Does McCain Do Anything Except Whine?

by: Chris Bowers

Tue Sep 23, 2008 at 10:32


Bill Clinton thinks that Democrats should stop attacking Palin's family, even though no one with any power, influence or sizable platform is attacking Palin's family.

Joe Biden thinks that the attack on McCain's computer illiteracy was terrible, even though the sum total of McCain's entire  campaign message has been a series of identity based attacks on Obama (plus "POW" and "maverick," of course).

Come on guys, stay on message here. Remember what is at stake. I mean, do you know how much whining from the McCain campaign you have just subjected the country to because of these mistakes? If it wasn't for the mortgage and financial situations, this is the sort of stupid stuff, accompanied with Republican crocodile tears, that would dominate headlines. My brain hurts whenever the McCain campaign does something like whine about the New York Times while sending out several dozen press releases citing the New York Times. Please, don't put us all through that.

Can't walk these statements back, but here is what I would suggest: the Obama campaign should hold a conference call, and have Obama start saying in his stump speeches, that even in the midst of a crisis the McCain campaign doesn't do anything except pretend to be outraged by the perception of insults. Engage in an attack that pre-empts all future whining along these lines. Argue that if how you campaign is a reflection on how you govern, then McCain would be the whiniest, crankiest President in history. The best part about this attack is that it would lead to more faux outrage, whining and crankiness on the part of the McCain campaign. So, the attack would be self-evidently true, and could be repeated whenever the McCain campaign complains some more. As such, it could possibly turn into a new narrative.

Anyway, that is what I would do: attack McCain for whining. Don't wait until the faux outrage happens to call it faux outrage--preemptively label them a bunch of whiners. I'll give that a shot in my personal paid media campaign, which will have a long overdue update later today.
Chris Bowers :: Does McCain Do Anything Except Whine?

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Does McCain Do Anything Except Whine? | 19 comments
Re Bill Clinton (0.00 / 0)
He's damning Obama with faint praise.  Never have, never will, never should like or trust him.  
A different perspective (4.00 / 1)
I don't think Bill Clinton's assignment is to be an Obama attack dog.

I think his assignment is to reach the voters he was effective with in the past, and that Obama has trouble reaching.

If you search for "Bill Clinton Palin" on youtube, you will get a feel for his comments.  He is saying that it is fine to like Palin, to identify with her, and to appreciate her instinctive talents.  It seems correct that these working class white voters do feel alienated from "elitists" and will vote against Obama based on cultural resentment.  When they hear Palin has been "attacked" they react negatively.

If you want to sway those voters, expressing sympathy for the attitudes that Palin represents is smart.  

If  Bill Clinton came off as too hardcore for Obama, no one would believe him, since everyone knows that the primaries were bitter and a disappointment to him.  He would lose credibility.

Former presidents try to take a senior statesman approach.  That means being a little to nice to everyone, and leaving the fray for the combatants.

I think that it's possible to view his comments still as too laudatory of McCain, considering his conduct in this campaign.  But I think his approach to Palin is smart.


[ Parent ]
Point Taken... (0.00 / 0)
If between now and the election the Bill Clinton that spoke at the Convention shows I will reevaluate my comment.  However my response to what he has said to date was purely visual.  If I'm getting a bad feeling so are others.  Added to that Fox Noise has a field day.
[ Parent ]
WTF is up with Biden? (4.00 / 1)
I know candidates and their running mates usually end up hating each other, but is Biden already getting resentful for some reason? I'm thinking mostly about his comment on the ad, but also the bit about how Hillary might have been a better pick.
you take the good and bad i guess (4.00 / 2)
Everyone knew Biden was loose at the mouth before they picked him. I was amazed at how many days he went without making news after his selection.
[ Parent ]
benefit of the doubt (4.00 / 4)
The Hillary thing was likely just an awkward way to say that he liked and respected her.

Somewhere in Biden's head it's still 1984, when negative campaigning was beneath civilized people. (It wasn't, of course, but some people have a strong grasp of their own version of reality and refuse to let go.)

