One frequent criticism surrounds the widely held perception that the campaign has failed to define or convey a consistent narrative against Obama — something that many Republicans insist should have begun right after Obama captured the nomination.
“What’s the political strategy when you allow your opponent, who has just had a grueling four months, time to catch their breath, regroup, fundraise and start to define himself?” asked a Republican strategist who helped lead a past presidential campaign. “It’s politics 101.”
Several consultants from past GOP campaigns were even more frustrated by what they viewed as a reluctance to attack — textbook strategy for an underdog.
One GOP consultant said that if McCain wanted to define Obama as “too inexperienced, too liberal and too risky” then “why wouldn’t your message every day have something to do with these three problems?”
Other insiders expressed frustration that there is a lack of consistency in defining McCain as well, pointing to the recent launch of an ad touting his challenge to the president’s position on global warming — at the same time that McCain traveled to Texas to advocate lifting the federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling.
“It’s hard to see a thematic message,” said another GOP strategist who has worked on past presidential races. Several Republicans said it remains unclear whether McCain will run on experience or attempt to redefine Obama’s message of change.
Despite all the detractors, I continue to believe that John McCain was the best gambit Republicans had this year. Romney was too phony, Giuliani's a wife-swapping psycho, Huckabee was the most likeable, but the unhinged right hates him for raising taxes in Arkansas and caring about the poor; and Tancredo and the other also-rans were nuts. The most compelling Republican in the race, Ron Paul, had no shot at the nomination, because he just makes too much sense when it comes to Iraq, and the Arab/Muslim-hating hoardes of right wing lunatics don't tend to abide apostasy on the issue of anti-Muslim jihad. In the end, Republican voters made the most pragmatic choice they could -- picking a candidate they assumed would be the same pretty solid guy from 2000.
I mean, who would have thought McCain would throw away his entire persona to become an incoherent Bushbot? I sure didn't.
On to the veepstakes!
At this point, I think McCain has no choice but to pick Mitt Romney as his running-mate. He can't afford -- literally -- to spend $10 million explaining to Americans outside of Minnesota who Tim Pawlenty is. And he's gonna need Romney's Mormon money, and his strengths in Michigan and out west. Romney is minimally acceptable to evangelicals, and can at least talk about faith better than Mac himself. And the nutroots love him, having bought into his phoney-baloney "conservative" act. Besides, with all that dark hair and those 83 look-alike sons, Romney can inject an air of robotic youthfulness to the moribund McCain campaign. He'll be like the human version of the new Straight Talk Air Express. |
<%
dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
