Gloves come off :Barack Obama has ripped into 72-year-old John McCain

[Swagman]

Source: Sydney Morning Heral / AAP

Barack Obama has ripped into 72-year-old John McCain calling him an out-of-touch economic illiterate who has slept through the internet revolution, as the war of words resumed on the White House trail today.

The Democrat vowed to wield the "truth" against his Republican adversary's "lies" and seize the policy high ground, but McCain denied resorting to outright untruths in his escalating attacks on Obama.

Questioned by a man frustrated with Obama's response to a Republican "smear campaign", the Illinois senator said in Dover, New Hampshire that Democrats were right to be nervous because "they've seen this movie before".

"I just have a different philosophy, and that is I am going to respond with the truth," he said, expressing confidence that US voters would not be diverted from anxieties over the economy, healthcare, education and war.

(snip)

Later in Concord, the Democrat said the choice facing Americans in the November 4 election was stark as he mocked McCain's "maverick" credentials by noting his lock-step voting record with President George Bush.

"The choice could not be clearer. And it's because the choice is so clear that you've seen the other side not want to spend any time talking about the issues," he said.

"They've been talking about lipstick, they've been talking about pigs, they've been talking about Paris (Hilton), they've been talking about Britney (Spears).

"They will spend any amount of money and use any tactic out there in order to avoid talking about how we are going to move America into the future."

In an advertising counter-offensive launched a day after the campaigns called a truce for the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Obama's camp portrayed McCain as a "gutter" politician, not a principled maverick.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/news/us-election/the-gloves-come-off/2008/09/13/1220857886541.html

---

about time !

[clixtox]

1. Spin That, M$M!

I am so glad to see our candidate take off the kid gloves and put on the MMA(Mixed Martial Arts) gloves!

Kick some semi-senile wanna-be fascist ass.

Barack Obama didn't get this far in his life so quickly by rolling over to get his stomach rubbed when adversity loomed.

Obama is the/our MAN!

[cyclezealot]

3. Obama better go pretty negative with the truth..

I called the Democratic Headquarters saying , we don't go on the attack I see no reason to waste my money. Obama needs ads that pierce their thick skins. McCain went negative when he hired Rove's Steve Schmidt and his polling has been on the rise ever since. I don't think the McCain ad that hurt Obama was the Britney Spears ad but the ad "The One." Piercing Obama's high fluttin intellectual veneer. If McCain stays in the gutter , its time we learn trench warfare.

[Union Thug]

81. My thoughts, as well. This is the kind of brawling that wins. n/t

[Have2Win]

150. SWIFTBOAT M CAIN/PALIN QUICK!!

Damn Straight. Swiftboat Caribou Barbie and old man McCain..

How come no one brings up "Vietnam Vets against McCain"

Dems do not play dirty enough tlike the scumbag liars on the right.. 24/7 radio cheerleading for the right.

Obama is a Muslim, Obama will raise taxes... etc.. sick of it.

Palin now referred to as the NEW JACKIE KENNEDY FOR THIS GENERATION..


Tha audacity!! Palin is plain trash... period.

She believes in converting Jews to Christianity, yet Jews in the USA are angry over Hillary not being chosen as Obama VP and will cast a protest vote FOR MCCain/Palin

[garthranzz]

158. Can you provide sources, links, etc. for the last sentence?

If so, it can be used, and I would like to so use it, against Palin/McCain.

[Tigress DEM]

85. TRUTH's all ya' need. McCain 's in the gutter again. How can that man lead from the gutter?

Just keep that mantra going to the McCain heads.

"Your leader is leading you from the gutter. Mine is on solid ground taking the issues seriously. Only a moron folows someone who leads them down the gutter."

I think it's better to be fully truthfull about all the crap in that gutter McCain is wallowing in WITHOUT getting ourselves in there with him.

If you as a private citizen want to piss on him from above, though, be my guest. I'll be happy to point out to McCain that getting pissed on is the downside of running his campaign from the gutter.

I think MAKING McSame come out of the gutter because he's causing his base to be ashamed puts him where we want him, in a battle of wits with NO ammunition.

[cyclezealot]

89. obama fights for his presidency. We'll be generous

if not. we'll do him and progressives more good by giving to Move On. They know how to fight.

[Tigress DEM]

93. We may need BOTH lines of attack, but Obama is doing what is right for him.

Now the rest of US ---- WE got NO rules because WE aren't the ones who will be sitting in the OVAL Office.

WE WANT a President who is intelligent. WE need to point out that is something WE CAN BE Proud about and not back down. McWimpy's lies don't make Obama any less of a man, but it sure makes McBlame a liar and we need to shout THAT from the rooftops.

WE NEED to point out how STUPID those who want McCain are. It isn't McCain and his political machine we have to convince, or whose hide we have to pierce. That will never happen.

WE have to make the other voters SO ashamed of their chosen candidate that they will puke all over themselves when they try to pull the lever because they'll have to drink a gallon of redneck courage just to walk in the door.

[AmericanUnity]

124. We MUST keep the DONATIONS COMING IN - $10, $20, $50 at a time. DO IT TODAY because

Sen. Obama is NOT taking public financing.

TV commercials in the states we need to ensure he's our next president
are VERY EXPENSIVE. And with a staff of thousands of hardworking paid
campaign staff EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS !!

[HowHasItComeToThis]

114. THE SPIN IS IN BOLD LETTERS 72 YEARS OLD

POOR POOR JOHN.

