Halperin: McCain should allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama.
“Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama’s unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism.”
Is there too much lead in the DC water supply?
February 25th, 2008 at
fair is fair. Maybe the Dem nominee should emphasize McCain’s time as a guest of the VC, as evidence of his being the real Manchurian Candidate.
February 25th, 2008 at
Oh, if that weren’t enough, he suggests that McCain’s surrogates see if they can push the envelope and risk being called racists. Gee…how can you risk being called a racist? By saying racist things!
If Time had any guts, they’d Shuster him at least, if not fire him. But what do you expect from a magazine that employs Joke Line.
February 25th, 2008 at
Wait a sec. They’re already doing that. Is Halperin plagiarizing from actual tactics and passing it off as a column? Next thing you know, he’ll be claiming he’s the guy who advised Hillary Clinton to do a remake of Sybil and appear as a totally different personality every time she speaks.
February 25th, 2008 at
Maybe this explains it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022202850.html
In fact we are having a spike in lead content in the water here in DC.
Nah, on second thought, Halperin’s just an asshole.
February 25th, 2008 at
I’m with Renato. Given what the folks at Guantanamo have said, how can we possibly trust someone who was tortured by the VC for five years or whatever? And how about those rages? Aren’t they a sign of signals miscued?
February 25th, 2008 at
In Halperin’s next column, he’s going to suggest McCain write “Obama’s a weiner” on the side of buildings everywhere and mention during a debate that only steers and queers come from Illinois before pointing out that Obama doesn’t have any horns. Man, strategizing easy when you’re a Republican.
I once had a very spicy curry of dubious origins. Does that mean I have an exotic background too?
February 25th, 2008 at
People have a mistaken conception of what the Repubs do. The thinking is that they attack your strength (“They attacked Kerry’s war record because he was a hero”).
Wrong.
What the republicans do is accuse YOU of THEIR biggest shortcoming or problem. The attacked Kerry’s service record because GWB’s record was such a joke. The attacked Gore as a serial fabricator because GWB was such a complete liar about everything.
Here you see it again. It would be *very* easy to seriously question whether McCain was brainwashed in Vietnam, whether he’s in fact the Manchurian Candidate. Many of his Repub rivals have done so in the past. So, what’s he doing? Floating the idea that in fact it’s Obama who’s the MC.
Set your clock by it.
February 25th, 2008 at
Obama’s first name is Barry.
The only difference is that most Barrys are from the Hebrew “baruch,” or blessing. His comes from the equivalent Semitic “barach” — again, blessing.
February 25th, 2008 at
Doctor Biobrain, there may be something worse than spewing banana all over one’s keyboard after midnight on a worknight, but offhand I can’t think what it might be. Give a sister a break.
February 25th, 2008 at
mars – I see what you’re saying, but that doesn’t really make a lot of sense. First off, Bush’s biggest shortcoming was that he was a complete idiot who had trouble making complete sentences and suffers from an utter lack of empathy; and both things combined made him look like a major league a-hole. And there was no way they were casting that on anyone else. Instead, they put a cowboy hat on his head and bought him a ranch. After that, the more people pointed out what an idiot he was, the more they’d say “Yep, he’s a regular cowboy.” They turned his biggest weakness into an asset.
Secondly, Kerry’s military record was one of his greatest strengths because Bush lacked one. But Bush lacked one against Gore too, yet there wasn’t one to smear. And even if Bush had earned the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam, they’d still have attacked Kerry’s miliary record because it was the only really good smear they had on him. But if anything, you’re just talking about the flip side of the same coin. But I fail to see how Kerry or Gore had a better strength that they didn’t attack.
February 26th, 2008 at
Barack means “peach” in Hungarian.
February 26th, 2008 at
8. Play dirty without alienating his party.
That’d be a real challenge for a GOP candidate, wouldn’t it? If John McCain can pull that off, why even hold an election? It’d be obvious he’s got the Right Stuff. In fact, I already know John’s got it, and I’m gonna up the ante:
Jump up and down without breaking free of Earth’s gravity.
Pull that off and we’re in the bag for you, John.
