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Fire the Campaign
New York Times ^ | 10/13/08 | William Kristol

Posted on 10/13/2008 1:21:13 AM PDT by MartinaMisc

It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign.

He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

He may be anyway. Bush is unpopular. The media is hostile. The financial meltdown has made things tougher. Maybe the situation is hopeless — and if it is, then nothing McCain or his campaign does matters.

But I’m not convinced by such claims of inevitability. McCain isn’t Bush. The media isn’t all-powerful. And the economic crisis still presents an opportunity to show leadership.

The 2008 campaign is now about something very big — both our future prosperity and our national security. Yet the McCain campaign has become smaller.

What McCain needs to do is junk the whole thing and start over. Shut down the rapid responses, end the frantic e-mails, bench the spinning surrogates, stop putting up new TV and Internet ads every minute. In fact, pull all the ads — they’re doing no good anyway. Use that money for televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time.

And let McCain go back to what he’s been good at in the past — running as a cheerful, open and accessible candidate. Palin should follow suit. The two of them are attractive and competent politicians. They’re happy warriors and good campaigners. Set them free.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2008; itstheeconomystupid; kristol; mccain; mccainpalin; obama
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To: patriot08
WE’RE NOT TURNING THE WHITE HOUSE KEYS OVER TO BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

No, WE'RE not....McCain IS.

61 posted on 10/13/2008 5:05:53 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it)
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To: Mojave

“The Obama team is well organized”

I wouldn’t say that, necessarily. So long as the MSM is on your side, organization doesn’t much matter. I’d like to see just how sharp Obama’s team would be without independent propaganda machines pulling for him.


62 posted on 10/13/2008 5:07:06 AM PDT by Tublecane
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To: nonkultur

I believe McCain’s campaign has been infiltrated by supporters of O.


63 posted on 10/13/2008 5:09:37 AM PDT by a real Sheila (McCain is Obama, lite!)
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To: nonkultur

I guess Kristol didn’t get the memo that McCain campaign is has just completed the preseason and it’s week one of the real deal. They have a 400 million dollar war chest and unlike Dole they didn’t blow their whole wad already. They made Obama commit to a strategy, spend money , define himself. Obama wants to out wonk McCain, obfuscate with numbers on his tax plan, remain vague about forgien policy and attack McCain as a doddering old fool. Well I think the Obama campaign besides their public posturing is amazed they haven’t gotten any bang for their buck yet. McCain’s campaign will hit him broadside with all that money. And in the end that is what matters, money = organization = getting your message out. Kristol was bellyaching about McCain not being on TV enough, doing enough interviews, etc. Well don’t fret my RINO friend he will. I am sure come November 5th we will be happy with McCain’s effort and G*d willing the result.


64 posted on 10/13/2008 5:19:08 AM PDT by pburgh01
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To: MartinaMisc
McCain is losing this campaign because he refuses to fight Obama and his lies, and dirty tactics such as ACORN voter fraud. He’s just been rolling over...

As Mika B. said on "Morning Joe" this A.M., "It's just not within McCain's DNA to take off the gloves"

What we have here is another Dole! We know how that approach worked out for him, don't we?

65 posted on 10/13/2008 5:31:46 AM PDT by TexasRedeye (Eschew obfuscation)
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To: MartinaMisc

Gee, an article in the NYT telling us how bad the McCain campaign is going-what are the odds?


66 posted on 10/13/2008 5:36:05 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration ('we will put these immortals to the test' -300)
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To: MartinaMisc
I think McCains response was Christian like ...I admire him for it. The others (his network) will have to do the dirty work. I do like the tough talk though and if they claim his latest debate talk to racial they need a commercial of all black athletes prior to a major sporting event using the exact same words.thats where the campaign is losing..slow response to no response at all.
I just received an email this morning that jumped all over Palin for some wolf hunt ..how dangerous she is. Where is the commerical pointing out that Obama voted to leave a dying human on the table after an abortion? ...hmmm ...humans ...vs. wolves. should be pretty simple except that animals have risen to level far above most humans and why is that? oh yeah ...they cant disagree with you.
67 posted on 10/13/2008 5:36:14 AM PDT by motherof2
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To: nonkultur

agreed ! Billy boy is in panic mode. Lets not forget his pushing lieberman for VP..and being stunned and lauhging at the Palin pick.........screw him


68 posted on 10/13/2008 5:40:12 AM PDT by mick
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To: patriot08

Thanks - Maybe you can wake up McCain. This is much bigger than just him - WE MUST NOT LET BARAQ HUSSEIN mOHAMMED 0BAMA seize power! Pelosi is already scheduling a special session to raise taxes and begin cutting our LIBERTY!


69 posted on 10/13/2008 5:40:20 AM PDT by The Sons of Liberty (Just your average "Whitey" - clinging to my guns and religion!)
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To: patriot08; P-Marlowe

Too much stuff in that one post, but I agree that McCain appears to be rolling over.

