Reactions to story from The Washington Post

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  Open Thread

  http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2008/05/17/open-thread
  199 days ago in NewsBusters.org | Exposing Liberal Media Bias · Authority: 4,065

  Open Thread By NB Staff | May 17, 2008 - 10:56 ET For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: Dick Morris says, "John McCain is America's favorite kind of candidate." With his record of extraordinary patriotism and his
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  Morris Intsructs McCain with False Attacks on Obama

  http://callmescotty.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/morris-intsruct...
  198 days ago in Welcome To My Blog. Call Me Scotty. · Authority: 1

  Would America elect a President who is a secret Muslim sleeper agent sent to destroy democracy by appointing Rev. Wright and William Ayers to office? Dick Morris thinks so. So much so he’s literally trying to rally paranoid white conservative voters to the polls with this type of garbage. So much so he’s written exactly this. What’s worse, it’s been published by The Washington Post. For those who aren’t familiar with him, Dick Morris is a Republican political strategist who also works for noted rightwing media, such as Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post and FOX News. He was once a campaign adviser to President Clinton, but has since gone on to publicly rail against both Clintons at the drop of a hat for anyone willing to give him a microphone or a byline. Now it seems he’s set his sights on Senator Barack Obama. On this Sunday, May 18, 2008, the Washington Post published an opinion piece by Dick Morris entitled “Obama Has the Upper Hand. But McCain Can Still Take Him.” Now Mr. Morris is entitled to his opinions. After all it is an OP-ED piece. Besides, if I didn’t value hearing other opinions, I’d have no business writing these opinions of mine. Time to share some of my opinions of Mr. Morris’ article. Read more of this article on my AC page
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  John McCain Struggles to Assemble a Winning Coalition

  http://www.electionreferee.com/?p=79
  136 days ago in Election Referee: Discussion of 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Controversy · Authority: 3

