MyDD :: Obama Goes On A Little Offense

Obama Goes On A Little Offense

by Josh Orton, Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 10:50:06 AM EST

Republicans have been circling the wagons on energy recently - the NRCC chief is advising his candidates to do gas station events over the Congressional recess.

So it's good to see Obama roll-out his comprehensive energy plan today - and release a corresponding ad tying McCain to big oil, and Bush:

Update [2008-8-4 12:18:46 by Josh Orton]: You're likely going to hear some McCain surrogates ridicule Obama for advising people to keep their tire pressure up to improve fuel economy. First, it's obviously not Obama's plan - it's just something he smartly mentioned. Second, tell them to take it up with NASCAR.

Tags: Barack Obama, election 08 (all tags)

Permalink :: 31 Comments :: Post a Comment

Just Curious (none / 0)

Has anyone noticed the price of gas go down about 20 cents over the last month?

Or is this an isolated incidence?

vote blue in 2008

by sepulvedaj3 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 10:57:03 AM EST

Re: Just Curious (none / 0)

Its still hoovering (pun intended) between 4.00 and 4.20 in Palm Beach.

"Once in a while you get shown the light In the strangest of places if you look at it right"

by molly bloom on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:10:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Summer is winding down (none / 0)

Nothing unusual about it.

by conspiracy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:41:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

Good ad.

He would be better off making it a " choice " election , attacking is one way to do it.

However I suspect a response would include inflate your tires and use tire gauges.

That is one of the weirdest comment by a political candidate this season , even if it has some truth in it.

Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me.

by lori on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 10:58:08 AM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

I don't understand how that comment is at all weird in any way.

Barack says offshore drilling alone won't help us solve the energy crisis because there simply isn't enough oil there (objectively true). He then says we'd save just as much money by having people inflate their tires as we would by opening up the continental shelf to drilling (he was off by about 15% by surprisingly close).

The entire point of his comment was that neither offshore drilling nor pumping our tires is enough to solve the energy crisis. There is nothing weird about that.

I also don't understand why Republicans/conservatives are all of a sudden so skeptical of a politician promoting personal responsibility in the face of huge, counterproductive congressional gridlock. Since when has that become a bad thing?

by davisb on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:11:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

The entire point of his comments would be lost in the political atmosphere we are in today .

It is an easy opening for political adversaries.

Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me.

by lori on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:28:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Only because the GOP are bad-faith operators (none / 0)

Carpetbagger puts it better than I ever could:

"McCain emphasized that skin cancer is preventable, and implored Americans to wear sunscreen, especially over the summer. What's wrong with this advice? Not a thing. It's a smart, sensible thing to say.

But imagine if Obama and his surrogates said the entirety of McCain's healthcare policy is sunscreen application. McCain doesn't really care about cancer, they could argue, he just wants everyone to run out at get some SPF 30. Those vying to be Obama's running mate started holding up bottles of Coppertone during their speeches, saying things like, "We want you to wear sunscreen, you know, it will very mildly improve your chances of not getting sick. But wearing sunscreen is not a healthcare policy for the United States of America."

This, of course, would be insane. And yet, that's pretty much what's become of Republican campaign rhetoric of late."

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/arc hives/16436.html#more-16436

by conspiracy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:45:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Only because the GOP are bad-faith operators (none / 0)

I agree with that assessment

Educated in a small town Taught to fear Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another born romantic that's me.

by lori on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:47:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

Offshore drilling is a way to get Americans to believe that that there is a simple fix and divert attention from the fact that the problem is oil, not where it's located.

This administration is not sinking. This administration is soaring! If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg!

by venavena on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:29:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

You're right.

ridiculing a tip that can save up to ten percent in fuel efficiency is just more of mcsame.

Dare to be free.

by misscee on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:08:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

The ad is a little unfair, but I don't really care. I'm glad Obama is hitting McCain more aggressively and hope he keeps it up.

