Man, I am depressed this morning. Last week when I saw Obama pulling ahead in the polls, instead of being happy, I got this strange sense of dread. I just knew that the Republican machine would not go down without a fight. I told Ty (my wife) to get ready for some serious negative campaignin. I actually kind of preferred it when the polls were close because McCain's campaign did not feel backed into a corner. My sense was that if/when Obama started to pull ahead, we'd see the tone of this campaign change swiftly and decisively into territory both McCain and Obama promised us they would not go into. Over the weekend, the McCain camp did step up the negative rhetoric.
The wild thing is the McCain campaign has announced they are stepping up the attacks. I'm not sure I understand the strategic thinking behind that. But, we have a direct quote from Sarah Palin saying they are taking off the gloves. And we have this: "We're going to get a little tougher," a senior Republican operative said, requesting anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss strategy. "We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question that we have to change the subject here." McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers told CNN, "We are coming up on 30 days until the election, and there are a lot of unanswered questions about Sen. Obama's judgment.
"The Obama campaign has been calling Sen. McCain a liar and distorting his record on immigration, stem cells, health care. We're going to fight back," he said.
Obama has been being advised not to allow himself to be Swift Boated. He has been warned time and time again to not make the mistakes Michael Dukakis and John Kerrry made. I just started reading "The Audacity of Hope" this weekend and I can tell just from the prologue and the first chapter, he does have a good handle on politics and an amazing understanding of political history. He will not make the same mistakes Dukakis and Kerry made (he'll make other mistakes I'm sure).
This morning, I got an email from Obama's campaign manager. Unfortunately, Obama is releasing a 13 minute video informing the American public about the Keating 5. I assume is in response to Sarah's Palin's announcement that "It's time to take the gloves off." and her accusation that Obama is "palling around with terrorists".
Sorry folks. It's been a pretty smooth flight so far. But, from here to the landing, it's going to get choppy. I think we're about to see a "surge" from McCain's side because they feel they are losing this war. Obama is not going to sit idly by while the Rovian tactics play out. This is one time I hate being right.
p.s.- in case you are distracted by the "connection" between Obama and Ayers, below is a link to an article that describes it pretty well. Several other publications, including Time magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker and The National Review, have debunked the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship. FactCheck Here is another. It's even better, from NPR with an audio interview with a Chicago Republican that debunks the myth. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95442902
7 comments:
Turbulence ahead for sure Brian.
I winced when I saw Palin on TV saying Obama was pallin around with terrorists.. sad to see her get sucked into the nasty politics of lies and inuendo.
KB, why do you say lies and inuendo?
Obama has had a LONG relationship with Ayers.
Don't believe me? Here's a CNN report:
http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/07/cnn-obamas-lying-about-william-ayers/
This is the best piece I've seen on the silliness of playing up the Ayers relationship yet. NPR did a report on it and had a Repubican Chicago poltician talk about how silly it all is.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95442902
NPR...now THERE'S balanced news for you.
I don't think it's silly at all.
NPR's piece is an editorial -I would hope. CNN's coverage was not (to the best of their mainstream abilities).
Quote from NPR's: "On the first question, there is some evidence to suggest Obama knows Ayers a little better than he acknowledges."
SOME evidence?
"Obama and Ayers also served together on the board of another charity, the Woods Fund of Chicago, an organization that also had conservative members. The two have not served on either board together since 2002."
I guess this is more of the "some evidence" that Ayers is more than "just a guy in the neighborhood" for Obama? This group also funded some of J. Wright's radical interests.
"In fact, Ayers is widely respected in the field of urban education."
?!? Words escape me. Just be careful of what he puts in that field.
"'I don't remember ever hearing anyone raise concerns or questions or concerns about [Ayers'] background,' says Anne Hallett, who has worked closely with Ayers on the Annenberg Challenge grant and with Obama on education and other community and legislative matters.'And that included everybody I was engaged with,' including prominent Republicans, and corporate and civic leaders in Chicago, Hallett adds."
Heresay. Reporter added "including prominent Republicans, corporate and civic leaders in Chicago." Hallet cannot speak for others.
Obama's association with ACORN has me concerned as well. ACORN has just recently registered new voters. Now, after their 2006 voter registration debacle, why is this group still allowed to register voters? http://purplepeoplevote.com/2008/10/04/acorn-corruption/
From http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120943129695651437.html :
"In 1995, then GOP Gov. Jim Edgar refused to implement the federal "Motor Voter" law. Allowing voters to register using only a postcard and blocking the state from culling voter rolls, he argued, could invite fraud. Mr. Obama sued on behalf of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, and won. Acorn later invited Mr. Obama to help train its staff; Mr. Obama would also sit on the board of the Woods Fund for Chicago, which frequently gave this group grants.Acorn's efforts to register voters have been scandal-prone. St. Louis, Mo., officials found that in 2006 over 1,000 addresses listed on its registrations didn't exist. "We met twice with Acorn before their drive, but our requests completely fell by the wayside," said Democrat Matt Potter, the city's deputy elections director. Later, federal authorities indicted eight of the group's local workers. One of the eight pleaded guilty last month."
Well, before we started this dialogue, I really wasn't too worried about who won this election. After further investigation,however, I care now. It appears that Obama is, indeed, worrisome.
Karen, ere is part of what Politifact say about the Ayers connection:
"In previous speeches the day before her appearance in Clearwater, Palin accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists." We think that statement goes too far, and is just false, as there is no evidence that Obama has had any relationship with Ayers as a U.S. senator.
..
Palin generally has her facts right here, but she ignores an important element -- Obama's condemnation of Ayers' history -- and implies a closer relationship than the record supports. We find her claim Mostly True."
I recommend reading the whole article there.
From what I have read to date the Ayers connection is not a huge issue for me.. Wright is more troubling to me than Ayers.
Now John McCain's gambling problems (playing craps at casinos).. that is a bit more troubling for me.
This election feels like a bad gamble.
Thanks for the link.
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