Election Central Morning Roundup
McCain Camp Steps Up Attacks Against Obama Over Ayers
We usually don't post on Web ads, but this new McCain piece is really something, saying that Obama is lying when he downplays his ties to Bill Ayers and the supposedly "radical" education foundation they both served on:
"Barack Obama and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Friends," the announcer says. "They've worked together for years. But Obama tries to hide it. Why?" The syntax here seems to imply that Ayers is currently a domestic terrorist, and that Obama and Ayers have worked together on terrorism.
HuffPo: Obama Camp Working On Transition, McCain Putting It Off
The Huffington Post reports that the Obama campaign has a fully-functioning transition effort in place should he win the election, and has obtained a copy of an ethics code that places limits on the ability of former lobbyists to serve on his team, and forbids current lobbyists entirely. By contrast, the McCain campaign has barely begun a transition t all, in contrast to virtually all other non-incumbent presidential nominees in the past who have prepared for the possibility of winning.
Obama In Ohio, Biden In Missouri
Barack Obama is touring Ohio today, with an 11:20 a.m. ET rally in Dayton, a 3 p.m. ET rally in Cincinnati, and a 7:30 p.m. rally in Portsmouth. Joe Biden is swinging through Missouri, with a 9 a.m. ET event in St. Joseph, a 1:30 p.m. ET event in Liberty, and an 8 p.m. ET event in Jefferson City.
McCain And Palin In Wisconsin, Then Palin In Ohio
John McCain and Sarah Palin are campaign together in Wisconsin today, with a 1 p.m. ET event in the Republican stronghold of Waukesha. Palin will then split off from McCain and go to Ohio, for a 7 p.m. ET rally in Wilmington.
McCain Changes Mortgage Plan, Makes It Friendlier To Banks
The McCain campaign made a sudden change to the candidate's American Homeownership Resurgence Plan, eliminating a sentence in the original version that would have forced banks to accept some loss in mortgage renegotiations. Instead, taxpayers would reimburse the banks for the difference between the original mortgages and the new versions. "That language was mistakenly included in the initial draft and it's been corrected," a campaign spokesman told the Politico.
Poll: Obama Way Up In Pennsylvania
A new Strategic Vision (R) poll of Pennsylvania gives Barack Obama a huge lead of 54%-40% in this perennial swing state. This state only narrowly voted for John Kerry in 2004, but it's looking more and more like it's off the table now, thanks to the economic crisis.
Obama Buying Ad Time On Youth-Oriented Channels
The Obama campaign has bought ad time on Comedy Central, VH1 and Spike, in an effort to boost his turnout among the younger voters that watch those channels. Young voters were one of Obama's most loyal constituencies in the Democratic primaries, and polling has indicated he'll run very strong with them again for the general election.
its a sad day in our country, isn't
October 9, 2008 9:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
it
October 9, 2008 9:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait, who is this Ayers guy? This could be devestating...
October 9, 2008 9:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't McShame say yesterday that Ayers was off limits?
I guess this is just like the campaign suspension that never was.
As Josh notes, it may only be matter of time before the effigy burnings start -- or, God forbid, worse.
October 9, 2008 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just goes to show how erratic the McCain campaign is. If they can't decide how to run their campaign, what makes anyone think that can decide how to run the federal government?
As long as the Obama campaign keeps their end of the conversation on the issues, particularly the economy, then the McCain camp will look like a bunch of tin-foil-hat-wearing-crazies shouting 'Bill Ayers! Bill Ayers! Why won't anyone listen to us!'
So sad.
http://thepajamapundit.com/
October 9, 2008 9:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I remember them saying Ayers wasn't going to be talked about. This ad is a little late anyways, Obama was able to put out his kneating five ad out within 24hrs of McCain Ayers attacks. It takes nearly 3 days for them to get this ad up. Kindof sad, but good, because the McCain campaign is crashing.
This ad wont even be effective, they aren't even running the ad in states, they just put it on the internet.