[ Parent ]
Plus (4.00 / 1)
he's been steeped in the Senate tradition of collegiality for decades. Has to be hard to shake. Whatever his political views, Biden is a charter member of the old boys' club. That's not an unmixed blessing, but it's not a net negative for the campaign, either.
[ Parent ]
Hear hear! (4.00 / 2)
Somewhere in Biden's head it's still 1984, when negative campaigning was beneath civilized people. (It wasn't, of course, but some people have a strong grasp of their own version of reality and refuse to let go.)

That and he's under the illusion that his friendship with his goodfriendJohnMcCain will survive this campaign. McCain is an angry, grudge-holding old man. He'll never forgive Biden for anything, especially when McCain loses. He'll be blaming everyone he ever met.
Besides which, why doesn't he ask McCain's other 'good friend', John Kerry, how much McCain's "friendship" means when the chips are down? Or Max Cleland how much the "band of brothers" stuff means to McCain? The McCain-Rove campaign has already gone after one of Biden's kids, and they would and will go after his other kids, his wife, his mother or anyone and anything else they can scrape up.

And Biden will still be tut-tutting about how much he loves and respects "John".

[ Parent ]
Boy Howdy! (0.00 / 0)
The best part about this attack is that it would lead to more faux outrage, whining and crankiness on the part of the McCain campaign. So, the attack would be self-evidently true, and could be repeated whenever the McCain campaign complains some more.

Cue Steve Schmidt!

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

This is a great idea (0.00 / 0)
It seems to me this happened to Mondale. Kind of became a dour complainer in the public's eyes.
At the risk of repeating his talking points (0.00 / 0)
I might suggest something like "We've heard about how McCain didn't whine or complain when he was a POW. We've heard it A LOT. So it's striking that it seems to be the only thing he has to run on now. Apparently today's John McCain is quite a bit different from the John McCain of the past."

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
Obama can talk about being serious in a crisis when (0.00 / 0)
he actually puts his balls on the table and jumps in with an actual policy proposal. until then he's as empty as McCain.

sorry to say it, but its true.  

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare

So it's kinda like (0.00 / 0)
commenting on a blog but not actually doing anything?

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
[ Parent ]
I called both my senators (0.00 / 0)
I'll go call my house members if that makes you happy.

and if you want to have a rally on wall st every day this week I'll gladly help organize it, I'll be there every day, and I'll bring civil rights attorneys with me to defend anyone who gets tossed in jail. I'm ready to go. I can't do it myself, but I'm ready to jump in.

Unless you are, then spare me the bambi-religious defensiveness, Obama has been awol on this bailout shenanigans when it would be an easy win for him.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare

[ Parent ]
And there's a reason. . (4.00 / 1)
Obama is AWOL.

It's because Summers and Rubin are his chief point people in the negotiation and they're up to their necks in the deregulatory shenanigans that brought the whole house down.

If Obama wants to take advantage of the single most important issue of the election he needs to dump them and get out in front of this.

[ Parent ]
Point is (0.00 / 0)
It's easy to criticize people for having the wrong solutions. It's quite another to propose the right solutions.

John McCain opposes the GI Bill.
[ Parent ]
Excellent. (0.00 / 0)
It's an attack that's obviously and undeniably based on what people see right in front of their eyes. Even McCain's fans will feel that click of recognition when they hear about the whining.

This is the kind of thing that Obama can't do very well directly, but the netroots can. Time to get out of here and start spreading the meme.

Re: Excellent (0.00 / 0)
I think Obama can and should do it directly.  Old white haired guy just doesn't have the same sycophantic and adoring media anymore -- that's over.  It would resonate with what the media itself knows to be true about McLame at this point.
[ Parent ]
Speaking of getting on message... (4.00 / 1)
Would it be too much to ask for Biden to know what his ticket's position is on things, such as Clean Coal, or if there is a disagreement on something, that it's clearly delineated between the candidates (for instance, Palin is pro-ANWR drilling, while McCain is supposedly against it, though I'm guessing that will reverse pretty soon).

Whatever one thinks about so-called "clean coal" technology, it'd be nice if the ticket's position on it were at least consistent.

Does McCain Do Anything Except Whine? | 19 comments
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