Not a Big Truck

Over the years, and particularly during the 2000 and 2004 election seasons that featured Karl Rove at the helm of the GOP nuclear campaign submarine, I have had many discussions with friends about the nastiness of political campaigning.  Often, these conversations have concluded with some variation on the theme, “Sure, the Republicans are experts at mudslinging and dirty tricks, but the Democrats do their share of that stuff too.”

I guess that is probably true, especially if you take a step back and look at the broader sweep of history, not just a few elections.  But in recent years, and in this election, I think the Republicans really are worse.  Dishonest.  Shameless.  Relentless.

The McCain camp has made a big deal of Michelle Obama’s “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country” comment, and in recent weeks of Barack Obama’s remark that for the McCain-Palin ticket to claim the mantle of change is like putting “lipstick on a pig.”  Any reasonable observer will acknowledge that Obama was not calling Sarah Palin a pig, but rather saying that the policies of McCain (and by extension Palin) are the pig that cannot be dressed up to masquerade as change.  But the Republicans will not shut up about it.

On the other hand, Meghan McCain went on the Today Show and said, “No one knows what war is like other than my family, period!”

I don’t need to harp about how awful that is.  But what has the Obama campaign’s response been, as far as I know?  To their immense credit: nothing.  They are not trying to make an issue out of what a member of McCain’s family said.  Meghan McCain isn’t on the ticket.  The Obama campaign wants to have a discussion about the issues and not about the silly, thoughtless, ultimately insignificant remarks that are inevitably made by people on both sides.  Maybe that’s “soft,” but it makes me proud to be affiliated with the Democrats and not with the GOP of Rove, Atwater, and their disciples.

Ben Smith writes about how the Republicans are not the only folks fired-up.  Seems like Obama supporters are tired of the attacks.

This video has been making its way onto a number of blogs today.

It is incredible the extent to which The Daily Show gets it relative to other television media sources.

The McCain campaign has released a couple new ads that seem to have one purpose: create division within the Democratic Party.  Republicans are hoping these advertisements will widen the gap between the die-hard Hillary supporters and the Obama campaign.

Here are the ads.

 I don’t claim to understand the Hillary supporters.  Part of my initial interest in Obama was a feeling of anti-Clintonism. That having been said, many of these Clinton supporters, having voted in a Democratic primary, probably usually vote for the Democratic candidate.  It may be true that Obama has not done enough to kiss-up to the Clintons (morally he has done more than enough, but perhaps politically he has not), but there is always a danger of sticking one’s nose into family quarrel.

For instance, I may be able to disagree with a friend or bust on a buddy, but it is an entirely different matter for someone else to do the same. There is a real risk for the McCain campaign here. They should just sit back and let the media and the Clinton camp feed into this story of division.  That is more than enough to potentially keep Clinton supporters from backing Obama. 

The McCain campaign risks pushing matters overboard.  By no longer making the division about just Hillary and Obama, but by adding himself as a third party to this fight, it reminds those Democrats, who had been considering sinking Obama out of loyalty to Hillary, that taking such a dive would produce a McCain victory. These Hillary supporters do not instinctively support Republicans.  Reminding them that an Obama defeat will lead to a McCain victory is counterproductive for the McCain campaign.   

The McCain campaign’s new ads could very well awaken all Democrats to the external threat and could provide some unity as the civil war within the Democratic Party would cease to be seen as a test of loyalty or an abstract exercise, but rather a form of sabotage the carries with it real, concrete consequences:  a McCain victory and the death of many aspects of the Democratic platform.