late-2003/early-2004, when Obama was still a bit behind in Iowa, when Obama was still a bit behind in Iowa and everyone -- myself included -- was constantly asking why he wouldn't go on the attack.

That's some far-sighted strategy.

Barack has already been attacking McCain or aren't you familiar with George Soros spending 150 Million to attack McCain.

Here's the Messiah himself, ascending the stairs with Soros at his feet (to his left)

http://nymag.com/news/politics/obama070423_1_560.jpg

I was going to post exactly the same thing from my side of the planet, but Weiner got there first.

"""That McCain has gone so negative, so early""

By going negative do you mean running an ad that says Obama is a worldwide celebrity?? Wow, so hard hitting.

Or are you talking about McCain claiming Obama played the race card....now ADMITTED TO by Axelrod himself. Axelrod admitted that of course Obama was injecting race into the campaign, and somehow that's McCains fault.

He might be talking about the lies that John McCain calls advertisements and news orgs call "baseless" or "baloney."

There's a difference between "playing the race care" and legitimately accusing someone of trying to exploit the latent racism of some Americans for electoral gain. The former is when someone appeals to our well founded distaste for racism without good reason. The latter is what Obama did when he hinted that the McCain's ads were trying to scare voters away from a black man. And he was right. He didn't call McCain a racist, as the McCain campaign is trying to suggests. He called McCain a heel, which he is.

Let me see, all the liberals at MSNBC and the NYT believe McCains ads are misleading lies....a big duhhh!

There's a good reason why MSNBC puts on 4-5 liberals with one conservative...its called intellectual balance.

Obama using the New York Times and MSNBC as sources of all thats pure and wholly has to have the religious gun clingers rolling on their dirt floors...

Wild Barack Obama says:

"McCain, is that the best you can do?"

McCain responds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8

Aren't you glad you asked Barack??

phenomenal insight.

The campaign might have a plan. That doesn't, however, mean it's a good one.

Are there always this many trolls in Ezra's comment sections? I don't remember it being this bad before. Maybe it's some sad-ass version of campaigning by would-be McCain operatives?

Oh great Anonymous, now Andrew Sullivan and Bill Press are going to claim McCain is saying Barack is going to have sex with Charlton Heston.

...and no, I won't be wasting any energy 'engaging' with poorly-regurgitated GOP talking points.

Maybe he could point out that McCain went on TV several times in the days after 9/11/01 to insist to Americans that Iraq was behind the domestic anthrax attacks and that we should go to war over it.
They could even use the video footage from the David Letterman Show, MTP, etc. where he went out and told these lies.

Why do these right-wing fantasists seem to consider any link to George Soros, no matter how tenuous, to be equivalent to a NAMBLA membership?

one of the reasons why so many millions of people appreciate barack obama, is because he doesnt resort to the tactics of meanspiritedness and stupidity that swirl around him.
may obama keep walking through this maelstrom in victory.

the ruthless, irresponsible nature of the mccain campaign gives many of us even more urgent reason and commitment to keep supporting and helping the campaign of barack obama.

and by the way, the hecklers today were way too close to obama.
i think barack obama did everything he could to keep the situation under control. as always, he was calm and patient...i wish this whole season of campaigning was over.

Why do these right-wing fantasists seem to consider any link to George Soros, no matter how tenuous, to be equivalent to a NAMBLA membership?

Because they're stupid.

100,000 people contributed to the obama campaign yesterday, and one third of them were first time contributors!
many new volunteeers are pouring into the field offices!
:-)

I loved that youtube "The One." Why would McCain think that will convince people not to vote for Obama? He is "THE ONE" isn't he?

Are there always this many trolls in Ezra's comment sections?

There are plenty of liberal blogs that only allow one point of view and anyone who disagrees is banned. They then become a virtual echo chamber.

Perhaps you would be happier with one of those?

When E Entertainment News is pointing out that John McCain is a celebrity who took cash from the Hiltons, there's no need for David Plouffe to pay to point out the foolishness.

It's interesting that Anonymous at 6:25 thinks the only possible options are to have either a liberal echo chamber or a bunch of right-wing trolls. Too bad that intelligent conservative commenters making substantive points aren't an option. Oh well. I'd certainly rather have a debate among liberals than an empty brouhaha with trolls.