  John McCain and Barack Obama face the same challenge of all presidential candidates: to consolidate and energize the party base while winning over the center. This challenge presents many dimensions for each candidate. Today I focus on John McCain and the Republicans, and soon I will post a separate article about Obama’s coalition. John McCain is remarkably unpopular among conservative Republicans. During the Republican primaries, conservative voices such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity continually criticized McCain. At times their attacks were so vicious that they reached the level usually reserved for Democrats and liberals. One of my first articles on this blog was about this phenomenon: The right-wing attacks on John McCain. According to some critics on the political right, John McCain is not a “true believer” in core conservative principles, especially on these specific issues: taxes, immigration, and the environment. McCain’s advocacy of campaign finance reform angered some conservatives. They especially dislike McCain’s willingness to sometimes work with Democrats. For purists of all ideologies, “compromise” is one of the most hated words and deeds, and McCain is guilty of occasionally committing this political sin.  Once McCain clinched the Republican nomination, criticisms of him from the traditional right diminished considerably as conservative talk radio shows shifted their focus back to what they do best: attack Democrats. “Hold your nose and vote!” This is a popular slogan for purists in both parties every four years. Most conservatives dislike McCain, but they see him as “the lesser of two evils”. In their perception of political reality, McCain may be a “liberal”, but he is much less dangerous than that “radical leftist”, Barack Obama. The Three Legs of the Republican Stool I always thought “stool” was a poor choice of words, but it holds an honored place in the Republican lexicon. Technically, “modern” conservative Republican thought goes back to William F. Buckley and Barry Goldwater, but Ronald Reagan was the culmination of theory and practice. Reagan effectively combined three key elements: 1) strong national defense, 2) limited federal government (especially low taxes), and 3) social conservatism. These three concepts held special and specific meaning when Reagan was first elected president in 1980. The United States and the world have changed significantly since then. The Reagan administration was part of that change. In 2008, we face new challenges and none of the Republican candidates in 2008 effectively captured the hearts and minds of today’s conservative Republican voters. John McCain won the nomination largely by default. He was perhaps the candidate closest to representing conservative principles simply by not violating any one of them too much. His biography as a war hero and one who has sacrificed so much is beyond reproach. McCain is especially popular with moderate Republicans and some independents. These voters gave McCain an important edge over his competitors. Without a Ronald Reagan in the mix, John McCain ultimately emerged as the compromise candidate for Republicans. The Traditional Republican Base is in a Quandary Of course, most people who voted for George W. Bush will vote for John McCain. Bush’s approval rating is among the lowest ever recorded at about 28%, but that still translates into approximately 34 million voters (Bush won over 62 million votes in 2004). Many believe that President Bush and his administration have greatly damaged the “Republican brand”. A very effective theme for the Democrats in 2008 is: “John McCain would be Bush’s third term”. It would be political campaign malpractice for the Democrats NOT to use this. Most of the Rush Limbaugh “ditto-head” Republican base will vote for John McCain. Again, the emphasis is on voting against the Democrat Obama. Many voters in every election vote against someone rather than voting for someone. A segment of conservative voters may reject McCain and instead vote for Libertarian Party candidate Bob Barr. (See my previous article: Libertarians, Bob Barr, Ron Paul, and the “Revolution”). Libertarians know that Bob Barr is not going to win the presidency in 2008. Additionally, John McCain is not especially popular among “conservative Christians”, many of whom supported Mike Huckabee in the 2008 Republican primaries. This church-based constituency was a key to the success of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Political organizing of this base has been a cost-effective way for campaigns to tap into volunteers, resources, and many votes. John McCain shares the same positions on some issues important to conservative Christians, especially his opposition to both abortion rights and gay marriage. However, candidates like Huckabee and Bush more “speak their language”, while McCain appears less comfortable talking about religion. McCain’s lack of familiarity with this community resulted in making ill-conceived alliances with “televangelists” John Hagee and Rod Parsley. Meanwhile, Barack Obama hopes to attract some of this constituency and widen the discussion with this community to include other topics central to Christianity, such as caring for the less fortunate. Conservative Christians are often misunderstood and unfairly pigeon-holed. Labels often cause confusion, for example, someone may be “conservative” in their religious beliefs without necessarily being politically conservative. Political campaigns would be wise to pay attention to these voters and avoid making assumptions about them. Turnout is Key The 2008 presidential election may be very close, especially if recent history is a guide. Both Barack Obama and John McCain must win overwhelmingly among traditional party voters of their respective parties. Turnout is perhaps the most under-rated key to winning elections. Even if McCain wins more than 90% of traditionally Republican votes, how many will turn out to vote? Obama’s success in the Democratic primaries was largely due to high turnout.   Beginning with Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980, Republican presidential candidates especially have enjoyed the benefit of good grassroots “get out the vote” organizational efforts to produce high turnout on election day. While high turnout (for your candidate) is an important key to winning an election, having many highly motivated volunteers is a key to producing high turnout. This is perhaps John McCain’s biggest vulnerability. Many Republicans may “hold their nose and vote” for McCain, but few are motivated to work on getting their friends, neighbors, and undecided voters to do likewise. McCain suffers “an enthusiasm gap” as reported in this article by Yahoo News: For now, the numbers favor Obama: 38 percent of his supporters say the election is exciting compared to 9 percent of McCain’s. Sixty-five percent of Obama’s backers say they are hopeful about the campaign, double McCain’s, and the Democrat’s supporters are three times likelier to express pride. The Fight for the Center: John McCain and Barack Obama want to win over the center, the undecided voters, independents. At the same time, they need to keep their respective party bases happy and enthused. John McCain especially has enjoyed a successful political career by gaining the favorable label of a “maverick”. He does NOT mindlessly vote the “party line”, instead he sometimes “reaches across the aisle” to the other party in order to get legislation passed. See my recent article McCain and Obama Are Both Flip-Floppers, So What? and check out our Interactive 2008 Electoral Map Calculator. The campaigns are focused on having a winning electoral map strategy, and honing optimal policy positions on key issues is essential to achieve this.  A good case study is John McCain’s recent flip-flop on offshore oil drilling. His earlier opposition to offshore drilling fit his somewhat popular maverick image by taking a pro-environmental stand contradictory to most of his party members. Voters in Florida are especially concerned about potential environmental hazards of drilling for oil off the Florida coasts. Soaring gas prices emerged as an immediate concern for many voters across the map and the ideological spectrum. The McCain campaign calculation is that flip-flopping to now support offshore oil drilling will pay off. They are hoping McCain’s flip-flop will gain votes in some key swing states while maintaining enough support in Florida to win there as well. It’s also a nice sop to the voracious ideological appetite of the conservative Republican base. Republican political strategist Dick Morris is well known for his work in Bill Clinton’s presidential administration. His advice has often been effective, at least in terms of helping politicians increase their short-term popularity. Morris is especially associated with the concept of triangulation: take policy positions that remove an argument from the opposition, help win over the center, and leave your base with no where else to turn. Bill Clinton’s support of welfare reform and Bush 43’s policy of extending federal prescription drug benefits to seniors are two recent examples of political triangulation. I have seen Dick Morris on the Fox News show Hannity and Colmes several times recently. Sean Hannity, in case you don’t know, is one the guardians of conservative Republican ideological purity. While Hannity continues to urge John McCain to move to the right, Morris argues for the opposite approach. Read this Dick Morris article published by the Washington Post. This short excerpt sums up Morris’ broad strategy advice: McCain can win by running to the center . . . His base will be there for him; indeed, it will turn out in massive numbers. In some elections one candidate is able to unite and enthuse the base while also winning over voters in the middle. That candidate becomes President. Note: Coming Soon - an article about Barack Obama’s coalition building challenges. ShareThis
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  McCain peut-il battre Obama?

