McCain: The 'insurgent' ad campaign

Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:20 AM by Mark Murray

The New York Times writes about McCain’s advertising blitz in key battleground state markets. “Unable to match the Obama juggernaut, Mr. McCain is making a last stand in towns he needs to win, like this one [Norfolk, VA], where he and the Republican National Committee have combined resources to advertise as heavily as Mr. Obama, who has not needed similar help from his party. The situation is similar in Cincinnati; Harrisburg, Pa.; and Richmond, Va., which are among the places where Mr. McCain has tried to match Mr. Obama.”

“Analysts say he has little choice. ‘If you’re the McCain campaign, there are two columns right now in your thinking: places you have to win and places you need to win,’ said Evan Tracey, the chief operative officer of CMAG, a company that monitors political advertising. Translating that into laymen’s terms, Mr. Tracey said, ‘You don’t have to eat, but you need to breathe.’”

Salon's Shapiro pens a piece that is sure to become CW on McCain very soon. The thesis: The McCain of 2000 would be in much better shape in this election than this McCain.

The health-care issue continues to be one that the McCain campaign is getting clobbered on. Yesterday, the campaign found itself on the defensive ... AGAIN.

The AP lists the Republicans questioning McCain, campaign decisions, or straying off message, including Palin, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, former South Dakota Sen. Larry Pressler, Rep. Paul Ryan (WI), Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, Scott McClellan and former Reagan Solicitor General Charles Fried (who asked "that his name be removed from the several campaign-related committees on which he serves. Fried said chief among the reasons 'is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis.'")

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Comments

It is understandable why McCain tries to rewrite history, but Americans are not as stupid as he thinks.

Gregory Peek, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:26 AM)

The McCain of 2000 would be in much better shape in this election than this McCain.
*******************************************************

I've been saying that since August. Or even earlier.

Once he picked Palin, it was all downhill. Kind of Mavericky, sure... but not a smart pick.

http://thepajamapundit.com/

the Pajama Pundit (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:27 AM)

Why McCain still thinks he can win PA is beyond me. In fact I'm sure many people are scratching theirs heads at this one. I know he couldn't publicly give up like he did with Michigan, but he should have spent more time and money in other states.

Check out our latest post:
http://lastofourkind.blogspot.com

LoOK (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:27 AM)

It's tough to compete against all that foreign money coming in for Obama. McCain though did agree to public financing, just as he promised. Obama of course lied and just said what ever made everyone feel good at the time. That seems to be a pattern with him.

The Real One (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:28 AM)

I like Obama's health care plan. He says health care will be free. The more free stuff for us the better I say. And no one can argue with that, because it's free.

Diane in Illinois (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:32 AM)

Grinder...and there will gnashing of teeth..

McCain needs to look at his life issues before he can attack the national issues...

BJ, CA (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:32 AM)

I read First Read every day, but somewhere I missed the boat on one of the acronyms I have seen here a few times... What the heck is 'CW'? Seen it a few times, can't find it on any of the online dictionaries, wikis, Google???

Mark, Orlando, FL (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:34 AM)

Let the scapegoating begin! Copy this blog - if the Repugs nominate Palin for Pres in 2012, you can simply change the names and reprint it.

Phred, Philadelphia (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:36 AM)

<<"The McCain of 2000 would be in much better shape in this election than this McCain.">>

In other news, studies show that wearing shoes helps reduce the chance of getting cuts on your feet...

