McCain aide: Strategy "is to attack Biden and try to drive a wedge between him and Obama"

[ClarkUSA]

Yeah, good luck on that.

Gov. Sarah Palin has lost control of her public image, several top-level McCain advisers said this weekend, and even
a baseline performance in Thursday's debate with Joe Biden may be too late to recover it.

The decision to sequester Palin from the national political press corps was made with the assumption that the afterglow
from her convention speech would last; a month later, even some Republicans are beginning to have a less favorable
opinion of her...Internally and to surrogates, senior campaign aides have counseled a "criticize the media" approach,
but it has fallen on deaf ears.

A major worry is that if Palin fails to meet expectations Thursday, she'll have no trampoline to fall back on...Instead
of unsheathing Palin, the strategy this week is to attack Joe Biden and try to drive a wedge between him and
Obama, another McCain aide said.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/the_great_palin_panic_of_2008.php

Miss Piggy has already previewed her attacks on Biden during today's rally in Ohio: "I remember his speeches from when I
was in the second-grade." :eyes:

[Shakespeare]

1. Second grade, Sarah? Not fucking likely.

She's my age, so the earliest he'd have hit her radar--assuming he ever really did--would've been in the late 80s.

Complete bullshit.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. To be fair, she was held back several times.

[Shakespeare]

8. I doubt she'd have been in second grade at the age of 24.

[Hutzpa]

15. She probably was,

considering her knowledge and responses to questions,
who knows, :shrug: 'from her mouth to God's hear'

[anonymous171]

3. lol That's a really dumb strategy.

[Alter Ego]

4. I would think attacking Biden would push Obama and him closer together.

Fucking idiots. If that's their plan they are so deep down the rabbit hole they shouldn't be fucking DOG CATCHERS.

[Schulzz]

5. If they attack Biden, his rallies might actually get covered by the MSM.

I don't think this will help them at all.

[zulchzulu]

6. Palin is guaranteed to be a laughingstock on Friday morning

Biden will pick her apart piece by piece if she tries to attack him on issues she can barely even remember as talking points.

It is going to be deliciously mesmerizing watching her fumble and fall.

[napi21]

7. Sorry, but I don't see that happening! If they're trying to portray

Biden as being too old with that Palin remark, that's going to come across as a JOKE! Biden is younger and much more capable that her own running mate!

[jberryhill]

9. Oh good luck with that... the entire point is they're not clones

Republicans never seem to understand that having a "hive mind" is not a strength.

[vaberella]

10. I'm sure she was hearing McCain's speech when she wasn't even a glimmer in her mum's eye. n/t

[liberal N proud]

11. Both Biden and Obama are smarter than that

[Abacus]

12. Odd, that would seem to play into one of Obama's strengths

The more they distinguish the two from each other, the more it looks like Obama really does choose to work with people with whom he disagrees.

[blondeatlast]

14. Exactly. nt

[blondeatlast]

13. so they aren't in--what's the overused word here on DU--it's right there, dammit...

LOCKSTEP! that's it!

What's WRONG with that?

[Debi]

16. Actually she said she remembered his speeches from when she was 'like' in the second grade

Like, totally, ya know dude??? :crazy:

Biden and Obama ran against each other for a year and are now teamates...there is no wedge to drive between them. They've both commented on Obama not wanting a 'yes' man as his VP and both are intelligent and have their own (good) ideas. They also both acknowledge that Obama is the one running for President and will seek out and listen to JRB's advice. In the other camp, John McCain has had to spend his Sunday talk show time 'correcting' or 'editing' Palin's comments (and not to smiley when he does it!)

Who is having a wedge driven between them?

Not our guys!

[napi21]

17. I think we're misinterpreting their statement.

Instead of unsheathing Palin, the strategy this week is to attack Joe Biden and try to drive a wedge between him and
Obama, another McCain aide said.

I don't think they meant PALIN would attack Biden. I think they meant THEY would do the attacking all this week. Yes, sometimes with her attempted jokes in any speeches she does, but the rest of the surrogates. I doubt they were referring to Debate Night.

[Debi]

20. They've already started attacking Biden - using ads with his comments in them

Setting Obama up to either defend or ignore the attacks - of course Biden doesn't need Obama defending him, he can do that himself. Has McCain forgot that he served with Biden all these years? And that Biden HAS a strong memory? And a strong mind??? Just a stupid, stupid tactic by their campaign.

[napi21]

23. OF COURSE Biden can defend himself, and he's very good at it!

The other thing this COULD BE is bait to get Biden or Obama to personally attack Sarah. I think both guys are too smart to do that.

[Debi]

26. Oh yeah - McCain/Palin seems to have forgotten that Biden and Obama

have both ran races against women before.

Poor campaign...just throwing whatever they can and seeing what might stick....*sigh*

[ClarkUSA]

28. Palin is an integral part of their team strategy, no?

And it has started -- today.

[ClarkUSA]

29. dupe

[BurtWorm]

18. Drive a wedge between Biden and Obama?

"Joe, I'm sorry to break this to you, but Barack has been calling you Bidiehead behind your back!"

:eyes:

[sufrommich]

19. What would the wedge be?

They're running around in circles,wringing their hands at this point.Pathetic.

[Bread and Circus]

21. Obama Camp: "This is just another desperate campaign stunt used

by the McCain campaign in order to distract you from the real serious issues at stake. Rather than focus on the Middle Class, McCain would rather focus on campaign antics".

[Bucky]

22. Maybe he means get voters to think supporting Biden isn't the same as supporting Obama

As in "I think Biden is cool, but that guy who Biden wholeheartedly supports is a total waste."

Can anyone see a flaw in this cunning plan?

[gingersnaps1]

24. Um, she knows McCain is older than Joe Biden, right?

If she was in second grade when Joe was first making speeches then her parents were fetuses when McCain crashed his first aircraft.

[maxsolomon]

25. if she was born in 1964

second grade was 1971-72. she graduated HS (12th grade) in 1982.

biden was elected in NOVEMBER of 1972. so, he started in the senate when she was in THIRD grade.

LIES!!!!

[Debi]

27. The facts get them every time!!

:hi:

[AspenRose]

31. Unless she got held back or something

:dunce:

[CakeGrrl]

30. Maybe they think Obama vetted Biden as poorly as McCain vetted Palin

Wrong.

I think Obama/Biden are already out in front of that tactic.

Like everything else, I'm looking forward to this blowing up loudly in their faces. If they can't unleash the pitbull with lipstick, they don't have much left.