McCain''s campaign strategy

[meresal]

To preface this post- I'm a liberal Republican. I based my voting decision on the fact that I feel one candidate is hiding their true colors less than the other. Also, I am not unhappy with my country and don't feel that a complete change of every system we have in place is necessary. I would like for this to be a very open discussion, minus any name calling or underhanded comments. However, I understand this is an open forum, and I'm not trying to control anyone. I would really like this to be a nice intellectual converstaion about campaign strategies, from both sides.

For the last couple weeks talking with friends, I've felt that the McCain camp hasn't done all that it needed to do in order to show people exactly why they "shouldn't" vote Obama. (ie, prior voting records) I've been adamant about the fact that he should have bought time on national channels, in the middle of prime time, and strictly show things that he has been expecting the voting public to look-up on their own...
Well this morning on the news, I hear that Obama is doing just that. On THREE separate channels for 30 minutes each. Why did this not occur to the McCain camp?

And really... ANOTHER "Joe the Plumber Rally"? Am I missing something? They aren't doing these in Texas and I don't understand their basis.

Does anyone else feel this way, or similar? Honestly, maybe it's because I'm in Texas, and no one really cares about our voting public (as of yet...), but I almost feel slighted by McCain's campaign. Like they haven't really exhausted all the efforts they could have. (On as side note, I know many Dems that feel slighted that state's like ours are completely forgetten about after the primaries.)

Just my thoughts.

 

[Elmorton]

Meresal, I should preface that I'm a liberal - but NPR did a really interesting story yesterday about McCain's campaign strategy - and one of the guests was a writer who had just written a NY Times article on the same topic and I thought I'd answer your post, because I think it's an interesting topic.

I just scanned for the story on the Times but couldn't find it - anyway, the NPR interview was really interesting. It basically said that McCain's campaign has been based on "bold moves" but in a crumbling economy, that's not what folks want, so the effect has been that Obama looks like a "steady" candidate in comparison. It also said that McCain has struggled to define what his platform is - beginning with hero, then to Maverick, then to change, then to friend of Joe the Plumber - and that none of these have been really all that effective because of the extreme changes in our country since the beginning of his campaign. Now ads seem to be on the defensive, going after public perceptions of Obama, etc.

I thought it was really interesting to hear these things - since I'm in a swing state (where Obama is ahead by a fair margin), I've been seeing a lot McCain ads and few Obama ads, and for the most part, they're negative and play to people's fears. While I know this will be effective for plenty of voters, I can't help but wonder if the climate in the economy has turned over the effectiveness of such ads.

Found the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96213285

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Meresal, I agree that Obama''s campaign seems to be much better planned than McCain''s. However, I think the biggest mistake McCain has made so far (aside from his choice of running mate) is neglecting the middle class. The fact is, most voters are middle class, and McCain seems to be mostly ignoring this. I guess what I''m trying to say is, McCain hasn''t really tried to "market himself" (for lack of a better phrase) to middle-class Americans. As a middle-class voter, I have not been impressed with McCain''s campaign at all.

 

[Ellen]

I heard someone say just the other night, in discussing this very topic, that the McCain campaign had plannned on the war being their running theme/issue. Then the market collapsed, and apparently they didn't have a plan B, and have had much trouble in the ensuing weeks coming up with that, or anything of real substance.

I don't know who's to blame more there, the advisors, or McCain. Maybe it's both.

I also heard that news people covering both campaigns have gone by work centers late at night, and Obama's people are still there working, McCain's centers have lights out. I definitely think Obama has worked harder, but then I think he had to, given all the circumstances.

But I feel for you, I would feel the same if I were a republican.

 

[swimmer]

Meresal, you make total sense.

Like you, my state is ignored, we would vote for a Labrador retriever it he was on the dem ticket, but I am obsessed and have been trying to figure out what exactly McCain is running on these days. His campaign did very well when it was about his story, the life of McCain, which is compelling stuff (yes, I own 2 of his books). But now, it just seems like desperate vollys of either negativity (Ayers) or I''m just like you (Joe the whatever). Neither has been sticking with voters (according to polling), so I wonder why he isn''t focusing more on the economy. If the country was doing well, there is no way McCain would be losing. Bush Sr. won even with Quayle the first time when the economy was doing fine; but when running against Clinton (you probably don''t remember this M, you are a youngster), when he went to the grocery store and had never seen a scanner -he was buying pork rinds- and then went to JCPennys to buy tube sox, to show he was just an avg Joe (no pun intended) it flopped. McCain isn''t just like us. He is very wealthy, came from wealthy, married very wealthy, very politically connected family, grew up in Washington, and that "I''m just like you, we can have a beer" that worked for W just isn''t going to fly now. People are scared and want answers now.

