Negative Campaigning: Leaked McCain Strategy Memo
A leaked strategy memo, from the John McCain campaign, shows how they intend to paint Barack Obama as a “job killing machine.” It seems, there is no doubt that the McCain campaign will be going negative. But, I guess this is actually tame, compared to what we will be seeing as the election gets closer.
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What do you think about negative campaigning? Is it just something we have come to except? Does it help or hurt a campaign? Let me know what you think in comments.
This is from The Huffington Post…
John McCain was widely ridiculed several weeks ago for fielding reporter’s questions in the cheese aisle of a grocery store. But the location of the impromptu press conference was hardly random. The McCain camp, in a strategy memo, has pinpointed grocery stores as an important venue for the Senator to push his economic agenda.
In a McCain campaign “Economic Communications Plan” that was obtained by the Huffington Post, an aide to the Senator lays out several themes, tactics and objectives to shore up the Arizona Republican’s standing on the economy and paint Barack Obama as a “job killing machine.”
“Our polling tells us that Americans are still not tuned into what the candidates might do to fix the economy,” reads the memo. “We have an opportunity to fill in that gap.”
The strategy, which was authored by Taylor Griffin — a veteran of the Bush White House and Treasury Department who serves McCain as a senior adviser — seems built around traditional themes. The McCain campaign will paint Obama as being “aligned with trial lawyers” and “unions (card check, trade, education reform),” and push the frame that he “raises taxes” and “will kill jobs.”
From Moonlight Mile Down The Road…
When Did This Happen?
Just read this piece of a “leaked” McCain strategy memo:
“Draw the parallel with the same kind of bold leadership that McCain demonstrated in pushing the surge strategy that allowed us to win in Iraq. Need that same vision, intensity and leadership to attack our economic problems.”
Um, does anyone know when, exactly, we won in Iraq? Is the war over, then? Does that mean troops can come home now?
Also See:
How do you feel about negative campaigning?
Comment from mignon evans
Time: August 8, 2008, 4:21 pm
Actually, you need an update. We ARE winning in Iraq. The Times of London reports that a combined force of American and Iraqi troops in the attack on Mosul (the last terrorist stronghold in Iraq) broke the back of the insurgents. And the flow of new recruits from across the Syrian border has slowed to a trickle. And, yes, we are now talking about a tropp drawdown.
That SHOULD make you happy. Does it? Or were you hoping for an American defeat there?
Next question: WHY is it negative campaigning to point out the weaknesses and liabilities of an opposing candidates proposals?
Isn’t that a discussionof the issues?
Aren’t jobs (their creation and their continuation) important to us as women?
It seems obvious to me that Obama’s economic proposals will lead inevitably to massive job losses; in turn, to declining govt. revenues; then to a devaluation of the dollar; then to greater budget deficits.
But – - -somehow- – -it’s negative campaigning to talk about that????????