A Line of Attack the Obama Campaign Must Answer Forcefully
Tonight during the evening news the Republican National Committee ran an attack ad (multiple times) that featured menacing black-and-white images of Harry Reid, Charles Schumer, Patrick Leahy and other leading Democrats with the captions: "Ready to Tax" and "Ready to Spend." I was hoping the DNC or the Obama Campaign would answer this propaganda with an ad of its own, but I have yet to see one. Right-wing talk radio and Glen Beck (the "King of the Cretins") have been hammering the idea that if Barack Obama were to be elected president the Democrats would control the government and it would lead to higher taxes. Steve Moore, formerly of the Club for Growth, whose vision for America Charles Dickens described long ago, was mercilessly flogging this idea on the Glen Beck show just yesterday. Moore said that if Obama were elected the stock market would tank and there'd be capital flight.
This argument, unfortunately, might have legs because many "independent," "centrist," and "low information" voters believe: 1). Government can't do anything to help you with your health care, housing, or energy bills and anyone who thinks it can is naive; and 2). The only thing Government can do is raise your taxes. These false notions have been beaten into the brains of voters for the last 28 years. The McCain-Palin campaign is lying and misrepresenting Obama's economic plan, but their target audience pays little attention to things like truth, reason, or rationality; they vote their feelings or their "guts." By running with this Big Lie the McCain-Palin camp is hitting below the belt. But what would you expect from Karl Rove acolytes?
I was astounded to learn that more television viewers watched John McCain's acceptance speech than Barack Obama's. I hope this doesn't mean that Sarah Palin is going to succeed in energizing the right-wing Christian evangelicals and other flat-Earthers to get out and vote in 2008. She might be able to do for the election of 2008 what gay marriage did for the election of 2004.
The Sarah Palin phenomenon tends to neutralize the inroads (if any) Obama might have made with white evangelicals. The religious Right has already denounced Obama's Saddleback colloquy with Rick Warren as being not "pro-life" enough. The only thing these people seem to need to know is that Palin knowingly chose to give birth to a "special needs" baby. They will ignore the fact that as Governor of Alaska, Palin cut the budget for assistance to families with "special needs" children from about $8 million to $3 million. The DNC or a sympathetic 527 should immediately begin running television and radio ads pointing out Palin's hypocrisy on this issue. Palin needs to be hit hard and hit now. Hesitating to slam her with some well-produced attack ads would be like John Kerry failing to respond to the Swift Boaters.
Sarah Palin is this election's Grand Swift Boater -- the sooner the Obama camp recognizes this the better.
Joe Biden cannot allow the corporate media to kowtow him into going soft on Palin just because she has a pair of overactive ovaries. She is a liar and a fraud and a religious extremist, and the sooner the bark is stripped off her the better. Hillary Clinton, if she is forceful and diligent on the campaign trail, can be very effective in countering the Palin pander. Hillary might have to be just as bitterly sarcastic and caustic as Palin to counter her. I don't think she should hold back.
But I cannot help but think about how Phyllis Schlafly (an ally of Palin's) and women like her -- to almost everyone's surprise -- killed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the late 1970s. It would be foolish to underestimate the political power of anti-feminist women in this country. They're angry, vocal, motivated, armed with a Carrie Nation fanaticism, and they have a hell of a lot of money.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
People who support Obama understand his where he's coming from. But this is not time to be Ghandi-like. We need regime change. We need to "take power". Politics is not bean bag, as they say, and we need to use the full arsenal of politics to defeat the threat we face.
Our government is guilty of domestic terrorism (fomenting fear for the purpose of war profit), ignoring the real needs of its citizens (heathcare, educational parity, jobs), wholesale destruction of the environment (ingorning the problem, fighting wars to continue the problem) and the dumbing-down of our society to the point at which there are people who will actually vote to continue this.
Except for the wealthy who stand to gain from a McCain/Palin administration, people who vote for them are simply too uninformed or ignorant to make vote in their best interest but they are certainly welcome to vote for whomever they please. To appeal to these voters, we need to use the tactics they understand, which does not include rational, intellectual or even obvious arguments.
Good post Joe.
Did Obama call Hillary at 3A.M. begging her for help.
I have to believe Hillary was laughing her ass off during the Palin speech. She said everything Hillary wanted to say about Obama but couldn't. Hillary always knew what America is finally seeing --that Obama is unqualified to be president.
The scrutiny of Palin is showing her qualifications as Governor, Commander of AL Guard, budgets she balanced, bills passed, and important decisions she has made. As opposed to Obama's lack of any real accomplishments.
How many times does Hillary have to try and save Obama? Biden was his choice--he didn't want her.
Let the lightweight fend for himself.
But also, we must demand the press ask the Palin-Mc Cain campaign just who in their own party they are going to go after for corruption and self serving, which lobbyists are they going to expose, and which parts of their machine are they really "strong enough" to dislodge. They must be forced to answer specifically or shown for the b.s.ers they are. Every major Bible pounding, social conservative that takes earmarks in their party must be queried about. Not only in Congress but in the previous administration.
Let loose the dogs of war. This country cannot afford another four years of what we've suffered for the last eight.
