The Buzz
- The McCain campaign is keeping up its terrorism offensive against Obama with another morning conference call leveling some nasty charges at the Dem nominee over his support for the SCOTUS decision to grant Habeas to Gitmo detainees. The call featured McCain national security adviser Randy Scheunemann as well as surprise guest Fred Thompson to speak on behalf of former rival McCain. This was Fred’s first public appearance on behalf of McCain during the general campaign, perhaps generating some excitement with the conservative crowd that Thompson still enjoys great support from. Fred merely went along with the campaign rhetoric over Obama’s handling of the detainee issue and his overall ability to carry out the GWOT. It was Scheunemann who dropped the biggest bombshell, coming on after Fred to make some follow-up points and to blurt out that it must be known that a prospective Obama administration would pose a “a national security threat to the United States.” No initial reaction from either the McCain or Obama campaigns to this ratcheting up of tensions over terrorism.
- The fears that Hillary Clinton’s heated rhetoric against Obama used in the primary campaign could come back to haunt the Dems if Republicans put the criticism to use have come to fruition. As part of a surprisingly strong anti-Obama push on terrorism and national security this week, the McCain campaign has been “recycling” some of Hillary’s strongest jabs at Obama earlier this year. Getting the most play as of now are HRC’s famous broadsides over Obama’s lack of experience and her quote that Obama is “naive” when it comes to foreign policy. Surrogates like Giuliani and others have been repeating these lines on the near-daily conference calls to question Obama’s positions on the GWOT.
- McCain’s well-known plan to eliminate the federal gas tax has hit a self-induced roadblock as McCain himself backs away from that possibility during a campaign swing through Missouri. In an interview with the Springfield newspaper, McCain admitted that the gas tax proposal isn’t the best plan to bring relief to consumers and that it’s “doubtful” that such a plan could pass Congress.
- Wary of campaign shenanigans and the consequences of the McCain campaign on the cusp of going negative so early in the general, the Obama camp has been on an Axelrod-fueled mission to tweak the image of Michelle and “tighten control” of the Obama brand in an effort to project nothing but a proud and patriotic American who has some differences with his opponent. So Michelle does a sunny hosting job on “The View,” Barack gets emotional about hat he loves about America while spending more time with rural and working class voters, and the campaign cracks down on who is seen behind the candidate for all of his speeches. The flap over the two Muslim women was no accident, according to a NY Tims piece detailing the vast overhaul the campaign is carrying out. It’s meant to cement a positive public image of Obama long before voters start paying attention to these details and also preempting any late summer/early fall “smear” campaigns from the GOP or Right Wing groups.
- Obama will be at a mayors conference in Miami tomorrow, starting another mini-swing through Florida as his staff there takes shape, hiring top Florida strategists and opening a Tampa HQ. The campaign may be planing for contingencies that include losing FLA, but all indications are that they will fight hard for the Sunshine State until the polls project certain failure. And that’s not the case as Obama takes a slim lead over McCain in the state for the first time.
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Florida is worth “fighting” for (contrary to David Plouffe’s suggested strategy and analysis of winning). Florida has been through the ringer twice, first in 2000 with Gore vs Bush and more recently with the DNC stripping its delegates down to half a vote in violation of Party rules. Obama needs to portray the sense that he cares about Florida as much as he does the swing states that may determine the election; that Florida is just as “special” as is Iowa and New Hampshire; you know, plug-in the appropriate state as you campaign your message of “change” across America.
Hillary may also have to do a few high profile campaign ads for Obama so as to blunt or dismiss all of her pre-Nomination rhetoric of Obama not being experienced, ready, nor having the leadership qualities. Otherwise, the Republicans will have a hay-day and will be able to save on expensive production by rehashing Hillary’s commentary against Obama, the first being “Shame on You Obama” followed by “Meet Me in Ohio”: I’m John (hhahaha) McCain and (hahahahahaa) and I approve (hahahah) of this Republican (hhaha) ad (hahhahahahaaaaaaa).