Good to see you guys getting props for your work.

And nice to see the media actually doing some work.

Good - now will someone who gets to interview McCain in the next week please ask him directly:

Senator, in 2000 the Bush campaign smeared your family with despicable lies. You were outraged and disgusted by the slime, as were many others. But you then went and hired the very same people who smeared your family to work for your campaign. Senator, what kind of man would do that? You hired the same people who smeared your children. What does that say about YOUR character?

The ad is terribly misleading, in that it equates Obama's "work" with Ayers with its statements about Ayers' "domestic terrorism" of 40 years ago.

Very significant in the Post article is the statement that the GOP intends to deploy "hundreds" of different Robocalls in the next two weeks. This, of course, suggests a Rovian microtargeting strategy.

Nevertheless, it also suggests the degree of desperation, which is clearly reaching scorched earth levels. I think there is only so much they can move the base, and even those who are on the tipping point, with such techniques.

And, if you've heard them, the style is crass, simplistic, and in many ways offensive in their method of influence even for many Repubs.

Though often, for some, there's no such thing as too crass and obvious.

Especially TheraP. God...

Senator Susan Collins in Maine asked McCain to stop the robo-calls (she's in a really tough race), but so far there hasn't been any agreement to do so from the McCain campaign. Has anyone heard otherwise?

Methinks we got under your skin a bit, Bob.

Glad to see you haven't dumped ACT III, Scene 74 of your opus on us, yet.

Shadow campaigns have been waged for decades by the GOP evangelical base. The ways have changed with new technology. Unfortunately for them, it's that marvelous technology that is now exposing their filthy tactics. And media that is finally willing to raise the exposure to the masses.

Between this and the stories on voter suppression, registration purges and voting machines that are misregistering votes already, Americans are beginning to see what brought us to our great misadventure with the GOP in charge of the country.

These days, I keep thinking of all those comments about 'a permanent minority party'. I get an image of a pygmy elephant.

BTW, there's a good post from the Atlantic on the effectiveness of Robocalling--a Yale study, cited by Ambinder (who leans right, so take with a grain of salt):

Political scientists and consultants say that taped-voice telephone calls are among the least effective methods of voter persuasion.

Privately, Republican consultants liken that the RNC's massive robocall effort this week to a ball and string toy -- it gives vendors something to do and activists something to think about.

Alan Gerber and Donald Green, Yale profs who study turnout, have written that robocalls "might help you to stretch your resources in ways that allow you to contact the maximum number of people, but don't expect to move them very much, if at all."

Generic robocalls -- those not targeted at specific constituencies -- are worse.

There's an exception. When the calls reinforce a message that a candidate is carrying, then they're not always a bad investment.

But the national McCain campaign is only weakly invested in anti-Obama message on William Ayers and Obama's "terrorist" connections.

If the study is accurate--if--it's hard to see the message that McCain is "carrying" that is being effectively reinforced here--altho' that may not be true for the hundreds of others cited in the Post article.

Any bets on whether McCain follows through on his promise to have Palin appear on the Letterman show before the election?

If you think that is bad, look what they are sendig to us republicans. I am so disgusted. I went around in 2000 getting McCain on the Ballot in my state but when he hired the Rovian Wrecking Crew to run his 2008 campaign I said enough. Then to appeal to us "women" (Air quotes) he chose Palin....urgh I get these every other day and it makes me furious!! I also got a letter in the mail from Palin, begging for money. As if...

Dear ,

We're now less than three weeks away from the most important election in a generation.

Three weeks to help John McCain, Sarah Palin, and our Republican candidates running for office across the country get their principled, conservative message past the liberal mainstream media filter and directly to the American people.

Three weeks to show that responsible Republican policies of cutting taxes and reining in out-of-control pork-barrel spending are what our economy needs to spur growth and create jobs, not huge Obama-Biden Democrat tax hikes, protectionism, and wasteful expenditures.

Just three weeks to communicate the facts about our opponents that the liberal media won't: Barack Obama's troubling past and close ties to leftist radicals like Bill Ayers and convicted criminals like Tony Rezko.

