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October 13, 2008 12:13:08 PM CDT

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Stories related to: campaign tactics

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  • October 2008

    • Krauthammer: Why Ayers, Rezko Matter

      Washington Post  |  Oct 10, 08 12:56 PM CDT

      Krauthammer: Why Ayers, Rezko Matter

      (Newser) - Raising the specter of Barack Obama’s ties with the likes of Bill Ayers is perfectly legitimate, and John McCain's only fault is that he didn't start sooner, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post . These associations “provide a significant insight into character” and “are particularly relevant” for a candidate “as new, unknown, opaque, and self-contained as Obama,” he writes. But mention the links and the media bemoans “dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association.” More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • Jeremiah Wright  • campaign tactics  • Bill Ayers  • Tony Rezko

    • Why Are We Talking About Keating, Ayers?

      Salon  |  Oct 7, 08 1:25 PM CDT

      Why Are We Talking About Keating, Ayers?

      (Newser) - Barack Obama's camp resurrected the Keating Five as a “eye for an eye” campaign issue this week, after the McCain team revived Obama's sometime relationship with Bill Ayers, the former '60s-era radical. But the Obama folks missed what makes the 20-year-old scandal actually relevant, writes Walter Shapiro on Salon . In the crucible of that scandal, in which McCain admitted acting improperly to benefit a supporter, he vowed to commit himself to scrupulously clean politics and complete transparency.  More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • campaign tactics  • Keating Five

    • 'Bullet' Mixes Rove-Style Bile, Gambling for Stretch Run

      Los Angeles Times  |  Oct 6, 08 12:56 PM CDT

      'Bullet' Mixes Rove-Style Bile, Gambling for Stretch Run

      (Newser) - While pundits might disagree about results, there’s no doubt John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin and his move to suspend his campaign over the bailout are huge gambles that can be traced to strategist Steve Schmidt, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nicknamed “Bullet” by strategist Karl Rove, Schmidt is recycling tactics he used in leading George W. Bush’s “war room” in 2004. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • Sarah Palin  • Dick Cheney  • Arnold Schwarzenegger  • John Kerry  • Paris Hilton  • campaign tactics  • Steve Schmidt  • campaign manager

    • Mac Still Taking Weekends Off

      Politico  |  Oct 6, 08 11:18 AM CDT

      Mac Still Taking Weekends Off

      (Newser) - There are 29 scant days until Nov. 4, but you might not know there was a tight race for the White House given the leisurely schedules both candidates have been keeping—especially John McCain, reports Politico. McCain and Barack Obama have each been averaging barely more than one campaign event per day since the Republican convention ended, and McCain has taken at least a day off each weekend. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • presidential campaign  • presidential election  • campaign trail  • campaign tactics

    • In '08, It's the Issues, Stupid

      Guardian (UK)  |  Oct 6, 08 9:41 AM CDT

      In '08, It's the Issues, Stupid

      (Newser) - Despite the accepted wisdom that “superficialities” win American elections, “substance is in this year,” writes Michael Tomasky in the Guardian . Just look at the public response to the debates and the financial crisis: Without zingers or folksy winks, Barack Obama and Joe Biden won the debates in “literally every poll I've seen,” Tomasky notes. And Obama’s policy-driven response to Wall Street turmoil gave him a surge in the polls. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • campaign tactics  • smear campaign  • campaign issues

  • September 2008

    • McCain's 'Suspension' Just a Cover

      New York Times  |  Sep 28, 08 10:13 AM CDT

      McCain's 'Suspension' Just a Cover

      (Newser) - John McCain’s “suspension” of his campaign was nothing more than a political ruse to bolster flagging poll numbers, writes Frank Rich in the New York Times . McCain didn’t acknowledge the financial turmoil until polls showed Barack Obama opening a wide lead. With damaging stories circulating in the press, McCain had to make a grand gesture—so he went to Washington, damaging a consensus for political gain. More »

      Tags

      John McCain  • Election 2008  • campaign tactics  • suspension

    • Both Campaigns See Risk, Reward in Wobbly Wall Street

      Wall Street Journal  |  Sep 16, 08 12:02 PM CDT

      Both Campaigns See Risk, Reward in Wobbly Wall Street

      (Newser) - Wall Street’s troubles pose a challenge for both candidates, though because his party hasn’t held the White House for nearly 8 years, Barack Obama has a slight leg up, writes Gerald Seib in the Wall Street Journal . Neither ticket has a strong market background, with John McCain more a “national-security and character candidate” and Obama lacking the experience to be a definite source of reassurance. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • Wall Street  • Lehman Brothers  • Merrill Lynch  • campaign tactics  • presidential candidates

    • Rove: McCain's Attack Ads Went 'Too Far'

      CNN  |  Sep 15, 08 8:08 AM CDT

      Rove: McCain's Attack Ads Went 'Too Far'

      (Newser) - The Democrats have found an unusual ally in attacking the veracity of McCain campaign ads: Karl Rove. The GOP mastermind criticized McCain’s advertising, saying he had gone “too far” and that criticism of Barack Obama didn’t pass the “100% truth test,” CNN reports. Speaking of both campaigns on Fox News, Rove said, “There ought to be an adult who says, ‘Do we really need to go that far in this ad?'” More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • Karl Rove  • campaign advertising  • campaign tactics

    • Advice to Candidates: 'Weirdness Wins'

      New York Times  |  Sep 9, 08 10:40 AM CDT

      Advice to Candidates: 'Weirdness Wins'

      (Newser) - For the 2008 presidential candidates, “weirdness wins,” writes David Brooks in the New York Times . They soar when they surprise voters by making unusual choices, drag when they run more typical campaigns. Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton by saying he’d “cleanse the country of the baby-boom culture war mentality.” Now John McCain is the weirder one, pursuing "maverickism—against the entrenched powers and party orthodoxies." More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Sarah Palin  • campaign tactics

    • Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm

      New Republic  |  Sep 4, 08 1:07 PM CDT

      Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm

      (Newser) - Between one ad hailing Barack Obama as the Messiah and another comparing him to Paris Hilton, John McCain’s camp might be running the most sarcastic presidential campaign in history, Michael Crowley writes in the New Republic . The tactic is “in stark conflict with his image as a straight-shooting man of noble values,” Crowley writes. “The question is whether he can really be both things at once.” More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Election 2008  • Obama 2008  • McCain 2008  • Paris Hilton  • campaign advertising  • campaign tactics

  • August 2008

    • Time to Change the Slogan, Obama

      New York Times  |  Aug 24, 08 9:44 AM CDT

      Time to Change the Slogan, Obama

      (Newser) - It’s time for Barack Obama to drop the “Change We Can Believe In” slogan in favor of something closer to “Change Before It’s Too Late,” writes Frank Rich in the New York Times . The former phrase fit the Democratic primary throwdown, but now Obama must focus on John McCain, "an unstable bridge back not just to Bush policies but to an increasingly distant 20th-century America." The Dem needs to present a way out of the economic “quagmire” that could bring the country to its knees. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • US economy  • campaign tactics  • change  • Frank Rich  • slogans