Tell me if you think I'm a bad person for suggesting this

[Happyhippychick]

I think it's time to go after McCain's vietnam record. I think it's time to go after that woman he had the affair with and get her to speak about what really happened. I think it's time to fight dirty. I'm sick and tired of taking the high road, of having integrity, and losing elections. I can take the high road again after we win but there are too many lives at stake if these horrible people win again.

Is it wrong?

[FrenchieCat]

1. At least the Keating 5 scandal.....if nothing else.

Maybe we can do it. We could write a bunch of LTTEs asking them about providing some background for that story.

[NYC_SKP]

2. LTTE's, do it at Obama's website:

Thanks to kevinmc,

http://my.barackobama.com/page/speakout/

:hi:

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. The media would rally around him like crazy

I am all for the negative, and unfair negative is often the most effective, but POW stuff is one of those rare attacks that could actually back-fire because it's hard to imagine anyone on TV supporting it.

Half of Obama's surrogates would refuse to play along.

The media out-cry would be so bad that it could even hurt down-ticket. Lots of of candidates would distance themselves from Obama.

And, most importantly, it doesn't match an existing narrative.

On the other hand, saying McCain is senile is a good "nuclear-option" attack. You take a hit for being Mr. Nasty, but everything McCain does going forward gets run through the "Senile" lens.

[Happyhippychick]

6. Rove managed to turn a war hero into a criminal (Kerry) - I'm not so sure that it wouldn't work.

[Unsane]

14. Agreed. Going after McCain's military record in any regard is grade A moronic.

[kurtboss]

4. Not Really

The Dems should have had Obama's back in all this negative crap. But, and I could be wrong, I think they overplayed their hand. I think this Moses ad is political retardation. I think the it isn't Presidential and makes McCain look like an idiot. So there may be no need, he may have jumped the shark today. But, to be honest, people seem to be taking far more seriously on here then me, so maybe not.

If you're concerned, yeah, the "Shiny Objects" theory is what you're going for. Hot button issues that will derail the plan to make this a referendum on Obama. You go after sex/drugs/vietnam/abortion/nukes/9-11/race and the media will cover it. But you need someone put out the ad, you need to reinforce McCain=Bush's third term as well.

[babylonsister]

5. How 'bout the crooks he has working for him? Why isn't that an issue?

:grr:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x374148

[Fleshdancer]

7. I'm good to go with the Keating scandal, the lobbyist, and his divorce....

No matter what you say about his Vietnam record, people aren't going to listen and it'll probably just backfire.

[madville]

15. Keating 5 is so boring though

and McCain was cleared while 3 Democrats were found guilty of wrongdoing. Plus it was 20 years ago and doesn't involve sex, drugs, race or religion everyone would :boring:

[Youphemism]

8. It's wrong in the sense that it's a losing issue...

McCain has very weak support among the hard-line republican base. The way to mobilize them quickly would be to start attacking the record of a Vietnam vet.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that some attacks are in order... I think they'll be coming. Obama is smart, though. Those attacks will come from surrogates and outside groups.

But attacking a war vet on a war record -- even if you have a fair amount of evidence -- is a losing issue. Like others have said, if you're really going on the offensive, the Keating scandal is more recent... and even that is pretty old. He's flip-flopped and gaffed so many times since 2000, there's plenty of attack fodder for nailing him without bringing up the military service issue.

[grillo7]

9. For Barack, yes. For us, no.

We have to do what we can to win this, but Obama can't go into the gutter himself. Look at the 2004 campaign, for example. The swiftboat ads worked very well, but Bush himself "condemned" them. We need to use a similar strategy. Certainly though, Obama needs to be calling out McCain as a flip-flopper and a liar.

[BlooInBloo]

10. +1

[me b zola]

11. No, you are not a bad person for your thought & suggestion

I just don't think that it's the way to go. Republicans have always been able to attack in the most unscrupulous ways that go w/o challenge. If a Dem were to attack in the same way they would be tarred, feathered, and run out of public service/life.

I do think it is wise to remind viewers about the purple band-aides (the band-aides are a visual image that reaches a part of a person's brain that speech does not). The republicans, when they had nothing else to run on in 2004 thought it wise to trash the service of a war hero--and it worked on enough people--remind people of this. Draw a graphic enough picture that the un-informed voter can connect the dots with the crap from 2004 being replayed now (different candidates, some different issues, same bogus campaign by the gop).

Also, here's my thought on a meme that we should be: exploiting...http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6572084

[DesertFlower]

12. not vietnam.

the keating 5 -- yes. and as we speak i have a feeling that moveon.org are trying to get the people who heard him call his wife a cunt to come forward.

an you're not a bad person.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Someone Needs to Talk about McInsane's ANGER Management Issues

:nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke::nuke:

Maybe do a remake of the "Daisy" ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKs-bTL-pRg

with the mushroom cloud at the end morphing into this:

[bigwillq]

16. Obama can't.

But we can have other DEMS be attack dogs for him.

[rasputin1952]

17. There is no reason to walk down that dark path...

McCain is imploding before our eyes...let him destroy himself.

I have hoped for "High Road" politics for ages...we're finally seeing something new and bright...I don't want to return to the darkness of negativity. We have a chance to see the sun rise on this nation once again...let's take the High Road and walk into the future w/our heads held high and proud...:)