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Fire the Campaign
New York Times ^ | 10/13/08 | William Kristol

Posted on 10/13/2008 1:21:13 AM PDT by MartinaMisc

It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign.

He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

He may be anyway. Bush is unpopular. The media is hostile. The financial meltdown has made things tougher. Maybe the situation is hopeless — and if it is, then nothing McCain or his campaign does matters.

But I’m not convinced by such claims of inevitability. McCain isn’t Bush. The media isn’t all-powerful. And the economic crisis still presents an opportunity to show leadership.

The 2008 campaign is now about something very big — both our future prosperity and our national security. Yet the McCain campaign has become smaller.

What McCain needs to do is junk the whole thing and start over. Shut down the rapid responses, end the frantic e-mails, bench the spinning surrogates, stop putting up new TV and Internet ads every minute. In fact, pull all the ads — they’re doing no good anyway. Use that money for televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time.

And let McCain go back to what he’s been good at in the past — running as a cheerful, open and accessible candidate. Palin should follow suit. The two of them are attractive and competent politicians. They’re happy warriors and good campaigners. Set them free.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2008; itstheeconomystupid; kristol; mccain; mccainpalin; obama
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To: MartinaMisc

I just saw Bill Kristol on the FNC this morning saying McCain needs to stop attacking Obama and focus on attracting independent voters. According to Kristol, the ‘Obama attacks’ only appeal to the right-wing, which will be voting for McCain, anyway. Bill Kristol can kiss my “Howard Dean”!

(Oops, looks the the ‘bad word’ filter caught me there...)


81 posted on 10/13/2008 6:20:40 AM PDT by MarkLevinFan
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To: MartinaMisc

McCain must be doing something right, he’s closing the gap in most reliable polls. Or maybe the public just doesn’t want Obama.


82 posted on 10/13/2008 6:21:18 AM PDT by Proudcongal (POW/WOW '08)
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To: nonkultur

bump


83 posted on 10/13/2008 6:23:03 AM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: All

I just saw Bill Kristol on the FNC this morning saying McCain needs to stop attacking Obama and focus on attracting independent voters. According to Kristol, the ‘Obama attacks’ only appeal to the right-wing, which will be voting for McCain, anyway.


84 posted on 10/13/2008 6:25:14 AM PDT by MarkLevinFan
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To: patriot08

I reckon I’m kinda lucky this morning ... can’t see the comments on any given article. Bet this one ends as a Kristol bashing party, totally ignoring that McCain’s campaign has been disorganized and practically useless. Oh, and one or two folks with a couple of pages of links. How am I doing?


85 posted on 10/13/2008 6:31:59 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde (America: Home of The Free Because of The Brave)
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To: MartinaMisc
The problem isn't the campaign. The problem is the candidate. No amount of rearranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic could save it so neither can shaking up a candidate's campaign save a bad candidate. People have the impression McCain doesn't want to win - or care. In the final debate of the election later this week, McCain can tell the American people why he's in this race at all.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

86 posted on 10/13/2008 6:37:12 AM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: MartinaMisc

McCain needs to hotfoot it all the way to the White House...


87 posted on 10/13/2008 6:40:22 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana (McCain/Palin Now that's a ticket that deserves a tagline)
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To: MartinaMisc; patriot08
"HOW LONG CAN THEY IGNORE A MILLION EMAILS??"

About three more weeks.

The insiders are on a roll here folks. They don't need us, and they don't care about us.

Assuming you actually want John McCain to win, you are way too late with this. He has his campaign, and he is not about to receive his marching orders from the likes of you out here in the cheap seats.

McCain is not the candidate you thought he was, and now we see more proof of that.

It's too bad you can't see it.

Get ready for the New World Order. Lord O'bama, and his new country; The People's Socialist Not-a-Republic of the Western Hemisphere.

And all the chains you can wear.

88 posted on 10/13/2008 6:40:58 AM PDT by Designer (We are SO scrood!)
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To: stocksthatgoup
Taking advice from Bill Kristol is almost as bad as taking advice from Bob Schrum.

Amen to that. Kristol is wrong more than he's right . . . and he panics easily.

