ICYMI: Obama's Pre-Game Spin
TO: Interested Parties
FR: Bill Burton, National Press Secretary
RE: The Town Hall Presidential Debate
DA: October 7, 2008
“’When are you going to take the gloves off?’ a John McCain supporter wanted to know this afternoon. ‘How about Tuesday night?’ McCain replied, grinning and looking ahead to his crucial second debate with Democrat Barack Obama.” [Washington Post, 10/2/08]
John McCain is running out of time for a game-changing event. In the latest sign of desperation, his campaign admitted just yesterday that if they “keep talking about the economic crisis, they’re going to lose.” It’s our view that the American people are already worried about losing – their homes, their jobs and their health care – and it’s up to the candidates at this debate to demonstrate who is best equipped to make sure that they can get ahead again.
In order to change the dynamics of this race, we anticipate that McCain will launch his nastiest attacks and continue to lie about Barack Obama’s record and his vision to fundamentally change our country. We don’t know if McCain will continue his refusal to even look at Obama on stage -- like in their first debate -- but we fully expect that his “turn the page” strategy to ignore the economy will be seen in full view for 90 minutes of character attacks against Barack Obama.
The fact is, McCain has erratically been all over the map in recent weeks, telling Americans that the fundamentals of the economy are strong only days before claiming to suspend his campaign and warning of another depression. John McCain just doesn’t get it. The American people aren’t interested in nasty, false attacks, and they’re not interested in four more years of Bush policies. But that’s all he’s offering.
If all he does is attack Barack Obama, as he’s said he’ll do, it will be yet another colossal missed opportunity. In the face of those attacks, Barack Obama will continue to offer steady leadership, and talk about his plan to give real relief to the middle class and create good jobs here in America.
When it comes to sheer format, we enter today’s debate the decided underdog. John McCain does extremely well in town hall settings. It’s been his favorite format throughout his career and we think that he will of course do very well. See below for more reviews of John McCain’s town hall performances.
The Town Hall Format Of The Debate Favors McCain. “McCain finally gets his long-demanded joint town-hall meeting with Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday night in Nashville, Tenn. The Republican's performance in the second of three presidential debates -- the only one held in the format he tends to favor -- could help determine his ability to stay competitive in a race that seems to have moved against the Arizona senator over the past week.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/6/08]
McCain Is Engaged In “Especially Serious Preparations” For The Town Hall Debate, Which His Former Campaign Manager Said Is “Probably Going To Be The Best Kind Of Forum He Is Going To Be In.” “McCain appears to be engaged in especially serious preparations for Tuesday's debate, one of his last opportunities to change the trajectory of a race that may be slipping out of his control. He is certainly doing more formal preparation than he did before last month's debate in Mississippi. … ‘McCain has done so many of these over the years that it's probably going to be the best kind of forum he is going to be in,’ said his former campaign manager Terry Nelson. ‘It's a great opportunity for him and the campaign.’ … An open question is how aggressively McCain will take the fight to Obama on Tuesday night. One senior McCain adviser said Sunday that he expects both candidates to draw contrasts with each other on the economy, but he seemed to suggest McCain would stay away from personal attacks. This official said McCain is looking forward to the debate because he likes the freewheeling town hall format, and he expects it to focus on the candidates' economic plans.” [Washington Post, 10/6/08]
Fordham Professor Paul Levinson: “The Town Hall Debate Is McCain’s Best Debate Format.” “The town hall debate is McCain’s best debate format,” said Paul Levinson, a professor at Fordham University in New York. “Obama ... clearly is a much better speaker to a huge crowd or an interviewer (than he is at a debate).” [Reuters, 10/6/08]
Communications Expert Ruth Sherman Said That McCain Has The Advantage In Town Hall Formats And Is Far More Comfortable And Experienced In What Can Be A Challenging Setting. “Communications expert and author Ruth Sherman said that, in normal times, McCain would have an advantage in Tuesday's town hall format- he's done more than 100 such meetings, and is far more comfortable and experienced in what can be a challenging setting.” [San Francisco Chronicle, 10/6/08]
(And after the jump, the DNC vid, released this afternoon, touting McCain's town hall prowess.)
