Chuck Todd on "bearhugging" Obama and Rs resentful of Ds being able "play the race card"

[Skidmore]

freely when they can't use it. First, he's saying that R contacts have been telling him the the strategy is to "bearhug" Obama and keep him in one place so that he can't control the message. Says to me that we need to quit hammering on one slight for days on end and help Obama be nimble and avoid that trap.

Second, on the race card deal, it seems to me Rs are trying to assert the right to be racist. They want to be able to say that that being called on their use of racist innuendo means that they should be entitled to use it--the old RW "reverse racism" argument.

Just wanted to get this into the hopper.

[speedoo]

1. I think Chuck Todd is, as usual, on target.

Obama's ability to be nimble is one of his greatest assets and one that will probably cause McWhine to blow up. Maybe in one of the debates, more likely in a "presser" or "avail".

Those DUers who demand that Obama respond immediately to every McWhine attack don't seem to understand this. The rethugs are trying to pin him down, corner him, and that's the last thing he will allow them to do.

[jefferson_dem]

2. Agreed.

A copy/paste of my comment last night ---

I just don't think Obama stands to gain if he gets into a rank pissing contest with McLame. It's obvious that's what McLame wants.

I say hit back ... but with substance. Cream McLame for going negative not because it says something about his shitty character (which should be clear) but because McLame wants to avoid talking about the real concerns of real people. Basically, Obama should go with a "he's out of touch, doesn't feel your pain (a la Bill in 1992), and desperately wants to distract the American people from the issues that really matter, because he would lose. American's don't want Chimpy, Part 3." Folks are hurting and all McLame has to offer is fucking Britney and Paris. Barack started to roll out this line of attack today but the "race card bs" served as a too-tasty shiny object so it didn't get the play it deserved.

[speedoo]

6. I could not agree more. nt

[bkinsd]

4. McCain Will Blow Up

Just a matter of time. He won't be able to control that hot temper of his and it will go off some time in this campaign. Hope it is during a debate in front of 80 million viewers.

[stray cat]

8. welcome to DU!

[ErinBerin84]

3. yup, both Mika and Joe got PISSED at Andrea and Chuck Todd this morning,.

Did anyone see Chuck Todd have to talk over Mika at the end of his appearance? The only ones that benefit when race is brought up is the McCain campaign, as Chuck Todd says. Also, notice how Mika said "oh, well I just received an email from Kelly O'Donnel in the McCain campaign, and..." The faux outrage coming from the McCain campaign, which consists of some of the most disgusting swiftboaters from the Bush years, is very silly to watch.

[stray cat]

7. The media is unbelievable the way they get played by the GOP

unless of course like Joe they are getting talking points....

[Quixote1818]

5. Obama must stay away from being labeled as playing the "race card" at all costs

Other Democrats (and they need to be white) outside the campaign, can point out that there is racism going on but Obama and his campaign shouldn't go near calling the McCain campaign racist as it will blow up in their face. They want Obama to be labeled as an Al Sharpton type "black" candidate just as Hillary tried to do.

A better idea is to start running commercial after commercial showing McCain hugging Bush and morphing into him and showing all the places McCain supported Bush that were wrong. We need McCain on the defensive for being just like Bush.

[Efilroft Sul]

9. Obama could also make some hay with this image.

Courtesy of the dumbasses in the White House themselves.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/images/20050829-5_p082905pm-0125-515h.html

This photo was taken on the same day that Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. THE SAME DAY.

[Quixote1818]

10. I agree. They need to go on a full throttle blitz showing McCain as an

out of touch, elitist Bush clone who flip flops on everything. They also need to play his remarks ripping Falwell and Robertson then praising them when he needed their support. That should be played over and over and over, then ask "who is John McCain"? Obama's campaign could almost come right out and say John McCain is lying about his support for the Religious Right but wait until right before the election so they can't try to hit back with Rev. Wright.

Dems need to let Wes Clark lose again. He was doing real damage attacking McCain on his experience.

[Skidmore]

11. I'm kicking this because I think we need to pay attention to these comments made this morning.