McCain Adviser Won't Fight Obama

[AtomicKitten]

... because he's too damn awesome!

McCain Adviser Won't Fight Obama
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/02/mccain-adviser.html

February 13, 2008 6:48 PM

ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: On Wednesday, a top adviser to John McCain said more definitively than he has in the past that he will step down from the Arizona senator's presidential campaign if the presumed GOP nominee faces Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in the general election.

"I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama," said McCain adviser Mark McKinnon in an interview with NPR's "All Things Considered." "I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign."

McKinnon, who was a Democrat before serving as President Bush's ad maker in 2000 and 2004, said that he plans to be behind McCain "100 percent" no matter who the Democratic nominee is. He explained, however, that if the Democrats nominate Obama, he will be supporting McCain "from the sidelines."

While saying that he does not agree with Obama on every issue, McKinnon gushed about the Illinois Democrat.

"I met Barack Obama, I read his book, I like him a great deal," said McKinnon. "I disagree with him on very fundamental issues. But I think, as I said, I think it would a great race for the country."

[displacedtexan]

1. Do you remember Mark McKinnon from 2000?

LINK

Maverick Media was the advertising team for the Bush-Cheney 2000 and Bush-Cheney 2004 campaigns.

According to the April 12, 2004, print edition of Advertising Age, "Maverick Media has come up in the world since it first worked for George W. Bush four years ago. Eight stories, in fact, to that lofty floor-with-view in a nondescript Arlington, Virginia office building containing the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign headquarters. It's far from the windowless Austin, Texas bomb shelter that housed the ad team during Mr. Bush's first run at the White House."

In March 2004 alone, the Bush-Cheney campaign "paid almost $41 million... to Maverick Media Inc, a consulting firm set up by Mark McKinnon, Mr. Bush's media adviser, to handle advertisements. Campaign officials said the money covered television time in March and beyond, as well as production costs."<1>

Of the top 50 recpients of the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign money, Maverick Media received half, totaling over $170 million.<2>

A former Maverick Media staff person, Juanita Yvette Lozano of Austin, Texas, pled guilty "to charges stemming from her release of the Bush Campaign's debate preparation materials to former Congressman Tom Downey, a close associate of former Vice President Al Gore... Lozano admitted that she gathered and copied more than 120 pages of debate preparation documents and a 60-minute video tape of a private debate preparation session involving Bush and his key advisors... Lozano sent the materials to Downey in an Express Mail package using the name 'Amy Smith' and a false return address. According to the indictment, the package included a cover note bearing the name 'Amy' which described the materials and stated, 'I will call you soon to find out what other materials can be useful to the VP.' After receiving the package on September 13, 2000, Downey reported the matter to the FBI and turned the materials over to them. Downey removed himself from any further role in Gore's debate preparation."<3>

Yep, that Mark McKinnon.

I wouldn't believe anything he says.

[AtomicKitten]

3. Um, it's mentioned in the piece I posted.

The point is that they KNOW Obama is unstoppable and that trying to go negative on him in the GE will not be good, for them.

[displacedtexan]

5. I just don't trust any of them. They're too sneaky.

I have a very bad feeling when such an evil guy (McKinnon) says he
won't attack.

[AtomicKitten]

6. Obama is creating a new political paradigm.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

4. self delete...reply was meant to the OP

[jlake]

2. Yeah. The real question is: Why would you take him for his word?

[FrenchieCat]

7. This all makes sense!

In today's Ohio press.....fascinating article!

Ohio Republicans pulling for Clinton to win per Ohio Press

One of the worst-kept secrets of the Ohio presidential primary is that Republican Party leaders have a candidate they are rooting for on the Democratic side.
Her name is Hillary Rodham Clinton; and they believe that if she wins the Ohio primary and goes on to become the Democratic nominee, she will be the one who unites their dispirited and divided party and gives them their best chance of keeping the White House this fall.
It is a belief that the Clinton campaign says is wrong; and they will campaign across the state for the next three weeks making the argument that their battle-tested, experienced candidate is the only one who can go toe-to-toe with John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee.

'HIGH NEGATIVES'
To hear Republicans tell it, they're rooting for Clinton.
"There is no doubt about it," said John Becker, a Clermont County Republican who represents much of southern Ohio on the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee. "There is nobody who can consolidate and energize the Republican Party like Hillary Clinton. It will get the people out and the money will flow."
Part of it is that Clinton has what pollsters call "high negatives."
A USA Today poll this month showed that as many Americans had an unfavorable view of Clinton - 49 percent - as a favorable view (48 percent). The same poll showed Barack Obama's unfavorable rating at 34 percent, and his favorable rating at 58 percent. The Feb. 8-10 poll of 1,016 adults nationwide has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/NEWS01/802140346/1056/COL02

[AtomicKitten]

8. Wow! The strategy that is being fleshed out is fascinating.

Obama presents a real sticky-wicket for the GOP, and I'm loving every minute of it!