[HEyHEY]

122. See this is why media "Buffs" don't get it

You say the spin is them playing the "Poor john" card. Another person could easily argue it's "Liberal" media trying to hammer home McCain is old and likely to die in office. Either way, it's a useless preface. I bet it was just the result of a reporter looking for an adjective. Likely that reporters first piece on the election (As I see it's from a paper I've never heard of) so in their eyes the age was the one to use.

[Tigress DEM]

160. BUT he LIKES playing victim. NO Spin. He's a LIAR. Call him on the carpet.

These aren't fish tales.

This is him lying to get elected to the TOP position in this country so he can LIE some more.

NO MORE *USHIT! NO MORE LIARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

[debbierlus]

88. The truth is BRUTAL. He couldn't make up worse. WIELD THE TRUTH

Beautiful way of putting it.

I have been writing for the campaign to wield the truth for months. I bet thousands of others have as well.

I am glad he heard us!

[Golden Raisin]

135. Taking the High Road

is noble, good, ethical, laudable and nice. It will also lose Obama the election. He needs to kick them in the balls and kick them hard enough that they see stars. That is the only thing Republicans and their bought-and-paid-for-media understand.

[Tigress DEM]

161. BUT you can take the high road by telling the TRUTH and still give a BRUTAL jab.

I also think we need some concentrated effort on getting the flame throwers out and putting directly under the press's butt whenever they allow the lies to go unchallanged.

HALF WAY BETWEEN A LIE AND THE TRUTH ISN'T JUST SOMEONE'S OPINION - IT'S STILL AN UNTRUTH AND THAT MAKES IT A LIE.

[knixphan]

4. He's the man for the everyman!

[Joe Chi Minh]

87. Yes, he's speaking no more than the truth. In fact, the sorry tale of the

Republicans' extraordinary failures, some cataclysmic, would perhaps take him half an hour to relate. Expecting the American people to vote for him is rather like Margaret Thatcher expecting the miners to vote for her. One cataclysmic failure would put a party out of power for at least a generation. Even the rest of the country won't give the Tories the time of day again - though they "con" them in various polls, to pressure NuLab and Gordon Brown.

[kiranon]

103. Everyday man won't get "out of touch economic illiterate".

Message needs to be clear, easily repeatable, memorable and tough. Don't think describing McCain as an "out of touch economic illiterate" works. Perhaps Obama needs to say, "Will somebody please show McCain how to turn on his computer so he can get plugged into the 21st century. Perhaps then McCain may be able to find the addresses of all his homes, and if he gets lucky, he may be able to find all of them." Obama - he knows how to get things done. Obama - a man for all seasons. Obama - ready for the 21st century.

Remember half the people are below average. Any statement you have to think about is no good!

[LiberalFighter]

21. They most likely will spin it as being negative campaigning.

[1Hippiechick]

28. So? Here is the YouTube link to McCain saying that "negative ads move numbers, but do we want to go

there?" Apparently, yes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZf05ijVFtc

[Old Codger]

46. in his own words

Mclames own words on the view



The defense from the candidate himself — heard only on “The View” because he hasn’t held a press conference in over a month — is to essentially claim he’s savaging Obama because the Illinois senator wouldn’t agree to the series of town hall meetings McCain proposed at the end of the Democratic primary season.

“If we had done what I asked Sen. Obama to do, because I’ve been in a lot of other campaigns where I have appeared with the opposition with the people and listened to their hopes and dreams and aspirations, I don't think you'd see the tenor of this campaign," he said.

Spoiled little asshole didn't get his own way so this is the result, he has broken every promise he made and sold his principles out in order to "WIN AT ANY COST"

[1Hippiechick]

141. I saw and heard that too, that wrinkled old pasty ba*tard! n/t

[Olney Blue]

42. Truth has a well known liberal bias.

-Steve Colbert

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

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[tabasco]

76. Boohoohoo!!

John McCain and George Bush cut funding for VA again and again until RATS RUNNING THROUGH Walter Reed Hospital got people's attention.

I was writing letters to the editor for years about the republicon neglect of veterans, but it takes RATS IN WALTER REED to get anyone's attention.

Fuck off with your bullshit, troll. I'm an infantry combat vet and I'm casting my lot with OBAMA!

Sign up for the McBush's 100-year war right here, coward troll:

www.goarmy.com

[Zuiderelle]

104. I didn't catch the post you responded to but...

:applause:

That was a great response! :patriot:

Thank you for your service.

[leftrightwingnut]

130. I'll second that. Thanks tabasco!

[Name removed]

86. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[chiefofclarinet]

92. Go away

Quit blaming McLame's ignorance, and every other flaw in the book, in being a POW. We're not saying that he is ignorant because he isn't using a computer; we're saying that he is ignorant because he has no interest in learning about the computer. There are many POW's with horrible injuries that use computers, and those that cannot use one straight from the box have made some sort of modification so they can. McLame doesn't want to learn.

[kiranon]

106. Nonsense. There are voice recognition programs. Hands free.

Dragon Dictate is a voice recognition system. One does not need to type to use a computer. Technology has come a long way and McCain could easily use this. It is used everyday all over this country in law offices and elsewhere. You can buy it in any office supply store or on line. All it takes is a desire to be part of the computer literate generation. McCain does not want to get it.

[dysfunctional press]

132. if he doesn't have to- why should he?

i really think that obama is heading down the wrong road with his ad mocking mccain's lack of computer skills. there are LOTS of voters who are still computer illiterate and can identify with him on it. he does his job just fine without having to do any computer work himself, and being president does not require the personal use of a computer.

