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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Observation

You would think after the various "economy flubs" over the past two days the McCain campaign would be attacking Obama very, very hard, but it's my impression that they're not. (At least not as hard as they were a week ago.)

Has all the negative press on the McCain campaign's lies and tactics had an effect? Are they now worried about permanent damage to his image?

posted by mikevotes at 9:14 PM

7 Comments:

  • McCain virtually declared war against the media after the "disrespectful" interview, and the media has been taking heat for its softball handling of McCain.

    McCain has also used one of the stupidest strategies possible to turn the media back into his base: isolate yourself from reporters until they play ball.

    The media has to write something, so if the only source is the Obama campaign, the narrative automatically shifts against McCain. Absent any interviews, reporters must now focus on the lies and gaffes if they cover McCain.

    By Blogger Todd Dugdale , at 10:14 PM  

  • The isolation strategy works for awhile if you hold all the cards. The Bush administration used it pretty well early on when he was popular, but it tends to fall apart when you find yourself needing the media.

    To think you could pull it off as the underdog in a campaign is pretty insane.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:19 PM  

  • And that's a really good point about the negative filling the empty space.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:20 PM  

  • I keep waiting for Obama to DO something, but in reality, it seems like he is just giving McCain lots of rope.

    Dutifully, McCain seems to be hanging himself with it.

    By Blogger Praguetwin, at 12:51 AM  

  • Well, Obama never really seems to "react" to anything. He seems to like plans and structures. He likes methodical arching rollouts.

    That seems to be a core element in his character.

    I mean, he has gotten sharper on McCain, but on a slow arc.

    Frankly, if he started suddenly swinging wildly, out of past character, it would worry me about how they saw the election.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 8:18 AM  

  • I think this is the difference between the two candidates... McCain reacts to situations without thinking about where he's going. Look how many times he's changed his stance on issues; sometimes within hours. Look at his pick of Palin. This is why the man crashed 5 Navy jets... He's not thinking. He's reacting. He's directionless.

    Obama, on the other hand, wants to know where he's going to land before he takes off on a particular course. Let the smoke clear. Develop a deliberative plan (*gasp*) before just burning fuel chasing phantoms.

    The election is just a few weeks away. Each candidate has just enough fuel to get his plane to the carrier USS November 4. Which one will use his fuel wisely. And which is more likely to crash his plane.

    It's no slam dunk. There are plenty of uncontrolled variables. I'm just addressing the two candidates' temperament and approach to managing crises.

    By Blogger -epm, at 9:55 AM  

  • But, that steadiness and single mindedness is far more important to Obama because he is so young (and because he is black.) It grants him a seriousness and heft he wouldn't otherwise have and keeps him away from "angry black man" as you referenced in a comment a post or two above.

    And, no, it's not a slam dunk, and there are still alot of things that could happen, but in the current environment, I'd rather be sitting in the Obama camp than the McCain camp.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 11:20 AM  

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