The presidential campaign: why John McCain must ignore the media and adopt a new battle plan
Andy Martin on why John McCain needs a new campaign strategy. Andy takes a pilot’s approach to writing an imaginary conversation for a McCain campaign strategy planning session. Martin says McCain must focus on the negative because the positive is being ignored. “Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Obama,” Andy proposes. Pilot-to-pilot, Martin says, McCain has to attack or die.
Andy Martin on the presidential debate
John McCain has to ignore the media and ditch his current strategy
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANDY MARTIN ON HOW MCCAIN CAN WIN: PILOT TO PILOT
AFTERMATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TIME FOR A “CHANGE” IN MCCAIN’S STRATEGY
COUNTDOWN TO HONOLULU: “OPERATION ALOHA OBAMA” BEGINS IN 7 DAYS
(NEW YORK)(October 8, 2008) Most people would agree that John McCain is a decent man. He promised to run a decent campaign. But he was overtaken by events through no fault of his own. I am also prepared to say that Barack Obama is a decent man, although a deeply misguided and conflicted one. He has been the beneficiary of events through no action of his own.
I have made it clear that on a personal level, I bear Obama no ill will, and I have no special affection for McCain. But I want McCain to win because I think he is the best, the only man qualified to lead us through difficult times. Empowering McCain with the presidency is empowering a fiercely independent and strong man. Empowering Obama with the presidency is empowering a fundamentally weak character; empowering him is ceding power to the crackpot liberal romper room in Congress, from Blowhard Barney Frank to Ridiculous Harry Reid.
McCain is losing. What does he do? Imagine for a moment we are sitting in a Combat Operations Center (COC) in some godforsaken outpost. The survival of civilization as we know it depends on our squadron surviving and succeeding. We face a formidable foe. I am the Executive Officer. The squadron commander, McCain, looks at me and says, “Andy, what are your thoughts; how do we adjust out battle plans?” Here is my answer.
Sir, we attack. We must dump our existing strategy and we must ignore the media. It won’t be pretty, but we can’t afford to lose. The fate of the United States is in our hands. Repeat, we can’t afford to lose.
And that is exactly the strategy Senator McCain has to adopt Wednesday morning.
First, accept that debates are not working for either candidate, which means they are working in favor of the front-runner Obama. Expecting “ordinary citizens” to phone in questions that sharpen the issues and differences is unrealistic. The debates have been and will continue to be superfluous. Rule One: Sir, we have to win this one outside the debate matrix.
Second, go negative. Go negative almost exclusively, and relentlessly. Develop a negative matrix and stick to it until November 4th, with the exception of the final debate, where a positive attitude must be projected for TV. Rule Two: Sir, we are not going to win this election on defense. We have to take the battle to the enemy. We must pierce the enemy’s defenses or we fail.
Third, ignore Obama’s Counterattacks. Obama will try to throw the “Keating Five” in the air. The public can actually distinguish and differentiate between events of twenty years past, and events of the past twenty months. Rule Three: Keep a steady hand on the throttle and fly right into the enemy’s airspace without regard to the counterattacks. Sir, the only way we can survive is to fly into the belly of the beast and engage the adversary face-to-face.
Fourth, expand the campaign’s circle of advisers. Look outside the current control group. Rule Four: Sir, we need to broaden the base of our campaign. We need input from outside the four walls of our COC.
Fifth, the media will howl. Editorial pages will attack. Columnists will ridicule us. But the people will respond. Rule Five: Sir, we need to ignore the media’s criticism. We have to fly our mission without regard to the screams from media honchos. The burdens of survival and success are on our shoulders, not the media’s. We can’t give them a seat at the table on strategy, and we certainly can’t give them a veto power over how we conduct the attack.
Sixth, we need to define our bogeymen. Yesterday, I suggested that McCain had to run against “Goldman Greed & Co.” That is still my advice. There is a reason why: You can remind people that Goldman Greed & Co. knew the mortgage securities they were selling were bad paper. Goldman systematically and knowingly dumped bad paper on its customers. Break cleanly with the Bush administration’s implementation of the bailout law and say “No:” No conflicts. No corruption. No Goldman Greed & Co. in charge. Take the side of the people and do it without hesitation.
Rule Six: Sir, we need to make Goldman Greed & Company the issue, not “the economy.” We need to attack Obama’s links to Wall Street.
Seventh, we can use Flight Commander Palin in her current posture. She is an aggressive pilot. She will fly point on the mission. Rule seven: We put our most aggressive pilot up front. Her flight will lead the attack. There is no time for hesitation. The attack must be aggressive and relentless. Sarah is that kind of an officer.
Eighth, stop talking about your record, experience and legislative minutiae. This is painful, sir, but you have to recognize that people are completely ignoring those factors. The “economy” is overshadowing everything. It’s not your fault. But only a harshly negative campaign will break through the media’s obsession with the “economy.” The media love the economic turmoil; they have realized that the economy is Obama’s secret weapon to defeat you. Nothing else worked. The economy is working. For you to stick to a strategy that was developed in a different economic environment is a fatal mistake. Rule Eight; Forget about your experience and competence; concentrate on Obama’s weaknesses. Attack, attack, attack.
Lastly, can we win this war and still shave on November 5th? Yes we can! We can stick close to the facts, because the facts and the truth are devastating. We don’t have to tell lies about the evil Emperor Obama. We can devastate him with the truth.
Bill Ayers gave Barack Obama a $100 million checkbook. Can anyone reasonably believe that Ayers entrusted the money he personally had raised to someone untried whom Ayers did not know well and could not trust? Garbage! Ayers knew and trusted Obama before he wrote him a check for $100 million dollars.
