McCain's Ayers Attacks Backfire

[maddezmom]

Sarah Palin was on the verge of inciting a race riot in northern Florida yesterday. At her rallies, the Republican faithful hurled a racial epitaph at a black sound man, and screamed "kill him" and "treason!" at Barack Obama.

"Boy, you guys just get it!" Palin responded. This reaction, presumably, was what Palin had in mind when she urged John McCain to "take the gloves off."

The McCain campaign initially took her advice, sending out three emails about Obama and Bill Ayers yesterday and pushing the angle hard on the news media. But by the time McCain got to debating, he made no mention of Ayers or Jeremiah Wright or Tony Rezko. For once, McCain knew better. His campaign looked supremely silly the day before, ranting about domestic terrorists from the 1960s when the Dow was plunging 800 points.

Republican commentators and strategists from across the board panned McCain's Ayers offensive. Said New York Times columnist David Brooks on the NewsHour:


McCain`s tactic over the last couple weeks or especially over the last few days has been, "I`m behind. I`ve got to go after his character." And so he`s been talking about Bill Ayers, the former Weatherman or terrorist, or however you want to put it. He`s been talking about all these other issues. And I sort of understand why he`s doing this, because you`re behind. Obama is still sort of undefined. Redefine him as somebody who`s radical and dangerous and risky.

~snip~

more:http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters/369925/mccain_s_ayers_attacks_backfire

Update:
McCain Camp releases statement from John Murtagh: "Barack Obama's friend tried to kill my family."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x7369238

So I guess this will be the plan. Next up, will be the response from the Obama campaign.
Stay tuned folks.

[tigereye]

1. hey MM!

how are ya? :hi:


It's so absurd to talk about him meeting a guy who hasn't been a Weatherman for 40 years, when Obama was a toddler.... :eyes:


The wheels have come off the straight talk express, like Obama said last night.

[maddezmom]

13. very well

:hi: I wonder if the wheels for Palin were training wheels. :D

[tigereye]

18. like your sig!

Have you read Dreams from My Father? We read it for my book group and it was great - the community organizing parts were fascinating. Reminded me of living with folks who worked for Acorn way back when.

[Billy Burnett]

2. No mention of McCain palling around with terrorists in Miami.

Like members of CANF, Alpha 66, Brigade 2506, and some of the members of other Miamicuban exile terrorist organizations.

[JackintheGreen]

7. Not to mention his own ties to David Ifshin

Another anti-war radical who he later worked with on policy initiatives, and even complimented!

[NOLALady]

3. I have to wonder if they realize

there are voters who did not think the Weathermen were terrorists.

[hughee99]

8. The voters who don't think the Weathermen were terrorists

aren't going to vote for McCain anyway.

[Egnever]

9. i think they are counting on people not knowing anything about the weathermen

interesting though to watch how history changes. The weathermen were regarded as heros to many at the time. Now they are umped in with osama just like that.

I find it extremely odd

[Kalyke]

12. And, there are voters who know Ayers was never convicted of anything.

The charges were dropped due to some violation of procedure on the justice side.

I wonder if Ayers could sue all these right-wing talk show hosts for slander. They're calling him a "domestic terrorist," when he was never convicted of any such thing.

[hughee99]

15. Though he wasn't convicted of anything,

He was a member (a founder) of a "domestic terrorist" organization. I don't think a slander suit would go anywhere.

[NOLALady]

16. One man's terrorist

is another man's patriot.

[hughee99]

17. My original point (upthread) was

the people who consider Ayers a patriot were never going to vote for McCain anyway.

"And one man's terrorist is another man's patriot" doesn't make for a legally strong slander case.

[gatorboy]

4. McCain was a coward last night.

He let's everyone work his sleaze angles for him, but when he had a chance to confront Obama on this Ayers crap himself, he couldn't do it.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. McCain renewed the Ayers attack this morning?

Are they just suicidal, or what?

With Ayers, Rezko and Wright, they have three farts in a hurricane. Not enough to get any traction with the public, but just enough to bring down the full wrath of the Obama team on them. McCain's closet is so crammed with skeletons that Obama's only problem will be picking which ones to go with, and in which order.

Had McCain stayed away from personal attacks, Obama would have done likewise. However, Obama is playing this one by Chicago rules. They bring a knife, you bring a gun. They put one of yours in the hospital, you put two of theirs in the morgue.

[KayLaw]

6. I was just watching CNN.

I could have sworn a reporter said McCain was receiving e-mails saying that the Ayers crap is working and to keep it up? Anyone else?

[mscuedawg]

10. KO's special comment the other night

...brought up the leader of the AIP and his anti-American speeches...and Palin's witch dr...

IMO....Keating...terrorized the economy

And Ayers was one of MANY in that decade that were angry at the Govt...

[GOTV]

11. RCP average went under 5 points for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Recently he was as high as 6.3.

So, I'm not sure it's backfiring. I just hope there's a short shelf life to this rumor mongering.

http://realclearpolitics.com/

[nashadvocate]

14. Attorney: Palin Must Now Be Investigated for Incitement

Article here: http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/2008/10/opinion-following-death-threat-against.html

***