Great ad. It really reinforces the idea that McCain is disconnected from the middle class.

Posted at August 14, 2008 9:23 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

Classy and thoughtful. Thanks for sharing.

As for Lieberman and McCain, we now know that they will attack a sitting U.S. Senator with a vicious smear. The question is, will the media blast them for it?

The other question is, if McCain rarely shows up to the Senate so that he can campaign and fundraise, how is that putting country first?

Posted at August 12, 2008 7:03 PM in response to McCain Campaign Officially Endorses Lieberman's Claim That Obama Hasn't "Put Country First"

You know that you are on the wrong side of an issue when you are arguing FOR waste, and against conservation, by handing out tire guages that mock your opponent.

These guys are like the biggest a-holes you knew in high school, and McCain and the RNC actually pay them.

Posted at August 4, 2008 10:57 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

We need commentators other than David Gergen and Joe Klein to go after McCain for his slide into Karl's world of sleaze, lies, and racial innuendo. We need the "McCain is desperate and dishonorable" meme to get hammered home.

Obama has proposed a tax on electricity? This probably is an attack on cap and trade, which McCain either supports or doesn't (depending what day it is and which campaign staffer you talk to).

What a lame, despicable ad.

Posted at July 30, 2008 12:48 PM in response to New McCain Ad Attacks Obama As A "Celebrity"

Here's how you respond. You call Colin Powell (forgive him for his sins at the UN; he's too valuable), and let him know that his choice is now clear, and it's time to endorse. Call a major press conference for Monday morning, and line up a series of generals and Iraq vets who support Obama, and let Powell take the podium.

McCain would be toast.

Posted at July 26, 2008 9:00 PM in response to McCain Ad: Obama Isn't There For The Troops Unless Cameras Are Around

The ad is lame, but Karl knows that. The Kerry take-the-high-road approach may not work here. It's time to hit back hard. If they bring a knife, you bring a gun.

We absolutely cannot afford another summer of 2004.

Posted at July 26, 2008 8:56 PM in response to McCain Ad: Obama Isn't There For The Troops Unless Cameras Are Around

The funny thing is that one of the most common attacks on Obama in the comments sections of various new sites is that he is an empty suit or that he struggles without a teleprompter. These people have clearly never seen him speak extemporaneously in his town halls or seen an extended interview. In debates he strives to choose his words so carefully that his delivery becomes a bit halting, but the content is still rock solid.

Go to cbsnews.com and watch Couric's Obama and McCain interviews from yesterday back to back. As mentioned above, McCain quite literally says nothing except "Obama opposed the surge." The differences are stark to say the least.

Posted at July 23, 2008 4:58 PM in response to Obama's Overseas Success: What's His Secret?

"Who can you thank for higher prices at the pump?"

Here's a better question: Who can make the most ridiculous charges and not get laughed off the political stage?

I'm hoping that the "Reality Check" teams and factcheck.org and WaPo's pinnochio-delaing Fact Checker will hav a field day with this one, but I'm not holding my breath.

This reeks of desperation. Wow.

Posted at July 21, 2008 2:13 PM in response to New McCain Ad: Barack Obama To Blame For Gas Crisis

I understand the hand-wringing over FISA. I really do. My growing feeling is that Obama at times feels a need to get something on the books and move on (his invocation of "the perfect should not be the enemy of the good" is a key indicator).

When it comes to the numerous other issues cited as moves to the center, the facts simply don't support the alleged shifts. I am disappointed to find so many on the left looking for shifts with the same zeal that the McCain campaign and the lazy, right-leaning press are using. One comment in an interview does not mean that he has changed a single thing about abortion, NAFTA, or Iran, and his faith-based initiatives program could not be more explicit in its desire to maintain separation.

Give Obama the benefit of the doubt for crying out loud, deal with the facts, and stop the circular firing squad mentality. There is far too much at stake. Lives literally hang in the balance.

Posted at July 14, 2008 12:09 AM in response to Can Progressives Unite, or Will It Be the Same Old Bit-Politics Story?

First of all, his stance on the death penalty is not new; he wrote about it in Dreams of My Father. On the Second Amendment ruling, his position has been entirely consistent; he has consistently supported the rights of hunters, and he believes that the narrow nature of the ruling will allow many reasonable gun control measures to remain in place.

I don't believe that he has toughened his rhetoric on Iran at all, because he realizes that tough diplomacy begins with a firm stance in opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions. That's common sense.

Obama's shift on FISA "reform" can be viewed as a shift and is really the only disappointing development of the last few weeks. In my view, the only way to get your perfect candidate is to run yourself.

So, this whole "move to the center" meme is the press being lazy and trying to knock down the leading candidate and keep things competitive. It is not based in reality.

Posted at June 28, 2008 1:59 PM in response to Election Central Saturday Roundup