Erik, Mechanicsburg, PA (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:39 AM)

"Deep national crisis'! and here we have mccain/palin!They are dividing this country in ways never seen before. This isn't just negative campaigning, this is slander,lies innuendo,fear and hatred. What a shining example to the world this republican ticket is showing..NOT! You can disagree, have opposite points of view, but to run for the highest office in the world and act like this is shameful.The American people are a decent, kind and giving folk, what the republicans our doing does NOT represent this country that I love.My husband served in Afghanistan for 19 months, he, myself and all military members and families did not do it to have those who are running talk about pro-anti Americans..we stand as one!
PLEASE GET OUT TO VOTE,TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED!!! LET US FINALLY PUT AN END TO THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOUR!!!
OBAMA/BIDEN'08

sandy Ct (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:41 AM)

Hey Real One - Again you seem to invent your own facts, and not the real story. Obama does not raise foreign money, his campaign money came from people like me, who everytime McGoo and Failin told another lie, I would get out the plastic card and make another $25 donation to the campaign on the internet. You and your corrupt party are the real reason he raised so much money, go look in the mirror and there you will find the real cause of so much money coming into the Obama campaign. Thanks to you, McGoo and Failin for all your inspiration.

justthinkinoutloud (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:45 AM)

Please exercise your right to vote!

VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN NOW IF YOU CAN or on 4 NOV!!!

A RABID REPUBLICAN, VIETNAM-ERA VET, FAT, OLD, PREJUDICED, WHITE GUY NOW FOR OBAMA/BIDEN

RD, ALEXANDRIA, VA (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:47 AM)

>>>Salon's Shapiro pens a piece that is sure to become CW on McCain very soon. The thesis: The McCain of 2000 would be in much better shape in this election than this McCain.

==========
DUH!!!

>>>The AP lists the Republicans questioning McCain, campaign decisions, or straying off message, including Palin, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, former South Dakota Sen. Larry Pressler, Rep. Paul Ryan (WI), Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, Scott McClellan and former Reagan Solicitor General Charles Fried (who asked "that his name be removed from the several campaign-related committees on which he serves. Fried said chief among the reasons 'is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis.'")
==========
This is kinda like rats running from the Titanic. It would be funny if it weren't such a pathetically sad commentary on what the GOP has become.

Obama/Biden '08!

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:51 AM)

Mark in Orlando -- "CW" stands for Conventional Wisdom. Thanks for reading and posting!

Mark Murray (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:53 AM)

Obama is using private money like it's rain from heaven, dispite his own promise to take public financing and leave the "corrupting" influences of large amounts of private money alone. This is getting to be a pattern with him; say whatever gets you forward at the moment, then do whatever is expedient later. TRUST is the coin of the rhelm in world politics and his way of dealing is not going to serve the US well. I don't trust him and fear what "surprise" he will spring on us next if he is elected.

Dale Smith (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:57 AM)

With McCain's healthplan, I would most likely be left without insurance since I have a pre-existing condition, MS. A 30 day supply of any of the meds used for prevention of flare-ups run about $1800.00 a month. Yes, that's right, $1800.00! With insurance, it costs me $75.00. I net $1450.00 a month. But, hey, McCain will give me $5000.00 tax credit for my whole family a year!

Bailey Quarters, Twin Cities, MN (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:58 AM)

No McCain didn't have nearly the same amount of money as Obama, but he could have done plenty to help his cause.

For one, he could have raised money the same way instead of being stubborn, trying to prove a point, and take what the RNC gave him. Seems like $85M would and should be enough to effectively campaign for the Presidential election. However, obviously it wasn't.

McCain could also have used his "free" airtime more effectively. The coverage of his campaign over the last few crucial weeks was really about him calling Obama everything but a child of God. Interjecting old foolishness like Ayers and Rezko, running ads on this nonsense to boot. Let's not forget the "campaign suspension" stunt, which was talked about greatly but had zero effect. McCain never fully stopped his campaign, and his delayed presence in Washington was completely and totally uneffective.

Chatter about Palin's clothes not only took up free news cycles, but also demonstrated a lack of discipline in the McCain camp. Meanwhile, Nicolle Wallace, who is supposedly the phantom shopper of these clothes, used her free air time to continually try and attack Obama over one comment he made to some bald headed, unlicensed plumber in Ohio who would be better off under Obama than McCain - the very guy he tried to help by conveniently planting his big head in front of Obama at a rally!