Time is running short, and we have a lot of work to do. It is up to our Party to show America that John McCain and Republican candidates have the right policies -- and the right kind of character -- to lead our country in these troubled times.

We need your help, .

To have the resources necessary to run thousands of hours of television ads and fund the all-important get-out-the-vote push in battleground states across America, RNC Victory 2008 must raise $50 million in the next three weeks.

That's why I'm asking you to make a secure online campaign contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today. Your gift could be the difference in reaching enough voters with the truth about our opponents' lack of sensible economic policies and appropriate character to govern.

Remember, the elections of 2000 and 2004 were decided by very small margins, and this year's election will be no different. And this time, liberal special interests are spending over $1 billion to make sure their Democrat allies emerge victorious.

Help defeat the Obama-Biden Democrats and their leftist allies -- and prevent a complete left-wing takeover of American government.

Please make a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $35 today to help RNC Victory 2008 counter the Obama-Biden campaign's misleading rhetoric and elect Republicans up and down the ticket in November.

Best Wishes,

Robert M. "Mike" Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. we need your help to expose the Obama-Biden Democrats' disastrous, radical plans for America. We only have three weeks left until Election Day -- help us make sure we can get the word out about what our nation faces by making a secure online campaign contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $100, $50, or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today.

Dear,

From Ohio and Florida to Wisconsin and Nevada, there are reports of fraudulent voter registration forms being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a liberal group that is dedicating its resources to electing the Obama-Biden Democrats.

Now, the FBI is investigating whether ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation. They already are being investigated in 13 states for their fraudulent actions.

Barack Obama has a long history of working with ACORN. The Obama-Biden campaign has funneled more than $800,000 to ACORN and its friends for work on get-out-the-vote activities.

Theresa , we must fight back against attempts by Democrats at vote fraud and ensure the integrity of our democracy. Please join our effort to keep our elections clean and fair by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today.

The Democrats have proven they will do and say whatever it takes to win this election. This isn't the first time they've tried to inflate voter rolls with false names and take money from questionable sources -- and it won't be the last.

But this time we are ready for the liberals' deceitful tactics. We will not stand for the stealing of elections -- the tainting of our democracy -- by those who wish to subvert the rule of law.

Your secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 will support Republicans committed to building a safer, more prosperous America and help hold the Democrats and their left-wing allies accountable for their actions.

, voting is one of our nation's most sacred rights. Do your part to protect the integrity of our elections -- support RNC Victory 2008 today. Thank you.

Best Wishes,

Robert M. "Mike" Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. , the outcome of the 2008 election is too important to the future of our country to be conducted unfairly. Please help us fight back against vote fraud and elect Republicans committed to the rule of law by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today. Thank you

Dear Supporter,

On Wednesday, you saw John McCain win the final debate of the general election. On every issue, he proved he is ready to lead and ready to take this country in a new direction.

We know that John McCain is prepared to bring bold solutions to solve our nation's challenges. He'll fight for the "Joe the Plumbers," "Joe the Florists" and "Joe the Carpenters" of America to reduce taxes and allow more men and women to realize the American Dream. John McCain is the only candidate who has consistently put our country's needs above his own. Now, it's up to us now to make sure he wins on Election Day.

There's been a lot of talk in the media about the massive field operation Senator Obama has built with unlimited campaign funds. Our campaign is ready to match his operation, but we need you on board to do it.

As we enter the final weeks of the campaign, we're launching our major volunteer effort to elect John McCain and Sarah Palin. As a volunteer in your home state, you will be making a big difference in bringing the McCain-Palin ticket closer to victory.

Please follow this link to sign up for a volunteer shift. No matter what your schedule is, we have available shifts for each day leading up to November 4th. As a volunteer for our campaign, you will be provided with training, so no prior experience is needed.

There is a lot at stake in this election. As a volunteer for McCain-Palin, you can make a big impact in closing the gap in the polls and electing John McCain and Sarah Palin as our next president and vice president. Please follow this link to get involved today. Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,
Christian Ferry
Deputy Campaign Manager, McCain-Palin 2008

P.S. In addition to volunteering for our campaign, I'm asking you to visit the new website, www.RhetoricVsRecord.com. This site outlines the big differences between what Senator Obama says and what he does. Please take a few minutes to read through the site and pass it along to a few of your friends. Thank you.

