Outrage at McCain's "lies" is a total loser strategy.er strategy. Mickey Kaus, Slate

Mark Halperin's three pieces of advice for Obama seem sound. (They are 1. Ignore Palin; 2. Get in McCain's head the way McCain's getting in Obama's; and 3. Refocus on the economy in an accessible way.) ... To which I'd add:
4. It's a good week for point 3!
5. The current lib blog-MSM-campaign tack--getting outraged by McCain's "lies"--is a total loser strategy. Why?

a) MSM outrage doesn't sway voters anymore. It didn't even back in 1988, when the press tried to make a stink about George H.W. Bush's use of "flag factories," etc. After this year's failed MSM Palin assault, it certainly won't work;

b) When Dems get outraged at unfairness they look weak. How can they stand up to Putin if they start whining when confronted with Steve Schmidt? McCain's camp can fake umbrage all it wants--the latest is that an Atlantic photographer took some nasty photos that the mag didn't run!--and nobody will accuse MCain of being weak. That's so unfair. A double standard. Dems can learn to live with it or complain about the unfairness for another 4 years. Their choice.

c) It's almost always impossible to prove that a Republican attack is a 100% lie. Either there's a germ of truth (Kerry did hype his wartime heroism at least a bit) or the truth is indeterminate (i.e., there's no way of knowing what Obama meant by "lipstick"--just because he and McCain used the word earlier doesn't mean he didn't think using it now, after Palin's speech, didn't add a witty resonance).

d) Lecturing the public on what's 'true" and what's a "lie" (when the truth isn't 100% clear) plays into some of the worst stereotypes about liberals--that they are preachy know-it-alls hiding their political motives behind a veneer of objectivity and respectability.

e) Inevitably the people being outraged on Obama's behalf will phrase their arguments in ways well-designed to appeal to their friends--and turn off the unconverted. ('This is just what they did to John Kerry and Michael Dukakis!' As if the public yearns for the lost Kerry and Dukakis Presidencies. 'Today's kindergarteners need some sex education. Just because Republicans are old fashioned ...' etc. Or 'These are Karl Rove tactics,' which signifies little to non-Dem voters except a partisan rancor they'd like to put behind them.)
Lots of people like bad Disney movies, and don't like the kind of people who sneer at bad Disney movies.

6. There must be some way to disillusion the conservative base with McCain, at least a bit. I know the CW--Palin has locked in the base, freeing McCain to move left. But jeez, McCain isn't moving to the left just on immigration, and he isn't moving subtly. Listen to this new radio ad, which might as well be titled "Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Research." That's how often the phrase is repeated. How much more Screw-You-I'm-Taking-You-for-Granted can McCain get? Are conservatives complete suckers?

7. McCain's made great progress with independents by going against his party. Obama can do the same thing. Obvious areas of potential anti-Dem apostasy: Charter schools, firing incompetent teachers, class-based affirmative action, welfare. At least express some doubts about liberal legalism or the headlong rush to immigrant semi-amnesty. Last Tuesday Obama may have tried to make waves by talking about "schools filled with poor teachers"--a Dem no-no if there ever was one. It got buried by the lipstick pig. So don't complain. Say it again! ...

What a community organizer does, Don Surber, Blogs.Dailymail.com

ACORN, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama’s old employer, is breaking election laws. Again

The Detroit Free Press busted the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for attempted voter fraud. Again.

Reported the Freep:

Several municipal clerks across the state are reporting fraudulent and duplicate voter registration applications, most of them from a nationwide community activist group working to help low- and moderate-income families.

The majority of the problem applications are coming from the group ACORN, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which has a large voter registration program among its many social service programs. ACORN’s Michigan branch, based in Detroit, has enrolled 200,000 voters statewide in recent months, mostly with the use of paid, part-time employees.

In between his time at Columbia and Harvard Law School, Obama worked for ACORN.

Community organizing.

Reported the Freep about this latest controversy:

“There appears to be a sizable number of duplicate and fraudulent applications,” said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office. “And it appears to be widespread.”

