"To my ear, it sounds ..."

Tin ears, Greg.

This sounds like Al Gore, reading his talking points out loud, sharing exciting details on his invention of the Internet.

"It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."

Obama to America: You're all ignorant and I'm going to school all you idiots".

That's a sure winner!

Who knows how much this will matter in the long run, but it's certainly a striking difference from four years ago.

I am sure that this cannot be right. Both Loki and Qwerty have assured me that Obama is blowing it daily and is presently plummeting to a disasterous end. You do not mean to imply that they are wrong in their expressions of concern, do you? Perish the mere thought...

Nothing elitist about checking your tire pressure to get better gas mileage.

It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."

Finally...calling McCain and his liars out for what they are.

They're being ignorant because they are relying on the American public to be ignorant.

I don't it's going to work any more. Its interesting that they already think they have no other choice but to sink that low.

Ignorant liars. So true. I love to hear it.

One point about the ridicule--the real critical objective of Republican ridicule is to get it injected into Leno's monologue, prefereably as a running gag. Hitting the Leno-Letterman-O'Brien trifecta is, of course, the dream, but Leno is the cake, the others are just icing.

They want it in the MSM, but the MSM is just the vector. If the MSM doesn't pick it up and run with it, the late night guys won't touch it, because if its not in MSM no one will know what they're joking about. But once you get the Leno and the other guys making fun of you every night, your campaign is toast.

I think it has to do with a couple of things, besides the obvious point that Obama knows how to react to them.

First, Republicans have been able to get away with calorie-free campaigning for so long, their skill at doing it has atrophied. Hell, I thought the whole Kerry wind surfing thing in '04 was pretty juvenile, even though it worked better than I thought it would.

But the guys running GOP campaigns (especially McCain's) have become so insular and accustomed to crappy negative ads working, they seem to think that whatever makes them laugh will make a good negative ad. I doubt they even run their stuff by focus groups any more. That's why we're getting sheer tripe like the Britney ad, the Moses ad and the tire gauge gimmick.

And even though I keep hearing that Rove is involved in McCain's campaign, I really don't see it. either he's letting the acolytes run with these horrible ads, or if he is running things, he's completely lost whatever touch he ever had.

And the other reason this crap is less effective is that people are finally sick of it. I think that voters realize that this election is too important to be fucking around with tire gauges and dopey Britney Spears jokes.

I think the celebrity punch landed because they went back to it too often so it must have polled well.

I also expect this to be used against him. I wonder what code word they'll use this time as "presumptuous" wont fit. Maybe "arrogant" for the tone he took. how did the Clinton Camp respond to Obama's "Annie Oakley" bit? Because that will likely be McCain's response.

It's not the message, but the tone. Certain good ol' boys are not going to like his tone. Of course McCain is probably fuming himself.

I love that Republicans like Pawlenty are calling NASCAR elitist for its consumer advice!

http://www.nascar.com/2006/auto/07/25/tires/

Savvy consumers are seeking to increase fuel economy and the life of their tires by paying more attention to those rubber objects that are attached to their vehicle.

Energy, it is the thing that makes me believe the polls, MSM and GOPers just dont refelct the trouble McNero is in. Every campaign stop Obama bathes in energy, Dem registrations on the rise in all but 3 states, and McNero's crowds look well bored and that is being nice. The lack of energy makes me truly wonder whether republicans will turn out as they did for Bush in Ohio over gay marriage etc I jsut dont see it and for some reason that dynamic is buried under all the MSM's complete BS. Maybe this is why Obama isnt panicking at the whacky polls....

Obama is CORRECT on what he is saying about the Tire-Gauges. Time magazine addresses it.

THE TIRE GAUGE SOLUTION: NO JOKE

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1829354,00.html

CNN just show a Obama response ad to McCain "Maverick" ad. It hits him hard.

finally!

Finally, Barack is going after Mr. MaGoo hard.

The AP-IPOS National Poll with Obama leading is the Headline news on MSNBC.COM

"It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant."
That is going to backfire. They're going to twist it into him calling all Republicans ignorant.
Many of them are ignorant a lot of the time, but you CAN'T say it. As the past has proven, elections are about connecting with people, and "ignorant" doesn't do it. Obama gets in trouble for telling the truth again.