Palins' Un-American Activities
Imagine if the Obamas had hooked up with a violently anti-American group in league with the government of IRAN!. By David Talbot
Oct. 7, 2008 | "My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand." This was former revolutionary terrorist Bill Ayers back in his old Weather Underground days, right? Imagine what Sarah Palin is going to do with this incendiary quote as she tears into Barack Obama this week. ONLY ONE PROBLEM. The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that's the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year. ("Keep up the good work," Palin told AIP members. "And God bless you.")
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/index.html
McCain Camp cannot talk about the economy because their Economics is for the Rich, the well-off and the well connected!
Ah Angellight, the ubiquitous spreader of propaganda. I do wonder if you work for the Obama campaign, I have seen you spread your vile lies and misrepresentations in at least 5 or 6 different forums. What are you going to do after the election, regardless of who wins? Join Code Pink, perhaps. To anyone reading, ignore this cracker, she is a brain-washed loon. Till we meet again, JPGR (Paul)
one of the questions that should be posted to the candidates is what they have accomplished or tried and failed because of their opponent so far while in the senate. thats will tell every one who is who and how honest they are.
to JPGR about angellight opinions are like you know what, everyone has one, whether they are true or false
Sarah Palin is the worst example of an Amercain politicain. Will Palin do America a favor and go back to Alaska and take the third army with her to make sure that there is no Alaska independence party.
JUST TWO COMMENTS REGARDING TONIGHTS DEBATE, FIRST I BELIEVE THAT SEN. MCCAIN HAS THE RIGHT TO QUESTION SEN. OBAMA ON HIS RELATIONSHIP AS DURING THE TIME OF THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND BOMBINGS HE WAS BEING HELD CAPTIVE, TORTURED, BEATEN, FOR BELIEVING THAT A MAN'S DUTY WAS TO FIGHT FOR HIS COUNTRY, AND I THINK THAT SEN. OBAMA AND AYERS CLOSENESS TO A.C.O.R.N. WHICH USED INTIMIDATION TACTICS TO FORCE INSTITUTIONS TO MAKE QUESTIONABLE LOANS IS FAIR PLAY. THIS SAME ORGANIZATION HAS AND STILL PREYS UPON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY. THEIR PRACTICES ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE CONDUCT OF THE HIGH AND MIGHTY ON WALL STREET AND IN THE CONGRESS.
Mccain's "that one" remark was insulting and condescending. Any sane person who has the capability to understand from the Middle Class perspective would have seen this evening that Obama is the only politician left with a plan to save us.
With all the scrutiny given, and rightly so, to the presidential campaigns on both sides, I just want to throw back out here the WIFE FACTOR. I watched the debate on CNN. At the end, before returning to the CNN commentators, the candidates and their wives were shown walking amidst the townhall. However, there was a stark difference between the demeanor of Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. Keep in mind I am only making an observation. My initial response to seeing Cindy McCain for the first time was she is beautiful but icy. She stood within the vicinity of her husband but remained at a distance from the audience with, I might add, her hands behind her back. She didn't move in towards the audience. She didn't shake anyone's hands. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was in the thick of it, shaking hands and greeting the audience. And they say that Obama is the elitist.
With all the scrutiny given, and rightly so, to the presidential campaigns on both sides, I just want to throw back out here the WIFE FACTOR. I watched the debate on CNN. At the end, before returning to the CNN commentators, the candidates and their wives were shown walking amidst the townhall. However, there was a stark difference between the demeanor of Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. Keep in mind I am only making an observation. My initial response to seeing Cindy McCain for the first time was she is beautiful but icy. She stood within the vicinity of her husband but remained at a distance from the audience with, I might add, her hands behind her back. She didn't move in towards the audience. She didn't shake anyone's hands. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was in the thick of it, shaking hands and greeting the audience. And they say that Obama is the elitist.