This is in the last three days!!! Can you smell the fear and desperation?

This White, Catholic, Stay at home Mom, Republican, anti-abortion, reared in rural Western Pennsylvania is voting for the only smart choice. Obama-Biden.

Garrison Keillor's take on this campaign...

The campaign against him [Obama] is not one that anybody will point to with pride in years to come.  It is a long trail of honking and flapping and traces of green slime, as if a flock of geese had taken up residence in the front yard.

Great job, yet again, Greg.

The MSM can't avoid this any longer. It's too juicy, and dare I say, newsworthy.

Yikes. CNN doing news. What's next, Hewson responding to posts?

The times, they are a-changin'.

It's such a waste of bandwidth--TPM has really changed--so much ad hominem. Stay focused on the issues, and ignore the trolls.

This is from Taegan Goddard--on the Robocall study.
Very encouraging--bottom line: Robocalls and Direct Mail generally ineffective, direct canvassing effective:

The revised edition of Get Out The Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout by Yale political science professors Donald Green and Alan Gerber concludes that using direct mail and robocalls for GOTV purposes are generally ineffective.

"Direct mail is expensive, and its capacity to mobilize voters is typically rather limited." As for robocalls, the authors say they "might help you to stretch your resources in ways that allow you to contact the maximum number of people, but don't expect to move them very much, if at all."

What works? Door-to-door canvassing is by far the most effective form of getting voters to the polls. There is also some evidence that newspaper ads might be effective.

If you work on campaigns, this book is a must-read.

BTW, in addition to the two-track campaign described here and elsewhere, there's also the little issue of state law--the Robocalls may be in violation of State Law

From the HuffPo:

Several readers in Minnesota also reported receiving the call, which could be a violation of that state's laws. Explains Shaun Dakin, CEO & Founder of the National Political Do Not Contact Registry:

"Most robocalls are supposed to have two things, "paid for by X" and a phone number of the group making the call. Most do that. Now, that being said, there are some states that have their own robocall laws and they are much stricter. Minnesota pretty much bans robocalls entirely unless they are introduced by a human voice. And that pretty much never happens because it defeats the point."

If you receive these calls and they lack the above baseline requirements, worth at the very least contacting the NPDNC.

And this is how solidify Democratic self-identification in future voters. I tend to be fiscally conservative but I will never ever pull the lever for a GOP candidate at any level. They are the party of hate, division, and bigotry.

If the McCain campaign is resorting to these types of slimey tactics, then they've lost this campaign. What they don't realize is that they are also ruining their brand in the long-term.

Hm....let's see.

Next, the BBC weighs in, with a reasonably good if off-kilter observation from their normally highly astute org:

There is something slightly sinister about John McCain's latest method of campaigning. It is well worth listening to the "robo-calls" here.

The messages are nothing like as aggressive as some we have heard in the past (and were used against Mr McCain himself by George W Bush in 2000) but telephone campaigning is a bit like email flirting (I am told!) - there is a sense of being able to get away with more than you would in face to face contact...

The analogy, if understating the reality, similar to the Times use of "misleading", does speak to exactly the dual-track campaigning discussed above, as well as a bit of motive--a good touch.

This is a bipolar campaign. Say one thing - do another. It's a disgrace. And yet, so many of the people I work with are buying it. Of course, they don't dig enough to learn. They listen to the dog whistles, and then

sit, Boo Boo, sit

The inestimable Rachel Maddow was all over last night, too.

OT, Sarah Palin suffers a defeat as Beluga Whales are placed on the endangered species list.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/18/us/18beluga.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

What's also quite remarkable is the lack of humility, in someone who claims the characteristic as a guiding moral principle.

Of course, suspicion, isolation, dividing communities into the "for us or against us", using crude labels having nothing to do with the reality of human thought or content--these have nothing to do with humility.

They're defensive.

Pathological.

About McCain and Palin, I mean.

I got a robo phony push-poll McCain call here in Oregon this afternoon. I don't know how other people react but it just pissed me off. If my own side were doing it, it would piss me off too. I think these things have to backfire.