McCain''s advisors told him months ago that if the election was about the economy, he would lose. But now, the only way he could win is to focus on how he would improve the economy. Not that any prez really can do that, no one gives Clinton credit for the dot com boom except Clinton, but you know what I''m saying. The reason McCain isn''t doing an infomercial is that he doesn''t have the cash. Now folks will talk about how Obama has raised more money than anyone and how he originally said he would stick to public funding (when he was running 4th in Democratic primary polls), but when his campaign caught on fire, their tactic changed and now they have money to burn. I just hope they take SNL''s advice and do some singing and dancing...

Anyway, I hear you Meresal, the campaigning is only getting more random as the days pass.

 

[meresal]

Elmorton: Thanks for the story! I'm going to read thru it over lunch.

Irishgrrrl: I'm not even sure if I'm in his middle-calss. He just doesn't come off as a sit and drink a beer kind of person to me. I would have had a beer with Huckabee. I would like to know what people have been impressed with in his campaign. I'll try to round something up.

 

[luckystar112]

You know, I think McCain has made a lot of mistakes during this campaign.
I think the infomercial idea is extremely corny though. I won''t lie.

 

[movie zombie]

personally, i think he has ignored the middle class and not just a particular state. the middle class has taken real hits these last 8 years and they weren''t sitting pretty before that. our middle class is shrinking yet tax benefits continue to accrue to the wealthiest and $ is not trickling down. however, our members of the middle class are trickling down to the lower economic class. this is never a sign of a healthy economy or society. mccain has failed to address issues raised that indicate his plans actually will hurt the middle class. i think that is a major failure especially in this economic climate.

movie zombie

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 10/29/2008 10:43:10 AM
Author: meresal
Elmorton: Thanks for the story! I''m going to read thru it over lunch.

Irishgrrrl: I''m not even sure if I''m in his middle-calss. He just doesn''t come off as a sit and drink a beer kind of person to me. I would have had a beer with Huckabee. I would like to know what people have been impressed with in his campaign. I''ll try to round something up.

Meresal, I hear ya! By McCain''s standards, I''m probably not "middle class" . . . I''m probably a poverty case! LOL!

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/29/2008 10:20:47 AM
Author: Ellen
I heard someone say just the other night, in discussing this very topic, that the McCain campaign had plannned on the war being their running theme/issue. Then the market collapsed, and apparently they didn't have a plan B, and have had much trouble in the ensuing weeks coming up with that, or anything of real substance.

I don't know who's to blame more there, the advisors, or McCain. Maybe it's both.

I also heard that news people covering both campaigns have gone by work centers late at night, and Obama's people are still there working, McCain's centers have lights out. I definitely think Obama has worked harder, but then I think he had to, given all the circumstances.

But I feel for you, I would feel the same if I were a republican.

Ellen: You hit the nail on the head. No Plan B. I blame the advisors for poor planning, and McCain for not being who he really is from the beginning. I have always thought he was a neat guy, but this campaign has made him look ridiculous to me. He just seems so scared to lose.
I have a friend in NYC that mans a work center a few nights a week, and they are there until 10 or 11 at night.

Swimmer: Some of my friends joke about writing themselves in on the ballot, and other couples I know are splitting the votes among their houshold, on purpose not because of political stances. It really does stink being in a state that noone cares about.
I know they say that the campaign turned when the economy fell, but to not have a plan B when you're running for the President is crazy to me. Goignt thru other possibilities in my head (other than the stock market, like another attack), really makes me see that any kind of instability in the USA was going to cause a major shift in this election. I would be ecstatic if McCain would come up with some type of opinion on how to turn the economy around, but he hasn't, not one (that I can find... please prove me wrong). Everything I see is him talking about Obama and what Obama's stance is. It seems that McCain's stance is just the opposite of what Obama says. To me, that will keep the voters you already have, but isn't going to help attain any new ones. I'm not a campaign manager though, so who knows.