February 26th, 2008 at
Maybe someone ought to form a 527 group called “POW Vets for Truth”. You know, they could get other POWs to say that John McCain used to collaborate when he was a POW, and that he hurt his arms serving tea to his captors while wearing a kimono. Then someone could ask, “If he couldn’t keep his plane in the air, why would we trust him to keep the ship of state off the rocks?” Then, of course, the whole Manchurian Candidate thing…
February 26th, 2008 at
See, what’s Totally Brilliant about this is that it turns something that’s been happening for months and months amongst Republicans who most likely didn’t support McCain without getting any meaningful coverage into a brilliant ratfuck by the McCain camp and a terrific indicator of his groundswell of support amongst the rank and file.
Bet it even softens up Rush and Michelle.
February 26th, 2008 at
What a douche bag
I disagree. Douche bags have a useful purpose.
February 26th, 2008 at
I heard that Barry has a huge dick. McCain, not so much.
February 26th, 2008 at
I realize we’re being hyperbolic n’ stuff, but anybody who actually tries to use McCain’s POW past against him is an enormous sack of crap. Plus it’ll backfire and work to his benefit,* but utilitarianism aside, it’s just vile.
*Yeah, I know it worked in 2000, but that’s because the attacks came from the right–face it, libs, you guys can’t do sleaze. See that as a negative if you must.
February 26th, 2008 at
Most (all?) of the stuff Halperin suggests would piss off the independents, who are an important source of support for McCain. Bush won by expanding the conservative base and this stuff would work for him. I don’t think McCain can rely on expanding the conservative base.
February 26th, 2008 at
Notice how Mr. Halperin doesn’t have the courage to have a comments section. This guys entire career was based on his close relationship to Rove. This dog needs a new trick. Perhaps Time can take him out for a walk.
February 26th, 2008 at
So, McCain should do to Obama what Bush did to McCain. Teh genius is that McCain’s surrogates won’t be lying when they point out that Obama sired black children! Game, set, match to Mr. Straight-talk.
February 26th, 2008 at
McCain is more likely the Manchurian Candidate since he WAS in a war prison staffed by wily Asians for many years. (And they did get him to admit he was a war criminal. Just saying.) And doesn’t he have his own adultery problems and a convicted drug-using, drug-stealing wife? Plus lots of history with the Chs Keatings of the world? And a temper of reputed reknown? Dirty pool can work both ways.
February 26th, 2008 at
@borehole: Only half tongue-in-cheek hyperbolic. The republicans don’t get all wrapped up in whether it will backfire or not. They are only concerned with plausible deniability. Look at what Roger Stone (google “fbuckhead” and “Roger Stone”) does–or what he’s doing now. he forms a 527 group called “Citizens United Not Intimidated” (get the acronym?). Some might be offended by that, but it’s not the Republican Party or John McCain doing it–it’s just a sleazy scumbag who will then be put on wingnut welfare by a Republican sleaze enabler, like Richard Mellon Scaife. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Stone (or someone like him) started a new 527, assuming Obama gets the nomination entitled “No I’m Gonna Go Elect Republicans” (get the acronym?). The only important piece is that it not appear to be directed by the candidate or the party. In other words, as long as McCain and the Republican Party can say, “We had nothing to do with it”, they come off clean, in just the same way that Swiftboat Vets didn’t do a thing to tarnish George Bush in 2004.
February 26th, 2008 at
A poster at another web site (in defense of McCain) stated that if another posterwith whom she disagreed had endured the torture McCain had been subjecte to, they’d be a “basket case”. My feeling was that she was right, and McCain is a basket case – is that disrespecting a hero?
February 26th, 2008 at
Look at the every end of the Halprin piece. He says: Note: This is analysis, not advice.
The thing is, it isn’t analysis! Does he understand what analysis means??? All he’s saying is slime Obama, that’s not some deep point arrived at through research, examination, and thought. It’s the most knee-jerk response imaginable. To then turn around and say “don’t blame me, i’m just analyzing” is ridiculous.
Here’s my “analysis”: Mark Halprin sucks!!!
February 26th, 2008 at
Is there too muchnot enough lead in the DC water supply?
Fixed.