  http://globe.blogs.nouvelobs.com/archive/2008/05/20/mccain-p...
  196 days ago in Affaires étrangères · Authority: 109

  On ne voit pas comment Obama pourrait être rattrapé par Hillary Clinton. Sauf immense surprise, il sera donc le candidat Démocrate à l'élection présentielle. John McCain peut-il battre le jeune et charismatique sénateur de l'Illinois? Oui, répond Dick Morris, un célèbre conseiller politique Démocrate qui a "fait" la réélection de Bill Clinton avant de devenir un ennemi du couple. Et il explique comment, à son avis, McCain doit procéder. Certes, écrit-il dans le "Washington Post", sur le papier, les jeux sont (presque) faits. En toute logique, Obama devrait l'emporter face à McCain. Pour au moins une raison: 53% des Américains se déclarent aujourd'hui Démocrates (ou sympathisants) alors qu' à peine 39% se disent Républicains (ou sympathisants). Jamais, dit Morris, l'écart n'a été aussi grand entre les deux formations politiques. Pourtant, ajoute-t-il, même si ses chances sont faibles, McCain peut s'imposer. Comment? 1/ En prenant ses distances avec Bush, le président le plus haï de l'Histoire - de grandes distances. 2/ En se plaçant au centre de l'échiquier politique en faisant des propositions tantôt Républicaines, tantôt Démocrates, selon les sujets. 3/ En entraînant Obama sur le terrain de la guerre en Irak (pourtant le point faible de McCain) afin de le piéger. Comment? En lui posant une question-piège du type: "Que feriez-vous si Al Qaida ou l'Iran prenaient le pouvoir en Irak, ou si des terroristes s'emparaient des champs pétrolifères irakiens....?" D'après Morris, Obama, qui ne voudra pas apparaître faible, dira sûrement qu'il faut envoyer là bas de nouvelles troupes. Ayant dit cela, il ne pourra plus attaquer avec la même vigueur la position désastreuses de McCain, qui était favorable à l'invasion de 2003. 4/ En rappelant sans cesse les propos du pasteur Wright, l'ancien mentor et ami d'Obama, dont les prises de position incendiaires contre l'Amérique ont choqué beaucoup d'électeurs blancs (et noirs). Les spin doctors de McCain pourraient, par exemple, chercher d'anciens fidèles de l'église de Wright pour leur faire raconter à la télévision qu'ils y ont vu Obama et pour leur faire livrer quelques détails sur les relations entre les deux hommes. Cette stratégie, assure Morris, pourrait permettre à McCain de battre Obama. Espérons qu'il se trompe.
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  http://www.alternet.org/module/email/?storyID=85893&type=blo...
  195 days ago in Election 2008 | AlterNet · Authority: 80