Palin/McCain Rallies, Breeding Ground for Racists and Hostility
October 9, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, this is soooo important, they just decided to talk about it a few days ago. And when they told Elizabeth Hasselback, she was devastated!
October 9, 2008 3:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's either a sign of what a disaster McShame would be as president -- doing everything by the seat of his pants with no planning or preparation -- or a sign that they recognize it would be a waste of effort because he has no chance of winning.
October 9, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Or it's a sign of how little would actually need to be "transitioned" in a handoff from Bush to McCain.
Same people. Same policies. Why bother going through a charade?
October 9, 2008 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good point. If you're a Bush third term, there's no need for a transition.
October 9, 2008 9:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right. No need to remove "W"'s from computer keyboards or anything! Hell, who'll need computers in a McCain administration? I mean what next, E-MAIL??
October 9, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's how "Mavericks" do things -- total impulse, no planning, no thought. "Ready, fire, aim!" A steady hand at the tiller . . .
October 9, 2008 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not so much with the "ready, Aim" part either. Just "Fire"
October 9, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ya know that's what I get for reading things before my coffee kicks in. I just noticed the order of activities in the original comment. Sheesh
October 9, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
No worries.
October 9, 2008 11:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
Once again: it's another manifestation of being able to tell the difference between strategy (the forest) and tactics (the trees).
No offense, but it's not just the McCain campaign that can't tell the difference: whoever has despaired of or mocked the Obama campaign's grasp of "strategy" made the same mistake.
October 9, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama just basically called McCain a wuss, in the Charlie Gibson interview, for not saying this stuff to his face in the debate, and dared him to do it in the last debate. Heh.
October 9, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain won't say anything, because he knows Obama will respond with a a calm, reasonable response that will be completely believable to the American people. Then what cards would McCain play. He has none left.
October 9, 2008 11:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/Obama_as_terrorist.html#comments
October 9, 2008 9:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, this ad is really something. First, there's the music (Is it a melancholy nursery or a sinister carnival? or both?); then, there's the length (because since it's long, it must be true). My favorite part is that small jolting zoom toward Obama's face near the end, when the narrator raises her voice slightly and insists, "Where's the truth?"
Of course, Obama's on it. Be sure to read this if you haven't already, and consider sending it, or your own version of the facts, to folks you know.
October 9, 2008 9:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is this an "October Surprise"? Because it kind of feels like throwing someone a surprise party 2 months after their birthday.
October 9, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think the McCain campaign figured this would work for the folks who don't pay attention to the election until the fall rolls along. I have a co-worker like this; he just hates the day-to-day drama of it.
Of course, the fatal error in attempting to do this is that the Obama campaign is already prepared to refute it.
Could that recent NYT article have encouraged McCain to do this?
October 9, 2008 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does anyone else get the feeling that a lot of the Republicans want to lose the election? Perhaps to conduct a purge?
October 9, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know a lot of Republicans who have resigned themselves to that fact, a lot who feel like David Brooks and others that Palin is a mess and that McCain made a weak choice by pandering to the religious right. I've been congratulated many times over, already, on "President" Obama's victory.
They are angry and embarrassed at this joke of a campaign.
October 9, 2008 11:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell is McCain doing in Wisconsin? He gets to do one event per day, and he picks Wisconsin?? What's next, Upper West Side?
October 9, 2008 9:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Was thinking the same thing myself. You're looking at losing FL, NC, and VA and you go to WI. Hope strings eternal.
October 9, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's nothing. He's likely headed back to IOWA this weekend? I think he might not just be using W's governing ideas, but his actual 2004 campaign schedule.
October 9, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've noticed that McCain-Palin seem to be following Obama and Biden around, either trying to incite their menacing, race-baiting hatred or ready to sweep up the crumbs in Obama's wake.
Last night on Rachel Maddow's show, a senator from MN was discussing how blue Wisconsin was becoming. That may be the reason McCain-Palin are campaigning there. If you recall, the MSM reported, shortly after the RNC, that hundreds of women were coming out to see Sarah Palin in Wisconsin and bringing their daughters. That hysteria seems to have ended.