I can’t believe it’s being reported that he said something to the effect that “he’d rather lose graciously than win bitterly”....something like that. Does anyone have the direct quote?

It’s what we all feared about McCain. He doesn’t really believe what we believe. He’s perfectly content with a liberal take on life. He’s OK with a liberal house, liberal senate, liberal white house, and shortly, a liberal scotus.

He’s suspect in my mind right now.

Something will happen in the next few days or I become an independent voter again.


70 posted on 10/13/2008 5:41:38 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: MartinaMisc

Wait, is this the same Bill Kristol that pushed McCain as the nominee in the first place? Yes, indeed, it is.

Bill needs to take a hard look in the mirror. I will still hold my nose and vote for McCain, but I was not one of the lemmings jumping off the clift during the primaries. I supported Romney, not because he was perfect (he wasn’t), but I saw this train wreck coming from 100 miles away. In fact, so did the MSM—which is why they built McCain up for years. They did it because he is a deeply flawed man and his nomination translates into a guaranteed loss for the GOP.

At the very least, Romney would have been disciplined (not erratic), knew business (a real plus now), is a sharp debater, has a youthful appearance (like Obama), has a killer instinct, and doesn’t have skeletons in his closet the size of Texas (like the Keating Five). The contrast between Obama and McCain during the debates is striking: Obama looks cool and hip; McCain looks like a shambling corpse.

Well, its too late now—we’re stuck with John, who insists on entertaining us his best Bob Dole impression. I really hope the Republicans have learned their lesson this time—don’t go with candidate the MSM luvs. McCain will lose—I just hope that after an Obama administration, that conservative though isn’t criminalized and its thinkers (like Kristol) don’t wind up in re-education camps.


71 posted on 10/13/2008 5:44:02 AM PDT by rbg81 (DRAIN THE SWAMP!!)
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To: MartinaMisc

A great campaign cannot help such a flawed candidate. Obama should be low hanging fruit, and would be for a candidate who truly believes in reducing government.


72 posted on 10/13/2008 5:45:50 AM PDT by Daveinyork
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To: patriot08; P-Marlowe

Too much stuff in that one post, but I agree that McCain appears to be rolling over.

I can’t believe it’s being reported that he said something to the effect that “he’d rather lose graciously than win bitterly”....something like that. Does anyone have the direct quote?

It’s what we all feared about McCain. He doesn’t really believe what we believe. He’s perfectly content with a liberal take on life. He’s OK with a liberal house, liberal senate, liberal white house, and shortly, a liberal scotus.

He’s suspect in my mind right now.

Something will happen in the next few days or I become an independent voter again.


73 posted on 10/13/2008 5:46:43 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: MartinaMisc

More panties-in-a-wad drama from Kristol. He knows nothing about what McCain’s people are up to. The polls are at 4%. The debate is looming. He needs to shut up.


74 posted on 10/13/2008 5:52:21 AM PDT by MrChips (MrChips)
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To: MartinaMisc

Somehow I doubt it would be wise for McCain to take campaign advice from the New York Times.


75 posted on 10/13/2008 5:52:48 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall cause you to vote against the Democrats.)
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To: MartinaMisc

Kristol was the one pushing McCain during the primaries. He got his wish and is now suffering buyer’s remorse. The only way McCain wins is to make the election a referendum on Obama, his competence, experience, and judgment. McCain loses on the issues because of the legacy of George Bush and his low favorability ratings.


76 posted on 10/13/2008 5:53:55 AM PDT by kabar
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To: nonkultur

Oh noes I disputed the high and mighty neocon bill krystal. Oh taker a look at who posted the rather memos and called them fakes 2 hours before your precious buckhead.


77 posted on 10/13/2008 6:04:29 AM PDT by nonkultur
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To: ComputerGuy

Hasn’t McCain already fired his campaign manager a couple times?


78 posted on 10/13/2008 6:07:33 AM PDT by Judges Gone Wild
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To: MartinaMisc

I read another article here a week ago (written by a reporter who had covered both campaigns) which said exactly the opposite:
McCain’s campaign was well organized and punctual while in Obama’s, you never knew whether Obama was going to show up on time.
And the reporter made everybody mad by saying that McCain’s airplane was clean and Obama’s was dirty.
(I guess the left thinks that is a racist remark)


79 posted on 10/13/2008 6:13:55 AM PDT by CaraM (Faithless is he who quits when the road darkens.)
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To: Admin Moderator

“bug report”.....

something funny happening with threads that run over 50 qty posts....I’m sure I’m not the first to report this.

Carry on!!


80 posted on 10/13/2008 6:19:01 AM PDT by Attention Surplus Disorder (Tired from wondering whether we wake up in the newest socialist country tomorrow.)
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