I just saw Obama's RESPONSE ad to McCain's "Original Maverick" ad.

It hits him pretty HARD.

I wish that we could put that Obama response ad up for everybody to see!!!

One thing of this statement that Obama can take as a recurrent theme is related to efficiency and common sense in public policy. It's no secret that the GOP constantly dismiss logic and rationality in order to impose its agenda (Climate change is a perfect example). Obama can use this to impulse his reforms of government, who is broken to the core.

I love the tone and the fact that he's meant what he said. Or course some people is going to be offended, but I think that many republicans will share the same idea that Obama said, so I expect some anger, but not every republican will be offended. Obama prove today that he's in control of the agenda again and that he can attack in his own terms and ways.

For me, I can't wait the response of Limbaugh or Hannity or O'Reilly the other extreme conservative talkheads. This guys are going to squeal more than a truck full of pigs.

GOP: Ignorance is bliss

Damn. Wasn't it just last week when a lot of folks here were lamenting Obama's lack of fight?

Well, y'all got what you wanted, and now you're afraid the 'tone is wrong' or 'it's going to backfire?'

Fainting couch - that way. Go lie down, for cryin' out loud.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is, "I have no problem with ignorant people, it is those who are proud of it..."

So why is everyone so sure this is ineffective?

McCain can offer his wife for nude beauty contests, and STILL is now ahead in TWO polls according to TPM main page.

What am I missing that's making you guys so optimistic?

i predict, the Buchanans, the McLaughlins, and all the GOP trolls in the MSM will start calling Obama's response "angry" and "arrogant".

Only the GOP are allowed to have a mocking tone you know?

Once Obama starts meeting with a bipartisan panel on energy, or talking with foreign leaders, or visiting our troops in Iraq, Obama is being elitist--->presumptuous--->arrogant--->uppity

I generally try to ignore fogu, but I can't resist this because I'm in such a good mood - Mr.Tena is coming out on Saturday and I can't wait to see him. I'm in love with my husband -difficult son of a bitch that he is. :)

See - I'm not a 3 time loser, I'm a 3 time winner.

I traded up every time.

I've been married to Mr.Tena for almost 25 years now - LOL! - so gage for yourself what kind of loser I am.

There is something incredibly powerful in that Obama vignette.

This point in time will not be ignored. He took stupidity and mockery and he flipped it back on them. The delivery of his point, "they take pride in being ignorant" was so artful, so well done.

That one is going to stick, and it is going to really, really stick.

Obama is a master.

This one from Obama was a real winner .... what a lot of us were waiting for. He finally got really tough, but in a fair way. The McCain crew will be burning the midnight oil trying to figure out how best to counteract this powerful punch.
Way to go Obama!

Another thing. The Repug machine has for forty years crafted a winning strategy out of, amongst other things, playing to forceful ignorance. This country has been enthusiastically invited, coerced even, to celebrate simplemindedness and stupidity with an openly vicious sneer at anything and everything which even hinted at the possible, at the potential in everyone for transcendence. Think of Obama's speech to those kids where he told them to forget about playing pro ball; this is of a piece with his larger message of accessing, building, and building on the character of Americans. At key points in this country's history certain folks have taken the bull by the horns and wrestled with America's tendency to wallow in ignorance; this is definitely one of those times, and I think Senator Obama has declared himself one of those folks. Once again, he's showing how clearly he sees that this is NOT just another election.

From ABC News blog:

"Too bad Democrats are intelligent and mature, otherwise they could send the press corp “First Ladies Gone Wild” bumper stickers…."

GREAT IDEA!!! CAN WE ORGANIZE THIS?

I just saw the entire clip on CNN.
It works even better on TV.
In a related issue: Mark Halperin, you suck!

Where the hell is the video of Obama's response ad to McCain "original maverick" commercial?

GOP: Ignorance is bliss

OBAMA VINDICATED!!!!

Jake Tapper at ABCNews investigated!

Politifact Finds Obama's Tire-Inflation ClaimTrue

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/politifact-find.html?cid=125393142#comment-125393142

Obama lectured Americans to learn a second language so they could speak French or German when visiting Europe. In his European speeches, Barack the hypocrite did not use a single German or French word -- not even "danke" or "merci."

