OK who exactly is the Republican Presidential Candidate?

[MattBaggins]

I am now completely confused. Just saw an ad on foxjazeera from McCain and the whole add was a back and forth Palin good Obama bad. McCains only spot in the add was to say "I am John McCain..." This whole convention has been about her. Did he loose control or did he intend to get upstaged by his own VP pick.

Does he even realize that this election just became the Obama vs Palin 2008 campaign season? Has this ever happened before in political history that the Presidential candidate is pushed into the background in favor of the VP choice?

[ljm2002]

1. I noticed that also...

...and I think it is incumbent on the Obama camp to change that dynamic. Obama needs to go after McCain hard, and not let go. No more Mr. Nice Guy -- please! Hit him and hit him hard. And give her all the attention she deserves -- which is not much. Let Biden attack her.

The comparisons in this election are between Obama and McCain, and between Biden and Palin. The Republics, as usual, are muddying the waters and blurring the lines. There is no advantage to having Obama address her or any of her remarks directly, for it puts him on her level -- a trap he does not want to fall into. She is merely the VP candidate, whose main qualification is that she can revive McCain's fading "maverick" image.

McCain is a sorry-ass candidate all on his own, let Obama concentrate there. Biden can go after Palin, who has her own deficits, which Biden is uniquely qualified to point out.

[alsame]

2. David Gergen was discussing this on CNN earlier,

he said this deliberate Obama/Palin match up was a strategy to keep McCain out of the discussion, allowing him to coast through the election (I'm paraphrasing here).

[MattBaggins]

6. It's the stupidest stragtegy ever

It makes him look weak and out of control. People will realize they are being bamboozled and turn against him.

[MattBaggins]

3. I have to admit I am scratching my head on this one.

I tend to agree that Obama should redirect the focus to McCain as being the one running for President. The question is can he though? This is the repubs that are so giddy over her that they are running her and not McCain. Should we point this out and question who they intend to have running the country? This is all ready worse then the suspicions of Cheney really being in charge.


McCain is looking really feeble right now.

[ljm2002]

10. Anytime he is asked about Palin...

...he needs to answer something like this: "McCain's choice of Palin as his Vice Presidential candidate was a cynical ploy to burnish his image as a maverick. It is the only thing he has done in the last 5 years that might be remotely interpreted as the act of a maverick, that is true. Unfortunately, in passing over other highly qualified candidates in his own party -- including highly qualified women like (put your list of Republic women here, I can't stomach it) -- he has also demonstrated his inability or unwillingness to make decisions that are good for America."

This way he addresses the question, without getting into any discussion of Palin herself, and bringing it back to McCain and his unfitness for office.

[MattBaggins]

5. dupe

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. NO more Mr Nice Guy! I agree!

:thumbsup:

[qwlauren35]

4. It should be easy to correct this...

I'm sure that the Republican's vice presidential candidate said some interesting things last night, but McCain is STILL not about change!

[mascarax]

7. Obama Needs to Focus Only on McCain

Absolutely keep the focus on McCain. Obama is running against McCain, and now the Repubs are trying to distract with Palin. Obama should not acknowledge her or any comparison of him to her (and I'm going to try this to when talking to people!). He should clearly state that he's running against McCain...if the Repubs wanted to nominate her, they had their chance. They didn't.

[LibDemAlways]

8. I think the neocons run the party and they picked Palin and

once they've stolen the election, which they have carefully plotted and intend to do, their next task will be to assure McCain's early demise so they can install her and continue the shadow government by proxy they've been running for 8 years. Palin is perfect. An inexperienced no-nothing who'll take her marching orders without question.

[MattBaggins]

9. So Obama focuses on McCain

But do we really ignore this or point it out? Should this be left to the media and bloggers or should Biden ponder out loud about how a "maverick" loses complete control and has his decisions made for him by a separate wing of his party?

Is it OK to make this question of his lack of leadership a talking point?

[LibDemAlways]

11. Obama better make it a talking point. I didn't see much

of the convention coverage yesterday, but I did catch Rove sitting there awaiting Palin's speech. I think McCain genuinely wanted Ridge or Lieberman but Rove told him no on orders from Cheney. He's already too much under their thumb, and I honestly think they must have something very damaging on him that keeps him in line.

Obama should hammer home the point. "Why are the Republicans giving me the impression that Palin is my opponent? Why isn't McCain, this supposed "maverick" who voted with Bush 95% of the time, in charge? What's going on here?"

These people are diabolical. They gave the base some genuine red meat with Palin. When it turned out she had huge issues - a pregnant unmarried teen is a big potential problem with that lot - they quickly made lemonade out of lemons by sending for the self-proclaimed "redneck" boyfriend and turned a couple of irresponsible dropouts into America's newest sweethearts.

If they can keep the contest close, they can steal this and they know it. I'm convinced they'll do whatever it takes to continue the regime. The question is whether Obama is prepared for it. I hope so.