podesta_email_01276.txt

podesta-emails 7,358 words email

P17 P22 V11 P19 V9

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*Main Topics: *"Celeb" Ad, McCain's Double Standards, Bush on Iraq *Summary:* Interest in McCain's "Celebrity" ad and Obama's "Low Road" response carried over from last night. Analysis of the exchange between the campaigns was the meat though discussion of the risk of backlash provided a welcome break. President Bush spoke briefly about SOFA negotiations and shorter tours for soldiers in Iraq. At the same time oil companies continued to release record profit figures. Highlights: 1. "Celeb" coverage continues a. ABC: "Celeb" brings out the "angry, bitter, old man" in McCain b. MSNBC: Maddow: "Celeb" fallout is "the car crash between the McCain of 2000 and the McCain of 2008" c. MSNBC: McCain strategist Todd Harris defends Paris Hilton ad, yet admits it detracts from McCain brand d. CBS: Bob Schieffer predicts backlash from negative Paris Hilton ad e. FNC: Nicole Wallace on "Low Road": "If we wanted to join them on the low road, we'd have to ask them to pull over" f. MSNBC: Nicole Wallace denies Paris Hilton ad is "personal" g. MSNBC: Wallace defends "Celeb" h. CNN: Bash: "Celeb" may be off message, too negative 2. MSNBC: Maddow accuses McCain camp and media of racism, double standards for Obama 3. MSNBC: Barnicle discusses historical analogues, highlights debates as a potential turn-around 4. FNC: Bush talks about SOFA negotiations, announces shorter tours in Iraq Highlights, No Clip: 1. FNC – HOWARD WOLFSON: "I think John McCain has failed to capitalize on the power of the internet in a way that is very damaging." 2. CNN – ROLAND MARTIN: "John McCain is acting like a jilted lover. He once said the press was his base. They are frankly upset that the press seems to be liking Obama." Clips: Highlight #1 *"Celeb" Brings Out the "Angry, Bitter, Old Man" In McCain *(ABC 07/31/08 7:05am) CHRIS CUOMO: Some odd campaign news today, there's a round of new commercials, really have us scratching our head here. *DIANE SAWYER: What sort of committee meeting do you have where they say, "Let's use Brittney! Let's use Paris! Yes, that'll be a blow." Anyway*, we're going to be asking this morning . . . is this savvy strategy by the McCain campaign? . . . [ . . . ] SAWYER: . . . that new brand of negative TV ads this morning that use Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton as a kind of political nuclear attack . . . JAKE TAPPER: . . . the McCain campaign thinks they have an effective line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama. That he is an arrogant . . . celebrity. *But does the new McCain line of attack bring out a negative caricature of McCain? That he's an angry, bitter, old man.* The new McCain ad depicts Barack Obama as a celebrity, akin to Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton . . . framing Obama as a celebrity allows McCain an opportunity to accuse Obama of other flaws. Quote, "Like most worldwide celebrities . . . this status has fueled a certain arrogance." This new Republican Party website, "Obama Audacity Watch," catalogues alleged arrogance . . . [ . . . ] TAPPER: Some former McCain aides wonder if the McCain brand will be hurt by his new strategy of attack, attack, attack. DAN SCHNUR: You want to draw contrasts between yourself and your opponent but you want voters to see that as valuable contrasting information rather than simply as name calling. TAPPER: John Weaver, McCain's former political aide who left the campaign last summer, tells ABC news that the Brittney ad is, quote, "childish," the new negative strategy Weaver says, quote, "reduces McCain." "John is capable of inspiring Americans. It's not the John McCain brand at all. It's like asking Wilt Chamberlain to play point guard." And now Obama is casting McCain, who already has a reputation for having a temper, as negative and angry. With 97 days to go, the caricature crayons are out. [ . . . ] TAPPER: A third party liberal group is now attacking McCain online, saying that he is the out of touch celebrity, pointing out that he wore expensive Italian loafers to a meeting with the Dali Lama. So there you have it, Paris, Brittney, Ferragamo loafers, the great debates of 2008 . . . SAWYER: As someone said, "While Rome burns." . . . is this going to work? Is the McCain camp smart? GEORGE STEPHANOPOLOUS: Well, they are certainly confident about this . . . and they are not backing off at all, they're feeling good. And I think one of the things they're happy about is that we're sitting here right now talking about all this. They wanted to get attention, they are getting attention. I think the question is, will the focus on the tactics overwhelm the message that the McCain camp is trying to send. There is a tradition of this kind of ad, going all the way back to 1988 when Republicans said that . . . Dukakis wanted Iowans to grow Belgian endive . . . SAWYER: What about the former campaign aide saying it's childish? Is there a risk that there's