[kiranon]

148. Using a computer is necessary for today's world or be left behind.

[dysfunctional press]

168. that's not universally true -it depends a great deal on what you want to do in life.

plenty of people can get by just fine without computer skills and do.

being president hasn't ever required it, and still doesn't. that's what staff and interns are for.

for instance- john mccain has been a u.s.senator for 23 years just fine without having any computer skills.

your cliche line:
"Using a computer is necessary for today's world or be left behind"
doesn't hold true for all people in all circumstances- it depends on what you do and/or how you approach it.

and not as many people in their 70's are necessarily worried about being 'left-behind' (except maybe the ones over at rapture ready)
and there are still a lot of computer illiterate voters out there who can sympathize with him on it.

[Patchuli]

109. Why are you here?

Go troll elsewhere.

You just said why McCain is unfit to be a president, not to mention the fact that he's had cancer 4 times. Add a disastrous and heinous running mate behind a sick old man, maybe your party could finish the destruction of America caused by the GOP running things for the past 8 years.

[CJCRANE]

126. Have you ever heard of Stephen Hawking?

He didn't use any excuses.

[sudopod]

127. Stephen Hawking called

"What a fucktard...", he typed.

[JDPriestly]

128. People use the internet and keyboards without using their hands.

There are voice command equipped computers. That is no excuse.

[leftrightwingnut]

131. One dead troll!

Check out carlnc's profile.

Another one bites the dust... :headbang:

[kmdemqueen]

97. I love it

He is such an amazing speaker. It seems like the repukes have bit off more then they can chew.

[HEyHEY]

118. The MSM has been so pro-Obama that it's been nice

[Crunchy Frog]

2. Yes but he CAN'T use the internet cuz he was a POW.

Obama's being mean to him again. :cry:

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

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[XtraProudDem]

66. Pitiful.

Conservatives are SO BAD at investigative journalism. It's sad, really.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

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[leftrightwingnut]

134. Can't comb his hair (holds a microphone, drums his fingers, twists his ring finger)

and can't use a keyboard. Probably can't wipe himself either.

[JimDandy]

5. ALRIGHT!! I see the error of my ways. I'm vowing right now to lay off the Palin attacks,

if Obama will keep up this hard-line of attack against McCan't on the issues. Don't let up on McCain and I'll support you, Obama, in whatever way YOU think is best.

Go, Obama Go!!

:party: :bounce: :bounce: :party: :bounce: :bounce: :party:

[Tigress DEM]

91. I think WE as citizens can speak our truth too. MC CAIN is a ZERO - HE's NO HERO

Marines don't leave their fallen behind.
Neither does the army. I know.

My dad was a paratrooper in the Korean Conflict (run-up to Vietnam) and he got stuck in a tree parachuting down behind the lines. He was shot up the spine with a machine gun and left for dead. If the army hadn't gone up and cut him down and gotten him medical help I would not be here today.

In 1992 McCain battled with families of POWs wanting to get their loved ones out.
He came into hearings and belittled people who were testifying.
He shoved a woman in a wheelchair because she had a recent picture of her husband alive in a POW camp.

Now the fact that he made 32 propaganda tapes for the enemy from a POW camp so that he would not be tortured any more, THAT I could forgive McCain for because no way would I have been able to do better in the same conditions.

But the fact that he let that shame about his own behavior RULE his behavior in the POW investigation committee and that he used the power and influence he got by HIDING his shame to force the US to leave other POWs behind.... THAT is something I can NEVER forgive him for and it turns anything he did before into shit.

He spent 5 years in a POW camp and we are supposed to feel so sorry for him, but having gone through that experience and fighting to make sure others CONTINUED to suffer so his dirty little lies didn't get found out is the action of a 100% COWARD.

McCain is NO HERO.

He is A ZERO.

[radfringe]

6. hit'em even harder... YEAAAAA!!!

find clips of mccain talking about dirty campaigning, and how he called for "clean" campaigns - he was quite the spokesman for that after his drubbing by dubya in 2000

then list his smears and lies during this campaign

tagline: have you no honor, John?

[radfringe]

12. my video

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=385

[1Hippiechick]

29. Here is a better link? Ppl, go to YouTube and ratchet this up for our fellow DUer! 5*, add to favs

and comment!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x188788

[radfringe]

30. thanks... and here's a direct link to youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvtKGNvJ5u4

[FirstLight]

80. done!

we have to use our technology AGAINST them! Remember, any video that tells the TRUTH, should be 5-starred and fave'd...then more people will see it!!!

go-obama!

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

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[XtraProudDem]

62. Get lost, Freeper scum

We don't take it anymore. Haven't you heard?

[OneBlueSky]

7. just point and click, John . . .

McCain "told the New York Times in July: "I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself."

didn't know it was so complicated that he'd need time to "get it down" . . . just point and click, dude! . . .

[4lbs]

14. My father is McCain's age...

and he is already 10x more computer literate than McCant. My father can write and send emails, do his online banking and bill paying, buy stuff online from Amazon.COM and other web sites, play a movie whether it be XviD, DivX, WMV, or regular DVD, fire up his music player to play MP3s, do a Google search on whatever he wants mroe info about, and hit the Youtube to watch daily video postings.

It took him less than a month to fully learn how to do all that on his laptop. The only thing I had to do was configure it for wireless connection to his broadband service.

