McCain campaign wants Obama to respond to Ayers stuff.... DU-ers, inexplicably, seem to agree

Wow.

We have a whole bunch of people here today that are ADVOCATING, vociferously, for the media to change the subject away from the economy and instead focus on McCain's race-baiting rallies.

We have people asking Obama to change the subject from the economy, the subject he wins the most on, to attacking McCain for his race-baiting campaign tactics.


65% of this country is caucasian. McCain wants them thinking about a "race war". Obama wants them thinking about their pocketbooks.


Amazingly, a big chunk of DU is arguing for the subject to be what McCain wants it to be.


Such suckers.



The good news.... Obama's people are seemingly smarter than the collective wisdom of DU.

Obama should stick with the game plan.

DUers should just be out there phone-banking, canvassing, and contributing.

Obama needs to stay above that fray. Let his surrogates (like us) fight that battle in the trenches.

bring up any and all dirt that can be found on McCain and run ads on it. I think it would take attention away from the discussion that we need to be having and would encourage the McCain campaign to get even nastier.

I think the Obama campaign is handling this one right. Stick to the issues.

all the polls and real-time reaction reporting I've seen indicate that people *don't want to hear* that stuff. They realy REALLY want to hear them both talk about issues of importance.

Personally I don't like to give a pass to racism, and fascism. That's part of what got us where we are and it must be confronted.

McCain's favor.


You've taken the bait.



You're talking about what McCain wants the country talking about.

I talk about the economy and confront the racist ditto heads in my community at the same time. I've shamed several family members into voting for Obama by confronting them on their blatant racism.

It has nothing to do with how well you know them.


Unless you actually SEE their ballot, you have no idea who they voted for.

talk to their friends about voting for Obama, and volunteer at our local Obama campaign office, I don't think I need to stand behind them, but they probably wouldn't have a problem with it. I did however sign all 4 of my grandparents mail in votes. I will admit that I did peak at them, :evilgrin: they did me proud.

When that meme is the economy, we win.


When it is ANYTHING else, we don't.

that McCain is trying to stir up. McCain has been getting over big time with his distractions. Everytime he succeeds in taking us off message, the media gives him props for doing it like he is actually winning.

most Americans' concerns center on the economic crisis.

I get that McCain wants people to stop thinking about the economy, but that's not likely to happen. He wants voters to ignore his choice of a brainless wacko for his ticket. He wants them to overlook his coarse emphasis on "scandal" while nationwide people can't afford to put gas in their cars to drive to jobs they don't have.

A desperate move by McCain and his strategists. It's not helping them in the polls much, either.

I was on a board with Ayers, we're not friends. I was 8 years old when Mr. Ayers committed his crimes. John McCain was 50 years old when he was vacationing with Mr. Keating, and working to de-regulate the S&L industry.

But, neither Mr. Keating or Mr. Ayers are going to help get the focus of this country where it should be - which is on the economy. Our country has lost 700,000 jobs so far this year. People don't have health care, and they're losing their homes. I have plans to solve these problems, and by the McCain staff's own admission, they don't even want to discuss the economy. If you don't want to discuss it, how in the world can you fix it?

It's depressing.

If the kind of reactionary attitude on DU gets reflected in the mainstream media, then Obama's gonna get stuck shifting away from HIS MESSAGE and into this nonsense.

And last time i checked... the best way to fight racism right now is to get this man elected without racializing the debate.


Ironically... back in january, DU was flaming those of us who called out the Clinton Camp for race baiting obama.

STAY ON MESSAGE.

...is going to continue trying to disparage Barack Obama with this Ayers stuff.

Why should Obama stand around allowing McCain to define him or to launch rumors and lies that might stick?

The media is repeating McCain's lies 24/7. The subject has all ready been changed.

How a candidate responds to personal attacks and assertions that one is "consorting with domestic
terrorists" says a lot about a candidate. I think we can all agree that Obama turned the
Reverend Wright crisis into a golden opportunity to discuss race relations, and to communicate
his ideas and to reveal more about his character.

Obama can turn this situation into an opportunity as well.