a backlash and it does make Sen. McCain seem angry? *STEPHANOPOLOUS: Yeah, angry, cranky, too negative*, bit of a whiner, given the fact that most polls show that he is behind right now . . . *Maddow: "Celeb" Fallout is "the Car Crash between the McCain of 2000 and the McCain of 2008" *(MSNBC 07/30/08 8:10pm) RACHAEL MADDOW: I think that a national election that is a national referendum on Bush and McCain and the Republican Party of the last eight years is an election that Barack Obama wins in a landslide. An election that is asking Americans what they think of Barack Obama, which is what John McCain has actually turned this campaign into at this point, that's an election that Barack Obama might win . . . this might be exactly where John McCain wants the campaign to be. KEITH OLBERMANN: Does that explain this quote of the year from yesterday? . . ."McCain not really be speaking for the McCain campaign." Are they really that lost in terms of the head to head and issue to issue? Are they really that devoted to, "Don't vote for Obama, he's 'fill-in-the-blank'"? MADDOW: . . . that's not the only example of the McCain campaign saying that John McCain doesn't speak for the campaign. They did the same thing on affirmative action. They said don't listen to what John McCain says, just allow us to be a vague, not-Obama presence in the corner that you might vote for if we succeed in scaring you enough about Barack Obama . . . if John McCain doesn't speak for his campaign, what kind of president would he be? . . . KEITH OLBERMANN: It would be like when the great football quarterback, the late Bill Walsh, retired from the San Francisco 49ers and left . . . a play list . . . that his successor . . . was supposed to call for the first three games of the next season. I don't know who would leave him the list. Maybe it would be Cheney. This John Weaver . . . to the Atlantic . . . "For McCain to win in such troubled times he needs to start telling the American people how to lead us. That McCain exists . . . there is legitimate mockery of a political campaign now and it isn't at Obama's . . . " Is that one guy . . . or is there any groundswell of opinion that McCain and his campaign are making fools of themselves . . .? MADDOW: *I think this is the car crash between the McCain of 2000 and the McCain of 2008 . . . not only between people who have worked with John McCain and want to be associated with the McCain of 2000, people who thought that that reputation from 2000 would have carried over* . . . he said he was going to be the McCain of 2000, that it was going to be a substance driven campaign, that he wasn't going to be scurrilous and negative . . . what his campaign is doing now, is a series of four negative campaign ads . . . it does seem pitiful . . . *McCain Strategist Todd Harris Defends Paris Hilton Ad, Yet Admits It Detracts From McCain Brand* (MSNBC 07/30/08 5:02pm) MIKE BARNICLE: And I can see him in December of 2007, in January and February of 2008, the same John McCain. So I guess the question is being asked by a lot of people in the politics business, the media business, the cosmetics of politics, What's happened to McCain? Is this stuff going to work? Why is he going this way? TODD HARRIS: Well, this is about one thing and one thing only, which is to steer the conversation surrounding this race onto the issue of whether or not Barack Obama is qualified to be leader of the free world. That is issue terrain that the McCain people -- the McCain campaign feels very comfortable fighting this battle on. They feel that if this is what the campaign is about, a referendum on Obama's leadership, then that's their best shot. And so yes. Is this -- you know, is the ad subtle? No. But you know, the media likes subtlety like it likes a kick in the head, and so this is going to catch a lot of eyeballs, get a lot of attention. And if this ad steers conversation toward that conversation of whether or not Obama is ready to be president, then it's going to be effective. BARNICLE: Are you going to sit there and take that? I mean, you're a Democratic strategist. Come on. STEVE MCMAHON: Well, I think my job tonight's actually a little easier than Todd's, don't you think, Todd? MCMAHON: Listen, you know, the Obama campaign likes to say that Senator McCain's election would be like a third Bush term. But of course, before you get to a third Bush term, you have to have a third Bush campaign, and that's pretty much what they're running here. They're not running a campaign that Todd and John Weaver ran a long time ago. John Weaver, of course, is the person who in 2000 ran the happy warriors campaign, when he was a happy guy. And Johnson Weaver today, in fact, said that his silence is over, that this campaign has diminished John McCain. He's not only not recognizing his old friend, John McCain, but he's, I think, furious at the campaign for doing this to his old friend. The fact of the matter is John McCain can only win if he's a hopeful, optimistic leader and if he's offering a vision for America