Saturday, May 17, 2008
McCain = Dole+Kerry
The McCain campaign is looking to ground its messages in duty, honor, and ability, presenting the candidate as a man who has always been ready to step up and act when his country needed him. This was roughly the approach of the Dole campaign in 1996 and (in a rather different way) of the Kerry campaign in 2004, and in both cases it failed to capture the imagination of the electorate. Despite JJ's protestations to the contrary, this is not a winning strategy.
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9 comments:
He won, after all, without a base, without much of a strategy, and without an organized campaign apparatus. His various rivals eliminated one another (or, in the case of Giuliani and Thompson, eliminated themselves), and McCain was the man left standing in the end. His defining issue was the war in Iraq, which seems increasingly unlikely to be the issue that defines the general election. The McCain team is therefore in the unusual position of having won the primaries without a clear unifying theme for its candidate's message.
Don't worry: JJ Rove guarantees Freddy Mac will win 48 states -- all without even breaking a sweat. Yeah, sure, you can take that to the bank.
What if Obama picks Webb as running mate? Ouch. You still betting on 48, JJ?
This nails it:
Democrats are now trusted more when it comes to National Security and the War on Terror, an issue long considered a GOP stronghold. The latest polling, however, shows that 49% of voters now trust the Democrats more on this issue while 42% trust the Republicans more.
Another issue the Republicans used to be trusted more on was taxes. Last month, the GOP’s had a four-point lead over the Democrats on this issue. This month, they have fallen behind to a five-point deficit.
I mean, if more people trust pinkos on national defense and on taxes, we may as well give up and become dhimmis on Planet Pepe. Where is the re-education camp?
I suggest a big dose of realism politics. Call Obama Hussein.
I thought McCain put a fatwa on anyone mentioning BHO's middle name, no?
Anyone who wants can call Obama Ruhollah Khomeini if they want. McCain needs to dissociate himself though. Duh.
About Webb, I had worried about him. A few points though. First, Obama is a serious lightweight in comparison. Second, no one votes for VP. Third, Obama already has Webb's geographical region and likely Webb won't help outside of it. Webb is not going to win Kentucky for Obama.
No--but he would give him cover on his right flank. As I mentioned a couple of years ago, I remember Webb from the time he was Navy Secretary for Reagan -- helping build the 600 ship Navy (since going down, courtesy of Bubba). Webb has moved to the Left since, seeing probably how the wind is blowing -- but still, he must be to Obama's right (duhhh, everyone in the Senate is). Also, Obama needs someone with military experience on the ticket -- that's for sure.
Yeah, AI, but now you've gone from Webb beign a silver bullet to Webb having something Obama needs for sure, military experience.
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