  Share and save this post: Got a tip for a post?: Email us | Anonymous form Get Election 2008 in your mailbox! Will Bob Barr and Ron Paul Out-Flank McCain on the Right? Posted by Howie Klein, Down With Tyranny! on May 20, 2008 at 8:32 AM. With GOP toe-sucker Dick Morris publicly urging McCain to shed his far right extremism and move to the center if he's going to have any chance at all to win a few states outside of the Old Confederacy plus Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, a very different kind of reality is closing in on McCain who, says toe-sucker, "has been dealt a terrible hand: a tanking economy, an unpopular war, a Republican incumbent whose approval ratings are at their all-time low and a gloomy national mood, with 82 percent of Americans saying in a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week that the country is on the wrong track." He offers the hapless Republican nominee a roadmap, a roadmap dependent of Jeremiah Wright-- "the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts"-- even though every voter in red, red, red Mississippi first congressional district was inundated with Jeremiah Wright and still voted against Bush and the GOP. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives. So McCain doesn't have to spend a lot of time wooing his base. What he does need to do is reduce the size of the synapse over which independents and fearful Democrats need to pass in order to back his candidacy. If the synapse is wide, they will stay with Obama. But if they perceive McCain as an acceptable alternative, there is every chance that they will cross over to back him in November. But even as toe sucker/Fox News shill admits that McBush's endless war in Iraq agenda could kill the deal, another dynamic has arisen that negates whatever toe sucking meditations popped into Morris' demented little right-wing brain: Bob Barr. Micah Sifry, a lot smarter and far more with it than Morris was even when he was relevant, thinks if McCain doesn't watch his right flank, he's a dead duck. He warns that if McCain follows the toe-sucker's strategy Barr will siphon off enough votes to insure a McCain loss, "not because Barr is such a compelling candidate, but because he could become the vehicle for the many disaffected Republicans gathered under Paul's flag." Read the rest of the post on the flip side » AlterNet Home » Post Tools:
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  IL GOP NON PUO' VINCERE, MA MCCAIN SI'

  http://italianblogs4mccain.blogspot.com/2008/05/il-gop-non-p...
  195 days ago in ITALIAN BLOGS FOR JOHN MCCAIN · Authority: 25

