Punch, Counterpunch: Obama Has the Upper Hand Over McCain in the Rapid Response War
The two presidential campaigns are entering rapid-response mode. Most recently Sen. Barack Obama lashed out at John McCain's economic adviser, former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, for saying Americans are in a "mental recession."
McCain operatives did lash out at Gen. Wesley Clark's comments on CBS' Face the Nation last week denigrating McCain's POW experience (Clark said that it failed to qualify McCain to be president) . As a result, Clark's days as an Obama surrogate are apparently over.
But behind the scenes McCain supporters are frustrated over what they see as Sen. Obama's attempt to have it both ways. They see Obama trying to convince the public he's running a "cleaner than thou" campaign, while using operatives and surrogates to criticize McCain overtly or covertly. Then Obama slams his own people for engaging in sleazy tactics.
Case in point: It didn't get much press when Bill Clinton a few days ago made a disparaging point about former POWs aimed pretty clearly at Republican presumptive nominee McCain, as recounted by The Atlantic ' s Jeffrey Goldberg:
Bill Clinton is speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, and he said just now, apropos of almost nothing (actually, during a long peroration on Nelson Mandela): "Every living soul on this planet has some highly-justified anger. Everyone. If you know anybody who was a POW for any time, they can be going on for years and all of a sudden something will happen that will trigger all those bad memories."
Is Clinton now acting as an Obama surrogate? Stranger things have happened.
One close friend to and long time political ally of McCain expressed frustration to me about the McCain campaign's decision to avoid firing back at Clinton for those remarks. Why the lack of response? The campaign decided to "stay on message."
Bill Clinton's now-infamous War Room and George W. Bush's savvy rapid response team are proof that quick, deft, take-out strikes to counter nasty comments by surrogates are a critical element of a successful presidential run. John Kerry's campaign stands as equally powerful proof that failure to strike back (as in the Swift Boat attacks) can doom a candidate.
In the current rapid response war, Obama seems to have the upper hand. But if it is proved that he or his top advisers encourage camouflaged strikes at McCain and then feign disapproval, Obama stands to destroy his very carefully constructed squeaky-clean image.
Tags: presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama | Bill Clinton | John McCain | Phil Gramm
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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
THAT OBAMA HAVE OBAMA HAVE UPPER HAND OVER JOHN AND I HOPE HE WILL BE THE WINNER TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF USA
Rapid Response
Rapid Response is a defensive tactic. One thathelps consoldate gains previously made. Phil Graham simply stated the fundamental belief of his elite constituancy that Poor Folk don't count. And they don't count for much in his mind... but they certainly do count at the polls. OBAMA's next objective should be to bring into the publics mind the connection of the Bush family to the extreme far right, which goes back to Grampa Bush's financial support of Nazi Germany... a crime for which Roosevely punished him. That monied part of the Bush family has been organizing the take over of the US Gov't eversince. Once those connections are understood there is little likelyhood that any Republican or Demorcrat would not heed the call to CHANGE in big way. That call, simply stated, is to save democracy. That's really the issue of our time... and the forces that Bush has alligned are formidable... but they have underestimated the power of those Poor Folk, and the time to act is NOW !!!
MC-CAIN’S EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
MC-CAIN’S EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
Considering his:
• Sacrifice of American Wealth and Blood for the Sole Benefit of Israel
• Amnesty for Illegal Mexicans Aliens Usurping Jobs and Services
• Outsourcing of Jobs and Technology to China
• Early Release from Captivity for Military Secrets
• McCain-Feingold Legislation Suppressing Freedom of Speech
• McCain-Leiberman Control Gun Legislation
• Slander and Ridicule of Huckabee, Romney, and Ron Paul
• Roberts and Falwell, “agents of intolerance”
• Roe vs. Wade Sacrificial Killing of Children
• To “occupy Iraq for 100 years”, “bomb Iran”, and “just keep Afghanistan”.
• Veto of Bush Tax Cuts
• Keating Five Crooks
• Unsolved Recession and Inflation Problem
• Unsolved Heath Care Problem
• Unsolved Social Security Problem
• Long Scandalous, Contentious, and Non-Productive Political Career
Can such an incompetent and dishonest politician; and such a pretentious Christian and patriot, insanely dishonoring Christian culture and Constitution rule, ever be trusted to cherish, honor, and serve the American People?
With Leiberman Neo-Liberal Princess Hillary burnt at the stake by the victorious Kennedy Liberals, shall the Reagan Conservatives give this notorious Podhoretz Neo-Conservative puppet, Insane McCain, a date with presidency, or a date with the Republican firing squad?
Google: Mearsheimer Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy; Stricherz “Why the Democrats are Blue”; Wall Street Journal “McCain-Feingold”; “Keating Five Fraud”; Human Events “Ron Paul Interview”; Who Would the World Elect; McClelland "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception”; McCain Keating Five; Abramoff Israel McCain.
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