You don't stand around and allow John McCain to define you. You fight back. The truth is
on his side. Americans are sick and tired of this nonsense. They want a new day in politics, when
someone will stand up and say, "Enough of this! Americans deserve better."

One could argue that it's impossible to talk about the economy--with these distractions--and that
Obama should use honesty and transparency to diffuse the Ayers stuff and put it away forever.

That would be resourceful and bold.

The subject has NOT changed yet.... The economy is still issue #1.


LOSING CAMPAIGNS fight the battles on the other guy's turf.


The Ayers stuff will NOT stick.... repeat after me:

This is not 2004... Obama is not John Kerry


McCain's tactic can't work for him, unless we take the bait and make the news coverage ALL about AYERS ALL THE TIME.


2008 is not 2004. Obama is not Kerry. Quit fighting the last campaign.

Remember the Rev Wright situation?

Obama gave that speech and the topic was Rev Wright, but that speech really wasn't about
Rev Wright. It was about Obama's honesty, integrity and his ability to rise above
politics as usual.

This Ayers situation is the same opportunity.

This situation can be used, once again--to demonstrate that Barack Obama is a new breed
of politician.

This move wouldn't really be about Ayers. It would use McCain's foolishness to
exploit his dirty politics and--most importantly--Barack Obama's authentic
desire to be honest, open and bold with the American public.

Obama can draw a circle around the Ayers situation--by making this contrast that
would destroy and outwit McCain, and leverage Obama.

I trust Obama and his instincts.

...and I imagine that the Obama camp is currently
working hard to address this issue.

I don't think they're done with it yet, because John McCain
certainly isn't it.

...is the economy.

The OP's premise is false since Obama has already responded, last night with Charlie Gibson most recently.

to handle things the way he sees best. I'm surely not going to second guess him. That does not mean that I'm obligated to stay silent about Ayers or the disgusting racist/xenophobic tactics of the McCain campaign. You might learn to distinguish the difference between the Obama campaing itself and democratic citizens/activists with no connection to the campaign itself.

And yes Obama wants the electorate focused on the economy. However, it's beginning to look like McCain's negative attacks are having some impact. Obama won the debate, but not only is he getting no bounce from that win, but the national polls are showing some tightening- almost across the board. I suppose you think the attacks are unconnected to this.
'

Gallup: up 11

Rasmussen: up 5

Hotline: up 6

Kos/R2: up 10


PA: up 14 (!!!)



The only "impact" the attacks are having is in your mind and on right wing talk radio.

trick to post the numbers in a vacume. Ras has been trending DOWN. So has Research 2000 and the majority of most other national polls. Obama is still safely ahead by an aggregate of 5 in the national polls, but he has been trending down over the the last few days and McCain has been trending up. Furthermore, state polls do lag behind national polls.

I am NOT saying this is a disaster in the making. I AM noting the trends. Denial is not effective, and ignoring SWIFTBOATING is plain old stupid.

2004: Economy relatively strong

2008: Economy collapsing



2008 = 1992


"Swiftboating" didn't work against Clinton in 1992 because Clinton kept his focus on the economy, stupid.



During serious times, swiftboating fails. It's failing this year.


As far as Rasmussen goes.... Obama continues to get 50 to 52 percent for more than a week now. The difference between a 5 and 7 point lead is statistical noise.


Hotline? Went from +1 Obama to +7 Obama today. How's the attacking working?


Gallup? Went from +8 pre-debate to +11 yesterday.


PA? The state McCain is camping out in and MAKING these attacks? From +1 Obama to +14 Obama in one week.



I think you need a lesson in how to follow trend lines.

For about the 10th time.

Why does Obama have to do anything when mccain himself i showing the country and the world that he is a war mongering racist

He needs them to respond. He can hammer McCain on changing the subject because he doesn't want to talk about the economy.

There should be a seperate effort by the 527s to publicize Palin and McCain's questionable relationships along with McCain's voting record for the troops.

This Ayers shit is the 2008 swiftboating of Obama. We must recognize this, NOW. Hannity, Rush and all the other wingnuts have their marching orders, and they're gonna be saying Ayers, Ayers, Ayers!

