McCain: Will the Wright card work?
Posted: Thursday, October 02, 2008 9:25 AM by Carrie Dann
Time looks at McCain's various news cycle ploys and notes: "Even if such attacks could potentially give McCain a brief boost, it's not at all clear that they would help for the long haul. After all, since mid-summer, the Arizona senator has effectively dominated the day-to-day media narrative through a series of surprising, bold and, to some, reckless tactical moves designed to keep his opponent on the ropes. Whether he's been depicting Barack Obama as Paris Hilton, selecting the little known governor of Alaska as his running mate, manufacturing the lipstick-on-a-pig contretemps, or, most recently, ‘suspending’ his campaign to tend to the financial crisis, McCain has consistently garnered the headlines and forced his opponent to respond.”
Video: Sen. John McCain addresses some of the bailout bill's tax breaks, such as the $192 million for rum producers, saying that the system in Washington needs to change. “Each of the bold moves brought McCain short-term political gain, throwing the often unflappable Obama off his stride and keeping the Republican nominee very much in the presidential hunt in a dismal year for Republicans. But the tactics also each contained the potential for long-term political costs by distracting from, or eroding, the central McCain message."
