Why the McCain negative ad strategy won't work long term

[rhombus]

I remember Mitt Romney taking a very similar tack in Iowa. He went negative very early, his poll numbers rose for a while, but eventually the chickens came home to roost for him. Mike Huckabee, who run a positive campaign in Iowa with a shoe string budget handily beat Romney.

When you have to run negative ads this early, it tells voters that you don't have good, positive issues to campaign on. It's a double-edged sword. And for McCain who has banked his entire campaign on his "honorable" character, he's going to hit the wall with a big bang.

[slackmaster]

1. Agreed

:hi:

[Barack_America]

2. Exactly. They don't want to be doing this so early...

But the poll bump that Obama got from his trip forced their hand. If he doesn't bite and keeps all the negativity coming from them, they will box themselves into a very tight corner.

[enough]

3. Yes.

[Sparkly]

4. Seriously -- I think McCain looks like a complete asshole.

Cranky and, as you said, devoid of ideas. :shrug:

[FlaDem83]

I agree but

is it possible that McMoron will not keep this negative ad play up in the short term, take a respite, O's numbers bounce, but the McMoron goes heavily negative right before the election - like Hillary did in PA - what then? I hope that by then people will have seen through what a disgraceful sham McInsane is.

[JackORoses]

5. this is the Strategy, compadres. Obama and his Team are letting McCain define himself

But not as a principled War Hero, Maverick.
Instead he is revealing himself to the world as the worst kind of politician.
Someone who will say or do anything to win.

No Principles. No Honor. No Presidency.

[DFLforever]

6. That's how I think too

People keep comparing this to Bush and Rove but neither of them would have been so stupid as to connect these types of ads directly to Bush. That's why they used swift boaters - they didn't blow back on Bush.