As for as the infomercials.Yes they may be corny(agreed), but there is VITAL information out there that needs to be shared, and people aren't going to check these things on their own. This is something that should have been done months ago and then re-run late in the election. If they had seen the importance from the start, then they could have budgeted for it in the beginning. It just seems that their heads may have been a little too high coming in.

 

[vintagecushion]

Author: meresal

I know they say that the campaign turned when the economy fell, but to not have a plan B when you''re running for the President is crazy to me.

Completely agree and wonder if a McCain administration would be similarly disorganized.

 

[MaggieB]

I don''t see how an "informercial" is any cornier than any other political ad. What distinguishes the two is length of time. It seems to me that short political ads are extremely ill-suited to convey anything of substance about a candidate. Which is probably why they have devolved into quick soundbites slamming the other candidate.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

While I think the economic downturn definitely helped Obama, I still think there was a real chance McCain would have lost for another bad campaign decision: Palin. I know a lot of independents and moderate republicans who either aren''t voting or are voting for Obama because they just can''t fathom Palin being that close to running the country. The Dems called it a hail mary pass and I think they were right. Instead of trying to win the independent voters he needed, he pandered to the far who, although grumbling, would still have voted for him. In the eyes of a number of people I know who were going to vote for McCain, that decision changed him from a strong war hero doing what his conscience told him to a feeble old man, who could not fight for his beliefs and who could die and leave Palin president at any second. IMO, that was the worst thing the campaign did for itself

 

[mrssalvo]

I think McCain has run a horrible campaign and Obama''s really has been flawless. I honestly am surprised the national polls dont have Obama ahead by a much bigger margin.

 

[MaggieB]

Date: 10/29/2008 12:16:58 PM
Author: brazen_irish_hussy
While I think the economic downturn definitely helped Obama, I still think there was a real chance McCain would have lost for another bad campaign decision: Palin. I know a lot of independents and moderate republicans who either aren''t voting or are voting for Obama because they just can''t fathom Palin being that close to running the country. The Dems called it a hail mary pass and I think they were right. Instead of trying to win the independent voters he needed, he pandered to the far who, although grumbling, would still have voted for him. In the eyes of a number of people I know who were going to vote for McCain, that decision changed him from a strong war hero doing what his conscience told him to a feeble old man, who could not fight for his beliefs and who could die and leave Palin president at any second. IMO, that was the worst thing the campaign did for itself

As I''ve stated about a gazillion times, my fiance is a Republican and I am a Democrat - thankfully (and necessarily) both moderates. When McCain won the nomination, I said I can''t believe it Gardner (fiance''s name), congratulations, you''ve won the election. McCain is going to get so many independent votes and crossover Democrats that there is no way the Dem''s will win.

When McCain picked Palin, Gardner said, I can''t believe it Maggie, congratulations, you''ve won the election.

I''m not convinced that whoever picked her isn''t secretly working for the Democratic party.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/29/2008 1:40:25 PM
Author: mrssalvo
I think McCain has run a horrible campaign and Obama''s really has been flawless. I honestly am surprised the national polls dont have Obama ahead by a much bigger margin.

I agree. And I think if Obama was white, he''d be ahead by a much larger margin. Sad but true.

 

[starsapphire]

Well, if you listen to the media, you think that Obama has it made. I am not so sure. We won''t know for sure until all the votes are counted. Only then will it really be over. There have been many times, I know there are articles about this, where the media had it "in the tank" for one candidate, and another won. Or one won the popular vote and lost the electoral college. As I said, you don''t know until all the votes are counted.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/29/2008 1:53:21 PM
Author: starsapphire
Well, if you listen to the media, you think that Obama has it made. I am not so sure. We won''t know for sure until all the votes are counted. Only then will it really be over. There have been many times, I know there are articles about this, where the media had it ''in the tank'' for one candidate, and another won. Or one won the popular vote and lost the electoral college. As I said, you don''t know until all the votes are counted.

I don''t think that at all. It truly isn''t over til it''s over.

 

[crown1]

i am making my decision on who i personally feel most qualified to be president of the united states. slick speeches or personal demeanor are not what will win me over. i have made an attempt to look at both men and what i think they want for this county and i will let that be my guide.

none of us really know what is going to happen as the majority may indeed be silent. i am praying for the best for our country however this turns out. i don''t need a bunch of commercials or debates just a well qualified person to be president. i hope the best comes to the top cause we sure need it!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 10/29/2008 2:21:37 PM
Author: Ellen
I don''t think that at all. It truly isn''t over til it''s over.

