campaign tactics

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

Steve Schmidt, brought aboard in July, has made daring part of McCain campaign

(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,...

Mac Still Taking Weekends Off
Mac Still Taking Weekends Off
Oct 6, 2008 11:18 AM CDT

Mac Still Taking Weekends Off

But with 29 days to go, neither candidate is exactly galloping to the finish line

(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...

In '08, It's the Issues, Stupid
 In '08, It's the Issues, Stupid 
OPINION
Oct 6, 2008 9:41 AM CDT

In '08, It's the Issues, Stupid

For once, 'superficialities' won't win this election

(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...

McCain's 'Suspension' Just a Cover
 McCain's 
 'Suspension' 
 Just a Cover 
OPINION
Sep 28, 2008 10:13 AM CDT

McCain's 'Suspension' Just a Cover

Sinking candidate needed to distract the public

(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...

Both Campaigns See Risk, Reward in Wobbly Wall Street

Neither candidate is solid on market crisis, but each can spin it to his strengths

(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...

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

Criticism of Obama not '100%' true, he says

(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...

Advice to Candidates: 'Weirdness Wins'

Candidates must surprise voters: Brooks

(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...

Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm
 Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm 
analysis
Sep 4, 2008 1:07 PM CDT

Mac Makes the Most of Sarcasm

Republican undercuts Obama with blend of mockery, fake sincerity

(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...

Time to Change the Slogan, Obama
 Time to Change 
 the Slogan, Obama
OPINION
Aug 24, 2008 9:44 AM CDT

Time to Change the Slogan, Obama

Obama must tell story of our economic future

(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...

McCain Cheapens the POW Card
 McCain Cheapens
the POW Card
 
OPINION
Aug 24, 2008 8:20 AM CDT

McCain Cheapens the POW Card

Sets up dangerous land mines for campaign

(Newser) - John McCain’s campaign refers to his prisoner-of-war past so much that it’s becoming a “punch line,” writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times. “By flashing the POW card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated,” McCain “is cheapening his greatest strength,...

Obama Flips 'Elitist' Tag Onto McCain

Flap over number of houses touches a nerve in both camps

(Newser) - John McCain's inability to recall how many homes he owns could throw a wrench in his attempt to paint Obama as an elitist, the Washington Post reports. The furious back and forth between camps—the Obama team pounced and mocked, while McCain's charged hypocrisy and pulled out the Rezko card—...

Big Spending Not Paying Off for McCain in Key States

But Obama's facing similar problem elsewhere

(Newser) - John McCain is outspending Barack Obama by a wide margin in traditional battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan, and Iowa, Talking Points Memo reports. The good news for Obama is that McCain has little to show for it in the polls in those states. But the Democrat has troubles of...

Candidates Go Head to Head in Message War
Candidates Go Head to Head in Message War
ANALYSIS
Aug 13, 2008 2:48 PM CDT

Candidates Go Head to Head in Message War

Obama offers policy details, McCain a 'maverick' record

(Newser) - Neither presidential hopeful can boast a significant lead three months before the election, leading both sides to ramp up their political ad machines. While McCain paints Obama as a "pop star" spouting empty rhetoric, Obama frames McCain as another Bush lackey. Salon asked a leading political analyst to assess...

Feel That? It's the Race Shifting: Noonan
Feel That? It's the Race Shifting: Noonan
opinion
Aug 8, 2008 10:09 AM CDT

Feel That? It's the Race Shifting: Noonan

Obama's weakened image is costing him among voters

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s victory once seemed inevitable—but in the past month, a glimmer of real hope has emerged for John McCain, writes Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal. McCain's creeping up in the polls—even on YouTube—while Obama’s squeaky-clean image in the press has been somewhat...

'Wooden' McCain Could Win By Default
 'Wooden'
 McCain
 Could Win 
 By Default
OPINION
Jul 28, 2008 10:15 AM CDT

'Wooden' McCain Could Win By Default

Campaign wunderkind Obama should be doing better

(Newser) - John McCain is a “wooden” candidate running a poor campaign, while Barack Obama is “the most spectacular campaigner of his generation”—so why can’t Obama climb over the 50% mark in polls?  It’s a matter of the white working men Obama hasn’t convinced, writes...

Ben Stein: Time for Mac to Call Rove
 Ben Stein:
 Time for
 Mac to
 Call Rove
OPINION
Jul 28, 2008 7:13 AM CDT

Ben Stein: Time for Mac to Call Rove

Candidate running 'absolute most pathetic campaign I have ever seen'

(Newser) - Conservative stalwart Ben Stein thought Bob Dole's quest for the White House set the bar low, but says John McCain is “running the absolute most pathetic campaign I have ever seen in my whole life.” But there’s an answer ("Anyone? Anyone?")—talk to Karl Rove,...

McCain Ad Slams Obama for Skipping Troop Meeting

But 'he had time to go to the gym,' snipes spot

(Newser) - A new John McCain ad goes on the offensive, attacking Barack Obama for canceling a meeting with wounded troops, Politico reports. The clip, which aired in Denver during Saturday Night Live last night, criticizes Obama over his track record with members of the military, sniping: “He made time to...

'Sgt.' Schmidt Hones McCain's Pitch

Strategist hammers good about McCain, bad about Obama

(Newser) - Fiery Republican strategist Steve Schmidt argues that above all, a campaign needs something good to say about its own candidate, and something bad to say about the opponent. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how 'Sgt. Schmidt', newly given the reins to John McCain's campaign, is methodically and...

Obama as Manager: Crisp, Even, Big-Picture Guy

Senator lets top advisers take control on many issues

(Newser) - Barack Obama's not a micromanager, he's not an obsessor, and he's not a blamer, the New York Times notes in a piece on the Democratic candidate's developing style as commander in chief of his campaign. After losing the Pennsylvania primary, he took a firmer grip on the wheel of his...

Obama Gets Personal With Voters

Senator aims to shed pure-rhetoric image

(Newser) - Seeking to shake criticism that he’s nothing more than a talented orator, Barack Obama has spent the week meeting voters face-to-face, the New York Times reports. His massive primary-campaign rallies were energizing, but also “isolating,” said his chief strategist. So instead the presumptive Democratic nominee has hosted...

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