The Perils of Pinata Politics
Have you ever been to a child's birthday party in which there's a pinata? It's a pretty straightforward exercise -- the birthday boy/girl gets blindfolded, is handed a big stick, is spun around to cause minor disorientation, and is then encouraged to swing the stick wildly in every direction, in the hopes of hitting a target and getting a prize.
John McCain's campaign has been operating under a similar framework for quite a while now. Under McCain's version of Pinata Politics, the senator and his team swing wildly in every direction, hoping to hit Barack Obama. There's no real consistency to the attacks -- and there's even less honesty and integrity backing up the attacks -- but McCain appears to be blindfolded, allowing Karl Rove's operation to spin him in circles.
Want to read something funny? I mean, genuinely hysterical? Take a look at the memo distributed by the McCain campaign in early March, immediately after the Arizona senator officially secured the Republican nomination.
"It is critical," the memo explained, "as we prepare to face off with whomever the Democrats select as their nominee, that we all follow John's lead and run a respectful campaign focused on the issues.... Throughout the primary election we saw John McCain reject the type of politics that degrade our civics, and this will not change." The memo added that "overheated rhetoric and personal attacks" only serve to "distract" us, and that it was imperative that the campaign hold itself "to the highest standards."
That was nearly five months ago, and it's hard to imagine even the most sycophantic McCain supporter agreeing that the presumptive Republican nominee is meeting the standards he set for himself in March. Indeed, since McCain brought in Karl Rove's team to run the campaign operation, the swings at the pinata have become even more reckless, occasionally hitting the target, and occasionally hitting everyone else watching the festivities.
Just this week, McCain took a swing at the race card. And towards Britney Spears. And at wounded U.S. troops. To fully appreciate just how wild McCain's swings have become, take a look at this list, which is too long to reproduce here, of McCain aiming unsuccessfully at that pinata. There's no coherent thought; just an angry man with a bat.
Since the general-election campaign began in earnest, McCain has attacked Obama's integrity, honesty, character, and patriotism. Last week, the McCain campaign even hinted that Obama is weak on genocide. Hitting that pinata is apparently pretty difficult.
"They're doing it because the candidate, and the campaign, is not happy with where they are and they're lashing out," a Republican strategist recently said.
That may be true. And who knows, maybe voters will find all of this compelling.
But at this point, most of us are pretty anxious to see McCain take the blindfold off -- his tactics are starting to make us dizzy.
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
Good analogy, pinata politics. You know that if the stops moving (Obama) then he'll be clobbered by the different "kids" swinging the bat. Death by a thousand cuts or by a thousand swipes.
It's a typical guerrilla strategy of trying to penetrate the front-runner's defenses. McCain's gang is seeking weak spots by probing various insignificant issues to determine weakness and chinks in the armor. I can be effective if left alone and not responded until it's too late.
It is time for the Obama campaign to saturate the media and airwaves just as the Karl Rove machine is doing for McSame. All the noise coming from McSame and his campaign, which is being played by the MSM for free, thereby saving the McSame campaign huge sums of money.
All of these rediculous and untrue stories lack substance and are designed for one purpose: to drown out all the positive attention generated from Obama's over seas trip and all the attention expected to be generated leading up to the DNC on August 28 in Denver with 80K people.
My advice to Campaign Obama: Use that Grip of Money we have donated and helped raise for your campaign to drown Rove's media blitz of these rediculous stories. I'm sick and tired of the silence.
Where are your people that the public wants to hear from. Get them to make some noise and never underestimate Karl Rove who knows no bounds.
Obama must run 2 attack ads for every one McCain attack ad, his voting record on veterans, the war, big oil, one by one bring them out and let us not forget the lobbyists and the $1.1 million big oil kicked in right after McCain went on board for offshore drilling. Prior to that he only got $100K. McCain must be set back on his heels. He cannot be allowed the luxury of sniping from the sidelines without retaliation. McCain is known for his temper. Get him really, really riled and it's all over, put out the lights, the party's over. Make them pay, over and over again.
Good strategy for Obama. Attack McCain constantly with the truth. Set McCain back on his heels. That is the way to do it. McCain has a very large supply of ready made material.
Funny, from my seat, it looks like Obama is taking a few groin shots from a pro. He better get some serious help from Hillary. She can deliver in the gut.
I spent a year in Vietnam and witnessed heroics by individuals on both sides. I never met one man or woman that considered themself a hero. I guess hero is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think having your plane shot down and spending the rest of your time in a prison camp makes you a hero. I do think it shows great sacrifice for your country.
