Focus, people. “It’s the credibility, stupid”

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

No, I’m not calling you stupid.

But there will be a lot of different permutations and lots of spin coming from this story which seems to have fallen from above and into our laps.  And there will be a lot of attempts to detract from the various pieces (sex scandal, lobbyist favors, etc.) and focus on “the NY Times is lying” or other things that are not really the meat of this story.

And yes, there are already different angles here, but this is the general way that the “counter attack” will be played out.  Don’t address the issue, attack the messenger.  Classic ad hominem attack and was used to bury the Bush National Guard story by making it about CBS and Dan Rather instead of actually addressing the substance of the story.

Mark my words – this will be used by McCain and his camp, if it already hasn’t started.  And the ONLY response is to shoot down the ad hominem attack and focus on the real story – the story of John McCain’s lack of credibility and believability.

The New York Times is not the story here.  Hell, the “sex” part is even tangential to this story, but it will keep it in the media.  It is John McCain and his credibility that is the story.  

Mr. “straight talk” denies that his aides ever intervened in this relationship.  His aides state unequivocally that they did intervene.  He says that he “never did a favor for a lobbyist or a special interest”.  Besides the very obvious Charles Keating, there is the curious case of Paxson Communications, which raised questions from the FCC Chairman:

The stories also allege that McCain wrote letters and pushed legislation involving television station ownership that would have benefited Iseman’s clients.

In late 1999, McCain twice wrote letters to the Federal Communications Commission on behalf of Florida-based Paxson Communications – which had paid Iseman as its lobbyist – urging quick consideration of a proposal to buy a television station license in Pittsburgh. At the time, Paxson’s chief executive, Lowell W. “Bud” Paxson, also was a major contributor to McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign.

McCain did not urge the FCC commissioners to approve the proposal, but he asked for speedy consideration of the deal, which was pending from two years earlier. In an unusual response, then-FCC Chairman William Kennard complained that McCain’s request “comes at a sensitive time in the deliberative process” and “could have procedural and substantive impacts on the commission’s deliberations and, thus, on the due process rights of the parties.”

McCain wrote the letters after he received more than $20,000 in contributions from Paxson executives and lobbyists. Paxson also lent McCain his company’s jet at least four times during 1999 for campaign travel.

I know that this is potentially a very tasty story.  But in this early time in the story’s cycle, it is the time for us to set the narrative, as opposed to having the narrative set for us.  We should be going on and staying on offense.  This is a perfect time for keep Senator Hothead on his heels and get our “macaca moment”.

If he is portrayed as not credible and not likeable, then he is done.  The “100 years in Iraq”, the Katrina birthday cake picture, the Bush bear hug picture, the “bomb bomb bomb Iran” sing along – all of that will be more support as opposed to the foundation for taking McCain down.

We made the mistake in 2004 by not being aggressive enough on the Dan Rather pushback.  We can NOT afford to make the same mistake again now.  This is about McCain’s character.  It is about his judgment.  It is about his being believable.

It is NOT about the NY Times, whether he did have an affair or not – it is about his moral values and his bad decision making.  And if we push hard enough here, we may very well watch him explode and his campaign implode.

Eyes on the prize – we have been handed a colossal gift – let’s make the best use of it.  This is a story that is indicative of the type of person John McCain is.  It is an example of a bigger problem that is part of McCain’s core.

Let’s do everything we can to keep that as the story.  Not the New York Times and not even the sex allegations.

12 comments

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    • Edger on February 21, 2008 at 17:53

    He’s a republican A bushlicking corrupt republican. And like most bushlicking republicans (and a lot of bushlicking democrats these days) he is seeing this problem not as a problem indicative of his own corruption and lack of honesty, but as a PR issue to be overcome with spin.

    And his response is and will continue to try to come up with better lies. Fortunately, he’s playing to the smallest political market there is

    McCain Gets Benny Hinn Makeover

    BUGTUSSLE, TN (IWR Satire) – – In order to woo religious conservatives, John McCain today got a Benny Hinn makeover, which included Benny’s trademark comb over, in Tennessee.  Mr. McCain immediately then flew to Texas and went on the stump breathing fire and brimstone at the religious right and warning that if they should stay home from polls this November, they would be damned to hell for helping elect a Liberal Satan.  “Remember Bubba, a vote for me is a vote for Jesus,” said McCain over and over at bowling alleys and taverns throughout the state.

    • pfiore8 on February 21, 2008 at 21:06

    the Classic ad hominem attack.

    and pull a marc anthony on them… or a Steven Colbert. there is a back door. we need to start using it.

    • documel on February 21, 2008 at 21:36

    I believe the Times knew it would become the story, and that the paper is ready with a shitload of proof.  They had to expect McCain’s reaction–this is their bait.  The only question is when to display the blue stained dress.  I would guess early March–after the denoument–after all the crazies come to the Maverick’s defense.  They think they have a very winnable hand–yippee!.

  1. sex “scandal”, that is gooper shit for all I care about.  The lobbyist stuff is dynamite enough and the character angle, as far as the terrible temper is very relevant-but as far as who fucks whom I could care less-even if they are hypocrites-as long as they all consent and are adults.

    • TMC on February 22, 2008 at 00:37

    the “Straight Talk Express”:

    “FEC To McCain: Not So Fast on Public Financing Withdrawal”

    http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmsp

    The only alternative he now has is to say that because the FEC  did not have a quorum when it accepted his request for public financing the agreement is null and void.

  2. reaction all over the TV. The latest spin from the MSNBC “here with us now…” crowd is that the NYT just had a burp so to speak, they just ‘lost perspective and blurted this out. LOL So tell me again why this is good for the conservatives? Rush and co. can paint him victim till the cows come home but he still comes out stinking to high heaven, in every way. I can’t see how the Democrats will use this as they seem to all go gaga over the fact the sicko is a WAR HERO.  

    • Diane G on February 23, 2008 at 17:01

    Excellent work.  The focus should not be so easily diverted, dig?

    And it won’t be as long as truth tellers like you speak up.

    I’d love a copy of this next door 🙂

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