Ugh! CNN calls the robocall about killing babies a challenge to Obama's position on abortion... jeezus'!!!
TPM has been on the record quite a bit recently! Kudos the the TPM team!

Stop the HATETRIOTS!

Patrick Henry = Patriot

Sarah Palin = Hateriot

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote

That is it.

Now, if the ballots are taken, and the votes later disqualified during counting, that's bad too, of course, but it does not have the same implications as stopping people at the polls.

BTW - You can report the robocalls on the Obama website - "Fight the Smears":

www.fightthesmears.com/report

Can anybody really express how good it will be to see the backs of those GOP monsters as they leave Washington, and State capitals, too? Nope, they can't, as a matter of fact. I think I have detected a definite trend; people have a hard time conceiving of an American government, more specifically an Executive, which does try to govern within the law, and for the benefit of the country. People suggest all the time that Obama may do things which could only be accomplished through the same malfeasance and mendacity as Bush commonly used. Of course, they posit that Obama would choose different victims, but the idea that the type of things Bush/Cheney did would be completely out of the question for any administration which tried to operate within legal guidelines never seems to register. They seem to think the US government can't operate legally. It's disheartening.

Um, TPM, maybe you could see about reminding these guys (the media) that they haven't mentioned a NUMBER of unseemly things about the McCain camp lately, and WHY THE HELL IS THAT?

"UnAmericanism" = Palin's secessionist group tied to militias and racists in Alaska??

= Palin's witchhunting pastor?

= Palin's "end of days" prophetic church?

= McCain's association with Haggee?

= McCain's association with Liddy?

= McCain's Keating Five days?

In the last day or two, I've heard Matthews et al talk to the right and not mention ANY of the above. WHY IS THAT?

KeegsMom, If the American people were fully apprised of McCain's failings and faults, Obama's victory would seem not so great, considering the cranky old corrupt fool he beat.
Obama let McCain, out of consideration for an old man's feelings, retain possesion of his myths about himself. And Obama will still beat the pants offa him. Sorta shows what those myths are worth. And if Obama doesn't attack them, then McCain doesn't get to put up a defense, either. Maybe Obama felt McCain's defense of his myths might do McCain more good than the myths themselves. That is often the way.

Can Colin Powell go back in time and un-say his UN speech on Iraq's WMD? If he could, his endorsement might mean something. I hope he endorses Obama, tho.

You know, it just occurred to me. It's been what, six years, and not one of the things (WMDs) Powell mentioned at his UN speech has had any part in the war. Not one.

We will know when MCcain is getting short on money.... the robocalls will start offering credit card protection in addition to sliming Obama

Coleman followed Collins.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Two_GOP_senators_express_displeasure_in_McCainRNC_robocalls.html

bigga: "Am i the only one to notice that the calls and smears seem to be working? Obama's edge has gone down in the tracking polls by one point each day of the last five in a row."
------------------
Not so sure it's the slime and robocalls that is causing the tightening. They are only in certain states -- and a general, across the board tightening was predicted in any event. I think it's more the swing of pro-Obama movement followed by "do we really want to?" questioning that you saw all through the primary. Someone writing to Andrew Sullivan (Daily Dish) described it as being like someone trying to make themselves jump off a high diving board -- go out to the end, retreat, go out again a little further, retreat again, and so on. That reader had faith that, in the end, the voters would gather up courage and jump, and that happened in the primaries. I think it's the same thing going on here. Voting for a black man, voting for someone who is different (if only in that he's smarter than most of the leaders we're used to), voting for someone who is new and unfamiliar .... all that is a bit frightening, but they really *want* to. I'd posted earlier, before all this current slime began, "how close is it going to get?" (so I could figure out when to seriously panic). There weren't many responses but a general feeling that if we could go into Nov. 4th with a ~ 6% lead, it would probably - hopefully - be okay. So, I think we'd see this tightening even if there hadn't been the new slime -- in fact, the slime could be minimizing what would happen naturally. Interviews with professional pollsters have indicated that this year, unlike previous elections, negative campaigning doesn't seem to be working -- at all. I think the magnitude of the Swiftboat attacks on Kerry followed by the disasterous 2nd term for Bush has finally gotten folks to wake up and do some thinking on their own.