Michigan is a battleground state whose 17 Electoral College votes could decide this election.

The Freep reported:

In recent years, ACORN’s voter registration programs have come under investigation in Ohio, Colorado, Missouri and Washington, with some employees convicted of voter fraud.

200,000 fraudulent votes could decide that election.

Why Replacing Biden With Hillary Makes Perfect Sense for Obama

Posted at the Huggington Post, reposted here to share:

Sen. Joe Biden's a perfectly appropriate vice presidential running-mate for Sen. Barack Obama. He's got 36 years of Senate experience, is a true intellect, a foreign policy expert, and a genuinely nice guy. But ever since Sen. John McCain added plucky Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to his ticket, the old adage nice guys finish last is beginning to take on new meaning in this year's presidential contest. It's time to dump Biden and replace him with Sen. Hillary Clinton. I don't care how it's done. Campaign chief David Axelrod can figure that out. And the sooner the better. Because I'm starting to think that if Team-Obama doesn't do something dramatic fast, it's gonna lose this election. There's a worrisome shift in momentum and in the polls. The Palin phenomenon, while truly unfathomable to Democrats, has energized McCain's campaign and allowed him like Houdini to snatch Obama's "change" theme right out from under him. It's time to snatch it back.


Conventional wisdom says replacing Biden with Clinton can't be done. That it's too late. That it'll make Obama appear indecisive, impulsive and lacking good judgement. Many Democrats believe this would cause irreparable harm to the campaign, ringing Obama's death knell. But this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it'd be a freakin' coup for Obama, and would instantly melt Palin's undeserving outsize political ice cap.

To be sure, a Biden-Clinton switch would cause quite a stir in the media. They'd accuse him of all sorts of things, from being politically expedient and flip-flopping to being irrational and ill-equipped to be president. The talking heads on CNN, Fox and MSNBC would be locked in a non-stop frenzied orgy of derisive rhetoric. But we also know that it would make about 18-million Hillary voters ecstatic at the same time. So, honestly, who really cares what Joe Scarborough, Keith Olbermann, Wolf Blitzer or Brit Hume thinks? These pundits don't constitute an appreciable voting block. What they think and feel would be utterly dwarfed by the euphoria from Clinton's faithful supporters. It's a pretty safe bet that an Obama/Clinton ticket would capture virtually all of these loyal Clintonistas. It's also a safe bet that many of those highly coveted 18-49-year-old women who polls show migrated to McPalin this past week would drop the spunky little hockey mom in a heartbeat for Hillary. Lastly, it's an even safer bet that Obama's current voters would stick with him as well. So, where's the downside? Show me a Democrat, today, who'd dump Obama for McCain if Biden was replaced with Clinton? They don't exist.

Obama should do what the Republicans would do in this situation. In fact, he should do exactly what his opponent did. Shake things up. Be unconventional. Roll the dice. Out-McCain McCain. Who cares how it looks. Who cares what the media thinks. One thing's certain: there's an 18-million deep pot of gold out there waiting to be mined. An Obama/Clinton ticket would slam the door shut on this election.

Obama's Ground Game/Voter Fraud Should Scare You!

Posted at Smart Girl Politics, reposted here to share


Do not be too cocky about the polls out showing a tilt towards McCain.  I have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that won't go away.  Note to anyone in the McCain campaign that may be listening:  BE VERY AFRAID of Obama's ground game.

Why?  Go to the Obama Campaign's website (for research purposes only, please).  If you look by state, especially swing states, it appears Obama has spent a lot of their money opening local offices.  For example:

Obama McCain

Pennsylvania 65 17

Ohio 70 9

Michigan 40 12

These offices for the Obama campaign are holding voter registration drives, canvassing neighborhoods, holding voter parties, and phone banks.  You are able to go to Obama's website and sign up for each of the events by their local office. Within 50 miles of my zip code there were 91 events in the next month alone.  The McCain campaign has their offices listed, but most of the events are set up by volunteers and not the campaign themselves.  This is a huge miss on their part.  I am sure that there are other events sponsored by the Campaign, but they are relying on volunteers to do their homework rather than make it a simple process of signing up.

