2008 Presidental Election: Obama v McCain

Okay, so there are some pretty amusing repercussions of this Obama / Britney / Paris Hilton ad.

The Hiltons, McCain campaign donors, are *pissed.*

Paris Hilton’s family fuming at McCain campaign

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems that the new McCain ad criticizing Obama for being a celebrity has ruffled some unintended feathers. I, for one, quite liked the ad, but I hear whispers from the inner campaign staff that the phone was burning off the hook today with calls from Paris Hilton’s grandfather, William Barron Hilton (co-chair of the Hilton Hotel empire), furious that the McCain ad drew an unflattering comparison between Obama and his own granddaughter.

It seems that the elder Hilton has donated $18,400 to the McCain campaign, and $35,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in the last couple of years. (Paris’s father, Rick Hilton, has given an additional $6,900 to the McCain campaign. Suffice it to say, he’s none too pleased either.)...

<snip>

Oh, and it's not just the Hiltons...

...Paris Hilton isn’t just a tabloid tart to be tossed around willy-nilly. She’s the living brand name of one of America’s most successful global corporations. It’s no wonder her grandfather’s upset: every time Paris is in the news, fewer people stay at their hotels. Try explaining that to The Blackstone Group - the hedge fund firm that bought into Hilton Hotels last year. Blackstone chairman Peter G. Peterson gave $30,800 to the McCain campaign this year. Guess who also called the campaign today?

AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHH.

McCain's staff has apparently been waiting with script in hand for the most opportune moment to pounce on the subject:

Race issue moves to center of campaign

McCain aides said they'd been on guard against charges of racism, anticipating the day the issue would arise. Obama made similar comments last month at a fundraiser in Florida. "And did I mention he's black," Obama asked, mockingly imitating what he predicted "Republicans" would say about him.

But, Schmidt noted, the comments, taking place at a Friday night fundraiser with only a pool reporter and not long after the Democratic primary wrapped up, were not widely picked up. And Obama didn't specifically mention McCain by name — as he did on the campaign trail this week.

"He injected this yesterday," Schmidt said. "We are compelled to respond. Tomorrow, if he does not do it again, we will not talk about it again."

In addition to positioning themselves as having been forced to raise the issue only to knock it down, McCain's campaign is also embracing the victim role in part to ensure that Obama can't seize it.

What's more, the McCain campaign had 2 separate, opposing attack scripts ready to attack Obama in either case of whether or not he visited troops in Germany:

What the McCain campaign doesn’t want people to know, according to one GOP strategist I spoke with over the weekend, is that they had an ad script ready to go if Obama had visited the wounded troops saying that Obama was...wait for it...using wounded troops as campaign props. So, no matter which way Obama turned, McCain had an Obama bashing ad ready to launch.

Like I said, they are preparing mud for no matter what he does. If he wants to win, he can address it head on for what it is (with an immediate ad revealing it as so much garbage), but should not allow himself to be pulled off-message into whining to the refs.

Take it as part of the game, immediately reveal sleaze as nonsense, and stay right on course with earning trust and respect.

Make this easy for folks to trust him, or otherwise it's over.

jeffrey wrote: Like I said, they are preparing mud for no matter what he does. If he wants to win, he can address it head on for what it is (with an immediate ad revealing it as so much garbage), but should not allow himself to be pulled off-message into whining to the refs.

Take it as part of the game, immediately reveal sleaze as nonsense, and stay right on course with earning trust and respect.

Make this easy for folks to trust him, or otherwise it's over.

Who is this "they" you speak of? Seems like Obama had his mud ready to go and jumped right on it as soon as he had the _slightest_ excuse/example of "racism."

They are both serious wankers and our country deserves better.

My answer? Why the fuck does Obama _need_ to respond to a Britney/Paris ad at all? It is nonsense, racist or not (and I choose _not_, for the record.) Why the dollar bill comments, the middle name comments, whatever? If the McCain camp pushes that sort of thing, let them swing on their own rope. No need to help out by climbing up and swinging beside them.

I swear that wasn't a racist comment either.

High road! New campaign! New politics! Address issues! Let our Britney go! Let our middle names go! And let the dollars be free, and not buried in debt!

Or something.

daver wrote: My answer? Why the fuck does Obama _need_ to respond to a Britney/Paris ad at all? It is nonsense, racist or not (and I choose _not_, for the record.)

Two words:

Swift Boat.

No response, or slow response, leads to major damage.

Best to quickly nip items at the bud as they emerge and move on, not dwell upon and become mired in each.

Oh, for this case, just a "politics as usual" is fine, and immediate redirect and discredit of McCain's claims about gas prices etc in that same ad.

The celebrity part is seen for what it is when the rest of the ad is swiftly booted.

Dollar bill comment was just monumentally stupid.

Let your ads do the job, and keep your mouth on message.

Ouch. He'll be feeling that one.

Back to responding to the Britney/Paris thing, someone over at TPM has the right idea:

But it seems to me there is very simple way to turn this around on McCain, and be on the offensive: "How bad does John McCain want to avoid talking about real issues? He's running ads with Britney and Paris. Is that what American's are concerned about? Britney and Paris? Do you want to know how we are going to right the ship of our economy? Or do you want to hear about Britney and Paris? Want to talk about how we are going to extract our troops from Iraq? Or do you want to hear about Britney and Paris?"

Just pound away at this. This is what John McCain wants to talk about. Point out how frivolous it is to even spend any time developing this ad when there are so many important issues to address.

Bitching about it being unfair or over some imaginary line that Karl Rove can't even see is going to get them nowhere.

Good for a chuckle...

The McCain campaign's strategy seems to be "We're in a hole, but keep digging – we need the mud!"
Posted by FlownOver | August 1, 2008 9:49 AM

Oh, and uhh...today's Gallup:

Obama down another point, dead even with McCain at 44%

¡Viva la devolución!

Miller must be writing copy for McCain's ads.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/01/mccain-ad-on-obama-they-will-call-him-the-one/

Repug Strat-O-Meter:

Some 20/20 hindsight / rear-view-mirror analysis from NY Magazine, of all places:

The Low-Road Warrior

Instead, the motor behind his operation now is Steve Schmidt, the shaven-headed strategist who earned his bones running Karl Rove’s war room in 2004, Frenchifying and de-war-heroizing John Kerry. What Schmidt and his associates have apparently concluded is that McCain’s weaknesses—on the election’s most salient issues and as a candidate—are so pronounced and Obama’s vulnerabilities so glaring that the low road is their guy’s best, and maybe only, route to the White House.

...

What’s more, there’s reason to worry that the Democrat, as Jonathan Chait contended recently in the Los Angeles Times, is “making the enormous mistake of letting the race be entirely about him, which is the only way he can lose.”

Note to BHO/DNC leadership:

Please read the writing on the wall this time and adjust your game, before it's too late.

Wondering why national polls have been at roughly a dead heat this whole time?

That last quote above says it all.

Heh, and they say Obama is nothing without a teleprompter.

(warning: extremely painful to watch)

oh my. from here:

http://www.theonion.com/content/whitehousewar/barackobama

Issues:
Pro-hopes, also supports dreams

Favorite Way To Mollify Supporters:
Nodding solemnly while gripping podium

http://www.theonion.com/content/whitehousewar/johnmccain

"The United States should no longer act as the world's police but instead as the world's stripper, dressed as the police."

hilarious.