that people can embrace, not by tearing down Barack Obama, and certainly not by childish ads like this one. HARRIS: Well, I think we have put all of this into some amount of context, though. It's like this whole campaign -- and on the Obama side has been all, like, kid gloves and lollipops. MCMAHON: They've not run a negative ad. . . HARRIS: No, no. But his supporters have -- they've run ads that have distorted McCain's record, and his supporters have called John McCain a warmonger. They've talked about distorting his position on Iraq. It's not like this has all been kid gloves. And yes, this is a hard-hitting ad, but it's been a hard-hitting campaign so far. BARNICLE: We're going to show you the latest -- well, let's show you the newest McCain campaign ad right now and get your reaction to it. Here it is. ["Celeb" ad] BARNICLE: You know, we sit here in living rooms and dens across America, and these ads come beamed across and you sort of half pay attention to them. I think a lot of people just half pay attention to them. But there's an element in that ad, right toward the end of the ad, where it has Obama's face up and the word "foreign" next to it, with "more foreign oil." There it is. It's right there on the screen now. HARRIS: Well, it's true. I mean, you know, Obama -- he keeps saying no to -- no to expanded nuclear... BARNICLE: Yes, but the "foreign"... HARRIS: ... energy, no... BARNICLE: ... the "foreign" deal. Obama's foreign deal. [CROSSTALK] BARNICLE: No, I know, but you know -- you know... HARRIS: Actually, he should say yes to foreign oil because that's his energy policy. BARNICLE: Am I overreacting to that? MCMAHON: *Well, I don't think these things are coincidental. I do think, though, that Senator McCain has a choice to make here, and he's got to decide whether or not he wants to be happy warrior or he's got to decide whether or not he wants to be -- run for grouch-in-chief. And the danger when you're 72 years old, when you're running a campaign that just seems like a grouchy old man campaign, is that that's not what people want in a president. And it's not somebody who's offering a vision for the future.* If you look at the two campaigns, Senator Obama is offering a hopeful, optimistic, aspirational vision for America's future, and John McCain is running as Walter Matthau in *"Grumpy Old Men."* BARNICLE: See, you stuck the age thing in three times there, the age, 72, the "Grumpy Old Men," the Walter Matthau thing... [CROSSTALK] BARNICLE: But earlier, Steve, you had said that... HARRIS: [INAUDIBLE] the age stuff. BARNICLE: Yes. You had felt that part of the McCain campaign had diminished the candidate. Do you think any part of this campaign has diminished John McCain? HARRIS: Well, look, it's been a tough campaign, and it's going to continue to be a tough campaign. But you've got Barack Obama, who is treated, let's face it, line a celebrity amongst the media, who is getting -- is getting kid glove treatment. I don't think he's being put under the kind of media microscope that he needs to be. And so, you know, if the press is not going to do it, then it's going to be incumbent upon the McCain campaign to call into question whether or not Barack Obama is prepared to lead this nation and to be commander-in- chief. That's the threshold question of this question. If ads like this get people talking about that, then it's probably going to be effective. MCMAHON: You know, it's interesting. The footage from this ad, this footage is from his European trip. And Senator McCain's campaign actually taunted Barack Obama into going to Europe, going to Iraq, going to Afghanistan... [ . . . ] MCMAHON: So the Obama campaign goes, and they get crowds unlike the crowds that John McCain saw in Colombia and Mexico and Canada, when he was campaigning out of the country. And now they're upset by it. HARRIS: Well, no one ever taunted McCain into... MCMAHON: Now they're shocked that people in Europe might actually... HARRIS: ... giving a speech... [ . . . ] BARNICLE: Let's stick with McCain, though, because you're right, he does get, you know, shortstopped in the media. He doesn't get as much attention, as much positive attention as Obama has. And yet I go back to my own eyesight, my own experience, and the fact that so many people, independents, really liked this guy, you know, when he came on stage at these town hall meetings with a smile and the microphone in his hand. And he was not your average Republican. There was an independent streak that he articulated. Where has this guy gone? HARRIS: Well, McCain -- I will concede, certainly, McCain is not at his best when he's delivering overly partisan messages because McCain is at his best when he's not being partisan. That's why his approval rating among independent voters has always been so high. That's why so many crossover Democrats have always supported John McCain. So to the degree that he can -- he needs to deliver this message talking about Obama. I think it's critical that the campaign frame this race as a referendum