Over the last few days the McCain camp has started to get desperate with all the good news for Obama. So what does a campaign run by the architect of negative campaigning do?
Do some good ‘ole negative campaigning of course. Here’s a recap.
Attack Ads:
First he attacks Obama on foreign policy releasing this ad
FactCheck.org quickly debunks it.
So he tries again. This time on gas prices
Whoops, FactCheck.org calls it a “A Full Tank of Nonsense”
McCain subsequently gets mocked for the ad
RNC/McCain Attacks Obama’s Patriotism:
Today the RNC released this smear ad
Obama’s campaign quickly shot back against this misleading attack.
“There are honest differences between Senator Obama’s position on Iraq and Senator McCain’s, but there’s no question that both support our troops. Under the RNC’s definition, John McCain would have also chosen politics over our military when he urged George Bush to veto funding for the troops, and we know that’s not the case.
This is the sort of distasteful and misleading attack from the Rove playbook that the American people are tired of, that does nothing to give our troops the equipment they need, and distracts from the honest debate we should be having about how we can keep the country secure.”
Calling names:
When your false attacks are not working, what do you do? Try to win a campaign on the issues? Nope.
Imply that your opponent is a socialist.
Politicizing the Holocaust:
Today Barack Obama stopped by the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem to pay his respects.
What does the McCain camp do? Try to score cheap political points. Rep. Robert Wexler quickly responded.
“It’s shameful and unconscionable that the McCain campaign is using Senator Obama’s somber visit to Israel’s Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem as a backdrop to score cheap political points instead of focusing on the security needs of the nation.”
Obama “Choosing to lose Iraq War”
First on Sunday top McCain surrogate Joe Lieberman tried out this attack. Then today in Rochester, New Hampshire McCain said this:
This is a clear choice that the American people have. I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war. It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.
TIME’s Joe Klein had this to say
This is the ninth presidential campaign I’ve covered. I can’t remember a more scurrilous statement by a major party candidate. It smacks of desperation. It renews questions about whether McCain has the right temperament for the presidency. How sad.
…
There is a reason why politicians who want to be President don’t say these sort of things: It isn’t presidential.
Klein also took his case to CNN
I think this cartoon pretty much sums it up
McCain’s campaign has discovered that the American people have a “bias towards Obama” so they are lashing out with misleading negative attacks straight out of the Rove playbook. And it’s only July!
So what can we do to help fight back?
We can fight back with the Obamathon!
The Obamathon is currently at $61,511. Can we get to $70,000 and give the campaign the resources t hey need to fight back against these Rovian attacks? I think we can. One thing is for sure. We can’t sit idly by while McCain lashes out with this outrageous attacks. It’s time to do something.
Donate, sign up for a event, volunteer, register voters, sign up to counter smears.
Whatever you do. Make sure you
YES. WE. CAN.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. – Barack Obama