I agree whole heartedly with you! The Democrats must get out the word about this extremist VP candidate! Especially on her actual record. If she indeed cut funding for special needs families that needs to be shouted to the rafters and the quicker the better. The Rovian strategy continues on from old Dirty Dick Nixon--tell the big lies and keep repeating them. We as Democrats AND the press need to get this information out there NOW!
Having the fisherman's wife Sarah Palin screaming Rove's script -in charming buy my fish fashion -Obama has a lot of things to challenge -
The tax thing is one - McCain who can hardly stand - was pounding that one.
Saying - Obama says Change to advance his own career - is another.
But that's mostly defense - you have got to play some offence - there was a lot of talk of war - at the GOP convention - Barrack Obama needs to lay out the choice that either we are going to continue fighting wars for oil -first Iraq -now Georgia?? Russia?? Or we are going to have a systematic plan to switch our energy use where no lives will be lost.
Iran's going nuclear is serious - but that the Surge Worked - in a war fought to secure oil contracts - should be put squarely in this context and out of John McCain's Judgement context.
If the Right Wing Radio is saying one thing - find out what they're saying and wage a local battle - which may not make sense nationally.
Someone said to Obama - at the Glass factory - my neighbors are saying if we elect you - you'll take away our guns. How many people believe this and in how many areas - place ads in their local news papers and radio stations and go on the attack.
Make fun of pit-bulls with lipstick - carefully leaving out Hockey Moms!
Challenge everything!!
Either Obama hires James Carville right now, or he's toast. Obama can raise more than enough money to fight these fascists on TV and everywhere else. He simply has to become a relentless warrior who makes Hillary in Appalachia look like nothng. If Obama tries to stay "reasonable," he will be castrated by Palin at every turn, and the fascists will win once and for all. Hillary's castration campaign gave the Republicans the perfect blueprint for taking this Harvard "snob" out at the groin. Unless he quickly goes into a phone booth and emerges as a Chicago political thug fighting all-out economic war for white Middle America--for the Irish, the Poles, and all the other Chicago favorites--as Hillary did so well, he's dead. Hillary gave the blueprint for victory to BOTH campaigns. Palin took Hillary's nutcracker and ran with it. Unless Obama comes out TOUGHER than Palin, he's about to be mocked into oblivion. But he can turn the tables by becoming a relentless Studs Lonnigan of mockery and attacks himself. Bush, McCain, and Palin have given him as much ammunition for fighting Republicans as Hoover ever did. But Obama's the one who must stick it to them, brutally and relentlessly. He's either a gladiator the mob can respect, or he's mocked out of the arena.
Let's add a little civility to the debate. Taking cheap shots with bitter rhetoric and clinging to sexist "ideals" doesn't take our country forward but leads to divisiveness and hate. To quote the great liberal, "Why can't we all just get along?"
One thing I have come to find out about the Obama team, is they are very smart, and they are students of history. Obama himself has kept his remarks above the fray, which makes him look more presidential. Biden is also keeping the focus on the small details. What team Obama/Biden is doing is smart. Instead of huge venues, speeches in front of large crowds they have shifted focus. They did the grand slam thing and now have moved forward to personal, small intimate speeches. They have shown that he can inspire large groups of people, now they are getting close up. That is a huge key that a lot of people are overlooking. So as McCain is trying to ralley crowds (very partisan crowds) in larger places, Obama and his team are talking directly to the people. Add that ten times over with Hillary, Michelle, and other big name Democrtas and you have a win. I have watched th small venues that Obama has been to and I can feel it is working well. He knows that up close wins.
As for the number of viewers tuned into watch John McCain, I would not attribute any importance to it. I am one of those people, but also an Obama supporter. I tuned in to see what McCain had to say about anything, and as espected, he said nothing about anything. I walked away with my feelings confirmed, my political activism, which never existed before this election, energized. I have since then scheduled a fundraising party, made about 50 phone calls, enlisted about 10 people to volunteer for Obama.
You make some very salient points. However, I think I can assure you that Joe Biden will not be allowing anyone - LEAST OF ALL THE CORPORATE MEDIA - to kowtow him into going soft on Governor Palin.
While VP nominee Biden will not stoop to personal attacks on his counterpart, you can be sure that he will forcefully expose the McCain/Palin platform for the nonsense that it is throughout the campaign and especially during the VP debate - is there really only one of these!? I mean, have you seen Biden in action at all during the past couple of weeks? The Democratic candidate for Vice President will be doing his part - the rest of us had better do ours!
By the way, y'all might want to check out Meet The Press tomorrow.
It is really sad that people do not research these nominees on their own. They allow MSM to shape how they are going to vote. The republicans have already caught on to this and use it to their advantage. This is why they will win this election.
Thanks Joe. I am still waiting to see the DNC and Democratic leaning 527s come out with force. All I have seen are Right Wing groups and McCain surrogates. Not even enough Democratic leaders are taking on the lies in the media head-on forcefully. This needs to start now. The Obama team needs to stop this Mr. Nice guy nonsense because, and this is sad to say, have been fed so much bullshit, they will run away from sense and embrace stupid, divisive, racist, sexist and mean leadership of the Right. The old cranky and demented former POW and his shrill, gun-totting former beauty model have to be hammered hard.
Great article.
I completelt agree.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