[glowing]

19. My 80yr old grandma-in-law is more proficient in computer skills than

McCain... Her and her husband (who does have early once alzheimers and takes aricept) call McCain old.. they feel bad for him. The think his wife looks trashy. They think Obama is just so smart and that Michelle is just so beautiful.. Grandma Peggy and I spent at least 10mins admiring her shapely arms and commenting on how much we wish our arms looked that great.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

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[XtraProudDem]

64. Get lost already!

Loser.

[Tigress DEM]

164. Probably already is lost. That's the problem.

Freepers and trolls are lost.

They can't do real posts about real issues so they try to trash other's legitimate efforts.

Sad don't you think?

[glowing]

69. If she had, I wouldn't want it to be the only reason she should be President.

Someone like that needs to relax and retire.. not run around like a mad man starting wars with Russia. He's completely unstable and should NOT be near any red buttons... But thanks for your concern about my Granmother's arms.. I'm sure she'd grab you by your ear, drag you into the other room, and beat your bottom red for being such a disrespectful, impish child.

[Name removed]

75. Deleted message

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[awoke_in_2003]

154. "I'm sure she'd grab you by your ear"

I bet she would. My father's mother was all of 4 ft 11 inches, and maybe 90 lbs soaking wet. She raised two 6 foot plus sons, and the stories they would tell. I knew never to get her mad. She drank (not a lot), smoked, played cards, told dirty jokes, and watched Benny Hill. I have many great memories of my time with her.

on edit: re-reading my post, it sounds like she was a bit on the mean side. Farthest from the truth, she would do anything for family and friends. A very loving woman. Just don't piss her off :)

[JDPriestly]

136. And my mom at 92 gets around quite well on her computer.

She updates me on the latest political news and knows every single detail. She is amazing.

[Ken Burch]

147. My 89 year-old stepfather did the same thing until a couple of months before his death.

And he did so while after having a quintuple bypass at 82 and then suffering from Parkinson's for his last five years or so.

My slightly younger mother(I'll be a gentleman and not mention her age) carries on with this today.

[JDPriestly]

166. If McCain can write, if he can text on a cell phone, he can use a computer

provided that he has a voice recognition mechanism attached. He is lazy. That is why he does not know how to use a computer.

[NJCher]

26. that's a terrific accomplishment by your dad

and it shows that McCain probably just doesn't care whether he learns to use a computer.

The remark he made about working on it and needing a little more time to get it down shows that he feels deficient but he's not willing to put much work into it to correct the situation.



Cher

[frogcycle]

32. actually, it shows he's never been anywhere near it

he knows as much about it as Palin does the "bush doctrine"

saying "I'm working on it" makes clear he does not have a clue what "it" is.

[ellie]

31. My mom is 77

and she is extremely computer literate. She has several Macs and is always sending me stuff. McCain is an out-of-touch asshole.

[Tigress DEM]

162. Ha ha! Go Mama Go! nt

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

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[NOLALady]

72. A cousin was blinded in Vietnam.

He sends me emails constantly.

He also takes care of his business on the computer.

McCain is computer illiterate by choice.

[treestar]

83. Same type of dad here!

And mom of similar age made her own video presentation for her 50th wedding anniversary - photos, films, music and narration. I don't know how to do that myself!

[northernlights]

90. my 85 year old father

is extremely computer literate. It's scary, since he's an abusive rethug and we are estranged. He has used it to harrass me!

[Laurab]

94. My 76 year old mom sells on Ebay!

She does pretty well at it, too. She doesn't really like change, but every change she's had to make regarding ebay, she's picked up in a day or two. She buys all sorts of stuff online, and although she made the change reluctantly from webtv to a pc, in a day or two, she LOVED the computer and had no patience for webtv.

My 78 year old dad avoids the computer like the plague, but he can use it if he has to.

There's NO excuse for a politician like McLame to not know how to use the internet - in fact, his job should require it.

[PghTiny]

116. I had voice recognition software on my Mac with OS 8.x!!!

It could open applications and perform simple commands, enough for web browsing. I didn't have dictation abilities, though. And this was 10 years ago!

[ejpoeta]

18. well, if he has dial up.... first he would have to connect to the internet.

maybe he has aol. good for training wheels. if it still exists in that capacity.

[treestar]

84. LOL! If McCant has internet, you just know it's AOL!

[Just-plain-Kathy]

25. Re: The "internet ad"

Considering it's the stupid or stubborn who are McCain's biggest supporters, going negative on people who can't, or wont use the internet, may backfire.

I would rather stick to the issues and corruption.

[Indi Guy]

8. To quote Obama, "Enough!!!"...

About friggin' time someone said it, & keeps on saying it!

[whistle]

9. McCain is the target to bring down, Palin will self-destruct without

...feeding her campaign oxygen

[NJCher]

27. exactly

we need to hammer issues, issues, issues and particularly in regard to the economy and jobs.

A major reason people are still talking about Palin is that their convention was second. if our convention had been second, the message of hope and change would be more on peoples' minds.



Cher

[99th_Monkey]

10. So at long last "silly season" is over & it's on to real issues actually impacting voters lives???

What next? Real journalism from the M$M? The ball's in their court now.

This is getting good. Gobama!!!!!

[whistle]

11. And the real John McCain went where on his 70th birthday?

...watch this Rachel Maddow video:

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/the-real-john-mccain/11515964/

[DFW]

13. "....and the truth shall set you free."

Or, like Harry Truman said:

"I'll tell them the truth and they'll THINK it's hell!"