Lee Kinster -
I don't know what debate you were watching, but your conspiracy theories sound like they were read in an erroneous SPAM email, and not on the Presidential debate everyone else watched.
With all the scrutiny given, and rightly so, to the presidential campaigns on both sides, I just want to throw back out here the WIFE FACTOR. I watched the debate on CNN. At the end, before returning to the CNN commentators, the candidates and their wives were shown walking amidst the townhall. However, there was a stark difference between the demeanor of Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. Keep in mind I am only making an observation. My initial response to seeing Cindy McCain for the first time was she is beautiful but icy. She stood within the vicinity of her husband but remained at a distance from the audience with, I might add, her hands behind her back. She didn't move in towards the audience. She didn't shake anyone's hands. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was in the thick of it, shaking hands and greeting the audience. And they say that Obama is the elitist.
With all the scrutiny given, and rightly so, to the presidential campaigns on both sides, I just want to throw back out here the WIFE FACTOR. I watched the debate on CNN. At the end, before returning to the CNN commentators, the candidates and their wives were shown walking amidst the townhall. However, there was a stark difference between the demeanor of Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama. Keep in mind I am only making an observation. My initial response to seeing Cindy McCain for the first time was she is beautiful but icy. She stood within the vicinity of her husband but remained at a distance from the audience with, I might add, her hands behind her back. She didn't move in towards the audience. She didn't shake anyone's hands. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was in the thick of it, shaking hands and greeting the audience. And they say that Obama is the elitist.
This wasn't even a townhall meeting.
This wasn't even a townhall meeting. I wanted to hear someone ask the candidates who was preparing to build a death ray pointed towards other planets or something.
If that was a "town hall meeting", I'm the King o' England! From a lower middle class, weary and worn single mom, barely keeping my head above water, people like me expect more from our candidates than we are getting. I'm disgusted with the skewed information (if you can call it "information") the candidates are spouting. Stand up, gentlemen! Tell me what you are going to do for ME. I realize a campaign is a fight for votes, but have some class and stick to proposing solutions that will pull this country out of this big mess.
One point that everyone here seems to not know is that G. W. and former Sec. of HUD Alphonso Jackson are pointedly responsible for this housing mess. They adopted a mission of increasing minority home ownership and cared not how that was accomplished. Do you think that Fannie and Freddie went haywire with bad underwriting all on their own? Hell no! It was a political push, designed to promote the idea that they were "helping" minority Americans realize the American Dream. However, I don't think many of these individuals knew their American Dream would encompass a lifestyle of stress over mortgage payments that citizens cannot afford. A key ingredient in this education. A person with little or no education on personal economics can hardly be expected to fully comprehend the consequences of an A.R.M.
Come back to earth, gentlemen. We need a leader who can look at the big picture from the little end.
Anyone who has the capability to view the conditions in the US and around the world from a Middle Class US citizens’ perpspective would have seen that Obama clearly is the only politician left standing with a plan for American citizens to get us ALL out of the mess the Republicans left for us, and John Mccain does not. He is simply copying Obama’s change under the guise of his “reform.” Even a mentally challenged individual could see that this is just wool over their eyes - oh wait… there are still people who like Mccain, I take that back.
Why do the Democrats always have to come in and clean up after the Republicans mess?
I really feel that the single parents will be thought about and helped with Obama in office I am and have been a single parent for 27 years and trust Obama over McCain, McCain is for the rich not for the middle class look at what he has do you really think he thought about the middle class before the election ? He is not hurting like us, Obama lived the life we have , His mother was a single mother. I feel he knows how we feel.Please people if color plays a factor please don't make a mistake all the middle class will pay the price for.