October 9, 2008 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
When Strategic Vision, a Republican Pollster, puts you 14 points behind and falling less than 4 weeks before the election, you should...continue to spend money and appear there! Because, my friends, that's the Mavericky thing to do.
October 9, 2008 9:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain has always been a sucker for lost causes.
October 9, 2008 9:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hilarious.
Sarah and John asked themselves: what would a maverick do in this situation?
And they did just that.
October 9, 2008 12:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
A radical foundation? The Annenberg Challenge?
Well, I guess a whole lot of conservatives are pretty suspect too, then. Let's start a list. check it twice.
October 9, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe Obama can get Ayers to hold a press conference, and then announce that he's endorsing McShame and plans to campaign for him.
October 9, 2008 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
The weather here in Beautiful downtown Brookfield (next door to Waukesha) is forecast to become increasingly stupid with a good chance of severe morons in the early afternoon hours. This violent idiocy is forecast to move off to the northwest settling around the west central portions of the state this evening. Isolated dipshits are a distinct possibility particularly in the late afternoon hours.
Stay tuned to your Election Central Radio for emergency updates.
October 9, 2008 9:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
You in WI?
October 9, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I live in a suburb of Madison WI called Middleton (Voted Best City under pop. 50,000) and work in Brookfield (Western suburb or Milwaukee)
October 9, 2008 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Clearly "of"
October 9, 2008 9:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ah. I live and work in Milwaukee.
I've been hoping to have some election night get-together for Wisconsin/Milwaukee TPMers, but I wasn't sure who they were.
October 9, 2008 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Should not liberal media be more responsible and ignore HATE ad or is there too much money to pass on this HATE project? Why are you liberals aiding McCain-Palin ticket, thus allowing the reign of HATE and McCarthyism-Rovism to stay forever and determine every presidential election?
So you media people would allow this HATE project to dominate the news for the next 3 weeks and hand over presidency to HATE groups?
October 9, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Does the "just ignore the bully" method ever work?
October 9, 2008 9:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
October 9, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
As far as John Boy in Wisconsin, he's going to be in Waukesha County...where I live...Republican stronghold. The McCain campaign is literally giving signs away to anyone/everyone on a major road to make it look like they own the area. It's ridiculous.
Also, they have no ground game here in WI at all. Once again, McCain can try to get independents or undecideds, but he goes to the heart of GOP-land in Wisconsin. Somewhere, Mark Belling and Chrlie Sykes have an erection.
October 9, 2008 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
John McCain and Sarah palin literally make me want to fucking puke. They are a disgrace....and their little dog, Cindy too.
FUCKING DISGRACE TO AMERICA.
I will enjoy watching them lose.
That interview on fox last night was disgusting...the worst kind of politics.
Typical of Republicans, I guess.
October 9, 2008 9:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a minute here --- at the same time that McCain is throwing all this Ayers stuff out there, he's NOT doing anything about setting up transition plans. If you put these two things together, you've got to figure that McCain really doesn't think the Ayers smear will turn things around enough to pull out a win.
October 9, 2008 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
This stoking of the "he's a terrorist sympathizer" meme I think will turn another batch of the media against McCain. Biden did a good job yesterday of laying down the notion that this dangerous territory.
October 9, 2008 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
"...togther they [sic Obama and Ayers] ran a radical education foundation together..."
Yeah, a foundation and funded by the Annenburg Foundation. The Annenburg Foundation was founded by Walter Annenburg, a very conservative businessman from Philadelphia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Annenberg
October 9, 2008 9:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Whose wife is a supporter of McCain.
October 9, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Whose wife is a supporter of McCain.
October 9, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm just glad to see Bush's poll rating (above) has 51% of the vote for Obama to only 41% for McCain.
Or something.
October 9, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Damn, 2 seconds too late. Fixed, natch
October 9, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
"John McCain and Sarah palin literally make me want to fucking puke. They are a disgrace....and their little dog, Cindy too.
FUCKING DISGRACE TO AMERICA."
Seconded. I can't even stand to look at Uncle Fester anymore, and I REALLY can't stand the screeching of the Wasilla-cone Wonder.