Ditto.

One thing that''s been bugging me about McCain''s campaign is the negative tone of the commercials. Here in NM I''ve noticed that McCain commercials are really negative--focusing on Obama''s bad traits, attacking his character, terrorist connections, etc. and Obama''s ads are markedly more positive, talking about him, his record, how he wants to fix the economy, etc. In essence McCain''s ads are completely negative and Obama''s worst has been connecting Bush and McCain together, and the rest have been, for the most part, positive. It''s a huge difference.

These are on CNN, NBC, Fox, and others.

And I think that most of the country is sick of negative campaigning, and I think McCain has been doing a lot of it.

 

[trillionaire]

McCain has shown in his multiple runs that he is not a great campaign strategist. He never had a true vision or message this time around, which is why he has hopped from soundbyte to soundbyte. He didn't know how to win being himself, "the maverick" of 2000, so he tried to be someone else in 2008. It was disingenuous, and a poor fit. The Palin pick was by far the worse decision. If he had truly acted like a maverick, he would have chosen Lieberman as his running mate, or any host of the qualified folks that he really wanted, but instead, he caved and pandered to the base. I liked McCain in 2000. I don't recognized McCain in 2008.

Here's a great article on "How McCain ran against himself"

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/29/2008 3:08:30 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Ditto.

One thing that''s been bugging me about McCain''s campaign is the negative tone of the commercials. Here in NM I''ve noticed that McCain commercials are really negative--focusing on Obama''s bad traits, attacking his character, terrorist connections, etc. and Obama''s ads are markedly more positive, talking about him, his record, how he wants to fix the economy, etc. In essence McCain''s ads are completely negative and Obama''s worst has been connecting Bush and McCain together, and the rest have been, for the most part, positive. It''s a huge difference.

These are on CNN, NBC, Fox, and others.

And I think that most of the country is sick of negative campaigning, and I think McCain has been doing a lot of it.

Hey Freke!

IMO, the negativity is coming from both sides. Obama just does it in more of a mocking way, that people find amusing. When McCain does it, it just makes him look bitter. From personal experience, I can tell you how sick and tired I was of hearing Hillary and Obama go back and forth during the Primaries. To be honest, alot of my dislike of him, came from that whole situation.

Obama has run a completely different campaign against McCain than he did against Hillary. I think his camp learned alot during that time and were able to focus on what was working.

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/29/2008 12:13:13 PM
Author: MaggieB
I don't see how an 'informercial' is any cornier than any other political ad. What distinguishes the two is length of time. It seems to me that short political ads are extremely ill-suited to convey anything of substance about a candidate. Which is probably why they have devolved into quick soundbites slamming the other candidate.

ITA, AMEN!!!

Just like the debates, anyone that is interested in this election will sit and watch these infomercials. It's common sense, which is why Obama is running THREE tonight. Everyone is going to watch them. I'm watchig because I'm very interested to see what he does. I'm predicitng lots and lots of facts(I'm being completely honest here) about McCain and his voting history. In an infomercial you can actually show the documents that he voted on, rather than just saying he agreed with Bush 90% of the time.

This would have been a huge help to the McCain camp if they had thought of it and budgeted to make it happen.

 

[zhuzhu]

Date: 10/29/2008 1:53:21 PM
Author: starsapphire
Well, if you listen to the media, you think that Obama has it made. I am not so sure. We won''t know for sure until all the votes are counted. Only then will it really be over. There have been many times, I know there are articles about this, where the media had it ''in the tank'' for one candidate, and another won. Or one won the popular vote and lost the electoral college. As I said, you don''t know until all the votes are counted.

I don''t think anybody above you has been saying which campaign is "winning". They have been describing the differences between the two campaign strategy and how they may reflect on the competency of the presidency, if elected.

 

[luckystar112]

Sorry. Still think it''s corny. And I''d say the same thing if McCain was doing it.

Apparently the infomercial is going to talk about four struggling families and how the government has sucked long before Bush and then Obama will speak live at the end.

Personally, I''d rather buy steak knives.

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/29/2008 4:17:23 PM
Author: luckystar112
Sorry. Still think it''s corny. And I''d say the same thing if McCain was doing it.

Apparently the infomercial is going to talk about four struggling families and how the government has sucked long before Bush and then Obama will speak live at the end.

