WP: McCain Driving Debate, But Some Fear Swerving - GOP Insiders Want More Consistent Theme

[Pirate Smile]

McCain Driving Debate, But Some Fear Swerving
GOP Insiders Want More Consistent Theme

By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, June 22, 2008; Page A06

In the two weeks since Barack Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee, John McCain has demonstrated a knack for driving the daily political debate, forcing his opponent to respond to a challenge to meet in town hall debates, accusing him of being "delusional" about terrorism and saying he flip-flopped on public financing for his campaign.

But even as McCain's strategists claim tactical victories, Republicans outside the campaign worry that underlying weaknesses in its organization and message are costing him valuable time to make the case for his own candidacy.
Allies complain that the campaign has offered myriad confusing themes that lurch between pitching McCain as a committed conservative one day and an independent-minded reformer the next, while displaying little of the discipline and focus that characterized President Bush's successful campaigns.

Several Republican supporters of the presumptive nominee said they were puzzled by a series of easily avoidable mistakes, including sloppy political stagecraft and poorly timed comments that undercut McCain's reputation as a maverick.
The grumbling intensified last week when McCain launched a television commercial declaring that he had "stood up" to Bush on global warming, on the same day he traveled to Houston to call for lifting the federal ban on offshore drilling.

Critics said the ad's message about the differences between McCain and Bush was lost when Bush endorsed the same coastal drilling proposal the next day.
"I'm baffled that the McCain guys have somehow managed to take a guy who practically had 'reform' tattooed to his forehead and turned him into the bastion of the status quo," said one Republican strategist, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The veteran strategist, who has not been asked to join the campaign, said the "devastating me-too chorus from Bush and Cheney" on oil drilling is a "great example of the schizophrenia that surrounds their campaign."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/21/AR2008062101570.html?hpid=topnews

[tularetom]

1. "Driving the debate" LOL

He's "driving" it right into a 15 point deficit in the polls.

Whatever he's doing he should do twice as much of it.

[DJ13]

2. McCain isnt driving anything, the MSM is driving for him

Thats part of the problem with McCains dependance on a friendly (to him) MSM to formulate his message.

They arent exactly known for a straightforward approach to anything.

[vixengrl]

3. Some day, someone is going to ask John McCain--

maybe at some kind of townhall meeting, one little question,

"Senator is there anything, anything at all, that you have not flip-flopped on? Because..." and adding this point should strike fear in the candidate's heart, "I have made a study of your career and am aware of *many* of your reversals. Can you think of a thing you have not changed your position on?"

Now, at this point he can do two things. He can say he has always been consistent about...well, I think he's always been consistently pro-life, although he's been fuzzy on the when and why it's occasionally maybe okay to terminate--but he can say some position, and either he has flip-flopped on it (Epic Fail) or he actually knows of one thing he's always been good on (minor win.) Or, he can say his positions have been flexible because in his experience, blah the blah...and look like a tool, while the flip-flip meme is still majorly out there.

Somebody who gets to go a McCain event...do this thing, okay? I can't go, GOPers always smell the Dirty Hippie on me (even when I wear pearls and sensible shoes), but if you have a clean, fresh, smart-looking haircut and the time to kill....

(My grammar done told me, I was a poor typist...so I did an edit...duh.)

[justgamma]

4. I've always wanted to ask them all.

"You took an oath to defend the constitution. How have you defended the constitution lately?"

I'd love to hear McSame's answer.

[vixengrl]

5. Just judging from what he's said in Re: the Boumediene decision

and what kind of SCOTUS justices he'd want to pick, he'd have a hard time arguing he's Mr. Constitutional. Like the economy, I think that's another thing he isn't too schooled on.

[anonymous171]

6. These days it's all about message control. nt