TV Ads And Town Halls: McCain Campaign Revs Up
The primaries at last concluded, the Obama campaign is now mapping its strategy, staffing up, deciding on new hires and starting to build on the Obama organizations already in place in nearly every state-- a benefit of the prolonged contest against Hillary Clinton. Obama, of course, is also weighing whom to ask to join him at the top of the ticket. His selection team will now travel to Capitol Hill to talk to Democratic Senators and House members and collect their recommendations. Obama's campaign had already been compiling stories about potential running mates and will now start the vetting process. The general election campaign has arrived.
Of course, McCain has been preparing for this moment for months since the Republican candidate wrapped up his party's nomination as early as Super Tuesday. For much of the past five months, his campaign felt that it was no use wasting money airing ads aggressively and fighting for media attention as the press and of the country was focused on the Clinton-Obama race. But as we saw on Tuesday when John McCain delivered a surprisingly weak speech on primetime television, having had a long time to prepare does not mean that the McCain campaign is ready to come out swinging.
Yet, there are certain things that the McCain campaign has obviously been preparing for a while, starting with its first major general election ad which started airing Friday. Called "Safe," the spot (watch it here) features a stern looking McCain who professes to "hate war" and mentions the fact that he was held for five years as a POW. The message is clear: McCain intends to run on issues of national security and we should not expect him to be shy about mentioning his years in Vietnam, however much McCain has stayed away from campaigning on that in the past.
Politico reports that McCain is running this ad in an impressive list of swing states that gives us a good idea of where the GOP believes the fall campaign will play: Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The inclusion of Missouri should reassure Democrats that the Show Me State will be competitive in the fall while McCain's determination to target Michigan confirms one of the most surprising storylines of the early stages of the campaign -- Michigan replacing Florida as the third member of the holy trio, along with Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Second, the McCain campaign had been preparing its offensive on holding joint town halls as they issued their challenge to Obama as soon as the Democrat wrapped up his nomination battle on Tuesday. Naturally, Obama's team was in position to agree to such a thing when it had barely started strategizing -- and Republicans knew that, their objective being to put Obama in a hole and advance their argument that he was not ready for the big stage. In fact, McCain proposed that the first event be held on June 12th, something Obama was obviously in no position to accept.
Today, NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (who is having a lot of trouble staying away from this presidential campaign) complicated the picture for the Obama campaign by offering to host the first joint town hall meeting at Manhattan's Federal Hall. This ups the pressure on Obama to accept, and Republicans are likely to portray any delay as stalling. But it is unclear whether the Democrat is looking for a way out of this. In fact, all signs point to the fact that both parties think holding joint town halls would favor them -- making those atypical events a very real possibility!
On the one hand, Republicans are at a financial disadvantage and would relish the free media and equal exposure that joint town hall meetings would guarantee; McCain also believes that common appearances would be an opportunity for him to showcase his expertise and contrast himself with his opponent's alleged inexperience. On the other hand, Democrats seem convinced that any joint appearance would serve to highlight McCain's old age and that any opportunity for Obama to showcase his mastery of policy and go toe-to-toe with John McCain will serve him greatly, undermining the GOP's attacks on his readiness.
Read more at Daniel Nichanian's blog, Campaign Diaries.
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I think that it is indeed true that the larger the audience the better it serves Obama. Nobody can handle an arena-size crowd better. The town hall is a format that McCain does well in. But the televised town hall is a different format. The quantity of gear, special lighting requirements, etc. will all affect the audience and speakers. And no station is going to put a nonprofessional in front of a camera and microphone without prescreening their question. No way.
Also Obama has had plenty of debates and town halls too. Remember he won Iowa.
The campaign is just now underway and I think Obama and his staff are not going to play McCain’s game. Even if they do, Obama can and will be able to call McCain on his record of saying anything based on the moment. McCain does not understand that his words will be thrown right back at him within hours. The Republicans basic tactic is (using an old Nixonian term) not operative. McCain has no consistent content to deliver. Double talk can only get you so far; this alone will doom his campaign in the fall.
Obama will get eaten up in a Town Hall event were anybody can ask him anything. McCain has been doing these since his campaign kicked off. Deep down Barack Obama wants NOTHING to do with this type of thing.