[kmdemqueen]

15. And we go on

And we go on. Let us not say our future president barack obama is not afraid of what is real and what is not. let us not say that he will not stand up for what is right. Let the repulicans smear that lipstick, for we are much better than that.

[Suji to Seoul]

16. Still too soft: Need to hit Bush The Third harder and with more power until November.

Keep it up until the rock cracks. I'm sick of taking the high road when we get undercut on the low road.

[jerryster]

100. Agreed.

By the way, we see very few ads here in Illinois because it's a lock for Obama. Is he running ads in other states showing the photo you have on your post?

[peace frog]

110. Right on

It's a small step in the right direction but means nothing unless it's part of a barrage of hard-hitting attacks. Hell, it's not like the Obama campaign has nothing to work with - there are virtually unlimited atrocities to spotlight, if they care enough to do the hard work. I wonder now, if they do have what it takes to win. I'm proud of being a Democrat but unimpressed with their recent performance. The introduction of Palin into the mix knocked them off-course at first, but they should have re-captured the momentum again by now.

[PennDem]

17. Go category 5 on him!

Put McCain on the defensive. Obama should pledge to reopen the investigations into the POW/MIA cases that John McCain had a major role in squashing. It would poison McCain’s use of “I was a POW” meme, open up the scandal of the way the POW families were treated by McCain.

[yellowdogdemocrat2]

24. Who knows what would be best at this point

You know it's hard for people who can't think for themselves to figure out what the problem is with this silly season in politics. The truth is that 50% of the people in US can't figure out what is going on. Well they can, but won't leave a party that has really put this country in a bad place. They get a kick out of dirty politics as long as thier guy is putting it out. But lord don't let anyone even question them. Really it all boils down to..religion..blacks..guns..gays. Republican party isn't what it used to be...no big goverment...keep the bills paid type thing...Of course they are clinging to the fact they don't like blacks or gays. They are in the closet on those issues. The truth is the republicn voter is not putting the country first.
Sometimes I want Obama to get dirty getting back at them and sometimes I want him to remain a grown up. I JUST WANT HIM TO WIN, IT'S SO IMPORTANT, WE CAN'T TAKE EVEN 4 MORE YEARS OF REPUBLICANS.
All I can say is I won't stop giving money to Obama, there is no chance for our party without money. I won't give up! AND IF YOUR BLACK OR GAY OR BOTH, since I become a democrat over 20 years ago, I've come a long way out of the dark. We are all people, nothing more, nothing less. I except all people except republican, them I can't stand. Don't pay any attention to people saying that old people don't except a black man for president. I'm one of those old people that does and big time. Old white southern woman I am. Bigot I am not.

[jimlup]

20. How will this play in the coorperate media?

Barack is doing what he needs to do but how will the coorperate media spin it? That is going to be the difference.

[annabanana]

22. Oh Bro-THER . . . Like his incompetence has anything to do with AGE!

He has no idea about the on-line world because:
1) He has NO (zero, zip) intellectual curiosity.

AND


2) He has been SO fucking important for SO long that "his people" have always handled that pesky series of tubes for him.

[DeeDeeNY]

23. Both he and Biden have to be willing to not just call out the lies

but say out loud the obvious -- that Palin is TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED to be a heartbeat away. The Repukes brazenly claimed that she is more qualified than Obama, and he let them get away with it. By now, 70% of the idiot Repukes in this country believe that Obama's only experience before getting to the U.S. Senate was that of a community organizer, and an even larger percentage believe that McLame's being a POW in some way qualifies him to be Presient.

[frogcycle]

34. but that is because they are idiot repukes

and WANT to believe that.

there is no point trying to change them - any more than trying to convince a tinfoil-hatter that their favorite conspiracy theory is bunk.

the response HAS to stay above the worst of the gutter stuff. Let the rats eat the garbage.

[DeeDeeNY]

43. Yes. But to quote from Robert Wexler's "Fire Breathing Liberal"

He mentions these as some lessons learned when he first ran for public office --

"If you make a commitment to run a completely positive campaign, you will lose every time. I'm not defending that reality, just acknowledging it. . .
The bottom line is, if you take an unfair hit, you can't assume voters will be able to differentiate the truth from political fiction. So if you're not punching first, you have to at least be ready to counterpunch quickly."

[Paladin]

53. Truer Words Were Never Spoken. Thank You.

You know who needs to read and digest that quote? Those Democrats who still think we need to pull our punches, who think that a professorial recital of the true facts will win this election for us. Yeah right....Tell that to President Dukakis, President Gore, or Prescient Kerry. If we want the White House this time around---instead of just settling for a Good Sportsmanship medal---we have to get rough. I'm glad to see that Obama is finally doing so; I only hope it's not too late.....

[frogcycle]

68. agreed

I did not mean to suggest pulling punches. Just keep them above the belt.

When they pull shit like the sex ed ad, they should be called out, in no uncertain terms. As Tweety has started saying (he is actually starting to seem like a good guy) they need to be challenged directly. Obama should say, on camera, addressing McCain personally, "John, you are claiming that I want to teach five-year-olds about sex before they learn to read. You know that is a lie. You know what that bill was for. Then you claim that if we had "town hall meetings" together the tone of the campaign would be better. IS THIS SOME SORT OF BLACKMAIL? Well, I will meet you in person, in public, to hear your apology for that outrage, on camera, in front of any townspeople who care to attend. Any time, and place.

[Paladin]

153. Sounds Good To Me

I'd really like to hear Obama tear into McCain on that unspeakably ugly sex ed advertisement. McCain has no personal honor left, as far as I'm concerned....