John McCain: Extending SCHIP would be an "unfunded liability."

by Fuzzy Dunlop on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 10:58:37 AM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

About time. Good ad.
When are the dems going to get an "agent" to bring McCain's unfitness to the front page? That stroke or "event" he had in Fla is enough to give anyone concern about his capacity for this job. That and stamina. The press talks about his 2-3 hour work day all the time..among themselves. It's time for a national dialogue on this.

by moondancer on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 10:58:58 AM EST

somewhere I read a study of 1996 advertising (none / 0)

that showed that people viewed Dole's ads as very negative, but they didn't view Clinton's ads the same way. Clinton had a lot of ads like this one, that were negative for the first 20-25 seconds with a positive pivot about the Democrat at the end. Apparently that makes a big difference in how the attack ad is perceived.

I like this ad very much.

John McCain: 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me."

by desmoinesdem on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:09:10 AM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (2.00 / 1)

it's nice to see him hitting back...kinda hypocritical to tie McSame to bush on oil though when Obama voted for the bush energy bill and McSame against it.

by nyarch on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:22:37 AM EST

He MUST link the windfall tax to the energy credit (none / 0)

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_c ontent/politics/election_20082/2008_pres idential_election/voters_like_obama_s_en ergy_credit_for_working_families_but_giv e_mixed_reviews_to_windfall_profits_tax

Or else he is stuck with the old problem of people wanting something without taking any consideration into account of how to pay for it.

by conspiracy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:40:18 AM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

John McCain is the unabashed sponsor and cheerleader for the biggest foreign policy fiasco in American history. His claim to be a superior Commander in Chief is a joke, because he cannot make the proper strategic decisions.

How about taking that theme up in an ad, Barack?

by Bob H on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 11:45:22 AM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

That is a good ad. The little index card inside Obama's briefcase needs to say BUSH'S THIRD TERM.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:02:48 PM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

It's a good start, but I want to see Obama hit McCain with ad after ad, really hitting him hard, and often, constantly attacking McCain on his policies, his flip-flopping, his closeness to Bush, his vast weaknesses. I really want an aggressive response to the smear the GOP is throwing. It would be best for the 527s to hit his character, with personal attacks, that Obama cannot make (or even condone). Fire with fire.

by MtnFrost on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:12:52 PM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

He doesn't need to hit him often, just really hard.Calling Mccain a complete phony is what he has to do. There's a wealth of evidence for this.

If you're being chased by an angry bull and then you notice you're also being chased by a swarm of bees, it doesn't really change things. Just keep on running.

by vcalzone on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:59:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

Matt.J.H. has an excellent post on why Obama can't afford to take the high road on ads. His post is in the comments section and bears repeating.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/08/t odays-polls-83.html#comments

by MtnFrost on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:28:18 PM EST

Can Obama show some grit please.... (2.00 / 1)

Full disclosure, I'm a 38yo Hillary man (but not a PUMA!) so I may not be as invested in this post-partisan candidate yet...

BUT

I can tell you one thing, Hill would not be playing Rocky right now and letting McNumnuts land unanswered punches. Though I am glad to see the Obama campaign ratchet this up a bit, there is no VISCERAL response to the past week and I see another Gore/Kerry/above the fray/we're better than that/policy wonk ass-handing in the works here if they keep this up through October.

Shrill? Yes.
Unfounded? No.

I'm a life-long liberal that is damn tired of letting my ideologues fail me because they don't have the will to fight on the terms of the day's political landscape.

BO, I beg of you. After the next low-blow from Team Rove II, come out and say, "Ayte, that's it. I've had about enough of this. I didn't want to go here, but I have no choice." And tie those f'rs to Bush up down left and right and in no uncertain terms. Mock him, expose his hypocrisy, and belittle the conservative movement. Get some dirt on you and come out the other side the victorious leader of millions of grateful Americans.

Better yet, let's do that before the next attack.

Obama's message of HOPE! can and should have a transformative effect on the world, I'm all in, but first we need him to be that scrappy politician willing to do what is needed in order to win. A person who vanquishes his foes can still deliver the message of hope, maybe even more effectively since he has proven his willingness to fight mightily for it.