Ah toby I believe you under estimate Obama. Did you see the town hall on CNN he did on religion? He was great there. He does what some people say is struggle with words but that is because they don't realize that he "thinks before he speaks". That is a good thing. I want so much to see him beside your "old" man candidate. Just the scene of these two together on the same stage should be enough for people to decide who will be the best candidate to vote for in November.
First time the old man will be in front of a crowd. The crowd will be there for O. of course. The old man by himself draws tiny crowds, composed mainly of old and tired people. I wonder how he will react to inspired, happy, crowds, He probably will be even more forgetfull. Should be fun!
Hmmm...while I do think that Obama should be able to win these "town hall" debates...I give pause.
I am just very cynical about agreeing to any stipulation that republicans issue first. Clearly they wouldn't jump on the town hall bandwagon if they didn't think that they had some sort of advantage. Knowing McCain's temper, and his apparent confusion on where he stands on the issues at the moment, I'm thinking something is up. The only thing I trust about republicans at this point is that most of what they say is lies or propaganda.
In addition, I think this is McCain's way of getting free publicity. Can't compete with the money machine known as the Obama camp, so his best bet is to do these forums. Since he obviously cannot even deliver a teleprompted speech, this venue works in his favor. THIS time we democrats need to keep THEM on the defensive. Not so sure that agreeing to a McCain trap is the way to keep them on their heels. Although Obama's attacks on McCain's economic policies today is a GREAT start. In your FACE to everyone who said that Obama would be too weak to bring the fight.
It's not going to work. People are tired of war. They're tired of 9/11. They know they were lied into the debacle in Iraq. They want something more. They're ready to move on.
McCain does well in town hall meetings but I have faith in Obama.
Obama will wipe the hall floors with JMc.
My friends, we have hope that things will change.
The town hall meetings are an ambush tactic. McCain will have his staffers try and cull the heard, load the deck with GOP loyalists Bush-style so McCain gets questions like "Senator McCain, why do you love America so much?" after which Obama will have to field a question like, "When did you stop being a Muslim and beating your wife?"
This may sound implausible, but it's not when one considers that Obama's people will be too preoccupied with securing the venue from would-be assassins to notice McCain's security people turning away prospective attendees on the basis of "Bush Lied, People Died" bumper stickers and Code Pink shirts.
SOT
Granps McSame just wants somebody to listen to him...he can't get anyone to Town Halls when he is the only one............SAD - He is WORSE then Bush
I have little doubt Obama will mop the floor with the stuttering, forgetful, gives GW what he wants everytime- McCain. He will look slow, stupid and only garner plty if set side by side with Obama.
I can hardly wait.
The lighting in the ad is a really strange choice. It's Phantom of the Opera like lighting. Whoever put this together didn't pay enough attention to how it would look as a finished product: it's distinctly odd and vaguely menacing. A little soft fill lighting would have made him look more appealing. His campaign just can't seem to get its communication department together. Everything they put out is marked by incompetence in modern technology, style and tone.
Whoa!
Why is John McCain hiding the left side of his grapefruit/face in this ad?
This is downright creepy.................................................and will be what everyone will talk about.
I think he should be in a Thriller video with MJ. Use McCain's face as a backdrop.
If your face looked like his, you wouldn't leave the house.
You are a sick individual. This may come back on you. These are the people from the "change" campaign. How sad.
See M.S. Bellows, Jr.'s Profile
A Clinton supporter stabbed an Obama supporter in a fight; I don't hold that against her any more than I hold VOTER's comment against Obama! :-)
See M.S. Bellows, Jr.'s Profile
Wait, wait -- we have to be fair, and Obama's good enough that we don't need to be unfair to win. McCain had skin cancer removed from his left temple area. The surgery removed a lot of tissue that normally covers the left masseter. The surgery was successful, and he's cancer-free, but that muscle is unusually prominent as a result. In my view, it's a sign of a life well-spent in a fair amount of sunshine.
Hate McCain's policies and his abandonment of the principles I used to respect him for. Don't care about his jaw. We're better than that.
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