on whether Obama is prepared to be president. But it is a tough situation they're in because they need to do it in a way that doesn't make John McCain overly partisan. MCMAHON: Here's the challenge the McCain campaign has, in addition to the -- to the grouchiness that they're displaying today. John McCain was the guy that you just described. He was the... BARNICLE: How old is he, Steve? MCMAHON: I don't know. I don't think... [LAUGHTER] MCMAHON: By the way, I don't think it's a function of his age. I think it's a function of the way he's behaving. [ . . . ] MCMAHON: It tends to remind people of his age. But that's -- but the point here, I think, is he used to be that guy you described. He used to be the maverick. He was the person -- he was the Democrats` favorite Republican. But to get the nomination, he decided he had to become George Bush. He flip-flopped on tax cuts. He adopted Bush economic policies. He walked away from his own immigration reform bill. He flip-flopped on offshore oil drilling. He's become a doctrinaire Bush Republican, and he's offering a Bush third term, and that's not what people want. BARNICLE: Well, you know the ad we just showed you. Here's what Barack Obama said about that John McCain ad. Give a listen to this. BARACK OBAMA: You know, I don't pay attention to John McCain's ads, although do I notice that he doesn't seem to have anything very positive to say about himself, does he. He seems to only be talking about me. You need to ask John McCain what he's for, not just what he's against. BARNICLE: And he went to say that he's trying to -- Obama said, you know, He's trying to portray me as being a risky choice for a candidate. HARRIS: Well, he is a risky choice . . . And if you compare the Obama record to McCain's record... MCMAHON: Wow. HARRIS: ... to McCain's record of change, you know, there's no question. Only one of these guys has actually been a change agent in Washington, and that's been McCain. *Bob Schieffer Predicts Backlash From Negative Paris Hilton Ad* (CBS 7/31/08 7:05am) BOB SCHIEFFER: Well it's certainly a sign they've changed strategy. They brought aboad a new strategist, Steve Schmidt, about a month ago from the old Bush campaign team. And he's bringing in some of the techniques the old Bush team used against John Kerry. They have concluded that while Barack Obama is famous that a lot of people really don't know him. So what they're trying to do is define him and tell people who is in their version. Now the question is, is this going to work? They're trying to picture him as an elitist, as someone who is aloof, sort of divorced from regular life. They're aiming this at those white, blue collar democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton and didn't vote for Barack Obama in the primaries. They're saying this is really not your kind of guy. The question though Maggie is will people believe this? This is kind of a stretch. To say Barack Obama has something in common with Paris Hilton and you have to wonder if people are going to buy that. I'll tell you the other part of it is, it's very surprising, it's very unlike John McCain and the kind of campaign he said he was going to run. So, maybe they will be able to define on their terms, but I think there's a high possibility that all this could blow up in their face and backfire. *Nicole Wallace on "Low Road": "If We Wanted to Join them on the Low Road, We'd Have to Ask them to Pull Over" *(FNC 07/31/08 8:27am) STEVE DOOCY: An new ad from the McCain camp paints Obama as a celebrity . . . take a look: ["Celeb" ad plays] [ . . . ] MARTHA MACALLUM: I'm looking at what Barack Obama had to say yesterday in Reaction to this ad . . . something like, I don't know why he's always talking about me, you know if you have problems in your own life you point the finger at everyone else . . . what do you think about that? NICOLE WALLACE: I think what's most surprising is, is that all the fuss being made about the celebrities and no attempt being made by the Obama campaign to defend against what is really the most serious questions raised in this ad. Which is his opposition to offshore drilling . . . DOOCY: When you look at the Barack Obama phenomenon . . . when you ask them, what kind of experience does he have . . . they say, well I don't know . . . when you do point out the differences . . . that's fair but why did you add the celebrity at the top . . .? WALLACE: Well, present company excluded, we have our challenges in focusing attention our vision for the future. Some of the challenges are . . . you must acknowledge reality and the reality is Sen. Obama is a celebrity we haven't seen the likes of in the political arena, certainly in my lifetime . . . in this election you can't just inspire people with your words and your crowds or your images or your photos but you must inspire them with your deeds and your vision. So that's the gap that we see opening up. MACALLUM: Let's take a look at the Obama response ad . . . ["Low Road" ad plays] MACALLUM: What's your reaction to that