Obama's Discipline Is Amazing - Democrats Complained That Obama Did Not Hit McCain Hard Enough

[Median Democrat]

We complain about him not ripping McCain a new one over the Keating 5. However, it is clear that Obama has watched the history of the past couple Presidential campaigns, and he is expecting that McCain will go for the smear campaign close to the election despite McCain's assurances that the campaign would be on the issues. So, McCain blinks, and starts wildly swing 30 days from the election with a weak attack based Williams Ayers, and boom! Obama comes right back with a disciplined and tight message discussing the Keating 5 AND explaining why it is directly relevant and similar to the problems plaguing the mortgage industry.

Obama resisted the temptation to hit right after the RNC convention, but instead lets McCain do the inevitable, which is turn the campaign into character assassination. Worse, McCain telegraphed his heats on a Sunday, but on Monday, when the news really hits, the main thing being explored with be the Keating 5, and why it is directly relevant to the current mortgage crisis. Deregulation leads to questionable activities by the finanancial industry, which leads to losses and bankruptcies, which leads to billion dollar bailouts. McCain just never learns does he? You would think that the Enron scandal in 2003 would have given Republicans a clue, but instead they focused on scapegoats just like McCain is doing now.

[underpants]

1. Rope-a-dope

Back in August McCain made his greatest gains. Obama was basically on vacation/prepping for the convention/getting rested for the 4th quarter. McCain tired himself out just catching up and NOW Obama hits the gas.

Brilliant

as usual

I agree with your point too

[TheDonkey]

2. McCain and Co are fucked.

[bluestateguy]

3. Until about mid-August he was very sluggish to respond

Maybe the Clintons had a chat with him about the importance of hitting back hard and fast.

[RagAss]

4. How many lost pensions?..How many lives ruined?

Time to pay the piper, Johnny.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Checkmate!

[ecstatic]

6. I hope someone also exposes Palin's ties to big oil and AIP

...at a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, something tells me that subject would get a lot more traction than Keating or ayers.

[Larkspur]

7. The Obama campaign is not perfect

They were slow to respond to McCain's attacks, but once they got it going they stalled McCain's post convention bounce and events outside the campaign's control -- economic meltdown -- worked to their advantage.

Obama hopefully will learn from Biden on how to attack correctly. Biden's VP debate performance was one of the best I've seen all year.

[Median Democrat]

14. Its Not Perfect, But I Don't Think Its An Accident That The Keating 5 Was Not Raised

This is not random, nor is it simply a matter of hitting back hard. Rather, I think Obama was going to keep this issue in his back pocket in the event that McCain decide to re-hash the Fox News attacks from the primaries.

Think about it. The temptatation to do an ad blitz featuring the Keating 5 must have been enourmous. Yet, Obama avoided doing so. Compare this to the McCain's campaign impulsiveness and wild punching.

My take is that Obama's message discipline is what sometimes keeps him from responding. Obama does not want to let the other camp dictate his message. Now, by releasing the Keating 5 now, on the heals of the bailout, McCain's scandal and the current mortgage crisis are now complementary.

It is a tight message, rather than a reactionary one.

[MadMaddie]

20. I agree with you

I think that by timing the responses versus an automatic knee jerk reaction it ruins the moment for McCain. This plan also takes the power of control from the McCain camp, I am betting that McCain's camp wants a knee jerk reaction so they can say see, Obama responds this way..blah..blah..blah....

And I think it has a lot to do with money, that is McCain spending his money and Obama getting free advertising for his expected response. For every attack McCain puts out there the more money he spends, the closer to November and the more desperate and poorly made the ads will become. The McCain campaign is starting to show some fragmenting.....it's only going to get worse for them.

[Indiana_Dem]

25. Dang! I hope you're right. This is absolutely incredible.

Plouffe and Axelrod are geniuses! I had a feeling they were withholding their cards for the end. I hope the ads are played in Indiana, too. Some of these people are really influenced by these ads. They say they don't like them but some of them pay more attention than they think. I'm so glad the campaign is on the offensive instead of always playing defense.

[anonymous171]

8. He also learned, from the primaries, that he is a sprinter, not a marathoner.

So he takes it slow, then in short bursts he pulls way ahead. That's why he was laying low all of August.

[graywarrior]

9. May as well thrown in the fact that his son was part of the SNL scandal also

Had to bring that up. Why not?

[thereismore]

10. And that's just one day before the debate... KA-Boom! nt

[billyoc]

12. Will Brokaw mention it?

:rofl:

[thereismore]

27. Some of the townfolk might ask about it. nt

[TheDonkey]

11. This is all leading up to the 2nd debate! Who wants to guess McCain breaks down into a fit of rage

after a person in the audience asks him about this! Yikes!

[silverweb]

13. I pray for it.

I want him to completely lose it and to fly into a rage, spewing spittle-filled profanities.

I want the cranky, crazy old warmonger to show his real self live and uncensored, to millions of people glued to their television sets.

[MidwestTransplant]

15. What's that picture from?

[silverweb]

16. I wish I knew.

I lifted it from a post here at DU a while back. Unfortunately, it didn't still have the credits linked, as they sometimes are.

[MidwestTransplant]

17. The thing in his hand looks like a bomb detonator from a suicide vest or something.

The craziness in his eyes is befitting that image.

[silverweb]

24. It kind of does.

And I think he really is that crazy.

[msongs]

18. without all the TV makeup he looks really old nt

[ClayZ]

22. We want an all out hissy fit!

K and R

[THUNDER HANDS]

19. ding, ding, knockout

say goodnight, Gracie.

[BlooInBloo]

21. The handwringing whiners will never learn that Obama is smarter than they are.

[Gregorian]

23. It's not just his Harvard experience/education.

But I've felt all along (above and beyond Dennis Kucinich) that his difference in cultural experience and composition would be a unique facet in his political vision and practice. And I know he's going to bring this to the White House. I have my worries. But I'm hoping some of what he says is to placate potential supporters.

I, of all people, am hyperactive in my desire to see lightening fast response combined with force. I'm impatient. My first post in 2003 was "Impeach Bush". I still have the screen cap. People weren't saying things like that yet. But somehow Obama has not caused me even the slightest hesitation. Not after his initial appearances on tv. I first thought he was less than effective, when I saw him interviewed by Jon Stewart. No longer. I have had complete faith that he's got an equation.

I see an explosive ending coming. It's just a hunch.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

26. He's the Jackie Robinson of Presidential politics

The right A-A had to come along. Branch Rickey told Robinson, when he signed him to the Dodgers, that he couldn't retaliate against the things that would be done to him for three years. Robinson agreed. He had the temperament and discipline to put up with the unendurable and won the respect and support of even his Southern teammates. By the time the three years were up, Robinson was a genuine baseball hero and there were a lot more black players. O has the discipline to stay on message, a message, which, BTW, might be the best Dem message since the days of RFK, remain above the bullshit and take his case to the the people. That the people are ready for his message is a happy accident of history. The moment calls the man or woman. Robinson and MLK were the messengers for their time. BHO is the messenger for this time. The right person at the right place to make history.

[Median Democrat]

28. Very Good Analogy

I am now sure that Obama and his campaign have a plan from the election going backwards, as well as a plan from the election going forward. They are the anti-thesis of both the Bush administration and McCain not just in terms of ideas, but in terms of temperment and planning. Also, they campaign as though the American people are smart and rational, while McCain's campaign assumes the American people are primitive and demand knee jerk responses.

We will see who was right on November 4.