Why is mcmean going negative? Cause he has NOTHING positive to sell that's why.

[Philosoraptor]

The swiftboating that worked so well against Gore and Kerry seems to be rolling off Barack's back, maybe he's finally broken the spell.

[Wetzelbill]

1. well yeah, he can't run on the Bush legacy

He can't run on his own judgment, he can't even talk remotely substantively about policies and solutions. He doesn't really know anything. He has to do two things, scare people, and take shots at Obama so that people begin to find him so unacceptable that they would vote for anybody but Obama.

It will roll off Obama for the most part, but he's a unique candidate and this is a unique situation. Republicans finally got all the power they dreamed of and they went completely batshit with it and screwed everything up. 2006 and this year are aberrations because the winds favor Dems so much, largely because the GOP has been so disastrous. But say in 2016, after 8 years of peace and prosperity under Obama, when the Bush wounds are forgotten, you might get another Gore-Bush type race again. Or look at 1976, Nixon so fucked things up, that by the time another election came around the winds looked great for Carter and the GOP was in shambles, but by 1980, they made a comeback. The GOP will bounce back with the old tactics quick enough, they'll be formidable because they are able to frame the debate so much in their favor. Like even now, after all the idiocy and the proven failures of their policies, you still find everything framed in a RW manner. Good example was the ABC debate when Charlie Gibson, after the worst economic years since the Depression with the biggest deficit in our history, practically excoriated Hillary and Obama about keeping the capital dividends tax, which effects the richest of the rich, at a certain low level.

Don't expect that to change. What needs to happen is a viable movement for progressive policies that frames the debate around progressive successes. No more blurring the lines between Dems and Repubs, but actually viable good progressive policies. In short, we don't need an unpopular war, an unpopular GOP party, president and out of touch GOP presidential candidate to win, what we need is to have a progressive movement that mirrors the modern Movement Conservative movement in the way they have effectively set the agenda and framed the debate around their ideas, no matter how miserable they are.

[liberal N proud]

2. Nothing but smear

That is all the GOP has.

[Jester Messiah]

3. I want to see some swiftboating from our side

Except, you know, the part where ours is true. What's McCain's qualification as a war hero? Losing a multi-million dollar aircraft and getting taken hostage? That's some fine soldiering there, Lou.

[zbdent]

8. It's not swiftboating if it's the truth ... that's why it's called "Swiftboating"

because they were a bunch of liars lying ...

Maybe we should call it "TruthBarges" ... since the Truth is so much bigger ...

[KharmaTrain]

4. And He's Shooting His Wad Too Soon

First of all...if you're gonna go negative, have a surrogate army in place...let them be the ones who ask the "questions"...or are quoted as the "some people say"...keep your candidate on the high road and hope your opponent steps in the muck and gets stuck.

Second, find ONE charge and turn it into a non-stop greatest hit...have it out there early and often...make it become THE issue...make it so thick that your opponent can't go anywhere without having to answer more questions about the attack and then hope he/she tries to fight back and they look desperate and weak in doing so.

Lastly, you take your shot at the proper time...shoot no to wound or injur but to maim or destroy. Usually the best time is within a month of the election...a short time span where a successful attack will not only knock your opponent off balance during those crucial final days...preventing them from closing the deal...and make sure the charge is fresh in the voters mind.

So...Gramps keeps launching attacks...he, himself...not trusting his surrogates to do it. We're still three months away from election day and Gramps not only hasn't been able to put forward a reason for people to vote for him, but these lame attacks are not selling those who aren't already a racist or PUMA or some other creatin to vote for Gramps. He looks desperate and now what does he have left? Any future attack will have less effect and the fact that none of his previous attacks have had any substance lessens any impact (short of having a picture of Obama eating a live baby).

While Gramps is running the most undisciplined and inept...an full of his own scandals that Obama has been careful NOT to play up as of yet...he doesn't need to. This election is also different in how stained the GOOP brand is...an imploding party that, I'm certain, will provide us lots of entertainment as their long knives come out follow the election. Also, Senator Obama has run an excellent campaign...he has been expecting these tactics and can brush them off and stay on his message. One major difference...Kerry never was able to set the message of the campaign, Obama can and has.

[malaise]

5. They have nothing else

and he and the Rovians do not realize that their bankrupt scorched earth policy failed in 2006.

[C_U_L8R]

6. out of a desperate lack of strategy and talent

the republicans seem to be openly wishing they were running against Paris and Brittany.
And in the process, they are succeeding in making themselves look like world-class idiots.
Let Joe Scar keep showing those ads.. they remind everyone how heinous and vacant the GOP actually is.

And Obama, once again, just brushes it off ...effortlessly.

GOBAMA.

[H2O Man]

7. Right.

Dogs bark. Cats meow. Cows moo. Every living thing reflects its nature. McCain's nature is a combination of a greedy lust for power, which is saturated with bitterness. Thus, his message could not be one of hope and change, and there are few things more pathetic than when he attempts to deliver such a message that his aides have scripted.