From The Page:

McCain displays his normal “discipline” at a Tuesday tele-town meeting, undermining days of (questionable, desperate, and — apparently — effective) attacks by his campaign and the whole Republican Party on Obama’s call for tire inflation to save fuel.

McCain: “And could I mention that Senator Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it.”

It's official: McCain flip-flopped! Again!

GOP: Ignorance is bliss

PD: I know that is kind of ironic that I taking the quote from the site of the person that I previously said he sucked, but, you know...

Elitism.

Elitism? I don't know. When I think of an elitist, I picture a guy who makes fun of something that's just common knowledge to most NASCAR fans and motorheads, and is too out of touch to realize it. Or maybe a guy who owns seven homes and is married to a beer heiress.

Obama's has an air of condescending superiority that suggest that he knows better than the average American and he will tell us how we should be living in his regime.

I suppose it seems that way to a guy who's being crushed under the weight of his own intense feelings of inferiority. That must be awful going through life thinking that everyone is talking down to you.

Do you find it disconcerting that your eloquent know-it-all candidate is, at best, even in the polls with a guy who graduated 5th from the bottom, as you say.

You may inform yourself of the reality here.

You should also check out this insitefull peice of analysis, "Races can be close without being all that fluid, and the fact that McCain rarely drops more than five points behind Obama may be precisely the thing that keeps his campaign from taking the kind of gambles - like, say, a one-term pledge - that he needs to get to fifty percent, or to 270."

I think the chicken crossed the wrong road. I sincerely wonder who he supported since he hasn't admitted to supporting anyone yet. Unless I missed that of course.

My guess is Ron Paul but if someone else knows please inform me so I can prepare for the comments which are sure to come.

Finally love the Obama response about the inflated tires. I've been debating an idiot on facebook on this matter and hearing the news about it helping more than Offshore Drilling is simply rich.

FYI chickenhead,

Conservative pundits have been deriding the 'Celebrity' ad that tries to equate him with being an airhead. So it's obviously not working. I just read Buchanan's column yesterday where he calls the ad being 'too much of a stretch' to be believable.

Incidentally, he also called Obama's foreign trip an unequivocal success.

I like how the site attempts often to be somewhat rational, even going after Dems that stray as well (like Rep. William Jefferson's hiding of money in the freezer)

Yeah, cause Kos never did anything like that.

Or went after Democrats who take stupid positions.

Nope. Never.

Next straw man, please.

I think SpaceCat nailed it at the top (and it's not just because of the cat) with this:

"McCain's "high" last week was just like a crackhead's first hit: Potent at first, but quickly delivering diminishing returns, turning said crackhead into a mere shell."

Expect more "highs" but even more"lows" as the inane comments fail to register. And the goofy laugh and creepy grin. Keep it comin!

I think the tire gauge thing won't work either. I mean, the whole idea is to paint an elitist picture, like "Kerry the windsurfing Frenchman."

Making Obama look like a mechanic (or at least a tire tech) can only help.

I think THAT is one of the strongest arguments: the McCain campaign is all over the place:

-- Obama's a Harvard elitist looking down on the "common people" (gun owners and all) and popular with west coast elites

-- Now suddenly he's an empty headed Paris Hilton celebrity. That's tough for a Harvard elitist.

-- Now suddenly he knows about practical stuff like tires and that's such an "non abstract, non strategic and non comprehensive" energy plan. Again very tough to say about someone you have just been naming a "Harvard elitist" all the time.

So what is he ? From a few ads, we can now see at least, three, conflicting images of Obama. That's confusing messaging to me.

Maybe the Dems can label the tire pressure gauges as sex toys in disguise and claim that McCain is ruining the morals of the nation. That ought to sway the stupid and willfully ignorant (sorry, 'low information') voter.

Their plan is working to perfection. Talk about anything except the issues and the failures of the Republican Party. Because this is their only chance of winning. Don't look over here - look over there. They are getting wholesale support from the corporate media, as usual, and this makes it a very successful strategy for the McCain campaign. If this distraction was duly noted by the media, it would make it less effective. It makes it very difficult for the Obama campaign to talk about the issues that are important to the American people. Primaily the disastrous Bush and Republican policies of the last eight years. Now, can you guess which shell the bean is under ??