[DallasNE]

33. McCain Again Has Hidden Behind Sarah Palin's Skirt

By going after the messenger when Sarah Palin clearly demonstrated that she didn't know what the Bush Doctrine was. Shame on Charlie Gibson for using "Washington talk" to trip her up. Not knowing that the Bush Doctrine authorizes preventative war when there is a perceived threat is pretty basic knowledge. Something you would expect a sitting Governor to know before selecting her as a VP running mate. More evidence of the sloppy vetting McCain did with this selection.

[happygoluckytoyou]

35. 5 YEARS POW... and all he gets is this lousy TSHIRT ? seniority will let him be SENIOR POW next time

The negative and often exaggerated or misleading claims being made about Obama and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, especially those playing on Palin’s gender, are just too irresistible for the process-consumed online and cable news media that now drives the campaign conversation, Weaver said.

“Unless there is a hurricane, they’re going to cover it,” he observed.

Adds Terry Nelson, McCain’s former campaign manager: “It works in part because Obama responds to it.”

FINE-F"ING-LY TAKING OFF THE GLOVES..... now go kick MCCAIN/PALIN in their NUTZ !!!

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[XtraProudDem]

67. Are you still here?

Nice racist image, by the way.

[Wizard777]

36. Go Barack! We got your back.

[AgadorSparticus]

37. finally!!!! I just can NOT handle listening to this woman. She's a horrible speaker.

Much too emotional and angry. She's downright shrill. :scared:

[druidity33]

38. Who's reading this though?

It's in the Sydney Morning Herald.

I'm sorry to say i have not heard anyone in the US media reporting Obamas newly adapted refutations...

:shrug:

[HughMoran]

47. Cripes, it's only morning here. But I have a link to Boston.Com :o)

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/09/13/clash_over_change_heats_up/

Clash over 'change' heats up
Obama sharpens his attack on McCain, assails 'fabricated' ads

DOVER, N.H. - Senator Barack Obama, buffeted by an energized and newly aggressive Republican ticket, sought to reclaim the mantle of change yesterday, launching a broad assault on John McCain's reformer credentials and drawing contrasts with his rival in his starkest terms yet.

Confronting a dip in national polls and a public and media fixation with McCain's running mate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, Obama said he trusted American voters to sift through what he called the "nonsense" and "noise" of the political horse race.

Obama said that he is the candidate who will create jobs, shift the tax burden off the middle class, and bring universal access to healthcare, and that McCain, after nearly three decades in Washington and with his close ties to President Bush, is no agent of change.

"I mean, how does someone plausibly argue that they're going to bring about change when their policies are identical to what we've seen over the last eight years?" Obama said last night at a rally at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord. "They must think the American people are stupid."

"He's been running in that herd for 26 years," Obama told a a few hundred voters inside a gym in downtown Dover. "It's just not realistic."

etc... (see story)

[IaTom]

39. In Iowa we know a little something about Pigs

We have another saying about pigs. You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. The GOP (Guardians Of Pedophiles), The sows, and Mcshame and wolf killer, the ears. Barack should run agains Chaney, He's running the whole show.

[PatrynXX]

40. didn't need to be about time but...

McCain forced the issue. Certainly the stupid discussion about Lipstick on a pig was the last straw. Dumbest political discussion in recent memory.

[Willo]

41. Well done. K&R

Digg link: http://digg.com/politics/Gloves_Come_Off

[WePurrsevere]

101. Good idea! Want more folks to see this... Digg It!! n/t

[President Decider]

44. OBAMA TO HIS FOLLOWING: "IT'S TIME TO UNLEASH THE HOUNDS!"

I love it ... he sat back like a cool cat and took their best shot over the past 2 weeks, now ... following his campaign blueprint .... its time to stand up, smile and say, "That's all you got?"

Something tells me Obama and his campaign team are much much smarter than the GOP ever expected them to be.

Fasten your seatbelts, I have a feeling Obama wants to put a knock-out blow on them within the next few weeks and his campaign style will be fast, furious, and very aggressive.

[HughMoran]

45. McCain - lying gutter-slut

Good, Obama needs to kick his ass so that the Nation feels like he is a fighter.

People want a President who will fight when cornered - it gives them confidence that he will respond firmly to attacks on the USA.

[pipi_k]

48. Well, I'm happy about this, of course, but...

I'm even happier that some denizens of MSM-world are at least attempting to call McCain out on his lies. Right on TV, too!

I just wish they'd go a little...ok, a LOT...further and not let him get away with refuting the lies without challenging him more.

[bobd0]

49. John McCain: "...an out-of-touch economic illiterate who has slept through the internet revolution"

I like that.

Young Americans better show up to vote in record numbers this year or they'll find themselves reliving the early 1930's -- way back when McCain was born. I wonder how a good old fashioned depression and wars on all fronts would shape their generation.

K&R

[meow2u3]

50. ATP to McTemper: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH

If you think you're being attacked, it's because it's a counterattack. You started the smears and lies, and BO's just using your own words against you. How does it feel to have the truth thrown back in your face?

If you think Obama's disrespecting Caribou Barbie, it's not simply because she's a woman; it's because she's not worthy of respect. It's becuase you can't handle the truth.

[mamameow]

51. button voters in az

sorry guys but i think you are wasting you time. yesterday i heard from 2 democrats, with in a 2 hour time frame, that obama was a muslim and sarah palin was just as cute as a button and they were going to vote for her. with this stupidity, how can you win.!!!!