"There are plenty of liberal blogs that only allow one point of view and anyone who disagrees is banned. They then become a virtual echo chamber.

Perhaps you would be happier with one of those? "

Calling Obama a messiah or saying that 4 liberals possess the same intelligence as 1 conservative is not a point of view, it is useless blather that advances nothing and holds no substance aka "trolling."

I think Friday is right-wing troll day. It's in their contract.

Why do these right-wing fantasists seem to consider any link to George Soros, no matter how tenuous, to be equivalent to a NAMBLA membership?

Would it be impolite to say: George Soros=Modern Rothschild?

"Let me see, all the liberals at MSNBC and the NYT believe McCains ads are misleading lies....a big duhhh!"

FactCheck.org, a non-partisan site, agrees with the liberals. Fact is, it's simply NOT TRUE, just like Saddam's WMD's.

The Obama campaign plays rough and attacks when it suits them.
The racism charge is one of their many bludgeons. What Team O really wants is for the media and surrogates to carry the fight while Obama remains all 'new politics.'

Hey Ezra,
A sign of success is the high troll quotient. Instead of Captcha, you could implement some troll-defeating math like for instance, 2+2=?; that would get rid of them if more recipes didn't.

For the life of me I don't understand why they don't go right at McCain's foundation -- his entirely bogus positioning as a Straight Talker. Take that from him and he's toast. Done. It's not like there aren't numerous examples to use against him.

Sorry for channeling my inner Rove, but this is what he'd do -- tear down and destroy the foundational strength of the opponent.

Well now we can see Obama let McCain dictate the terms of the election aka some off-shore drilling is now okay by Obama. This is how he will lose.

Christian,

No one should be surprised that Obama flopped to off-shore drilling in about two seconds as soon as the polls changed in favor.

What was last weeks hoax and gimmick is today Obamas policy.
Within two weeks Obama will be saying ...'I have said many times I support exploration for oil, to include off-shore'...or words to that affect.

Always the con man, whenever Obama says, "I have said many times...." or "I have repeatedly stated..." you can be sure that he is taking a new position.

So I guess he can no longer promise the oceans will recede and the Earth will heal.

I bet Reid and Pelosi are pretty pissed off right now to see Obama cut them off at the knees on the very day they head out for vacation, refusing any votes on domestic oil production.

If Reid, Pelosi and Obama of old really believe domestiv drilling is a 'gimmick', why do they not propose shutting down all domestic drilling??
Why don't they step up and call for a ban on all drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?
Why not call for sanctions on any country that continues to drill for oil? Better yet, refuse to trade with any country that continues to insist on the 'gimmick' of oil drilling.

Anonymous says: ""Calling Obama a messiah or saying that 4 liberals possess the same intelligence as 1 conservative is not a point of view, it is useless blather ........"

Actually I believe the Obama Messiah Watch started over a year and a half ago with Timothy Noah at Slate magazine. He'll be glad to know you consider his work "useless blather".

As for the MSNBC reference, it goes right along with the messiah theory as to how Obama can do no wrong.

If MSNBC is going to be Obamas source for news, then his campaign is in huge trouble. Those religious gun clingers he wants to vote for him laugh at MSNBC; if they have ever heard of it.

By going negative do you mean running an ad that says Obama is a worldwide celebrity?? Wow, so hard hitting.

Besides comparing Obama to Paris Hilton & Britney Spears, and claiming that "Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign", how about running a ad that (falsely) claims Obama snubbed the troops in Germany because the media wasn't allowed to attend?

Or are you talking about McCain claiming Obama played the race card....now ADMITTED TO by Axelrod himself. Axelrod admitted that of course Obama was injecting race into the campaign, and somehow that's McCains fault.

You're an idiot if you think Obama wants to inject race into the campaign. How does a Black candidate play the race card with an electorate that's 90% white?

