Mixed Bag

If it's Wednesday, it's time again for this week's assorted bag of thoughts on the Presidential Campaign.

One of the interesting arguments I have heard for choosing a running mate is that John McCain is giving Slithering Mitt Romney because of his ability to help him win Michigan. While it's true Mitt Romney won the Republican primary, he did so with less than 40%. He outspent McCain by a mile and still didn't crack 40%. In fact his vote totals barely beat the uncommitted vote in the Democratic Party contest that didn't count. Now somehow as a Vice President he is going to bring in the votes in Michigan?

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You have to love how smart Obama's response ad was to McCain's Britney Spears/Paris Hilton ad. Watch it closely. Notice the McCain in black and white tones in grainy photos. Key phrases "politics of the past" "same old politics" "same old failed policies". Add in the obligatory photos of Bush and you have the trifecta. 1 Remind votes that McCain is too old to be President 2 tie him to the worst president in history and 3. Not be overtly negative.



Pretty effective marketing compared to McCain's over the top ads.

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Speaking of over the top McCain ads, Jack Tapper has another winner in his post today.

New McCain Ad Bashes Obama for Not Visiting Troops Using Footage of Obama Visiting Troops

That's a post where the headline just says it all.

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With all the talk of Obama being all style and no substance coming from the McCain campaign, these petty ads are going to undermine their ability to show their candidate as a candidate of substance.

That said a Republican operative recently said about the election "if the Election is about John McCain, we lose, if it is about Barack Obama we have a chance". That's probably true and will make for a very rough campaign, but how do you sell McCain on a strategy telling him that he needs to be downplayed?

Here's a taste of where this is going from the Tennessee Senatorial Race. This is how they went after Harold Ford.

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Lastly, do you think that the 2008 election is shaping up to be another "culture of corruption" campaign? Ted Stevens, DOJ scandal, Karl Rove contempt. You gotta wonder if all this is going to bubble up with the Keating Five scandal to remind people of McCain's past ethics lapses.

Is Tom Delay in jail yet?

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Ok, no lastly because I forgot something. Since when is there a complete news blackout around the Olympics? If a VP were announce during the Olympics, would it get less coverage because of the butterfly stroke swimming final or the Synchronized swimming awards presentation? Give me a break. Sure some people still watch the Olympics, but it's not like everything else gets put on hold. It is hardly the NBA finals.