Nicole? WALLACE: Well, look, if we wanted to join them on the low road, we'd have to ask them to pull over. [laughter] They launched the first attack ad against us . . . *Nicole Wallace Denies Paris Hilton Ad Is 'Personal'* (MSNBC 07/31/08 7:15am) MATT LAUER: This ad is much more personal and it is demeaning, isn't it? NICHOLE WALLACE: Well this ad in some ways is a celebration of his celebrity. I mean I don't think there is much to debate this morning about whether he is or is not a celebrity The ad though if you watch the whole thing because if you show it in its entirety it makes a very serious point and sober point. There are two big roadblocks on our way to economic recovery and they include our dependence on Mideast oil and a move by the Obama campaign to raise taxes on almost every American. LAUER: If that's the importance of the ad why bury the lead? Why is it the first thing we see are these images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears? .. I have nothing against either one of them but they're not known for their gravitas and in some ways they can become the punch line of jokes. That's demeaning. WALLACE: Well we've never made jokes about Paris Hilton in this campaign and look I don't think we're making a joke of Senator Obama and neither were the 200,000 Germans who were there to celebrate his celebrity. So again we are going to focus in the next 90 odd days talking about the issues I think we are very much in line with what the American people expect from their next President. But no one can forget or over look or obsure the fact that Barack Obama is the celebrity in this contest. And Senator John McCain, an American hero, is the underdog. LAUER: Ok Robert let me bring you in here. So this issue of celebrity. What they're saying is there is all this raw excitement. There's this screaming and cheering, hundreds of thousands of people turning out at events and maybe they're trying to touch on this. Is there a possibility on your part that celebrity starts to overwhelm the message or become the message itself? ROBERT GIBBS: I think what you see is people are excited abou change. […] WALLCE: Well Matt I wish you'd come to our events because you'd see people yelling and screaming. Yesterday we were talking to employees of the Wagner Company in Denver Colorado and they certainly had a lot to cheer about Senator John McCain talking about his getting America working again. And for keeping us safe. So I wish you'd come out with us and see our fans. They might not be 200,000 strong and they certainly not European, but they are cheering and they are enthusiastic about McCain's leadershp. *Nicole Wallace Defends Paris Hilton Ad* (MSNBC 07/31/08 7:25am) JOE SCARBOROUGH: Do you think its fair to wrap Obama in celebrity skin? What does he have in common with Paris Hilton or Britney Spears? NICHOLE WALLACE: Well look I think this ad celebrates his celebrity, celebrates the excitement that's being generated, it is certainly more akin to the excitement a celebrity generates than a normal politician. We're running the campaign of an underdog. It's a position we're comfortable with. But if you run the entire ad, which I hope you will do, it makes a far more serious point – and that's to the big two hurdles to our economic resurgence which is as you talk about quite often. The number one issue in this election Barack Obama stands in the way by opposing drilling, efforts to reduce our dependence on Mid-east oil and by advocating higher taxes. The ad makes a serious point and acknowledges the reality of this election. SCARBOROUGH: Well Nichole you call it a celebration of his celebrity at the same time the McCain campaign put out a statement yesterday that he's fussy just like celebrities and suggesting also that he's shallow just like celebrities. I don't know if you all were really intending that as a compliment. WALLACE: Well I don't know any celebrities. I don't know. Maybe my counterpart has met some in the course of his campaign, but we don't have many traveling with us. I haven't had a chance to meet many celebrities but I think it's an overreaction to anything does certainly across as fussy. If you want to be President of the United States of America at this point in our history, you have to be able to, I think, see through things and make your points. We certainly have and we have a lot to overcome in this election cycle. But if you came out here with us, you would see we have supportive crowds who really ask us about the issues. They ask us about the economy, they wanna talk about our plans for keeping the country safe, and that's the campaign we're running. