Posted on 09/12/2008 7:05:56 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Ex-Clinton Aide: Media Tougher On Palin Sept. 12, 2008(CBS) Political Players is a continuing conversation with the leaders, consultants and activists who shape American politics. This week, CBS News' Brian Goldsmith talked with Mark Penn, a top strategist to both Clintons, about the state of the Obama campaign, and the appeal of Sarah Palin.
CBSNews.com: Sen. Obama is struggling and, in some states, dropping in the polls. Sen. McCain now has higher favorable ratings. How serious is this decline?
Mark Penn: Well, I think you're seeing a real decline after the two conventions. I think after the Democratic convention, Obama had a significant lead, indicating he had a good message. And then after the Republican convention, they reversed it. A fair reading of the polls would be that the race now is basically undecided. And [voters are] going to want to kick the tires on both campaigns and both candidates a bit more.
CBSNews.com: And what does kicking the tires on the Obama campaign involve? What would you examine if you were working there?
Mark Penn: The important thing for the Obama campaign is that they not repeat some of the errors of the last two [Democratic] campaigns that happened after the two conventions. It's important not to go back toward the base, as I think both Gore and Kerry did, but to stay on the convention message that was more in the center.
It was more about tax cuts and strengthening the economy. I think it was a message that was resonating. And so what happens in a situation like this is everybody rushes in with different pieces of advice. And it can be very hard to stay the course.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
The Obama ship is rapidly sinking...
But she can take it and deal with it as well as anyone else.
Well, ya gotta whip out that trusty tire gauge and increase the campaign's gas mileage to over 100 mpg! THAT'LL show them Saudis
bwahahahaha
Mrs. Clinton: Mark it is time for you to tell the press that the Palin cover is biased in favor of Obama. We want to help Ms. Palin overcome the objections to her nominations.
Mark Penn: Yes, my lord.
No matter what we think about mrs. Clinton and her politics, she is savvy.
The Arctic Fox needs to speak directly to the American people, just like Reagan did. She will prevail.
The Dem advisors understand that they need to stem the negative media attacks against Palin or she will continue to soar in the polls. Unfortunately, the rabid MSM and leftest dems haven’t taken their advice.
The Democrat base is already miffed that he didn't pick Hillary. The Democrat base is looking at Joe Biden and asking "Obama, what were you thinking?" And the advice here is that Obama should shift away from the base and try to capture the moderates?
You need your base on election day. Capturing your base is job #1. After you have secured your base, you go after the undecideds. Obama has not secured his base, and he is being advised not to try.
That's the advice from the Clinton camp.
So Penn is telling Obama to continue to talk out both sides of his mouth. Great strategy.
Awwww! Too bad for BHO he has to go back to the base and can’t stay in the center, thanks to his already-broken campaign promise to accept public funding. Heh! heh!
The media is going back to their 1988 play book and
trying to do a “Quayle” on Sarah Palin.
The daily drumbeat by the press and late night talk show idiots is designed to marginalize her as a joke not to be taken seriously.
If the McCain camp is smart...they will fight this tooth and nail as being sexist.
The next 8 weeks will be very interesting, frustrating, and hopefully in the end...very rewarding for our side.
Excerpt from article:
Mark Penn: Well, I think that the media is doing the kinds of stories on Palin that they’re not doing on the other candidates. And that’s going to subject them to people concluding that they’re giving her a tougher time. Now, the media defense would be, “Yeah, we looked at these other candidates who have been in public life at an earlier time.”
What happened here very clearly is that the controversy over Palin led to 37 million Americans tuning into a vice-presidential speech, something that is unprecedented, because they wanted to see for themselves. This is an election in which the voters are going to decide for themselves. The media has lost credibility with them.
The “media” works from the Democrat game book. The strategy is to run against Palin, hence the Obamites focus on Mom. Since even 5 year olds know that the Liberal so-called MSM is the marketing arm of the DNC, they will not even bother with pretense, and increase their attacks on the Vice President.
George W. Bush’s ability to stay on message no matter what curve balls were thrown at him was his strength. As it turned out, that was his strength as President, as well.
You are right.
This election is all topsy-turvy. Obama was supposed to have his base not just sewn up but hugely expanded and wildly enthusiastic. Obama was going to eat into the Republican base and make inroads in the south and west. McCain was supposed to have a disaffected and demoralized base and I read one article several months ago that said that with Arizona possibly in play he would be on the defensive throughout the Fall.
Of course, almost the exact opposite is actually taking place. The shift was happening before the conventions but with the Palin pick has accelerated hugely. People were predicting Obama would lose big in November and while it is still very early I would say that all the trends are heading for just that outcome.
I agree. And I suspect that part of Obama's difficulty may be that he doesn't see it that way. He may think that the shift is almost all Palin. That's why she's become such a target. In reality, Pailin is part of it, but -- as you say -- the shift was already lining up.
Obama lost 9 of the last 14 Democrat primaries. He had endless trouble putting Hillary away. He made a bad VP choice. He angered women in his base and within the undecided community. Things have been going down hill for Obama for months! But, apparently, he think that he can pile on Palin and end his troubles that way.
I don' thin' so.
“The Arctic Fox needs to speak directly to the American people, just like Reagan did. She will prevail.”
...yep, exactly....she’s great on TV....America saw that at the RNC...she’ll kill the Dems in a speech directly to Americans.....and BTW, I like the term “The Artic Fox” very much....I hope more people start using it.
I just wish it’d sink a little faster. He was sinking at the end of the primary season, but not fast enough for Hillary. I don’t want him afloat in the beginning of November.
A simple analysis of the campaign.
1) 60% of Americans are conservative (empirical fact based on bi-partisan battleground poll) and the other 40% are either moochers and/or libertines (perverts).
2) Therefore the only way socialists can win is by appearing to be conservative (Clintoons) or by suppressing and/or dividing the conservatives (zeroObama).
3) McCain was nominated by liberals in states with open primaries. So his polls reflected the fact that conservatives did not want to vote for him.
4) With McCain’s selection of conservative Palin conservatives now are energized and will vote nearly unanimously for him.
5) The result is McCain will win the Presidency and congress may actually become conservative! There is not much the perverts can do about this except try to lie in the MSM. With the additional possible result of riots by the Moocher/Perverts. Which will mean we can finally deal with them like the common criminals that they really are.
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