We knew that the original Swiftboating of John Kerry was complete slanderous bullshit, just as the Ayers thing used to swiftboat Obama is also slanderous bullshit.

What did we learn in 2004? That being "above the fray" doesn't work. That ignoring these sorts of attacks doesn't work. Too many idiots will see the attacks as true if they're not vigorously defended against. Too many LIVs will see our candidates as being "bitchslapped" and develop contempt for them.

The only correct response to a swiftboat attack is to put the truth on record, call the attackers out as bullying cowards, then counterattack with a hard right hook.

That's why Obama said on ABC that McCain should say it to his face.

But yeah, the counterattack ideally would be one that brings the voters' minds back to the issues. Keating 5, anyone?

In 2004, we didn't have an economic collapse as a backdrop.


Campaigns who spend so much time fighting the last war will ultimately lose.



EVERY CAMPAIGN IS DIFFERENT.


This year... in 2008.... things more closely resemble 1992 than they do 2004.


In 1992... "It's the economy, stupid" won the election. Clinton faced the same kind of "Swiftboating" then. But because we were in a recession, it fell on deaf ears.


This year is similar.



Being "above the fray" in 2004 didn't work. In 2008, people are scared and looking for a LEADER who ACTS PRESIDENTIAL.

What worked and didn't work in 2004 has NO bearing on 2008. Times are different. VERY different.

You don't have to fight back by responding directly to the original attack - in fact, doing that isn't always effective - it degenerates the argument into "Yes you did!" "No I didn't!" "Yes you did!" "No I didn't!"

What's important is that we fight back - that we show that we won't put up with hit with the Rovian Bitchslap, and one way of fighting back is to counterattack from a completely different angle. Between the counterattack, and the simple act of making sure the truth is on the record, the swiftboat attacks can be blunted.

Like I said, Keating 5. Both lands a right-hook on McCain, and brings the public's mind back on the economy because of the parallels between the savings-and-loan meltdown of the 80's and today's economic crisis. You're right in that the people are a hell of a lot more concerned about the issues this election - we should be bringing their minds back on the economy.

And yeah, Obama's on this. He, Axelrod and Plouffe are doing a hell of a job.

Right now the McCain campaign is acting like a whiny kid. Don't give them power. The media has already vetted Obama

And that offense should include bashing McKeating repeatedly on his long history of cronyism and corruption and his long advocacy of deregulation and his erratic off the wall behavior.

Offense, not defense.

For once, our candidate's political advisors are *better at politics* than the average Democrat. In recent elections, this hasn't been the case, sadly.

"Senator McCain, I'm happy to address that. You have led the American people to believe that I will use Diplomacy as my only answer to unreasonable people in the world. Now, they will see that I do have an end to my rope of Diplomacy. I've tried to deal with your false, hypocritical claims diplomatically and that has not worked. So..."

and then BAM - he socks him right in the kisser!

emdee

team are sending a message to US voters,

Obama's character assassination is more important to us.

It's backfiring, and many voters are sick of this crap!

As far as the Neanderthals at Palin's( and McCain's) rallies, shouting racial epithets
and "Kill Him" those rallies are resembling KKK rallies more and
more.

We can't ignore them either.

No one talks about the anti-American propaganda film John McCain made in Vietnam, not to mention the fact that other service men refused to do that and were killed because of it and that was about the same time as William Ayers was do his Anti-war violent protests. This William Ayers thing isn't just dumb, it's beyond dumb. Do any of us know the complete past of everyone we work with or associate with? NO!!! Obama was 8 years old people, he sat on a board of a project initiated by a hard core Republican. MSM is nuts to even discuss this, it's not like we have any slow news days, they could easily find something of value to discuss, something that relates to us. Have we all just gone insane? Sarah Palin asking "who is Obama?" Let's discuss "who is Sarah Palin?" Who does she associate with now and in the past? If we are not going to talk about that then forget Obama's passing associates.

Let the media snicker at McCain for trying to change the subject away from the economy. We should keep talking about how we're gonna help the people who got screwed.

I'm happy with Obama not sinking to their level :hi: I'm trying to have some faith in my fellow Americans.. I lost it years ago.