McCain's Attacks Worrying Some In GOP

New York Times:

In recent days Senator John McCain has charged that Senator Barack Obama "would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign," tarred him as "Dr. No" on energy policy and run advertisements calling him responsible for high gas prices.

The old happy warrior side of Mr. McCain has been eclipsed a bit lately by a much more aggressive, and more negative, Mr. McCain who hammers Mr. Obama repeatedly on policy differences, experience and trustworthiness.

By doing so, Mr. McCain is clearly trying to sow doubts about his younger opponent, and bring him down a peg or two. But some Republicans worry that by going negative so early, and initiating so many of the attacks himself rather than leaving them to others, Mr. McCain risks coming across as angry or partisan in a way that could turn off some independents who have been attracted by his calls for respectful campaigning.

The drumbeat of attacks could also undermine his argument that he will champion a new brand of politics.

"The McCain campaign, I think, is being pulled in two directions," said Todd Harris, a Republican strategist who worked for Mr. McCain in 2000. "On the one hand, this race is largely a referendum on Obama, and whether or not he's going to pass the leadership threshold in the eyes of voters. So being aggressive against Obama on questions of leadership and trust and risk are important, but at the same time I think they need to be very careful because McCain is not at his best when he is being overly partisan and negative."

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[All4One08]

“He may have been a war hero (pow) but his voting record as a Senator, well let's just say there is nothing heroic about it, here' see for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBTOPyiCXQY

[racetoinfinity]

Do a little research and you'll find he was a lousy pilot (one of the worst in his bunch), and the "hero" thing is 80% mythical - he was one of many POWs - his one and only disctinction was that he refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer.

[jsinclair]

From the article above: "McCain criticizes Obama repeatedly on policy differences, experience and trustworth­iness."

Actually..­.no. He doesn't.

He criticizes Obama for things he hasn't said or done, the CLAIM of inexperience (without ever defining why or how McCain's years in the senate have been so productive) and not "trustworthiness" but....

....patrio­tism (or, rather, the accusation that Obama isn't patriotic when, of course, he absolutely IS).

McCain's attacks are an amalgam of lies, half-truths and smears, while utterly FAILING to represent his own stand on issues and his own qualifications.

I agree the GOP seems to feel "dirty is good". But I doubt Independents will agree (and from what I hear among friends, even some die-hard Republican voters are seeing through it and are disgusted).

[mari2JJ]

You are absolutely correct. McCain has made a mantra of these negative cracks without regard to facts. All it does is make HIM look silly and I can understand how Republicans are feeling very weary and worried about the McCain campaign. Further, McCain even contradicts his earlier statements about how to run a campaign. You can see how helpless and desperate McCain feels in the face of the snappy, well thought out campaign Obama is running and this once again brings our the old nasty man in McCain. A very sad thing for the McCain who as espoused clean campaigns on issues elections. He has sunk to the GW level in this campaign so tell me, why are Republicans complaining. Nothing new here. It is why I left the party.

[SouthPrairie]

McComplian has been banking on the fact that the msm is dancing to the same puppet masters that he is, but even the puppet mastered has to contend with the audacity of truths--albeit rather inconvenient truths.

[UncleJimbo]

Oh Moderator! What can you you possibly be debating about my comment?

[iswideopen]

For John McCain, it is already too late. Non-apology-apology is NOT ACCEPTED. McCain=Bush=DogFood Brand Republicans. You disgust me.

[UncleJimbo]

By putting these attacks out himself,he has destroyed his campagin! In the first debate Obama should ask McCain to his face if he believes all this stuff and if Mccain says he does Obama will rip him a new one! If he says he doesn't really believe the crap,he will look the biggest fool in election history! Either way he's skrewed!

[peacefulworldcitizen]

Whoops, here is the site:

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/flipflops

[JiminNC]

http://www.bi30.org/wordpress/flipflopper.htm
heryagopissboy, deny some of this

[peacefulworldcitizen]

This lists pretty much all of McCain's flip flops. 71 to date, and the hits just keep a comin'!

[leatherneck1971]

McCains problem is he is a Bush look a like, as well as he is the least liked conservative in republican parties extreme right wingers, and the religious right is split on him, some will take him even if his the devil himself just as long as those vile left wing democrats do not win, and the flip side is about half the evangicals, hate him, despise him, and will not vote for a admited adulturer, many middle aged women will hate him when the ads come out depicting how he dumped his first wife for the prettier, richer, younger one, and he cannot possibly appeal to the middle class, with his coming from life of priveledge, and marrying one of the richest women in America, his claim to fame is one thing his military career, and that alone will not win anyone any elections, Kerry proved that, a draft dodging Bush Jr, hiding in the national guard, awol half the time, to avoid duty in vietnam should have proven war heros are respected only during the time of their bleeding, dying for us, they are soon forgotten, its a fleeting respect the republican right wingers pay to our troops, watch how they complain at the costs of these Iraq/Afghanistan veterans medical costs down the road, when its time to pay the piper for their war of control of the oil, ambitions of empire!