Hey, name calling is FUN! I can kinda see why the Repugs do it so much.
October 9, 2008 9:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
October 9, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes! I wanted to use that line but you got there first.
October 9, 2008 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Good news from the Obama camp on buying ad time on those cable channels.
Why bother even going into Wisconsin, McCain? Seems like a lost cause at this point. One last hurrah, maybe?
October 9, 2008 10:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
He has to go somewhere. If he just camped out in Ohio and Florida the next month, the residents would eventually kick him out.
October 9, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
@ change in McCain mortgage plan.
Do you think this "mistake" might be related to the Republican's narrative about the government forcing banks to lend to the subprime market? That would mean that they actually believe this nonsense.
October 9, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
"The weather here in Beautiful downtown Brookfield (next door to Waukesha) is forecast to become increasingly stupid with a good chance of severe morons in the early afternoon hours. This violent idiocy is forecast to move off to the northwest settling around the west central portions of the state this evening. Isolated dipshits are a distinct possibility particularly in the late afternoon hours.
Stay tuned to your Election Central Radio for emergency updates."
Loves me some funny, DoDSlave!
October 9, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Let's not forget that there were no Ws removed from computers, even according to the Bushies:
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/whitehouse.pranks.02/index.html
October 9, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here in Iowa, I noticed that McCain is holding a rally this Saturday, and is opening 5 or 6 new field offices.
Wasted resources or do they know something?
Seems like a waste to me, and that's a good thing!
October 9, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
Meanwhile, the Repubs send a rep onto foxnews to complain about Newsweek using an unretouched photo of Palin on the cover. As I watched the video, I really thought that we've now hit bottom.
http://palincounter.blogspot.com/
October 9, 2008 10:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Just to show how mature my family is, we've already "retouched" Palin's cover photo.
My husband gave her a moustach, I blacked out one her teeth, and my granddaughter put hair in her ears. (God, when will I ever grow up?)
October 9, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain in Wisconsin is dumb, but not that dumb.
They are counting on TV coverage since they never had a ground game like Obama to actually make appearances into multipliers with registration drives etc.
October 9, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's already been mentioned, but "radical" education program. LOL!
You think they are trying to tie it to Madrassa's or something? WHat the hell is a radical education program, OH, sex education for kindergarteners.
October 9, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
I need reassurance this morning. I always need reassurance!
It's almost inconceivable to me that the GOP's terrorist meme is not going to start drawing blood soon. I notice, for example, that the Rasmussen tracking poll of likely voters shows Obama ticking down two points since day before yesterday, No doubt it's too early to think major trend, but I can easily see how "Obama = terrorist friend" (if not actually secret terrorist himself) could begin to have that kind of effect.
Once again we're seeing the McCain camp's ability to get the MSM to loop a set of negative images and sound bites practically ad infinitum. I find this weird and unsettling. Even the blogging on this site yesterday was obsessing about Ayers, with no mention of McCain's and Palin's own ample guilt-by-association pasts. The Ayers thing is ubiquitous now, and while it seems patently foolish and desperate to us, I'm not so sure about 10 to 15% of push-button voters out there who will decide this election.
How DOES the McCain camp manage to do this? WHY can't team Obama mange to pull off similar free media loops and internet buzz? Can someone explain this to me?
October 9, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
Take three long deep breaths. Relax. In another time, maybe this shit would work. In the midst of today's economic meltdown? No way. People are focused on the real issues. The more McShame tries to distract, the higher his negatives will go.
October 9, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, she was yesterday. Tomorrow I'm not so sure.
October 9, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Uh, that was meant to be a reply to hyperRevue's comment that Mrs. Annenberg is a McCain supporter.
October 9, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
I say we all stop paying our taxes.
October 9, 2008 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Anybody catch the "Who are you calling a Maverick" piece in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05schwartz.html?em Next debate I think BO should tell Mcshame "The real Mavericks come from San Antonio, Texas, and you, sir, are no "Maverick"!".
October 9, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink