Reason to panic? No.

Reason for Axelrod and Plouffe to start playing more offense? Yes.

The only reason McCain is in this at all is because he's seen by much of the country as a McMaverick. Anyone paying close attention knows that this is not true, but Team Obama needs to inform those less clued in. The oil ad is a start.

Maybe an ad with featuring a photo with Huggy Bear grasping a certain Shrub, perhaps?

Posted at August 4, 2008 10:44 AM in response to For First Time, McCain Edges Ahead Of Obama In Tracking Poll

I meant no disrespect, Tena. I was just suggesting that the fact that one MSM pundit, and one of the most "liberal" ones at that, is showing some signs of cluing in to the McCain schtick is not necessarily a signal that the whole press core is about to unlock its lips from the McCain Machine tuchas.

I hope you are right. But I'm not about to bet the farm on it. Are you?

Posted at August 1, 2008 12:43 PM in response to Joe Klein: I Was "Wrong" To Call McCain An Honorable Man

Calm down. This is Joe Klein we're talking about here.

Posted at August 1, 2008 11:22 AM in response to Joe Klein: I Was "Wrong" To Call McCain An Honorable Man

Is it too much to suggest that this might be something of a seminal moment, a key signal that McCain is losing the respect and benefit of the doubt of establishment opinion?

Yes. This is has another edition of simple answers to simple questions.

Posted at August 1, 2008 10:40 AM in response to Joe Klein: I Was "Wrong" To Call McCain An Honorable Man

I'm not calling for mudslinging, Penn primary style. Using McCain's own words and policies against him is not mudslinging and would not damage the Obama brand. If done right, it would kill McCain.

Take McCain's backing of Bush's Social Security privatization scheme. Bush pushed it, the media backed it, and the longer it was in the public domain the more unpopular it became. This was when Bush was popular. McCain is on record as supporting it, he still does. There's lots of great video to use.

Put an ad up there showing this, and McCain's support among seniors would crater. He'd be toast.

Posted at August 1, 2008 10:37 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

This election will not be won and lost on television.

ondioline, I appreciate your thoughts and confidence, but do you have any evidence whatsoever that a national campaign in the past, oh I don't know, 50 years has been determined by the level of grass roots organizing?

Conversely, there is loads of evidence that every national election since the advent of the TV in 1960 has been, in fact, won and lost on television.

Don't get me wrong, I support grass roots organizing for both short-term and long-term reasons. In a close election, turn out is critical. But make no mistake: this campaign will be won or lost on TV. They always are, and this year is no exception.

Posted at August 1, 2008 10:31 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

I agree with several commentators that the Obama should go on the attack against John McCain. It would be trivial to make ad taking McCain's own words on how Social Security should be privatized that would paint a clear picture that McCain is another out-of-touch Republican who cares more about ideology and "the base" than you. An ad like that, maybe one or two other substantive ads defining McCain as more of the same as Bush and he'd be done, game over.

Why haven't we seen these ads?

Posted at August 1, 2008 9:42 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

How would one be surprised at this?

Well, exactly! The MSM has many reasons to push this. It's "newsie" and it's the very essence of truthiness. Something wingers know in their gut must be true, regardless of the facts. And it will help make the campaign more of a horse race.

The Obama campaign and we progressives need to push back, hard and smart. This is a probing move. If it isn't condemned by the media, and clearly it won't be, and isn't effectively countered elsewhere, there is a whole lot more of this where it came from. The Mighty Whurlizer can get very creative with attacks on patriotism.

Posted at July 28, 2008 10:14 AM in response to Big News Orgs Fail To Label McCain Attack Ad What It Is: False

Yes!!! INDEED!!! It's definitely McMENTUM!!!!

Posted at July 21, 2008 1:43 PM in response to Poll: Obama Holds Healthy Lead In Ohio

This is EXCELLENT NEWS!!!! for McCAIN!!!!!

(A tribute to Idiotic)

Posted at July 21, 2008 10:52 AM in response to Iraqi Official Says He's Hopeful That U.S. Troops Can Leave By 2010