[Ikonoklast]

52. Easily.

Electoral college already puts Obama in the White House.

But I know basic math isn't your strong suit.

[NOLALady]

60. If we lose due to stupidity,

they will get the government they deserve.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world will suffer because of their ignorance.

[NightOwwl]

105. Thanks for your concern.

With impeccable statistics like yours, I guess we should all just throw in the towel.

:eyes:

[Zuiderelle]

108. Although I like your name "mamameow" I don't like that you're a republican troll

Tell your two "democrat" friends to sign up here and read some facts. They will soon enough understand how the republican party is trying to pull one over on them.

[Jim Sagle]

139. Thank you for your concern.

[Myrina]

54. Decent start Barack, now circle the old fart and go in for the PR kill!

I hate to put it in those terms, but its almost that serious of a matter at this point.

The country's future hangs in the balance.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

55. Game Over!

:toast:



:thumbsup:


:dem:

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheDebbieDee]

71. Doug from Upland?

Wasn't he the "freeper" that got somebody fired from their job because they made unflattering posts about W. on the Free Republic website?

I fart in "Doug from Upland"'s general direction and I have some doubts about you!

ETA: Welcome to DU!

[Name removed]

74. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[XtraProudDem]

77. Forbes...

Yeah, that's a source I can trust.

Oh - and WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?

[awoke_in_2003]

156. Doug from Upland?

His mother was a hamster, and his father smelt of elderberries :)

oh, and if you have to see that scene again (like I did):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs

[lonestarnot]

78. Wooooooodamnwhooo! Let's now put the fucking gutter maggot where he belongs!

Fight like hellions!

[iamthebandfanman]

79. gotta love "truth" "lies"

gotta love how objective the media is when it comes to democrats... but when republicans say things, oh it must be true!

[greyghost]

82. Time to get medieval on their asses!

[ksimons]

95. McCain camp will say his physical disabilities will prevent him from using the computer...

Nice try - yea, McCain is too disabled to use a computer. Tell that to Stephen Hawking.

Oh, and word to the Republicans, there is free voice-recognition software available for surfing and sending emails. Might want to do your research before claiming someone can't physically work a keyboard.

Sounds like someone can't mentally work a campaign.

[NOLALady]

111. Tell that to my computer literate cousin who was

blinded in Vietnam.

[Skwmom]

96. Who owns this paper? The slant and word choice seems double edged.

[jerryster]

98. Excellent!

Obama has taken the gags out of his surrogates' mouths. I have never heard of Melber before this, but he and his take no bullshit attitude are exactly what we need.

[KathieG]

99. Finally! The truth about McCain/Palin is so much worse than

anything they could even make up about Obama/Biden...they just need to get it out there, and hit 'em hard with it!

[grahamhgreen]

102. Go Barak!

[trthnd4jstc]

107. Well Done, Sen. Obama. I am sorry to say, but we must fight and struggle just to have a chance.

Unless, all the new polls are completely wrong, it looks like Sen. McCain is leading. It amazes me. Sen. Obama will make an excellent President, and Sen. Biden will make an excellent Vice President. I will fight. I will campaign. I will write letters to the editors of all of my local papers. We do not want another 4 years of Republican control of the Executive Branch.

[Catamount]

112. Another k&r

[Wednesdays]

113. The M$M won't spin it. They'll just ignore it.

It's worked for them before.

[HEyHEY]

121. Actually as much as I love the story

It is Obama saying what he's said before. And I think the media has been extremely good to him this round. Though CNN has been pissing me off.

[RoccoR5955]

115. As John Sheridan of the Earth Alliance said on Babylon 5...

..."Understanding is a three-edged sword. There's his side, your side, and the TRUTH!"

Babylon 5 is one of the greatest science fiction television series' ever.

[Miss Chybil]

117. THANK YOU, MR. OBAMA!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!! nt

[Time for change]

119. I hope Obama stays in this mode until Election Day and well after

[HEyHEY]

120. That headline conjures up a visual image doesn't it?

[JohnnyRingo]

123. McCain says he'll soon be getting online by himself.

Is he still waiting for his DVDs from The Video Professor?
Is this McCain's equivalence of rocket science?

I'm AARP age too, but surfing the internet and sending a goddam e-mail took me every bit of one day, with about 20 hours left over!
We're not talking html or C++ programming here.

Is this the learning curve we can expect from a McCain administration?
I'd be embarassed to admit that publicly.

[humbled_opinion]

125. It's About Time...

Checkbook coming back out. Obama needs to Tell America exactly who John McCain is. That is the Repuke tactic define your adversary in your terms. McCain is the Old Decrepit Crypt Keeper who doesn't know how to use the Internet. Why would America want to be run by that. Unlike Kerry, Obama is no Milquetoast.

[iflizwerequeen]

129. about time--I could not agree more!

Take McCain to the mat and keep him there.

John McCain says this election is about character – and he‘s right.In the 2000 presidential race the Bush campaign – led by Karl Rove – viciously attacked John McCain’s wife and child – they said his wife was a drug addict and that the child he and his wife adopted from an orphanage was actually his illegitimate Black daughter. On election night, his wife was in tears.

Back then, McCain was disgusted. He said there was “a special place in hell” for rumormongers like these people. He made a promise to his family and to his supporters that he would never run a dirty campaign like that. Never.

But early this year John McCain hired Charlie Condon, the very same man who was behind those vicious smears to run his South Carolina campaign. And then several weeks ago he brought Steven Schmidt - leading protégé of Karl Rove and master of the political hit job - on board to be his campaign manager and write the talking points for the new negative campaign against Barack Obama.