[MizLiz]

Leatherneck, your post would be far more effective if you'd throw in a few paragraph breaks. This thing is so hard to read (especially for old bats like me) that I have just about given up.

[doodlefarbe]

"your post would be far more effective if you'd throw in a few paragraph breaks. "


Um, how do you throw in a few paragraph breaks when it was all one single sentence??

;-)

[1differentdrummer]

Well, he puts country before God. I thought it was God and the Fatherland.

[whizkid]

A red herring article and thread.
Actually, the GOP attacks McCain for going easy on Obama.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Poor pissoir.

Can't get anything right.

[AdLib]

Typical Repugg brain cramp, respond to an inconvenient truth by simply stating the opposite.

Not very sharp, these Repuggs.

[JiminNC]

Pissboy on patroll!

[kdublya]

Fantastic advice.

Sen. O could always use another bump.

Again, fantastic advice.

[BWonka]

Sure, yeah, uh-huh. Poor weeweee.

[kdublya]

Scurry back to Limberger and report the following news items:

Silly Season is over. [stop]
Unsophisticated trolls don't cut it anymore. [stop]
Send in the clowns. [stop]

[soapington]

McCain's "attacks" draw no blood and leave no scar, though they can be unpleasant - in the same way that being gnawed by a toothless sheep is unpleasant.

[MalloMel]

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

[GabrielXL]

Thanks for posting this. It is truly enlightening. It's unfortunate that many won't see him for the fraud that he is. War Hero indeed. X^$

[darthmaul]

I think Obama should respond, carefully and deliberately he should point out the flaws in McCain's thinking. Perhaps even use some humor. Not to respond, leaves in the minds of some voters that it's a tacit acceptance that it's true. McCain is swift boating Obama, and I don't see Obama doing much to fight back.

[wutzhappn]

Poor Barry. The minute anybody starts picking on him, his skin becomes so thin, he just can't take it. Fortunately, his rabid supporters in the media come running to his defense. Nobody is allowed to criticize Barry. Protect him at all costs, for he is the messiah in swaddling clothes.

[GabrielXL]

People have been claiming this nonsense since the beginning of the campaign and it is no more accurate now than it was then. I guess one can never get too tired of hearing themselves spout off the same lines, hoping they'll pass for truth anywhere outside the confines of their own thought process. The voices you're hearing that respond favorably to this banter are located in your own mind.

[TchoupitoulasCanal]

Are you serious? Can we consider the alternative for a moment: we can't talk about McCain's military service (because that's unpatriotic) or his age (because that's not polite) or his wife's nasty narcotics habit of stealing prescription medication intended for needy children (because that's not classy) OR his lack of knowledge about Middle Eastern geography?

You're kidding, right? If not, you may want to wake up and pay attention.

[darthmaul]

Politics is a bloodsport, and it's played for keeps. The republicans will do anything to get their guy in. If you sit by and play "nice" you'll get hammered, plain and simple. So yeah, people that support Obama better be "rabid" and help out. Otherwise it's four more years of a republican wasteland, and I don't think the country can survive that. And if you want to use questionable metaphors, I'd rather have a messiah in swaddling clothes for president, then a doddering old geezer in depends

[iswideopen]

wutzhappn, racism is not a joke, you are not amusing. The American voters that John McBush is attempting to attract are not "low information" voters full of hatred. They are very educated and do not appreciate their intelligence being insulted. The other audience in which John McBush is attempting to "juice" are the bigoted, right wing, hate mongerers. Without them, there is no excitement in his campaign. How pathetic; hatred as a form of bringing hateful Americans together. I don't know how old you are, but in any case, stop using Fox News' talking points and head to the library. Read up on the history of the United States of America. Perhaps, that is why the bigoted are so angry. To not hate, is to acknowledge "America's Dirty Little Secret" and dig deep within to ask yourselves why you continue to be and live this way for absolutely no other reason than that you think you are superior to everyone else who is non-white. America does not belong to you. It is a gift to Americans from GOD. He, and not any of you, is in total control. GOD IS LOVE.

[JiminNC]

So you support dishonest discourse? (Rhetorical question - look it up)

[VolvoBirkenstock]

...and on the front page of Wednesday's WaPo:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902286.html?hpid=topnews

The press is finally holding Mc accountable.

[strandwolf]

Bizarre photograph! Must be a Secret Service dude in the background, but the others appear to be from a far away galaxy.

[maximus1]

Looks like he's playing "rock, paper, scissors..­."

[JiminNC]

Nice VB, thanks!

[CindyM2008]

Yes, and hopefully it gets the same media attention that Mc Sames's lame lying ad received.

[Irons]

John John John. Maybe you should shake off the pesky, intellectual demands being imposed by this run for POTUS and retire to a securely-gated community with free golf.

[AdLib]

The Daily Show tonight said the strategy is to be so pathetic that people feel sorry for him and give him their vote out of pity, comparing 0bama to Lassie and McCaln to a stray damp mutt with matted hair and big sad eyes.

Funny as usual!

[TchoupitoulasCanal]

Hey.......­I would take the stray damp mutt with matted hair and big sad eyes! That can be fixed.

McConstipa­ted....not so much.