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Robert, is he a fussy celebrity? Describe your candidate. ROBERT GIBBS: You know the last time I saw Britney Spears on stage with a politician, the guy looked a lot like John McCain because that's who it was. It was John McCain. Barack Obama is down to earth. He's spent this entire campaign talking about the issues that are important to people. The McCain campaign has decided apparently that the best way and the only way to win this campaign is to become very personal and very negative. That's why basically the last four commercials that they've released have been attacked as being false and baseless, the low road in politics, no evidence for the attacks or the evidence that they use in these ads. Look, we're going to let them take the low road, it's a place they feel very comfortable in. We'll let them do that. We're going to talk about the issues facing this country – joblessness in this country and how to create good jobs. […] WALLACE: Listen you talk about the low road, if we wanted to take the low road, we'd have to ask you to pull over. The first negative attack ad in this campaign came from you campaign. And I think that when you walk around talking about knife fights and challenging the Republican nominee to a duel, you are insulting the American voters who have serious problems. You talk about serious problems, we have serious plans to solve serious problems. And the American people want to be inspired, not just by words but by deeds. And I think that is where the real gap is showing up on your side. And I think look there's always time to change, we can stop it right here and right now and we can agree between the two of us that we'll go back to our headquarters and get everyone on the phone and start these town hall meetings next week. SCARBOROUGH: Robert? GIBBS: Well you know you cited the report by Rick Davis we did accept doing a limited number of these town hall meetings. We want to talk to John McCain but we want to talk to real voters. And we're excited to talk to them about the change that we see. They've watched 8 years of the same failed policies, and now they see John McCain has taken the same failed policies and that's what he wants to bring to this country. SCARBOROUGH: You won't agree to the 10 townhall meetings, how many will you agree to? […] SCARBOROUGH: So you are saying in fact you believe and the campaign believes that Barack Obama doesn't care whether America wins or war or not; he just wants to be President. That's your position this morning. WALLACE: Our position is that he placed a higher premium on doing what needs to be done to win an election than having the judgment necessary to win a war. GIBBS: Joe here's all you need to know about this answer. Charlie Crist is auditioning to be Vice President. When you are trying out for Vice President you will say or do anything. *Bash on "Celeb" Ad: May be Off Message, Too Negative *(CNN 07/30/08 6:05pm) WOLF BLITZER: Let's get to John McCain's new ad, it tries to use Barack Obama's star power against him . . . tell us about this new ad that some say could be a gamble for him. DANA BASH. . . some Republicans I talked to say this is a bit of a risky strategy. The McCain campaign . . . is using campaign cash to highlight and even embrace Barack Obama's broad appeal while trying to turn it into a negative trade. In fact, one of McCain's advisers, Steve Schmidt, put it this way . . . "Do the American people want to elect the world's biggest celebrity, or do they want to elect an American hero?" On the stump, rapid-fire attacks on Barack Obama's policies. JOHN MCCAIN: He wants to raise your taxes to pay for bigger government. We've been doing that for years and it doesn't work. BASH: Yet on the air... "CELEB" NARRATOR: He's the biggest celebrity in the world. BASH: John McCain is now comparing his rival to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, mocking him as a vapid celebrity. "CELEB" NARRATOR: But is he ready to lead? BASH: With this new ad, McCain strategists are trying to channel their frustration with the attention Obama gets into a hit on his readiness and seriousness. RICK DAVIS: It's much more something you would expect from someone releasing a new movie than running for President. BASH: McCain advisers say they are convinced Obama comes across as arrogant and are trying to capitalize on that. STEVE SCHMIDT: This is a close election. We've seen much presumption from the Obama campaign. BASH: But a new CNN/Opinion Research poll shows McCain advisers may be wrong on that. Only 37 percent say they view Obama as arrogant, pretty close to what they say about John McCain. BRITNEY SPEARS (singing): Oops! I did it again... BASH: The Obama campaign responded to McCain's new ad by accusing him of "... a steady stream of false negative attacks... Some might say, 'Oops! He did it again.'" This is the latest in a series of McCain attack ads against Obama and increasingly biting rhetoric by McCain against his rival and several Republican strategists I talked to today . . . say they are concerned about the negativity. One told me he worries the McCain camp is allowing it's, quote, "disdain" for Obama to overshadow some valid, substantive political arguments against him. Highlight #2 *Maddow Accuses McCain Camp and Media Of Racism, Double Standards For Obama*(MSNBC 07/30/08 6:41pm) RACHEL MADDOW: The larger narrative I think