McCain may have ONCE been a maverick, but that was THEN and this is NOW and McCain has sold out.

[dysfunctional press]

133. if that's the best obama can do, we've got real problems.

the ad mocking mccain for his lack of computer abilities probably generated more new support for mccain than it did for obama. it had a very condescending tone, and there are still A LOT of computer illiterate people in this country who could be offended by it, and rightly so.
they're going to have to do MUCH MUCH better when it comes to putting out effective ads.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

137. Show no mercy!

After all the awful lies and ad hominem attacks, a little truthful assault is well called for.

[FatDave]

138. We shouldn't just attack McCain.

We should attack conservatism as a philosophy. It has failed every time it has been tried. Show me a conservative success story. I'll give you the recorded history of the entire world to find one.

[madmax]

140. About time!! Kick some ass!!

If we lose this thing at least I want to know that Obama fought like a Warrior King. Screw the high road.

[VanillaC]

142. Nice! Let's keep it coming!

[crossroads]

143. Give em back what they give Obama!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0xzsogzAk

[Bensthename]

144. They've been talking about lipstick, they've been talking about pigs, they've been talking about Par

They've been talking about lipstick, they've been talking about pigs, they've been talking about Paris (Hilton), they've been talking about Britney (Spears).

Now there's a commercial.

[clear eye]

145. Beautiful n/t

[Ken Burch]

146. I wish the "use the original headline" policy in LBN had been ignored on this one

Using that headline makes it look like the OP is attacking Obama for going after McCain. And it makes us look ageist, which was never the point.

[Mozcram]

149. THIS EMPHASIZES SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT STRATEGICALLY....

DAILY KOS:
(1/3 of way down page as of this moment)

The Obama campaign has been successful largely because of its inspiring "new brand of politics". Unfortunately, as Bill Clinton might note, that makes it somewhat difficult for the Obama campaign to get quite as nasty with the opposition as it might need to. But that's OK--because that can be our job. OUR JOB

O U R J O B

It's our job to push memes the campaign can't. It's our job to focus on Republican chicanery that would waste the time of an Obama campaign that needs to be focusing its messaging on core economic issues. By talking about McCain's egregious lies and horrible personal ethics, we can help push the press to cover stories that the Obama campaign can't seriously push themselves.

Ours is an important role to play.

To all the concerned people emailing me about "being played", don't waste your time. I'm not about to revert to writing puff pieces about Obama thinking that his magic "new politics" bullshit will carry us to victory. He may or may not believe that crap, but I don't.]

We're going to win this thing the way campaigns are won -- by playing hardball. Politics is a blood sport. Republicans understand this and never flinch from flinging the shit. We won't win until we learn to fight back in kind. And I'm more than happy to get down in the mud with our friends on the Right so Obama doesn't have to.

Recent history vindicates the "tough and aggressive" path. We went toe to toe against Rove and his machine in 2006, and our math beat his. I have no doubt we're in for a two-peat this year, and it'll happen because we won't back off from exposing the GOP for the den of lies and corruption it has become.

Thereisnospoon brings up one more salient quote from a pre-conventions Bob Novak's column:

I asked one of the Republican Party's smartest, most candid heavy hitters last week whether John McCain really has a chance to defeat Barack Obama in this season of Republican discontent. "No, if the campaign is about McCain," he replied. "Yes, if it's about Obama."

[Imagevision]

151. Obama needs to use those Mccain YouTube vids to assist in getting the point across...

[graywarrior]

152. I was there when he gave his Concord speech

He was a more forceful Obama, that's for damn sure.

[CarlB]

155. I'm glad

He's taking the gloves off. The truth surely can be a brutal weapon. The only thing that I don't like about the new Obama ads is the way they are over dramatic, with the ominous music and movie trailer voice guy. Don't get me wrong the content has been pretty good. However, they are tit-for-tat ads that look too much like the opposition's. A lot of people see them and don't trust them, just see them as another political ad. Then the MSM spins it saying it's "misleading" because it doesn't fully explain McCain's side(BS). The ads should be bulletproof with more information, explaining things intelligently and drawing a sharp contrast between the McCain ominous music catch-phrase BS scare you and distract you ads. You know what I mean? I'm not saying they should be softer or anything-quite the contrary-but they should look and feel more different and be more intelligent. They are already way better than McCain's but I wish they were less gimmicy you know???

[Politicalboi]

157. Maybe if enough

People DEMAND a debate with intelligence and BIG WORDS. Or questions about geography, history, and their voting record in hand so it can be projected on a screen that everyone can see. The debates win a lot of people over and if they keep getting phone calls or emails to demand they have real questions that REQUIRE real answers. We all saw the debates of 2000 and 04. Clearly Bush lost but according to the MSM "He held his own" which was good enough for them. MaGoo isn't a smart man and it's time to unmask these failures. Is that asking too much? I mean we really need someone who isn't a C average or below.

[FourScore]

159. k/r

[jennydabud]

163. the truth about palins lies

site has a lot of info you dont see in mainstream media...very worthwhile...makes sense shes a total liar about the kid..

palininvestigation.com

[Vidar]

165. Obama was neither my first nor second choice, but i like him better & better.

[fortyfeetunder]

167. We have to beat on the mainstream media to publish things like this:

Cross post from Editorials...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x384116

Send the Seattle Times a Thank You for publishing this editorial!