're going to get a little tougher," a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. "We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question that we have to change the subject here," said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Being so aggressive has risks for McCain if it angers swing voters, who often say they are looking for candidates who offer a positive message about what they will do. That could be especially true this year, when frustration with Washington politics is acute and a desire for specifics on how to fix the economy and fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is strong.

Robert Gibbs, a top Obama adviser, dismissed the new McCain strategy. "This isn't 1988," he said. "I don't think the country is going to be distracted by the trivial." He added that Obama will continue to focus on the economy, saying that Americans will remain concerned about the country's economic troubles even as the Wall Street crisis eases somewhat.

Moments after the House of Representatives approved a bailout package for Wall Street on Friday afternoon, the McCain campaign released a television ad that challenges Obama's honesty and asks, "Who is Barack Obama?" The ad alleges that "Senator Obama voted 94 times for higher taxes. Ninety-four times. He's not truthful on taxes." The charge that Obama voted 94 times for higher taxes has been called misleading by independent fact-checkers, who have noted that the majority of those votes were on nonbinding budget resolutions.

A senior campaign official called the ad "just the beginning" of commercials that will "strike the new tone" in the campaign's final days. The official said the "aggressive tone" will center on the question of "whether this guy is ready to be president."

McCain's only positive commercial, called "Original Mavericks," has largely been taken off the air, according to Evan Tracey of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political ads.

OK, so we've seen a shift in the tactics of the McCain campaign, and will see more if it in the days to come. It's not what I would call a positive shift. I've never been one to call names to further my cause in a verbal dispute. I've never been one to try & twist facts verifiable via an unbiased third party to my favor. I kinda see that as bullying, underhanded, and a tactic of the weak & desperate. So the fact that McCain is now resorting to what I consider juvenile, unsophisticated tactics leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What's more, McCain is "eager to move the conversation away from the economy". There are a number of hot-button topics in the presidential campaign this year: the war in Iraq, spending & focus on renewable/alternate energy, abortion, same-sex marriage, to some degree gun control, and of course, the economy. But from where I sit, only one of these topics touches every American, every single day - the last one. I venture to guess that every American has an opinion one way or the other on each of these topics, but only one has a marked, quantifiable impact on each of us, as individuals, as families, and as a collective whole, all the time.

The state of the economy impacts our ability to borrow money as individuals, small business owners, and corporate titans. The ability (or lack thereof) to procure financing may cause some businesses to cut services, cut payrolls, and maybe buckle under & fail totally. The economy impacts the interest rates we pay on credit cards, mortgages, and car loans. The economic impact hits us when we go to the grocery store and the gas pump.

I know many people have friends or loved ones serving in Iraq. Many Americans are gun owners, and love their guns like their children, and feel an attachment to their firearms, the feeling of security they bring, or their freedom/right to own a gun. A large number of people work in the oil industry, and may very well fear for their jobs & livelihoods due to expansion into or increased researched investment & in renewable energy sources. For these people, the aforementioned issues may be just as important as the economy. But not every citizen is directly affected by these issues as we are the economic state of our union.

So, the McCain campaign wants to "change the subject", and get away from the one topic that bears weight on every single person in this country. Rich, poor (less rich than poor obviously), gay, straight, gun owner, Prius driver, CEO of Lehman Brothers or Exxon, home owner, apartment renter, proprietor of the local hardware store - we all have a stake in the state of the economy. So why does the McCain campaign want to get away from the topic? Does Johnny Boy not have a plan or framework to help get the economy back on track? Does Maverick not have a track record of voting on economic bills or supporting positive economic initiatives to be proud of, tout, or cite?

As in a football game or political campaign - or any competition really - you accentuate your strengths, and try to mask your weaknesses. The fact that McCain wants to leave this subject behind speaks volumes to me. Right now, the economy is in the most dire straits of my lifetime, and frankly is the single most important topic of debate between Obama & McCain. If McCain is trying to shift the focus away from the economy, that doesn't make a good impression on me, nor should it on other voters. What's more, McCain is now going to "take the gloves off", and start questioning Obama's experience (again), his readiness to lead? If these are the focii of the McCain campaign, and if you believe that competitors play to their strengths, then John McCain's strength is bullying, and questioning his opponent's experience & fitness to lead. And this makes McCain a more viable candidate? This begs the question: Does John McCain have nothing better to run on? Apparently not.

I'd also like to point out that the statements made by the Republican's latest ad against Obama are quite misleading. This is nothing new in political campaigns: each side probes for chinks in the other's armor, or looks for loopholes to exploit (kinda like holes in the tax code for big businesses & mega-wealthy). When an independent fact-checker calls the ball on the validity of claims made in McCain's ad, it should make you think. Trying to be objective, McCain isn't lying about Obama's voting record exactly, he's just omitting a very important fact or two. If you know me, and if you've read my past blog entries, you'll know that honesty is very important to me, and in that vein, omission of fact can be just as bad as out & out lying in my book. Subjectively, McCain is lying. I cannot fucking stand liars, and as someone that tends to resent bullies, I dislike McCain even more than I did yesterday.

As someone who enjoys a good debate, enjoys studies of strategy & tactics, I also have to question the wisdom of McCain going back on the offensive & attacking Obama's experience, and readiness to lead. Need I point out the fact that McCain is running w/Sarah Palin? Her political experience consists of being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska for six years, and being governor of that state since 2006. If McCain keels over, she assumes the title of POTUS. During a recent interview, she had to be provided a definition of the Bush Doctrine by the interviewer. And McCain questions Obama's lack of foreign policy experience? I'm not even gonna get into this, the target is waaaay too easy, and there are too many points to make, my brain is overwhelmed w/the possibilities.

Well, my brain is drained. It was a long week at work. The declination of the bailout plan on Monday (and the subsequent 777 point drop in the stock market), the approval of the revamped bailout yesterday, and the bullshit political wrangling by McCain has resulted in total energy suckage. I can only hope that those Americans of legal voting age have registered to vote. Those that are undecided, or "swing voters", I hope you research both candidates thoroughly, and choose carefully. I hope that the Obama supporters come out en force on election day, and do what we can until then to support our candidate of choice. And I hope that we as a country don't elect John McCain, and rue the decision made on November 4 for another four years, if not longer...