here is that Barack Obama is sort of an empty suit and that Barack Obama doesn't deserve this. I think I heard Pat articulate some of this a the top of the show today as well. This idea that Obama doesn't really know his place. That Obama is being presumptuous, you saw that certainly with Dana Milbank's I think very over the top column today in the Washington Post. Honestly, I'm very troubled by this being sort of run by the way it is broadly in the media- all quarters of the media left right and center. Frankly it's John McCain whose been running weekly radio addresses as if he's President. He literally ran two ads in May that described him as President McCain. In terms of whose acting like he's already President, he gave speeches talking about what the world is going to be like at the end of his first term. And nobody said who does McCain think he is? But people are willing to say that about the young candidate, the black candidate and in a way I think it is not all validated by the facts of how these candidates are behaving, but by who they are. I think it really reflects a national prejudice, not the campaigns. Highlight #3 *Barnicle Discusses Historical Analogues, Highlights Debates As Potential Turn-Around* (MSNBC 07/30/08 5:52pm) MIKE BARNICLE: Michael, what do you think? A pretty good retort there. MICHAEL CROWLEY: It is. Once again, we see why Obama is a good politician. It's a funny riff. He seems comfortable. He is taking on a very charged subject head on and laughing at it. It is not a laughing matter. He's exactly right. I think that's why he has been somewhat under performing the generic Democrat in the polls. Ultimately, I don't think the attack mode suits John McCain well. We saw today one of his long time confidants and advisers, John Weaver, came out and said he doesn't like the tone of this campaign. I really do think it's dangerous for McCain to be as negative as he has been. Maybe Obama can afford to be kind of chuckling about this right now. BARNICLE: Gene, let me ask you, off what Michael said, there's been a couple of new attack ads put out by the McCain day. Every campaign puts out attack ads. It's not just John McCain. We should point that out. But there's a feeling out there, when you talk to ordinary people, not us, that this stuff isn't going to sell this year, the patriotism thing, the flag lapel stuff. What do you think? JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO: Maybe it won't sell, but it would be the first time it didn't sell. I think that the Obama people are right to respond very aggressively to this sort of thing. I think the dynamic of this race feels very much like Carter/Reagan in reverse roles. Reagan was the risky one. He was this crazy actor, too conservative, going to hit the nuclear button; we can't trust him. That's the position of Barack Obama right now. As soon as Reagan went into one debate and showed he wasn't a crazy man, in fact, they can trust him, things changed. I think we could be looking at that dynamic. BARNICLE: Yes, the debates are clearly going to be crucial, just the cosmetics of the debate. MICHELLE BERNARD: The cosmetics of the debate. I just want to step back for a second, because I think what Barack Obama did today, I thought was fascinating. He was his own anti-Willie Horton ad. He's gone out on the offensive. He's kind of looking at what could be coming down the pike, in terms of 527s, things we've heard people say about Michelle Obama, people talking about his name being Hussein. He did it such a very charismatic way that it can only help him. By the time we get to the debates, there's going to be a stark contrast, not just in age, but in appearance, in height, in the way that they speak. I think that a lot of members of the American public are going to find it very difficult to only focus on what they're hearing in terms of policy from the candidates, because the two of them look so differently and Barack Obama is a much better speaker than John McCain. BARNICLE: Except that, back to your point, Michael, the point you just raised. We were talking earlier about the McCain of late `99 and 2000, the McCain of December 2007, and January and February of `08. It's the John McCain that a lot of people, I think, got used to, very attractive, sort of mellowed out, very independent, a lot of people attracted to his candidacy as a result of that. Do you think it's a bit too jarring for the people who do follow these things, average American voters who do follow these things, to see a different John McCain now? CROWLEY: Yes, absolutely, Mike. I think, you know, when he won New Hampshire in 2000, that was on the strength of independents, who were taken with this guy who seemed to be practicing a new kind of politics. There's some relationship to Obama's new brand of politics. McCain was running a different kind of politics. He seemed to be more honorable and above the typical fray. That just seems to be out the window. I think you have to be really troubled when a guy like John Weaver, who is