McCain's campaign has snatched the spotlight from Obama on two major occasions when O was cruising along thinking it was all his: by launching the Paris Hilton ad on O's return from Europe, and by naming Sarah Palin the day after Obama's Messiah extravaganza in Denver. I think the McCain campaign has more arrows in its quiver. Let them play it out.
89 posted on 10/13/2008 6:50:43 AM PDT by chickadee
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To: MartinaMisc
He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

Too late. McCain showed me his stripe in one of his campaign rallies last week, sound and video bytes televised. He showed me (and the world) he simply doesn't have the stones to DO what it takes to win. This is a war for the heart and soul of our nation. There is no Marquis de Queensbury here. Politics is a blood sport and it's being played today on a level where the outcome will determine our nation's future. The Dems are saying the same thing and more importantly are ACTING that way in every manner shape and form, including the dirty dealings by surrogates. I don't advocate that, but we at least have to tackle certain issues head on and McCain shut that down hard last week at those rallies. Obama's heritage, family background and personal life have to be a target or we're really toast. There is nothing new in this kind of political tactic. What's new (and disheartening) is his refusal to go there when it's needed to preserve the Republic.

If McCain wins this one, it will be in spite of himself. It will be because the independent voters decided on their own that something either doesn't pass the smell test or they're just plain scared for the lives of themselves and their families over the fears that a weak administration will bring on another 911, perhaps a WMD event. OTOH, the gunowners will have to understand the threat an Obama/Biden ticket presents to their long range freedoms. Heller could be overturned by an ultra antigun court likely to be confirmed in an administration that might offer filibuster proof coattails in the Congress. Don't underestimate the GUN VOTE. They proved their bipartisan clout in our previous elections when Kerry failed to hoodwink the voters and even earlier when Gore literally put the reasons for his loss on the doorstep of the NRA. Gore and Clinton both acknowledged this fact. Personally I think Barry is too arrogant and too stupid to see this one lurking just under the surface and it shows in his remarks to various audiences. The blizzard of ads might not, in fact probably won't have much of an effect on the precise groups they target. Except as an irritant.

90 posted on 10/13/2008 6:52:02 AM PDT by ExSoldier (Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.)
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To: MartinaMisc

Bill Kristal was on Fox this morning spouting this nonsense.

You wanna give the NObama campaign more ammunition for the “erratic” label? Fire your entire staff three weeks out from the election.

Idiot. (Kryistal, not you, Martina)


91 posted on 10/13/2008 6:54:44 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: MartinaMisc

It’s not the campaign;
It’s the candidate.

If he wants to win, he’d better fight for it, no-holds-barred.

He’s not doing that. Instead, he’s comforting Americans by telling them that his opponent should not scare them.

The only way Americans aren’t going to elect Obama at this point in time, is to be “scared straight”.

- John


92 posted on 10/13/2008 6:57:03 AM PDT by Fishrrman
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To: patriot08

Kristol hyper-ventilating


93 posted on 10/13/2008 6:57:28 AM PDT by sofaman (Moses dragged us through the desert for 40 years to the one place in the ME with no oil - Golda Meir)
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To: ComputerGuy; All

Do not buy into the doomsayers, Bill Kristol included, this election has never been about McCain’s campaign advisors. It is about who you are, and what you want to preserve of your freedom. Make a plan now, to get all your friends and family to vote on election day. Period.

We will drag McCain kicking and screaming over the finish line.


94 posted on 10/13/2008 6:57:37 AM PDT by JOLLYDODGER (John McCain - Independence from foreign oil.)
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To: MartinaMisc
they’re doing no good anyway

Yeah, that's why McCain is gaining in the polls. Kristol, just shut up. What a bunch of hand-wringing pansies. I am sick of it! I thought conservatives were made of a tougher skin! This is freaking embarrassing!

95 posted on 10/13/2008 6:57:39 AM PDT by Shelayne (Gloves off, heels on, lipstick check-- Giddy up!)
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To: MartinaMisc

Kristol has lately seemed to become rather reasonable. Now he again has decided to hurt his credibility. What a dork.


96 posted on 10/13/2008 6:58:17 AM PDT by TexanToTheCore
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To: MartinaMisc

Kristol has lately seemed to become rather reasonable. Now he again has decided to hurt his credibility. What a dork.


97 posted on 10/13/2008 6:58:50 AM PDT by TexanToTheCore
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To: MartinaMisc

Why not move to Canada while you’re at it Kristol


98 posted on 10/13/2008 6:59:24 AM PDT by GerardKempf (Let's Get Over This)
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To: patriot08
I rather suspect we'd have a better chance of winning if we were to fire the candidate and let the campaign continue with these very effective ads.

If this weak candidate we have would just shut the F up and let Palin do all the talking, we'd already have a 4 point lead on the cocaine snorting guy with the muzzie sounding name.

99 posted on 10/13/2008 7:11:07 AM PDT by Lloyd227 (Class of 1998 (for the moderators who tend to think we don't support McCain enough))
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To: MartinaMisc

Just the NYT being the NYT...

This will be a McCain rout.


100 posted on 10/13/2008 7:13:22 AM PDT by RobRoy (This is comical)
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