  Nei giorni scorsi sia Christian Rocca che Andrea Mancia si sono prodotti in eccellenti segnalazioni del pezzo domenicale di Dick Morris sul Washingon Post, in cui l'ex guru di Clinton spiega come “un candidato ineleggibile sta per essere nominato da un partito che non può essere sconfitto, mentre un candidato decisamente eleggibile è stato nominato da un partito condannato alla sconfitta”. Ora, rinviando agli articoli di Rocca e Mancia per il contenuto dell’analisi di Morris – e sospendendo ogni precoce entusiasmo sulla pretesa “ineleggibilità” di Obama (Morris del resto non è un oracolo, nel 2005 pronosticava che Hillary Clinton avrebbe vinto le primarie democratiche, sentenziava che McCain era troppo indipendente per vincere quelle repubblicane, e desumeva che la sfida sarebbe stata Hillary contro Condi Rice, sbilanciandosi al punto da scriverci su un libro… ) – nel nostro piccolo ci permettiamo di suggerire un utile compendio, ossia il pezzo di Bill Kristol apparso il giorno seguente sul NYT con il titolo "L'eccezionalismo di McCain". L'analisi di Kristol casualmente si “combina” con quella di Morris facendone emergere, in controluce, il ragionamento a mio avviso più rilevante: ossia che il favore o lo sfavore per un determinato partito non vanno necessariamente di pari passo con la popolarità del rispettivo candidato alla presidenza. D’accordo, ormai il partito democratico appare inesorabilmente destinato a stravincere le elezioni parlamentari; ma ciò non implica necessariamente la vittoria del candidato democratico alla Casa Bianca. In fondo, nota Kristol, è pur vero che nel ventennio 1968-1988 i democratici hanno vinto tutte le elezioni parlamentari con un vantaggio di una decina di punti percentuali, eppure delle sei elezioni presidenziali tenutesi in quel periodo cinque sono state vinte dal candidato repubblicano (Nixon nel 1972, Reagan nel 1980 e nel 1984, e Bush padre nel 1988: l’unica “pausa” imposta dal pendolo dell’alternanza - e dallo scandalo Watergate - è stata quella di Carter nel 1976). Aggiungiamoci pure che McCain, con il suo ineguagliabile curriculum di “virtuoso” delle battaglie parlamentari bipartisan condotte in tandem con colleghi di sinistra, sarebbe particolarmente qualificato a governare rapportandosi con un parlamento di colore politico avverso.(Tra l'altro Old John è il primo repubblicano nella storia ad aver proposto di importare dalla Gran Bretagna l'istituto del question time, il che porterebbe il presidente degli Stati Uniti a scendere periodicamente nell'arena parlamentare e confrontarsi, pubblicamente e "senza rete", con deputati e senatori - l'unico ad accorgersi di questa proposta è stato Christofer Hitchens, che se non ci fosse bisognerebbe inventarlo...).
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  http://www.alternet.org/module/email/?storyID=85893&type=blo...
  196 days ago in PEEK | AlterNet · Authority: 764

  Share and save this post: Got a tip for a post?: Email us | Anonymous form Get PEEK in your mailbox! Will Bob Barr and Ron Paul Out-Flank McCain on the Right? Posted by Howie Klein, Down With Tyranny! on May 20, 2008 at 8:32 AM. With GOP toe-sucker Dick Morris publicly urging McCain to shed his far right extremism and move to the center if he's going to have any chance at all to win a few states outside of the Old Confederacy plus Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, a very different kind of reality is closing in on McCain who, says toe-sucker, "has been dealt a terrible hand: a tanking economy, an unpopular war, a Republican incumbent whose approval ratings are at their all-time low and a gloomy national mood, with 82 percent of Americans saying in a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week that the country is on the wrong track." He offers the hapless Republican nominee a roadmap, a roadmap dependent of Jeremiah Wright-- "the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts"-- even though every voter in red, red, red Mississippi first congressional district was inundated with Jeremiah Wright and still voted against Bush and the GOP. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives. So McCain doesn't have to spend a lot of time wooing his base. What he does need to do is reduce the size of the synapse over which independents and fearful Democrats need to pass in order to back his candidacy. If the synapse is wide, they will stay with Obama. But if they perceive McCain as an acceptable alternative, there is every chance that they will cross over to back him in November. But even as toe sucker/Fox News shill admits that McBush's endless war in Iraq agenda could kill the deal, another dynamic has arisen that negates whatever toe sucking meditations popped into Morris' demented little right-wing brain: Bob Barr. Micah Sifry, a lot smarter and far more with it than Morris was even when he was relevant, thinks if McCain doesn't watch his right flank, he's a dead duck. He warns that if McCain follows the toe-sucker's strategy Barr will siphon off enough votes to insure a McCain loss, "not because Barr is such a compelling candidate, but because he could become the vehicle for the many disaffected Republicans gathered under Paul's flag." Read the rest of the post on the flip side » AlterNet Home » Post Tools:
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  IF RON PAUL BACKS BOB BARR, NO MATTER WHAT TOE-SUCKER DICK MORRIS SAYS, McCAIN IS THE WALKING DEAD

  http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2008/05/if-ron-paul-back...
  197 days ago in DownWithTyranny! · Authority: 372

