McCain's strategy

[Dari]

The McCain-Palin team has lurched hard to the right. Their rallies are are xenophobic, which is scaring away independents and moderate Republicans. McCain is now calling Obama a socialist even as he champions the government's heavy intervention in the financial system and was party to the largest expansion of government (over the last 8 years) since the Great Society. He is even in talks with Joe the Plumber to take the latter on the campaign trail, despite his dubious background. Almost simultaneously, he is talking about his record of working with others across the aisle. This strategy makes no sense to me because it isn't fluid (and coherent) at all. Either you're inclusive or exclusive, but you cannot be both. By talking out of all sides of his mouth, McCain may only be preaching to the choir and regressing to a defensive position without realizing it. Is this his strategy?

 

[Pepsei]

he's trying his hardest to loose this election... afterwards, he hope to get appointed by that one to a seat in the cabinet. why? he's holding a grudge against the neo-cons from 4 years ago.

i'm writing a screenplay "O", for Oliver Stone.

 

[Zedtom]

McCain himself tried to bait Obama during the debate on Wednesday by bringing up the "erratic" accusation, but Obama ignored him. I am puzzled by his staff's lack of focus and desperation.

The loyal followers of either candidate should prepare themselves for a letdown after the election. I am concerned that some people are so obsessed with this election that they are going to lose their rational control if things don't turn out the way they expect.

 

[Deeko]

They're losing and so they're grasping at straws. The last thing they had to cling to was Bill Ayers, and Obama shut that down pretty effectively in the debate. Guess they gotta try everything.

 

[Butterbean]

Actually McCain is trailing with conservatives, investors and married women. He's way behind with them compared to where Bush was on 04. McCain is being too soft and not too hard. He's got Stockholm syndrome and anytime he gets ahead he does something stupid and self defeating to try to be Joe Bipartisan - thus falling in polls and looking like a boob in the process. McCain is more likely to praise BO and throw him a bouquet as he is to call the ah heck out. Obama is a socialist and worse. McCain starts to point those things out and does well - then he goes loopy and starts telling people BO is a fine family man and would be ok as a president - just not as good as him. McCain is an ass that way. McCain could have run away from BO if he would have opposed the bailout. None of this is a surprise to conservative though because nobody wanted McCain. Even the World Net Daily editor wrote a book telling people not to vote because both BO and McCain are bad choices but an Obama win would wake people up like Carter did before Reagan. This idea has some truth but is still a bad idea imo. In any case, the idea that McCain is losing because he is a fire-breathing, far-right ideologue is an idea that only has traction in a place like P&N

 

[Thump553]

I think he redoing the strategy that Karl Kove used to get Bush back in for 2004-ignore the middle, get the base revved up and most importantly, make sure they drag every fundamentalist body out to vote.

You've got Fox News, Rush, etc. spreading the Ayers/Acorn/marxist/tax to death crap 24/7. You've got the GOP trying to bar 200,000 new voters in Ohio, and hundreds of thousands in other states. You've got the Republican National Committee working hand in glove with the supposedly cleaned up Department of Justice to investigate alleged voter registration fraud on the eve of a national election, in direct contraventtion to DOJ guidelines-the exact same issue that led to the now infamous firings after the 2004 election.

This election will not be a landslide by any means, much as I'd wish to be wrong. It is critically important to make sure that all of your moderate friends and relatives (especially elderly ones, and brand new voters) actually vote on election day. Offer to take grandma to the polls and lunch, for example.

 

[Jhhnn]

At this point, the McCain campaign strategy consists of alternate fits of raving and prayer. That's it, that's all there is.

 

[Vic]

See Butteredbean's post and read between the lines of his sociopathy. McCain is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he doesn't cater to the far right extremists, they won't come down from the hills to vote for him in the sufficient numbers that he needs, and he loses the election. If he does cater to these extremists, the independents and moderates won't vote for him, and he loses the election. So at this late hour, he's trying to do both, and hope that the one hand won't notice what the other is doing.

 

[CptObvious]

Obama's campaign deserves a lot of credit for being better organized and responding to attacks more quickly than Gore or Kerry's. But if it hadn't been for the economy taking a nosedive, the Rovian strategy would've worked again this time, I'm afraid. It's still McCain's best shot at this point, but I doubt most voters will buy it this election cycle (I hope I'm not wrong).

 

[Jhhnn]

Butterbean... (sigh)... I just try to pretend he's not there... try not to dignify his ravings with any mention at all....

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
he's trying his hardest to loose this election.

sometimes I wonder if that's true.

based on what we're seeing going on with the economy, it wouldn't surprise me at some point if McCain said to himself "f it, let the democrats take the heat for getting saddled with GW's failures."

 

[Lemon law]

McCain is now in the Hillary Clinton position. McCain is desperately searching for an issue where he can score against Obama and has not found it yet. Sadly, as McCain hyperspastically preaches to his own choir, he loses the very independents and conservative democrats he needs to win the election.

And if various republirats have not noticed, most of Obama's most effective talking points start out with, "Now Senator McCain says....." , followed by an very effective rebuttal linking McCain to the failed policies of GWB&co.

Move on over, Karl Rove, the Obama campaign has you beat, in a manner almost complete.

 

[techs]

You have to consider the fact that McCain couldn't hope to compete with Obama raising money, so he accepted publicn financing.
That made him dependent on the Republican National Committee to make up some of the huge deficit he had compared to Obama.
I think the RNC forced this campaing on McCain.