Give me a break McCain. You aren't fit to be President, and you obviously can't run a campaign. This is your second try. Give it up!

jodi, central jersey (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:59 AM)

This is "smear week" for the candidate trailing in the polls, i.e. John McCain. It is when McCain and his supporters become desperate, repeat yet again their latest rumor that Obama is a "socialist" and a "tax-spend liberal" (The GOP has attacked Dems on this for decades). This is utterly false and has been shown to be false in the "fact checks" in the countries' major newspapers for several weeks; it is mostly the less educated voters who buy this nonesense.

This is also the time when McCain steps up his robo phone calls to discredit his opponent, his mailings invoking 911, fear, and innuendo about his opponent, etc. EXAMPLE: An email sent by the Pennsylvania Republican Party to 75,000 Jewish voters in Pennsylvania last week warned "Fellow Jewish Voters" of the danger of a second Holocaust and linked it to Obama's possible election: It goes like this: "Jewish Americans cannot afford to make the wrong decision on Nov. 4th. Many of our ancestors ignored the warning signs in the 1930's and 1940's and made a tragic mistake. Let's not make a similar one this year!" Another example: one of the Robo calls said that Obama voted against "protecting children from danger," but offered no specifics.

John Mehan, San Francisco, CA (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:04 AM)

"Insane McCain" and "Puppet Palin" have proven to our nation that they can not properly run their campaign. If they can not even run their campaign in an organized way? How can, we the people, expect them to rationally lead our nation forward. The world is watching, and our enemies would love to see "Puppet Palin" as VP. Then very soon after, her being the President of the United States. Do you have a chill up your spine yet America! I do!! For now is not the time America to put dangerous, and dishonorable individuals in positions of leadership. Vote early! "Remember New Hampshire!"

Rock, Janesville, Wisconsin (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:09 AM)

The McCain of 2000 was as confused as the McCain of 2008 is, look back and examine. Again, the perception of our allies is that we have had a cowboy in the White House for 8 years - I don't think we can survive a sheriff and his deputy (Calamity Jane) running loose in the White House! It is time for a real change that is focused on moving our country forward.

Bob D, Wichita, Kansas (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:10 AM)

If anyone thinks of Obama in terms of lacking experience, please look at his ability to run his campaign-- it speaks volumes on his ability to strategize! Can't say the same for McCain, who isn't even able to get his advisers to keep a lid on it until after next Tuesday.

No worries (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:14 AM)

FR: "The McCain of 2000 would be in much better shape in this election than this McCain."

I was buying that two McCains idea a few months back. I've since come to the conclusion that the McCain of 2000 was more myth than reality, and a guy who then didn't have the additional scrutiny of a general election campaign.

Think about it. McCain has always said quirky, whacky things. That's why the media found him refreshing. But its one thing to be a refreshing though quirky and sometimes downright angry senator, and quite another to bring those attributes into a presidential general election.

Eight years ago, McCain was the insurgent against the establishment's pick. Its a storyline the media loves. And when he went down in flames in South Carolina to Bush's most ugly of negative campaigns there, he was the wronged political insurgent. Is there any storyline in politics that produces more sympathy?

But all that didn't serve to show us who the real McCain is. He's the angry, erratic, overly emotional guy we see now. He has been all along.

Face it. Like his brother, its just not too hard to imagine John McCain calling 911 demanding answers to why traffic in his lane is so bad, and then telling the 911 operator to F-off when he doesn't get an answer.

Paul Miller, Woodbridge, VA (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:20 AM)

It is so surprising to me that some can still adamantly support the republican party, when they
will go down in history as conducting the sleeziest
campaign in the history of our country.
And, now trying to suppress our voting rights.
They will stoop to any level to try and win this
election.
Americans, we cannot let these unscrupulous, dishonorable people be elected to run our country,
We will not survive!!

katiec Pekin, IL (Sent Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:22 AM)

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