I live in the south. Obama is trying to warn the republicans not to attack him. Any attack will be called racist. I think his comments lost him Georgia. I just hear it at work now that he is trying to gin up the AA population to get angry enough to come out to vote. Just ask the Clintons what happens when you are labeled a racist. I think McCain is coming up with funny ads that is making a larger message stick.. this guy is an empty suit that will do and say anything to win. Will that help him win? No, but it will keep things close and will give people pause. a lot of this stuff sticks.. When you start calling a candidate risky, then people go for the sage choice. As a democrat, I love the new ad. thought it was funny. All Obama's words coming back to haunt and the parted seal with the faux seal was brilliant

Number one clue the commenter is a troll: He misspells his own screen name.

I'm not sure if there are more RW trolls these days, but there does seem to be a large surge in the number of RW trolls who are pretending to be black.

APS

Peter H: ""Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign""

Wasn't it Obama that opposed, and still opposes the surge? Wasn't Obama that planned to begin removing troops 2 years ago, in the middle of what he termed a civil war and an Al Qeada offensive.

Do you deny that having had removed all our combat troops by March 2008 would not have meant we lost the war?

In addition, I saw nowhere in his ad where he compared Obama to Britney, not Paris, in fact it wasn't mentioned.

And for that matter, Obama did snub the troops, he was told he couldn't bring campaign people, which is and has been standard policy with the military. So he decided not to go if only his Senate Staffers could be with him. I don't know what you call that but it sure sounds like a snub to me.

Obviously he managed to work out the logistics for a speech to the world from another Continent, a press conference with his French friends and a few work outs, was meeting the trooops that much harder to do?? I am sure Germany had pre-conditions for his visit which he managed to meet, he didn't say, well cancel on the Germans then, lets not do the speech or the whole Merkel visit.

Somehow it was just the troop visit that managed to get blown off as too hard to work out.

"""You're an idiot if you think Obama wants to inject race into the campaign. How does a Black candidate play the race card with an electorate that's 90% white?

Posted by: Peter H"""

Veeerrryy stupidly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjRfKVwRUds

Another reason the Obama campaign is not 'going negative' is that the corporate press would make THAT the focus of the report, NOT what Obama would say about McCain. The press would tear Obama apart for 'going negative' and minimize the negative facts about McCain. The net result being to make Obama look bad, not McCain. It is sad that MSM has forsaken their responsibility to report the truth objectively, only to resort to promoting propaganda to influence the subconscious mind of the people.

Obama himself doesn't have to go negative. That's what the PACs do.

Just go over and over again how McCain is anything but 'Straight-Talk'.

It's really quite simple.

I guess I mistyped the URL. Is this RedState or Little Green Footballs?

Back to reality:

I'm not sure what the O team is looking for: a win or a landslide. Their attention to all 50 states and lower-rung races seems to indicate that they understand that they need 'a mandate' and they need a working supermajority to enact their polities - which probably requires a landslide (LBJ v. Goldwater).

But the seeming indifference to close polls (less than 10 pts) in many key states) seems to indicate they'd just like to win, landslide or not. McCainCo is drawing blood with the old but workable Rove strategy, and Obama's surrogates and non-party support groups isn't helping O enough, IMO.

The Rethug convention will be a continuous hit job on Obama, ignoring McCain and GOP platform issues (which they appear not to want in writing since they change day to day).

The key question it seems to me is whether those repulsed by the GOP ads and talking points which go well beyond pointing out negatives into just gutter slurs are a larger group than those who dumbly ingest the attacks as true or a sign of weakness.

My guess is that there are more low-info voters who absorb the gutter shit than there are higher-info voters who want a more classy election focusing on issues and leadership positions. I hope I am wrong.

This shouldn't even be a close election. McCain and GOP have nothing. I fear that the Rove consultants will use the negative garbage to get enough states into 'manipulate the vote' territory that they can do a 2000 all over again, with mobs of college Republicans turned lawyers chanting in the vote counting halls to overturn the will of the people.

This question is the key question in the election in terms of strategy. Has the O team got it right? I worry because the record of the past is still bitter in my throat: the GOP doesn't want fair elections.

Agree with bh and others that the trolls have taken over Ezra's comment thread here with their clueless and nasty wit...doesn't make for fun reading!

So Obama alluding to the fact that Bush and McCain are racists who are going to point out to the voters that Obamas balck would not be considered at all negative.