  With GOP toe-sucker Dick Morris publicly urging McCain to shed his far right extremism and move to the center if he's going to have any chance at all to win a few states outside of the Old Confederacy plus Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, a very different kind of reality is closing in on McCain who, says toe-sucker, "has been dealt a terrible hand: a tanking economy, an unpopular war, a Republican incumbent whose approval ratings are at their all-time low and a gloomy national mood, with 82 percent of Americans saying in a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week that the country is on the wrong track." He offers the hapless Republican nominee a roadmap, a roadmap dependent of Jeremiah Wright-- "the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts"-- even though every voter in red, red, red Mississippi first congressional district was inundated with Jeremiah Wright and still voted against Bush and the GOP. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives. So McCain doesn't have to spend a lot of time wooing his base. What he does need to do is reduce the size of the synapse over which independents and fearful Democrats need to pass in order to back his candidacy. If the synapse is wide, they will stay with Obama. But if they perceive McCain as an acceptable alternative, there is every chance that they will cross over to back him in November. But even as toe sucker/Fox News shill admits that McBush's endless war in Iraq agenda could kill the deal, another dynamic has arisen that negates whatever toe sucking meditations popped into Morris' demented little right-wing brain: Bob Barr. Micah Sifry, a lot smarter and far more with it than Morris was even when he was relevant, thinks if McCain doesn't watch his right flank, he's a dead duck. He warns that if McCain follows the toe-sucker's strategy Barr will siphon off enough votes to insure a McCain loss, "not because Barr is such a compelling candidate, but because he could become the vehicle for the many disaffected Republicans gathered under Paul's flag." More than a million votes have been cast for Paul, about 5 percent of the total cast in Republican primaries so far. Paul's activists are swarming local Republican party committees and conventions, quietly capturing or lining up delegates in states such as Alaska, Missouri, Minnesota, Florida, Texas and Washington. And on the Web, the Paul movement -- which, astonishingly, generated enough grassroots support to make him the top Republican presidential money-raiser in the fourth quarter of 2007 -- is still going strong. His Web site is getting about 50,000 unique visitors per week, compared to 90,000 for McCain, according to data marketing company Compete.com. (The two Democratic candidates' combined traffic is about six times higher.) On Google, people are searching for the term "Ron Paul" almost as often as "John McCain." And Paul's new book, "The Revolution: A Manifesto," which has been topping Amazon's sales chart for weeks, hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list today. Clearly, one sizable chunk of the Republican base -- small-government types who also oppose the Iraq war -- hasn't reconciled itself to voting for McCain. In Minneapolis, at the Republican National Convention, Paul may have a couple dozen delegates and enough street presence to spoil McCain's show. These days, all it takes is one person with a Web-enabled mobile phone to put live video on the Internet, and Paul's fans have already shown how good they are at using the Web to spread messages and keep their movement going. So even if the Republicans manage to keep Paul himself off the stage at the convention, his voice will still be heard. If Barr manages to capture the attention of Paul's base, it could spell real danger for McCain. McCain will be forced to name an extremist wingnut-- either Buy Bull-thumpin' Mike Huckabee or someone genuinely insane like Jim DeMint (R-SC) or Richard Burr (R-NC) of Tom Coburn (R-OK)-- as a running mate. And since many Americans expect to see the first sitting president since the assassinated JFK to die in office if McCain gets elected, the running mate decision will take on unusual significance. What pleases the nutty base is likely to scare mainstream Americans.

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