The second issue with the Obama ground game is "street cash".  What's that?  Apparently, it is a well-known practice in poor and urban areas that help get out the vote.  How exactly does it get out the vote?  The campaign, usually through a go-between, pays local campaign people to spread "street cash" to get voters to go the polls and vote for their candidate.

Campaign Wards in Philadelphia were mad because Obama didn't provide them with this cash during the primaries. This led to a lower voter turn out in the Philly area.   The Obama campaign has assured these same Wards that money will be made available to them in November.  You can find the info on this here.  How exactly is this legal?  I found that this was not just in Philly.  It is apparently something used in most poor urban areas around the country......Chicago (?????)

Finally, the community organization that Obama is so proud of ACORN (Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now), voter registration organization targeting lower income urban areas, is knee-high in fraud accusations this year.  Here in Pennsylvania alone, several thousand voter registration applications were found to be fraudulent. Arrest warrants in these cases have been issued.  It's not isolated to Pennsylvania though.  Let's just say that it would be easier for me to name the states that aren't making accusations against ACORN. Believe me......there are very few that haven't made accusations.

DNC Reform Endorses McCain Palin Ticket

DNC Reform Supports McCain/Palin 2008

"We feel that the best presidential candidate to represent American is John McCain. We feel he will bring a much needed fiscal conservatism to Washington along with genuine change and reform to the status quo Washington politics. Sen. John McCain has always been a "maverick" and moderate politician, who is not afraid to challenge his party. Senator McCain is someone that voters can trust and respect.

Governor Palin is also a "maverick" politician, who has stood up to her party, exposed and ended corruption and has exhibited fiscal responsibility, in her capacities as Governor of the Great State of Alaska, and former Mayor of Wasilla, AK. We feel that she will truly complement and enhance the administration of future President John McCain.

There are currently no other candidates in the race that can measure up to Senator John McCain or Governor Sarah Palin."

In a 'Change' Election, an Increasingly Familiar Electoral Map, Steve Kornacki

Excerpt:

One of the consequences of John McCain’s move into a tie, or even into a slight lead, in post-convention polling is the shrinking of the electoral battleground. Gone, probably for good, is the left’s haughty talk about a radical realignment of the electoral map that prevailed in the last two presidential elections. Instead, the same basic red-blue scheme and the same swing states (with perhaps one or two new additions) now seem destined to define a third consecutive election night.

(Click on the title of the post to read the full article)

Survey asking if I would change my mind about voting for McCain if Biden was replaced with Hillary.

Excerpt:

Commenter Felizarte recently posted this interesting tidbit:

Talk of replacing Biden with Hillary must be under discussion. I just got a follow-up survey from –William Arnone Phone: 212-773-3285 asking me if I would change my mind about voting for McCain if Biden was replaced with Hillary.

The author speculates the Obama campaiign is discussing putting Clinton back on the ticket...
(Click on the title of the post to read the full article)

E-mail Comment Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Technorati Furl More “hand-wringing, bed-wetting” ahead for Democrats By CKA in Red State USA

Ploufe’s comments come in a Sept. 12 International Herald Tribune story, “Obama plans sharper tone as party frets.”

More from the story, this by its writers: “By every indication, Obama’s aides underestimated the impact that McCain’s choice of Palin would have on the race. Obama and his campaign have seemed flummoxed in trying to figure out how to deal with her.”

Underestimated? Flummoxed? That’s polite-speak for full-scale ignorance and chaos, respectively.
Another tidbit from the writers: “Obama’s aides said they had also been taken aback by the newfound aggressiveness of the revamped McCain campaign under Steve Schmidt, who has played an increasingly powerful role since last summer. Even as the aides have denounced the tactics as unsavory, they acknowledge that McCain is running a more effective campaign than he was a month ago.”
Taken aback? Again, that’s polite-speak for clueless and caught off-guard.