Nor would running an ad saying that McCain is a liar.....

So jusy what does the messiah have to do to be perceived as being negative?

Does he have to call McCain Anne Oakley? Would he have to call him Sweetie? Would he have to claim he wants to fight a 100 year war? Would he have to have his boy Ludacris attack McCains war wounds as making him an invalid? Would Barack have to insinuate that McCain was at fault for Benezir Bhuttos death like he did with Hillary? Does Obama have to use the race card against McCain like he did with Bill Clinton...ohh wait, I guess Bill is just a big old fat liar now isn't he... now that Barack is the Messiah.
Or maybe Obama will say McCain has insulted Islam, like he accused The New Yorker.

JPOR:

I agree. "Obama has a plan" doesn't reduce the anxiety generated by 2000 and 2004, less because of Repuke attack squads than sickening Dem incompetence. Even if Team Obama does have a long range plan, I personally think any association in the voting public's mind with '00 and '04 (particularly '04's Brazile led charge to the rear) would be extremely bad for not just Obama, but any chances of Great Society change. Here is a great example of where the left MUST vigorously and unmistakably destroy any vestige of connection to the "dickless Dem" narrative.

Just to make a crude point, but to all the pathetic, screeching "anonymous" trolls throwing names around like second grade retards: if you can't even make up a coherent tag, you ass licking twits, it just makes crystal clear your chickenshit cowardice. F***ing punks.

When I pulled up this post & its comments I searched for the word "swift," and didn't find it. Though I think that simply referring to "'04" pretty well means the same thing these days.

Also Google "Al Gore internet," "Al Gore earth tones," "Al Gore Love Story," etc., etc., ad nauseum.

Those who fail to learn from the past are destined to be enablers of H.L. Mencken's prophecy. Over, and over, and over. Welcome to Groundhog Day.

A couple points.

I'm not much for the Myth of Democratic Incompetence. It can be leveled at Al Gore, but John Kerry outperformed the fundamentals of the election (Bush's job rating was 50%, support for continuation of the war in Iraq was 60%), and Bill Clinton won twice. I'm very glad to see that Obama seems not to succumb to this bogeyman.

For the life of me I don't understand why they don't go right at McCain's foundation -- his entirely bogus positioning as a Straight Talker. Take that from him and he's toast. Done. It's not like there aren't numerous examples to use against him.

Isn't that precisely what they're doing? The Obama counter-punch against McCain is that he's lying, playing gutter politics, and not living up to the high standards he set for himself. That's precisely framed to take out McCain's supposed strength on questions of character and straight-talking maverickiness.

I don't know if these are the right calls, but when I see people quivering in fear about the repeating of past Democratic mistakes, I tend to take the other side. I'll trust in Obama, the structural fundamentals are on his side.

DivGuy: "Isn't that precisely what they're doing?"

No. I'm talking about a concerted paid and free media effort that goes directly at the "Straight Talk" label -- overtly, by name. I want to destroy the label itself to the point where he can no longer credibly use it. To the point where McCain method of arrival at campaign stops -- the "Straight Talk Express" -- mocks and ridicules him. To the point where simply stepping off the STE bus or plane disqualifies his credibility.

DivGuy: ""and Bill Clinton won twice""

Don't kid yourself, Clinton never got 50% of the vote. He won with 43% the first time and both times due to Ross Perot.
No Democrat President has received 50% of the vote since Johnson.

It should not come as a surprised to anyone that much of the Democrat party did and does not support Obama. Sure he did well up through Super Tuesday, but it was because he was the unknown Democrat with no apparent baggage. But after some stuff came to light, like Reverend Wright, Hillary started winning over and over as Obama limped over the finish line because of Party rules on delegate apportionment.

Don't kid yourselves that trolls are all Republicans, alot of Democrats aren't too happy with the dissing of Hillary. Ludacris calling her a Bitch was just the latest Obama supporter slap, and alot of women are pretty tired of the arrogance...THAT IS WHAT MCCAIN IS TAPPING INTO...IF YOU DON'T GET IT YET.

Why do many Republicans continue to channel Joe McCarthy's pejorative reference to "the Democrat Party"? I do not intend this question to be rhetorical or polemical; I simply don't get why someone who has a point to try to make would consciously and deliberately mangle English grammar. How is that in any manner persuasive?

