The Stench Run: Republicans Ramp Up Negative Attacks As Election Day Nears

With Election Day looming and the polls suggesting John McCain faces a daunting challenge, the GOP and the McCain campaign have ramped up their negative attacks on Barack Obama. Just to start, McCain attacked Obama's patriotism and Republicans made much hay out of a video that purportedly shows Obama attending a party where Palestinian, and Columbia University Professor, Rashid Khalidi was also a guest. Below is a round up of some of McCain's and the GOP's 11th hour attacks.

McCain Attacks Obama's Patriotism: McCain seized on - and took out of context - remarks made by Obama today to question the Democrat's patriotism:

John McCain unveiled a new attack on Barack Obama's patriotism Saturday, jumping all over - and taking out of context - remarks made yesterday in which the Democratic nominee said the Iowa Caucuses vindicated his faith in the American public.

Campaigning in Springfield, Virginia, McCain told the crowd that he had always had faith in his country and - dinging his opponent - claimed that the United States "has never had to prove anything to me..."

...Past statements aside, if one actually takes a look at what Obama said, and what he has said before, it is hard to interpret in anyway that he doubted the United States. Just look at the sentences before his "faith" remark, in which he lavishly praises the American people, who he "knew" were "decent" and "generous."

GOP Flier: Obama More A Friend To Criminals Than Cops: HuffPost's Sam Stein reports on a GOP flier circulating in Virginia that accuses Obama of being more of a friend to criminals than to cops:

The pamphlet, flagged by a recipient in the state and a new version of one previously reported in several other states, includes a photo of a quiet suburban neighborhood and young children playing on in a classroom - the implicit message being, Obama will make you and your family less safe.

"Protecting your family comes first," reads the front.

"A record of being soft on crime," reads the back. "Barack Obama has consistently opposed tougher penalties for criminals - including major offenses - allowing criminals to remain on the streets."

GOP Mailer In Pennsylvania Suggests Electing Obama Could Lead To Second Holocaust: Talking Points Memo flags another GOP flier that is particularly nasty:

A reader sends in a nasty mailer that just hit Philadelphia-area in-boxes, blasted out by a GOP group called the Republican Jewish Coalition, suggesting that a vote for Barack Obama could lead to another "tragic outcome" for the Jewish people.

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"Concerned about Barack Obama? You should be," the mailer warns. "History has shown that a naive and weak foreign policy has resulted in tragic outcomes for the Jewish people."

The mailer helpfully notes that the image is a pic of Obama speaking in Germany.

House GOP Leader Calls Obama "Chicken Shit": House Minority leader John Boehner shockingly used an expletive to describe Obama for his "present" votes in the Illinois State Senate:

House minority leader John Boehner's spokesman confirms the accuracy of this quote, from an Ohio student newspaper:

"Now, listen, I've voted 'present' two or three times in my entire 25-year political career, where there might have been a conflict of interest and I didn't feel like I should vote," Boehner said. "In Congress, we have a red button, a green button and a yellow button, alright. Green means 'yes,' red means 'no,' and yellow means you're a chicken s***.

"And the last thing we need in the White House, in the oval office, behind that big desk, is some chicken who wants to push this yellow button."

Regional McCain Manager Denies Obama's Citizenship: Tim McClellan, a regional manager in Florida for the McCain campaign, isn't sold on the idea of Obama as an American citizen:

The most surprising statement was something we've been hearing from McCain supporters but not from anyone actually on the McCain or RNC payroll. "I have strong concerns that Obama is not a citizen. I suspect the U.S. Supreme Court will prove that Obama's not a citizen," Tim continued. "Did he go to Indonesia and become an Indonesian citizen, and if so, did he take steps to regain his (U.S.) citizenship? There's no seal on his birth certificate and the font is wrong."

Conservative Group To Run Rev. Wright Ads Through Election Day: National Republican Trust PAC has a major ad buy on national networks to run anti-Wright attacks:

Get ready for a deluge of Wright rantings.

The National Republican Trust PAC, which has been airing an ad attacking Barack Obama's association with Reverend Wright in three battleground states, has now put down for a national buy on five networks that will last from now through election day, a consultant with the group confirms to me.

The ad will run nationally on Fox, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC for the next five days, the consultant, Rick Wilson, says -- "all the way until election day."

