Bad Guys

Everybody knows that those who do attack ads are bad people, so the Democrats are attacking McCain for his attacks on Barack.

Knowing the Obamafia

It would be a shame if, after two years of intense campaigning, November 4 arrived without voters knowing the essential details of Barack's background. The degree to which it hasn't been exposed is really bizarre.

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.

I don't know why the sort of orchestrated campaign from 527's that was waged against John Kerry hasn't happened in this race, but Barack is dramatically more vulnerable than Kerry was - and it defeated Kerry.

"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.

This is what must happen - but it remains unexplained why the campaign has to do it itself. It's much better if the 527's do the attacking and the campaign has the ability to stay on policy issues.

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. appears to be off limits after McCain condemned the North Carolina Republican Party in April for an ad that linked Obama to his former pastor, saying, "Unfortunately, all I can do is, in as visible a way as possible, disassociate myself from that kind of campaigning."

I remain convinced that no one could get elected president carrying the burden of public awareness of relationships like the ones Barack used to get power. But there can't be an informed electorate if no one speaks up! Someone has to spread the word.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's performance at Thursday night's debate embodied the new approach, as she used every opportunity to question Obama's honesty and fitness to serve as president. At one point she said, "Barack Obama voted against funding troops [in Iraq] after promising that he would not do so."

Palin kept up the attack yesterday, saying in an interview on Fox News that Obama is "reckless" and that some of what he has said, "in my world, disqualifies someone from consideration as the next commander in chief."

Now that Sarah has returned to the form that made her the most popular political figure in the country, the campaign will get the fire going again, and will get the word out.

The Age Card

Suggesting that McCain is too old to be president, a new TV advertisement tries to scare voters away from him because of his bouts with Melanoma.

‘‘John McCain is 72 years old and had cancer 4 times,’’ the ad’s text says over a black-and-white image of McCain with the left side of his face bandaged after surgery in 2000. ‘‘Why won’t McCain release his medical records?’’

The ad is being produced and run only on a liberal news network - by two liberal groups.

The 30-second ad, so far airing for $50,000 only on MSNBC, is paid for by Brave New PAC and Democracy for America, a political group headed by James Dean, the brother of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

Attacking, Positively

Obama's on the low-road. But he's doing it low profile.

Mr. Obama has begun the drive with little fanfare, often eschewing the modern campaign technique of unveiling new spots for the news media before they run in an effort to win added (free) attention. Mr. Obama, whose candidacy has been built in part on a promise to transcend traditional politics, is running the negative commercials on local stations even as he runs generally positive spots nationally, during prime-time coverage of the Olympics.

When you're running a bait and switch, fooling the eye is critical.

The negative spots reflect the sharper tone Mr. Obama has struck in recent days on the stump as he heads into his party’s nominating convention in Denver next week, and seem to address the anxiety among some Democrats that Mr. Obama has not answered a volley of attacks by Mr. McCain with enough force.

Would the Savior Barack really do such a thing?

“If you can go quietly negative, that’s what he’s done; I think the perception is that he’s still running the positive campaign,” said Evan Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group of TNS Media Intelligence, which monitors political advertising. “It’s a pretty smart, high-low, good cop/bad cop strategy.”

How can he keep it below the radar?

In Philadelphia; East Lansing, Mich.; Green Bay, Wis.; and at least five other major cities, Mr. Obama is heavily showing an advertisement contrasting a statement by Mr. McCain that “we have had a pretty good, prosperous time with low unemployment,” with appearances by people making statements like, “The prices of gas are up; the prices of milk are up.”

Barack's Celebrity Attack

“For decades, he’s been Washington’s biggest celebrity. John McCain,” the new Obama ad says as McCain hugs Bush. “And as Washington embraced him, John McCain hugged right back.”



Barack's new attack ad answers McCain's celebrity theme by calling McCain a Washington celebrity, and linking that celebrity to business as usual. Effective?

Barack's Oil(y) Ad

Here's Barack's new ad that attacks McCain for having accepted donations from Big Oil. It fails to mention that Barack has, too. New Kinda Politics, eh?

Barack Uses the Shield

Barack employs "The Shield" in a new TV commercial defending himself against McCain attacks. It's a high road tactic that softly accuses, with disappointment, the opponent of using the low-road. It gives a Barack a chance to resurrect the "old politics" accusation. Running against McCain, Barack likes to be saying the word "old" as often as possible.