Well said! McC was a pilot/officer who made it to Captain probably based on his lineage more than his performance. It would be interesting to read some of his fitness reports and the style of writing used to evaluate him. In the military game it comes down to key words used or not used. Notice McC never talks about anything he led while in the Navy, never talks about anything he rallied together, where are his military friends speaking out in his behalf? These are things we do not see......
It's all about "free media" and it's working. Anybody got an idea on how to get the media to quit playing the game?
Rove's Radicals will throw everything they can at Obama and hope that something sticks. If the media keeps repeating it as if it is fact instead of a ridiculous even vicious smear, we will end up with another Bush presidency. The NeoCons seem to have McCain by the neck even now. If he is pres, the transition between him and GW will be seamless. The NeoCons will go on as they have, ignoring the Constitution and taking our country down.
right on!!!!!!
As someone else mentioned, if McCain can't handle the Rove team as a candidate, how the hell is he gonna handle 'em as president?
OBAMA MUST STAY ON TARGET, STAY ON POINT
AND DON'T GO BACK AND FORTH ON STUPID SUBJECTS
PLACED FORTH BY THE MCCAIN GANG!! WE WANT ANSWERS
ON WHAT WERE GOING TO DO FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS WITH
ALL OF THESE FUNKY ASS PROBLEMS THAT THE BUSH REGIME
HAS SET UPON ALL OF US. MCCAIN WANTS THE MESS OF YESTERDAY
TO KEEP ON GOING ITS JUST LIKE FLUSHING THE TOILET. NO MATTER
HOW CLEAN IT MIGHT LOOK, THERE'S STILL DIRT LEFT UNDERNEATH
THE VENEER.
You have to swing in every direction because Obama's positions keep changing all the time. I think he calls it "refining his position".
um, sure
You can find an article on HuffPo with over 70 of John McCain's flip fiops.
Pressure the media, Democrats,not just Obama supporters but Democrats and progressives have to put pressure on the media outlets.
Hillary lost because she voted for the Iraq War and the Flag Burning Amendment. Now the question is why did she make those votes and then not apologize for it. 1 reason could be she lacks character, but that is subjective, another major reason is the Media, the Republicans have painted Democrats as wrong on everything in America since Jimmy Carter. Many Democrats have watched other Democrats lose elections for votes they have made.
The truth is they didn't lose because of the vote they made, but the way Republcians painted their vote and the Media has been a HUGE influence on how the Republicans get their lies out.
Obama is talking about the economy and the Republicans are talking about Race, which one is getting more coverage today.
The corporate media decides what to cover. They are special interests, McCain's bag.
Yes, these childish, ignorant and vicious attacks by McCain are sickening. How can McCain stoop to these dirty tactics?
What is even more troubling is the fact that far too many voters are eating this stuff up. Look at the polls. Unemployment is up, companies are failing, we can't afford to go to work to pay for the God-forsaken war that Bush and McCain pushed us into. And we're talking about Brittany Spears, Paris Hilton and Moses!
This country was lured by Rove's tactics in the last two elections. Look what we have. If they allow this to happen again, we're going down. And we deserve to eat dust!
There are no vicious attacts on McCain. He is the vicious one.
If by some unimaginable combinations of evils
McCain starts to get the edge over Obama, there is one way to prevent the resulting calamityand that is for Obama to finally gasp out her name (Who else but Hillary)as his Veep.
I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU - IF HRC IS ON THE TICKET I WILL VOTE FOR HIM , IF NOT HE CAN FORGET ABOUT THIS VOTE
Is it all still Nader's fault?
If you want to see something truly, amazingly, beyond the pale and unbelievably offensive coming from the McCain Campaign, check out something I just got on my email : The McCain Campaign johnmccain.comnmccain.com. If Mcain actually approved it, he not only needs to be kept out of the White House, he either needs to have his head seriously examined or he really doesn't speak for his campaign! It is appalling, and Barack Obama"s campaign has every right to jump on this one HARD! The email content says it's funny! Yeah, it's funny alright, like a heart attack. Don't miss this one. Since it was email even the Rovians may not have the nerve to put it in a TV ad, if they do, they deserve any blistering they get!
We should remind all the Republicans that in 2000 they thought George Bush would be a better president than McCain. They were right.
The 2000 Republicans were all wrong, Bush is the worst ever. The 2008 McCain supporters are also dead wrong.
The more McCain's advertisements and pronouncements are analyzed, the more likely that their real funcions are obscured.
McCain's ads are doing exactly what they need to do, for him to win.
1) Remind everyone, over and over, that Obama is black.
2) Give the closet racists a new "buzz phrase" they can use in polite company, so they can avoid saying, "I'll never vote for a n---er".
Old buzz phrases have to be replaced from time to time, as people come to realize what they really mean. For example: "He's too extreme." is no longer usable.
Precisely.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