The ad, which you can watch here, features the now-infamous footage of Wright's livelier sermons, and intones that Obama "never complained" about Wright "until he ran for President," adding that Obama is "too radical, too risky."

Obama Campaign Manager Questions Timing Of Aunt Story: David Axelrod is suspicious of the timing of the story about Obama's aunt living in the country illegally:

Speaking to reporters today, Obama chief strategist David Axelrod addressed reports that Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of Obama's Kenyan father, has been living illegally in the United States for four years. Axelrod expressed some skepticism about the timing of the news, which first broke in the Times of London and was confirmed by the Associated Press in the waning days of the presidential race.

"The campaign issued a statement on that," Axelrod told reporters, "And I don't have anything more to add to it, other than I think people are suspicious about stories that surface in the last 72 hours of a national campaign.

"I think that they're going to take that," he added, "They're going to put it in that context."

In a statement earlier today, the campaign said that "Sen. Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws should be followed."

More GOP Mailers Hitting The Streets: A new GOP flier hits Obama on lobbyists, taxes and socialism:

The anti-Obama mail keeps piling up. A reader forwarded a set of pieces that go after the Illinois Democrat for not, really, being a thorn in the side of lobbyists and for planning to raise taxes alongside his liberal allies in Congress,

The first piece accuses Obama of funneling the "hard-earned money of America's taxpayers to pay his friends and family with political favors."

As evidence the literature cites the Senator's relationship with Tony Rezko - the indicted Chicago insider - and two earmarks that Obama helped bring to Illinois; projects that, tangentially, were connected to his wife or a political supporter. It is, in short, thin gruel.

McCain Campaign Demands LA Times Rlease Khalidi Video: The McCain campaign sought to portray Obama as an extremist after learning that the LA Times has video of Obama attending the same party as Rashid Khalidi. HuffPost's Seth Colter Walls discovers that this guilt-by-association game will be difficult for McCain to pull off:

In regards to Khalidi, however, the guilt-by-association game burns John McCain as well.

During the 1990s, while he served as chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), McCain distributed several grants to the Palestinian research center co-founded by Khalidi, including one worth half a million dollars.

A 1998 tax filing for the McCain-led group shows a $448,873 grant to Khalidi's Center for Palestine Research and Studies for work in the West Bank. (See grant number 5180, "West Bank: CPRS" on page 14 of this PDF.)

The relationship extends back as far as 1993, when John McCain joined IRI as chairman in January. Foreign Affairs noted in September of that year that IRI had helped fund several extensive studies in Palestine run by Khalidi's group, including over 30 public opinion polls and a study of "sociopolitical attitudes."

Comments

[maddronn]

I watched two of the Presidential debates and the Vice Presidential debate on CNN. CNN had a tracking system that registered the responses of a focus group of undecided Ohio voters. The system tracked the cumulative reactions of men and women separately and registered their reactions, over a graph located on the lower portion of the screen, as each candidate spoke. Positive reactions to the candidate’s responses tracked above a neutral line and negative reactions dipped below. Whenever either candidate went negative during their responses, either in their answer or demeanor, the focus group reaction for men and women was almost always down. I think a significant portion of the electorate is tired with negative campaigning and is turned off by the practice. Going negative only serves to excite the more base elements of each party. Clearly the barrage of negative ads from the Republicans is an act of desperation and a throw back to the Carl Rove days of successfully redefining your opponent though character attacks and false associations. I don’t believe it will work this time. But sadly the practice will have the undesirable affect of hardening the polarization of the undiscriminating element of the electorate. The consequence of this despicable practice is that there will be Americans who actually hate their President, even before he takes office not just disagree with him. That sort of hysteria induce dissatisfaction can do nothing but harm the Republic.

[Inthematrix]

Republicans need to just take a break, regroup, and decide what they really stand for.
http://inthematrix.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/why-republicans-shouldnt-vote-in-presidential-elections/

[1201SLD]

I've decided to avoid doing business with McCain supporters, those with signs or recorded contributions to McCain or the RNC. Hmmmm.

[MJJM]

Same thing here in VA!!

Obama should have defeated this silly association a long time ago by saying how ridiculous it is. I've been going to the same church for 10yrs. My pastor is pro-life and against divorce. He believes wives should stay home. However, that's not what I believe but I still go their because of the community service and because there are sermons he preaches that are just what I needed to here. My wife still works but she still go to the church.