someone who is really close in his orbit, who helped to orchestrate that 2000 primary win New Hampshire, thinks that this isn't the happy warrior. This isn't the John McCain that was so successful in politics, that made his name nationally, that became such a potent force. It just feels now like much more of a paint by numbers Republican campaign. At a time when the Republican brand, frankly, is in the toilet, I think he's better off going with the formula that worked for him in 2000 than just reprising the old RNC attack ad approach. BARNICLE: We're going to take a break here in order to do some media bashing when we get back. We'll be back with the round table for more of the politics fix. You're watching HARDBALL, only on MSNBC. Highlight #4 *Bush Talks about SOFA Negotiations, Announces Shorter Tours in Iraq *(FNC 07/31/08 8:05am) THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This has been a month of encouraging news from Iraq. Violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004, and we're now in our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady. General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker caution that the progress is still reversible, but they report that there now appears to be a "degree of durability" to the gains we have made. A significant reason for this sustained progress is the success of the surge. Another is the increasing capability of the Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces now have 192 combat battalions in the fight -- and more than 110 of these battalions are taking the lead in combat operations against terrorists and extremists. We saw the capability of those forces earlier this year, when the Iraqi government launched successful military operations against Shia extremist groups in Basra, Amarah, and the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Because of these operations, extremists who once terrorized the citizens of these communities have been driven from their strongholds. As a result, our Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, was able to walk the streets of Sadr City last Wednesday, as something that would not have been possible just a few months ago. This week, the Iraqi government is launching a new offensive in parts of the Diyala province that contain some of al Qaeda's few remaining safe havens in the country. This operation is Iraqi-led; our forces are playing a supporting role. And in the moments -- in the months ahead, the Iraqis will continue taking the lead in more military operations across the country. As security in Iraq has improved, the Iraqi government has made political progress as well. The Iraqi Council of Representatives has passed several major pieces of legislation this year, and Iraqi leaders are preparing for provincial elections. And Prime Minister Maliki recently returned from a successful visit to Europe, where he held important diplomatic discussions with Chancellor Merkel, Prime Minister Berlusconi, and His Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI. The progress in Iraq has allowed us to continue our policy of "return on success." We now have brought home all five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge. The last of these surge brigades returned home this month. And later this year, General Petraeus will present me his recommendations on future troop levels -- including further reductions in our combat forces as conditions permit. As part of the "return on success" policy, we are also reducing the length of combat tours in Iraq. Beginning tomorrow, troops deploying to Iraq will serve 12-month tours instead of 15-month tours. This will ease the burden on our forces -- and it will make life easier for our wonderful military families. We're also making progress in our discussion with Prime Minister Maliki's government on a strategic framework agreement. This agreement will serve as the foundation for America's presence in Iraq once the United Nations resolution authorizing the multinational forces there expires on December the 31st. We remain a nation at war. Al Qaeda is on the run in Iraq -- but the terrorists remain dangerous, and they are determined to strike our country and our allies again. In this time of war, America is grateful to all the men and women who have stepped forward to defend us. They understand that we have no greater responsibility than to stop the terrorists before they launch another attack on our homeland. And every day they make great sacrifices to keep the American people safe here at home. We owe our thanks to all those who wear the uniform -- and their families who support them in their vital work. And the best way to honor them is to support their mission -- and bring them home with victory. Thank you very much. -- Evan Whitbeck Tracker/Media Analyst Progressive Accountability Office [email protected] 202-609-7677 (w) 360-480-0786 (c) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] E-mail [email protected] with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---