Free Advice For The McCain Campaign

Co-anchoring MSNBC's coverage of the Potomac Primaries last night (or the Beltway Battle, or The Race In The Place or whatever we're supposed to call it), Keith Olbermann nailed what ought to be the McCain campaign's guiding principle for free-media exposure: Do not under any circumstances allow the news nets to cut directly from an Obama speech to a McCain speech. The contrast is, frankly, just not fair. Watching Obama deliver even a middling performance of his stump speech, as he did last night before some 17,000 supporters at the University of Wisconsin, is electrifying. Cut to McCain, standing in what looks like somebody's basement rec room, a Madame Tussaud's display of superannuated supporters including former senator John Warner propped up stiffly as backdrop, and McCain drowsing somnolently on about "my friends" and the crucible of history and how government must respect the rights, property and opportunities of the people to whom it is accountable. At one point he seemed to conflate "America's detractors" with its "enemies." (See, far-right nut jobs? I'm pretty! Tell me I'm pretty!)

My wife wandered by just then. "Hear that?" I told her. "That's John McCain throwing heat."

"Really?" she said, sounding puzzled.

McCain seems like a decent person, his queasy embrace of Jerry Falwell notwithstanding. And there's more to governance than rhetoric. But if I were Barack Obama, and I returned to my hotel room in Wisconsin last night and caught up with the footage of McCain's victory dance, I would be thinking one thing and one thing only: "I cannot wait to get up on a stage with this guy."

Cross-posted at billbarol.tumblr.com.

Comments

[pinkmamba]

Remined me of Dole vs Clinton-Old vs. new - Yes the whole sceen was straight out of an old horror film. Dawn of the dead comes to mind.

[rich3324]

It was quite a contrast.

[Pdubya]

should have seen him get booed at CPAC.


ron paul got a standing ovation.

rumor has it mccain is dropping out.

[blueraven]

Hate to break it to you, Sparky, but the voices in your head don't count as a rumor mill.

[westwind]

I agree, but the fact that McCain is no match for Obama in rhetoric or anything else for that matter, just makes it all the more "necessary" for McCain and his crew to go negative early and often. That tactic could backfire, but never doubt the ability of the Republicans to drag everyone through the slime in their efforts to sink an opponent's campaign.

If Barack Obama can defend himself smartly against dirty tricks (yet to be tested on a national stage) while staying relatively clean himself, this contest should be his for the taking. But it's a delicate balancing act, and Democratic consultants do not have a good track record on this (witness the wimpy campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry), so Obama will be doing himself a big favor if he listens to their advice, but goes with his own gut feel about how to run. It has served him admirably thus far, but much dirtier fights lie ahead.

[ikkytito]

The one main difference I see is the fact of Obama's nationwide support. Attacking him could rouse his constituency to even greater efforts-and very possibly backfire. In fact the entire slime industry including Limbaugh and O'reilly can take a bath on this one. The continued success of Obama's campaign is bringing in millions of new voters-This is beginning to look like 1932.