PEWPEW -- Lasers! -- PEWPEWPEW! David Poore, A Lyttle Lytton contest winner.

by JerryColorado23 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:34:10 PM EST

I'm all for that (none / 0)

But he has to do it in a way that doesn't undermine his theme of being above the "Old politics". Frankly, I was skeptical it could work in the primaries and I was wrong. I think it can work in the general but I agree he has to create a strong contrast and fight hard to both defend himself AND put McCain on the defensive. This ad is a good start but we need much, much more.

by conspiracy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:47:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm all for that (none / 0)

The Wesley Clark thing was the right way to go, but they dropped it. Obama needs somebody else to say the stuff he can't say. Most notably and directly that McCain is getting senile and confused. THAT will get people talking. Even if Obama denounces the old argument, it brings Mccain's completely confused and contradictory rhetoric into the forefront.

If you're being chased by an angry bull and then you notice you're also being chased by a swarm of bees, it doesn't really change things. Just keep on running.

by vcalzone on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:56:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm all for that (none / 0)

Exactly. You have to hit him from other angles, groups or people that can really get down in the mud, and let Obama disavow the attacks - but the important thing is to get those McCain issues out there in the public mind.

by MtnFrost on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:45:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm all for that (none / 0)

I wonder if he could even just get a pretty well-known person outside politics to say so.

Ooh, or Bill Clinton. Maybe he could get something from Bill that would make him say something like that.

If you're being chased by an angry bull and then you notice you're also being chased by a swarm of bees, it doesn't really change things. Just keep on running.

by vcalzone on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:54:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm all for that (none / 0)

Let's discuss this "old politics" meme because like I said above, I'm not fully convinced Obama has ushered in a new era.

My POV is that we've not effectively answered the threat of the old politics yet. I would argue that there is no way we can usher in a new way until we have figured out how to neutralize, trivialize or at the very least play the old game as good or even better than our opponents.

If you know your opponent will come at you a certain way, then why not neutralize them on the field in which you are being engaged. Then, once your opponent is in disarray, switch the rules of engagement and show the world a new way of doing business.

I saw this in Hillary and Biden. I don't see this in Obama. I sense that Obama may think he doesn't need to go this far in order to win. He may be right, but I doubt it. Purple band-aid anyone?

I don't think his message is what won the primaries; it was the incredible organization he built. He is building on that amazing field staff in the general so perhaps that is the key to victory and not a snotty TV ad.

But that snotty TV ad sure wouldn't hurt in my opinion.

PEWPEW -- Lasers! -- PEWPEWPEW! David Poore, A Lyttle Lytton contest winner.

by JerryColorado23 on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:45:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

I'll second JerryColorado's message.

by MtnFrost on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 12:37:40 PM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

you're also likely to hear that obama took more money from oil execs than any other candidate....

by nikkid on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:03:23 PM EST

Re: Obama Goes On A Little Offense (none / 0)

Wow, even after McCain took thousands upon thousands from oil executives because HE supported offshore drilling? That's amazing.

If you're being chased by an angry bull and then you notice you're also being chased by a swarm of bees, it doesn't really change things. Just keep on running.

by vcalzone on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:55:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Putting aside fuel economy, (none / 0)

maintaining proper tire pressure is also a good way to avoid getting injured, killed or injuring or killing someone else in a car accident.

Maybe it's part of McCain's job plan, though. In the good case, improperly inflated tires ultimately lead to premature wear which will require more trips to the mechanic and hence, more job hours.

In the bad case, however, improperly inflated tires lead to car accidents, trips to the hospital and sometimes, trips to the morgue.

However, somebody has to do the dirty work so it appears under-inflated tires is a win-win-win situation for John McCain.

Beat that drum, Johnnie, beat that drum.

by phillybits on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:27:54 PM EST

I have a new motto for the GOP... (none / 0)

...Personal Responsibility. When it suits.

by conspiracy on Mon Aug 04, 2008 at 01:35:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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