Personally, I''d rather buy steak knives.

If that''s the case, then I will not be watching. I don''t watch Lifetime television now, and I don''t plan on starting tonight. That sounds extremely corny to me.

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 10/29/2008 3:58:14 PM
Author: meresal

Date: 10/29/2008 3:08:30 PM
Author: FrekeChild
Ditto.

One thing that''s been bugging me about McCain''s campaign is the negative tone of the commercials. Here in NM I''ve noticed that McCain commercials are really negative--focusing on Obama''s bad traits, attacking his character, terrorist connections, etc. and Obama''s ads are markedly more positive, talking about him, his record, how he wants to fix the economy, etc. In essence McCain''s ads are completely negative and Obama''s worst has been connecting Bush and McCain together, and the rest have been, for the most part, positive. It''s a huge difference.

These are on CNN, NBC, Fox, and others.

And I think that most of the country is sick of negative campaigning, and I think McCain has been doing a lot of it.

Hey Freke!

IMO, the negativity is coming from both sides. Obama just does it in more of a mocking way, that people find amusing. When McCain does it, it just makes him look bitter. From personal experience, I can tell you how sick and tired I was of hearing Hillary and Obama go back and forth during the Primaries. To be honest, alot of my dislike of him, came from that whole situation.

Obama has run a completely different campaign against McCain than he did against Hillary. I think his camp learned alot during that time and were able to focus on what was working.

I''ve been changing the channel when they come on (and don''t get me started on LOCAL schmucks'' commercials) but when I don''t, there is a distinct difference in tone. NM has a horrible public school system, and Obama''s ads are very specific to that. Also, our median income is around $35k a year, and a lot of Obama''s ads here are geared towards the middle class and how they won''t get taxed more. McCain''s have been attacking Obama''s economic plan, his international experience, and a few nonsensical ones, like that one that was posted not long ago (the "That''s not presidential." ad).

I totally agree that Obama''s camp learned a lot from the primary season. And he''s used it very effectively.

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 10/29/2008 4:21:16 PM
Author: meresal

Date: 10/29/2008 4:17:23 PM

Author: luckystar112

Sorry. Still think it''s corny. And I''d say the same thing if McCain was doing it.


Apparently the infomercial is going to talk about four struggling families and how the government has sucked long before Bush and then Obama will speak live at the end.



Personally, I''d rather buy steak knives.

If that''s the case, then I will not be watching. I don''t watch Lifetime television now, and I don''t plan on starting tonight. That sounds extremely corny to me.

Lol, I don''t have cable, so maybe that plays into it, but I would much rather see a story about 4 families than EITHER candidate blathering on for 30 minutes. The debates made me want to kill myself by the end, and I agree with you Meresal, that the primaries REALLY turned me off with all of the smugness and negativity. Thank GOD McCain picked Palin and re-energized the democratic base. I was honestly done with politics, and was just going to do my duty on election day.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 10/29/2008 4:33:08 PM
Author: trillionaire

Lol, I don''t have cable, so maybe that plays into it, but I would much rather see a story about 4 families than EITHER candidate blathering on for 30 minutes. The debates made me want to kill myself by the end, and I agree with you Meresal, that the primaries REALLY turned me off with all of the smugness and negativity. Thank GOD McCain picked Palin and re-energized the democratic base. I was honestly done with politics, and was just going to do my duty on election day.

Aw, Trill, that just means you weren''t drinking enough!!!

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/29/2008 4:30:52 PM
Author: FrekeChild

I've been changing the channel when they come on (and don't get me started on LOCAL schmucks' commercials) but when I don't, there is a distinct difference in tone. NM has a horrible public school system, and Obama's ads are very specific to that. Also, our median income is around $35k a year, and a lot of Obama's ads here are geared towards the middle class and how they won't get taxed more. McCain's have been attacking Obama's economic plan, his international experience, and a few nonsensical ones, like that one that was posted not long ago (the 'That's not presidential.' ad).

I totally agree that Obama's camp learned a lot from the primary season. And he's used it very effectively.

THAT shows the difference between a campaign that 1)has the funds to personalize campaign ads, and 2)knows how to get personal with different classes of voters, and one that doesn't have much of either. Running the same campaign nationwide is going to really offend some people in different areas.

Freke, I would love to see one presidential campaign ad. We get none here, except for congressmen, senators, judges and other local elections. Getting really tired of them as well.