Can someone enlighten me?

Can someone enlighten me?

The like it because it sounds stupid. It's one of the quirks of the wingnut mindset.

I simply don't get why someone who has a point to try to make would consciously and deliberately mangle English grammar.

It has nothing to do with grammar, it is a name. Surely you aren't describing the party to be run in a democratic manner. The party is not democratic.
It is indeed called the Democratic Party, but members are called Democrats.
The nominee of the Democratic party runs as a Democrat.
Whereas the nominee of the Republican party runs as a Republican.
The usage gets confusing, and why it bothers Democrats so much, I don't really understand.
It is an easy enough mistake to make, although I personally make every attempt to call people what they wish to be called.

What is the most ironic is based on the comments about trolls, Barack Obama would have to be the biggest troll.

He is turning into a George Bush Republican. But all Democrats must keep their mouths shut while he sells us out on FISA, gun control, the death penalty, public campaign financing, indefinite stay for troops in Iraq, and now even oil drilling.

If you oppose Obama adopting the Bush/McCain agenda you are now a troll and are unwanted by fellow Democrats.

Just how far does Obama have to go before criticism is legitimate?

The Democrat Party, use to be the Democratic Party until the DNC decided they no longer needed us little voters to decide primaries and decided to award Barack Obama delegates in Michigan that never voted for him.

That is tyranny, not Democracy. If they want to be the Democratic Party, then live up to it.

It does make Democrats look pretty dumb, they have been attacking McCain for a month over offshore drilling, the House and Senate have denied Republicans any votes on drilling, Pelosi went so far as proclaim she was saving the planet. Even The American Prospect hit McCain regularly on the issue; now Barack goes and switches to the Republican side on the issue and all those that were in the fight for the last month look like marks falling for Obamas big con.

So what do Pelosi and Reid do when they get back from vacation? All the press will be asking them why they won't allow votes on an issue their Presidential candidate supports.

Of course we won't really know what to do because Barack now tells CNN:

""But on Saturday morning, Obama said this "wasn't really a new position."""

Ohhh, gee, then what was it?
Don't tell me you were for it, before you were against it!

The question is whether there will be a convenient apparataus in the General Election, like the DNC did in the Primary, to step in and give Obama delegates he didn't earn with votes.

That's going to be the hurdle.

Mshiv says it perfectly: "I think McCain is coming up with funny ads that is making a larger message stick.. this guy is an empty suit that will do and say anything to win."

[quoted exactly]

When Pelosi shows more spine than Obama, we have a problem.

All Obama had to say was the facts about how off-shore drilling would nothing to fix our problems, and that the GOP are the last people we should be taking energy advice from, followed by examples.

Instead, he belly-ups. And then the Obamatons jump into gear: "Brilliant! He didn't let McCain pin him down!"

I'm trying to get behind O but he keeps working against me.

...there does seem to be a large surge in the number of RW trolls who are pretending to be black.

APS

I've noticed that. Maybe it's just a need for variety? After a long hard day of pretend disaffected-Dem comments -- you know, the ones that end with "and I'm a Democrat!" -- perhaps it's time to pull a Soul Man.

Back to the actual topic... it's making me nervous as hell that they're not more on the attack, but I'm trying to remind myself that for non-political junkies, it's still early in the election. The Obama campaign may really be better off keeping its powder dry until persuadable low-information voters are actually making up their minds.

"Democrat" is a noun, not an adjective.
"Democratic" is an adjective, not a noun. If you don't understand the difference, ask a fifth-grader to explain it to you.

so you're saying Obama is like China.

you guys just dont get it..

this is NOT a winning issue in an election year, remember how dumb the electorate is.. just by posting on here you are more aware of policy issues than 99.9% of America..

you guys want to get into nerdy debates over the economics of oil drilling offshore... superficially, which by the way, is where most people decide on issues, we're losing this battle..

it's called the art of war kids, you take away someone's strengths not play right into them... repubs have the upper hand on this just like we do on windfall profits on oil companies... that's a stupid economic idea but a winning one politically... you want to have a serious debate on that also??

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