CNN: Caffetry wants to know if Obama should "go negative" on Grampy McBush

[Amerigo Vespucci]

August 20, 2008
Polls tighten, should Obama go negative?
Posted: 02:09 PM ET



http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/20/polls-tighten-should-obama-go-negative/

FROM CNN’s Jack Cafferty:

The polls indicate the presidential race is tightening.

CNN’s latest poll of polls shows Barack Obama leading John McCain by just one point — 45 to 44 percent. That’s down from a 3-point lead in yesterday’s average of polls and down considerably from a few weeks ago.

While Obama was vacationing in Hawaii last week — McCain had the stage almost all to himself. Suddenly the Russians rolled into Georgia and McCain was in the catbird seat. Also some of McCain’s negative ads — a la Paris Hilton and Britney Spears “celebrity” spot — seem to have resonated with voters. And it looks like McCain made inroads with some members of the Republican base with his interview at Rick Warren’s church.

All of this creates a problem for Barack Obama who has gone out of his way to run a positive campaign based on the issues, and for the most part has chosen not to engage in the schoolyard stuff that characterizes U.S. politics. He may no longer have that luxury.

Obama is now out with some hard-hitting tv ads running in local markets in key battleground states. He spent 400-thousand dollars on Sunday alone to run two negative spots — more than 600 times — focusing on the economy and McCain… in places like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida.

These new ads have been complemented with a tougher tone on the stump where Obama is going after McCain for saying Iraqis would greet Americans as liberators and for challenging Obama’s patriotism.

Some Democratic strategists say Obama’s aggressive tone reflects the reality of the race and say he should have gotten tougher sooner.

Here’s my question to you: In light of tightening polls, does Barack Obama have to go negative against John McCain?

[scheming daemons]

1. He already has...... in ads that are running in battleground states...

[polichick]

2. Cafferty has been pretty tough on McCain lately - one of the few on CNN who will go there.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

3. BO doesn't need to go "negative", all he has to do

is tell the truth about Grampy McShits' policies and how they are 95% identical to the failed policies of His Chimperial Majesty.

[liberaldem4ever]

4. Voters deserve to know the truth about McCain

And if Republicans want to call that negative, too bad for them. If running honest, negative ads help elect Obama, then run a million of them. Our country cannot take another 4 years of McCain/Bush/NeoCon policy. Neither can the world.

Republicans don't understand anything but fighting fire with fire. We have a far better candidate than they do, and everybody needs to know it.

[depakid]

5. How about simply telling the truth

in no uncertain terms and repeating it over and over with all of the money folks have given to the campaign?

:shrug:

[elehhhhna]

6. Yep.. Just "go honest". And fast!