[georgebeckton]

I'm going to bed, its been marvellous, i think as i always have left-of centre..please vote for Barrack

[shockmagog]

Good night!

[SueMVetforObama]

VOTE!

[rozgeorge]

The U.S. of America has a lot of sick people out there. I don't understand why it's so awful to have a black president. White people trust black peoples to teach their children in schools, trust black people to drive them around on buses or trains, trust black peoples to fly them around on air planes. Give the man a chance and maybe in the end you will see he's not such a bad person. He could do no worse than the white men that have been in office.

[Indie2008]

Good advice. The invective condoned by the McCain campaign and certain media outlets is going to make it more difficult for Obama to prove himself. The silver lining would be a clear mandate that would repudiate the message of hate.

[georgebeckton]

In chosing Palin mccain committed a breathtaking act of irresponsibility

[SueMVetforObama]

Agreed

From a U.S. M. C. Veteran

[kat1942]

The republicans are swift boating Obama like they did Kerry. they attacked kerry for being a war heo, but they praise mcCain for the same. Vote obama on tues and end this negativity.

[georgebeckton]

More shocking is that Buchannan has been bleating on UK TV saying mccains performance is (paraphrasing) CRAP.and that SP was an egregious mistake

[dlo2]

Please everyone say a prayer for light of God, saints, and every sacred soul who has ever lived to watch over Obama and Biden and to prevent darkness of McCain/Palin from prevailing in the same malignant spirt that Bush, Cheney, Rove has done over these past 8 years. Rove is still orchestrating evil from from the peanut gallery and we need to retire this very ill soul.

[hilary916]

Shocking

[georgebeckton]

Latest BBC forecasts...this is FAR from over.....if people believe in the polls they are misguided. People must VOTE...god help us this is NOT over...take your house contents to the queue.. but queue this must not be pinched

[missmarlene]

why doesn't John McCain talk about the real issues...all he does is attack Obama...McCain is a dirtbag!!!

[arethusa]

I"d thought McCain was an honorable man.
He proved me so very, very wrong.

[dlo2]

No, check out his past...there are records of his misdoings by various professors and journalists who are not bought out by right wing corporate media. I have spoken in the last year with senior military people and what they say is very reflective of Arethusa's comments.

[happyexpat08]

Then you've never actually looked into the man. It took me five minutes of reading about him to understand that he is empty and always has been. Which is part of what makes him so dangerous.

[Cameron2976]

By the time Obama is done the only thing left will be the change in piggy bank.

[kat1942]

maybe you won'y have money, but other people who need it will. Maybe you can ask Palin if the witches can get you some money! http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/25/little-sarah-palin-witchcraft-free-at-last/#more-1163

[bluedeer]

Better yet, just tell God you need some money. Where's your faith? If you're not already an evangelical right wing christian, become one, that way you can just get everything you need from God and not worry about what's in your piggy bank. Oh ye of little faith!! (all said with with a generous dose of sarcasm).

On a more serious note, have you checked your piggy bank lately? The "free market" and Republican sponsored deregulated finance sector have already robbed it, you know. Your 401(k) plan is probably down to a 105 ($) plan now. If the Republicans stay in power, they'll not only completely empty your piggy bank, but they'll be knocking on your door to take the empty piggy away too.

[prostock69]

Excuse me, but for millions of hard working Americans, that is all they have left after 8 years of Republican rule. Oh, by the way, the last Democrat that was in office left America with a surplus in the budget which Bush and his aministration of criminals have managed to squander and push so for into the negative that we may never get out of debt. No shut up!

[arethusa]

Gee. About all many of us have left after a lifetime of hardwork and savings is...gosh...the change in the piggy bank. Obama gets my vote. At least he doesn't believe in voodoo economics--the trickle up theory. We've seen stagnation in salaries and in wages and in earnings for middle and lower class people who work hard. But the very, very rich like the McCains have seen their earnings grow at an astounding rate, because of Republican tax cuts for the rich. A fair tax structure is NOT socialist; it is American. Teddy Roosevelt. Yes. I may may more taxes if I earn more than $250K, but I'd pay them happily to see our economy, environment and American prestige restored. We have a huge debt to repay, and we need to do it fast, or our children and grandchildren will continue to pay--for the war and all those tax breaks for the rich in the present. What about the future? It is more important than someone having a huge energy-wasting house and a SUV.