HEY! EVERYBODY! Right now, go check out Neil Young's website - http://www.neilyoung.com/

Click on 'Living With War' and read all about
one woman and her family's one week nightmare vacation with the McCain's in Fiji, circa 2000.

If you thought that the Rolling Stone profile was something, wait till you read this new account, courtesy of rocker Neil Young.

History repeating with the karmic souls. Hear my prophecy. These are the returning souls from the adults of the '20s and '30s...just before the Reichstag fires...the economic situations are setting up for the great depression asking..."Did we learn anything from the past.
McCain/Palin may not have the brownshirt people yet but they are setting the nation up for them and sooner or later some thug leader will appear that they will follow will get them acting like they did in Germany toward the social democrats and the Gypsies and the Poles etc. setting up all the violence. But this time there will be greater resistance because of the black community.

The way to avoid what McCain is ignorantly setting up is to remove the conditions that made the appearance of the Nazi party possible.
This is the election that will give us the opportunity to change the road we are on. We must prevent the corporatocracy and fascist state quickly approaching. We must end the hypocrisy of the republican party and remove all of them from power positions.
In the words of Driftglass.com:(referring to Sullivan's comment)-"..."How does any decent person remain a Republican with this kind of crap?" (referring to the eyes superimposed over Osama with Obama’s from McCain mailer)
Because he is still very much a True Believer, Sully is not capable of looking Conservatism square in eye and seeing that Dubya and McSame are not its aberrations, but its apotheosis. He has shaken off some of the lesser, uglier doctrinal teachings of his faith, but still clings fiercely to the abstract, rapturous purity of its core dogma and will probably never be able to wrap his head around the fact that Ayn Rand's little wingnut terrarium is not a heroic creed, but a moral spider hole for misanthropes, rich degenerates and rich degenerate-wannabes.

It is gangsterism's safe-house where they can find constant reassurance that:

1. “The common good” is an evil delusion
2. Looking out for "the least of these" is a Socialist plot.
3. Looking out for Number One is next to Godliness.
4. And therefore the rules of courtesy, reciprocity, tolerance and prudence are strictly for suckers.

Conservatism – whatever it advertises on the box or promises from the pulpit – is a cult of rich and powerful solipsists deciding that any rules they make up for themselves are OK as long as it makes them a fat profit and that rest of humanity are merely expendable extras in their awesome, members-only circle jerk.

The Age of Dubya was not an accident or freak of circumstances, but the inevitable outcome of the ideology of people like Andrew Sullivan, and in the Age of Dubya, one can either be a Good American or a Good Republican, but one can no longer be both.

…"When fascism comes to America it will be stuffed into fuck-me pumps, with a wink that promises you the blowjob of your life, and eyes that scream Helter Skelter." -- driftglass

(Hello Palin)

Mooser, you say Obama will still beat the pants of McCain, but I'm seriously feeling concerned about the slippage in the polls... those phone calls can make a difference, i'm convinced. I do a lot of phone banking, and I hear a fair amount of uncertainty in people's voices, some real fence sitting.

In addition to wondering why the MSM and Obama surrogates aren't bringing up Hagee, Keating, secessionists, etc., i also wonder why BO isn't hitting harder with simple, honest, clean shots regarding

= McCain voted AGAINST the recent veterans act, which passed without him
= his voting with Bush over 90% of the time (I think BO has an ad with this in it now, but it should be talked up more)
= his flip flopping on Bush's tax plan, and CLEARLY emphasizing who is benefitting from it
= his flip flop on torture and waterboarding.
= he has a shoddy record when it comes to supporting our troops. This from VETERAN's FOR COMMON SENSE:

***John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping the troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for veterans.***

He once took the high(er) road on some substantial issues but people need to be reminded how far he has fallen. If they're hitting BO where it hurts, they've gotta hit back. I think it can be done cleanly.

It's the MSM's job to remind people of the questionable relationships (Hagee, Liddy et al) and of Palin's extremism. WHY ARE THEY GETTING AWAY WITH *not* BRINGING UP THOSE THINGS?

(Sorry, I feel if I keep putting it out there, it will happen...)