I especially like “unsavory” tactics by McCain’s campaign.

That’s classic whining from a campaign that’s played the race card so much people don’t even mention when it is now played. One that mocks disabled veterans and older people such as McCain. One that ridicules people for beliveing in God and the Constitution. One that criticizes people for actually supporting life and objecting to infanticide. One that ridicules Sarah Palin because she’s a woman, a mother and working one, a former mayor and current governor. One that lies and distorts because it has no truths to offer. One that would blanches at any criticism at it because, as politely as I can say it: They lack requisite testicularity.

As for McCain’s ”newfound agressiveness”?

Guess they thought the old fellow, who can’t raise his arms above his shoulders because he had the you-know-what tortured out of him by the North Vietnamese but keep going on for five and a half years, was really going to let himself be overrun by the likes of Obama and his whiners and liars.
The old fox led them right into the snares of their own ignorance and arrogance.

And now their anxiety and doom causes them to wet their pants and panties, respectively, and wring their dainty hands.

Can Obama Sing The “Blue State Blues?”

Excerpt:

The post convention polls show that the race has suddenly tightened to a dead heat in the bluest of the Blues, the state of Minnesota; and the loss of Minnesota may be fatal to the Democratic run this fall. Consider this: if you take all of the states where McCain and Palin are leading as of today - - the Real Clear Politics reds and pinks, plus Virginia, Ohio, and Nevada - - their electoral vote count comes to 265.  Minnesota would raise the total to 275, even counting all of the other hotly-contested battlegrounds in the Obama-Biden column, and that’s five more than the Republicans need to win the White House.

(Click on the title of the post to read the full article) 

The Democrat-Liberal Tower of Babble Topples By CKA in Red State USA

The current collapse of the Democrat-liberal-leftist Tower of Babble - a.k.a. Obama campaign and its supporting players in the wrongly named MSM - parallels the story of the ancient Tower of Babel: arrogance + wrong purpose + no restraint = confusion and failure.

The Bible’s Book of Genesis records the ancient tower’s story. From many places, the tower’s builders spoke one language. Because of their wrong purpose, but unity through through that common tongue, the Master Planner of the Universe fractured that language into many. Thus, the builders could no longer understand one another.

That linguistic chaos put the proverbial kibosh on the project. Initiated by arrogant tyrant Nimrod, who tried to turn his people away from God, it was to have been a structure that stretched into the heavens and brought glory to Babylon. Its name, Babel, means confusion.

Sounds strikingly similar to Obama, his supporters and devotees, and the current disintegration of the Democrats’, liberals’ and leftists’ attempt to install the megalomaniac empty suit from Chicago into the White House?

Arrogance. Wrong purpose. No restraint. Confusion. Failure, which will take until Election Day to be complete.

Independents Swing Toward McCain - John Avlon, The Politico

Excerpt:

Obama’s campaign is confronting a political reality that Democrats have a difficult time dealing with: that America is essentially a center-right nation. Winning a national election comes down to winning over independents and centrists in swing states.

And the professional partisans in the Republican Party needs to appreciate that John McCain is leading a broader resurgence of the Republican brand because of his independence, not in spite of it.

(Click on the title of the post to read the full article) 

It's Not Just Palin -- Its the Message - Joe Trippi, JoeTrippi.com

Excerpt:

Now the Obama campaign and its allies need to understand that in arguing that John McCain represents a third term of George Bush and the GOP agenda it is the Obama campaign that risks sounding partisan in a country that yearns for the post-partisanship of “country first” and “shaking things up in Washington”.

(Click on the title of the post to read the full article) 

Can McCain Really Win Pennsylvania? - Salena Zito, Pitt Trib-Review

Excerpt:

University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato says his tentative conclusion is that McCain should not allow the money to run in Pennsylvania unless he has unlimited resources, and instead should look west. His argument: If McCain is close in Pennsylvania, then he already is well above 300 Electoral College votes and won't need it to win.

(Click on the title of the post to read the full article)