Likewise, can anyone believe David Axelrod’s latest lie, that Obama accepted a check from Ayers for $100 million dollars ($50 million Annenberg and $50 million matching) without knowing who was behind the money, and who Bill Ayers was? Equally garbage.
Who did Obama think Bill Ayers was? An Ed McMahon substitute, delivering $100 million from Publishers Clearing House? These men, Obama and Ayers, knew each other intimately before the Annenberg deal went down. No honest person can hold a contrary opinion.
We can hit Obama with a devastating critique and challenge: if you won’t tell the truth about Ayers, and subject your academic years to searching cross-examination, we will apply the common law “adverse inference rule” and draw a negative conclusion from your silence and secrecy. Ayers is the linchpin of our strategy, but not the only pin. Obama has a lot of shadows, a lot of unknowns in his life. It is fair game to shine some light on his dark corners and shady past.
We can attack and destroy and conquer the enemy with the truth. We don’t have to lie or distort. The truth is Obama’s greatest enemy. Let’s use it in our ads.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Obama. Let’s drop our bombs without a lot of drama. The fate of the nation depends on us. We can and will succeed with a new strategy Wednesday morning.
Let’s go.
----------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: http://OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or the publisher now available.
---------------------------------------------
FULL DISCLOSURE: I recently decided to oppose Barack Obama's election and became Executive Director of The Stop Obama Coalition, http://StopObamaCoalition.com. By default, I became the national leader of the anti-Obama movement. I am not acting as either a Democrat or Republican. I have had no contact whatsoever with the McCain Campaign. I am not a member of any political organization. The views expressed are entirely independent. I am acting as an American citizen who sincerely believes Obama is not the man we need in the Oval Office. We are going to run a very dynamic and aggressive campaign against Obama. I will continue to write my news and opinion columns for ContrarianCommentary.com. /s/ Andy Martin
----------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to fight Barack Obama. http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com. Please give generously up to the maximum of $100. Our ability to fight and defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American."
The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama limits itself to $100 maximum contributions; there are no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised more than a third of a BILLION dollars, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. We can't just sit back and expect John McCain to do the job all alone. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He is currently based in New York selling his new book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, published in July 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or cell (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]
Andy Martin on why John McCain needs a new campaign strategy. Andy takes a pilot’s approach to writing an imaginary conversation for a McCain campaign strategy planning session. Martin says McCain must focus on the negative because the positive is being ignored. “Bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Obama,” Andy proposes. Pilot-to-pilot, Martin says, McCain has to attack or die.
Andy Martin on the presidential debate
John McCain has to ignore the media and ditch his current strategy
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
ANDY MARTIN ON HOW MCCAIN CAN WIN: PILOT TO PILOT
AFTERMATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: TIME FOR A “CHANGE” IN MCCAIN’S STRATEGY
COUNTDOWN TO HONOLULU: “OPERATION ALOHA OBAMA” BEGINS IN 7 DAYS
(NEW YORK)(October 8, 2008) Most people would agree that John McCain is a decent man. He promised to run a decent campaign. But he was overtaken by events through no fault of his own. I am also prepared to say that Barack Obama is a decent man, although a deeply misguided and conflicted one. He has been the beneficiary of events through no action of his own.
I have made it clear that on a personal level, I bear Obama no ill will, and I have no special affection for McCain. But I want McCain to win because I think he is the best, the only man qualified to lead us through difficult times. Empowering McCain with the presidency is empowering a fiercely independent and strong man. Empowering Obama with the presidency is empowering a fundamentally weak character; empowering him is ceding power to the crackpot liberal romper room in Congress, from Blowhard Barney Frank to Ridiculous Harry Reid.
McCain is losing. What does he do? Imagine for a moment we are sitting in a Combat Operations Center (COC) in some godforsaken outpost. The survival of civilization as we know it depends on our squadron surviving and succeeding. We face a formidable foe. I am the Executive Officer. The squadron commander, McCain, looks at me and says, “Andy, what are your thoughts; how do we adjust out battle plans?” Here is my answer.
Sir, we attack. We must dump our existing strategy and we must ignore the media. It won’t be pretty, but we can’t afford to lose. The fate of the United States is in our hands. Repeat, we can’t afford to lose.
And that is exactly the strategy Senator McCain has to adopt Wednesday morning.
First, accept that debates are not working for either candidate, which means they are working in favor of the front-runner Obama. Expecting “ordinary citizens” to phone in questions that sharpen the issues and differences is unrealistic. The debates have been and will continue to be superfluous. Rule One: Sir, we have to win this one outside the debate matrix.
Second, go negative. Go negative almost exclusively, and relentlessly. Develop a negative matrix and stick to it until November 4th, with the exception of the final debate, where a positive attitude must be projected for TV. Rule Two: Sir, we are not going to win this election on defense. We have to take the battle to the enemy. We must pierce the enemy’s defenses or we fail.
Third, ignore Obama’s Counterattacks. Obama will try to throw the “Keating Five” in the air. The public can actually distinguish and differentiate between events of twenty years past, and events of the past twenty months. Rule Three: Keep a steady hand on the throttle and fly right into the enemy’s airspace without regard to the counterattacks. Sir, the only way we can survive is to fly into the belly of the beast and engage the adversary face-to-face.
Fourth, expand the campaign’s circle of advisers. Look outside the current control group. Rule Four: Sir, we need to broaden the base of our campaign. We need input from outside the four walls of our COC.
Fifth, the media will howl. Editorial pages will attack. Columnists will ridicule us. But the people will respond. Rule Five: Sir, we need to ignore the media’s criticism. We have to fly our mission without regard to the screams from media honchos. The burdens of survival and success are on our shoulders, not the media’s. We can’t give them a seat at the table on strategy, and we certainly can’t give them a veto power over how we conduct the attack.
Sixth, we need to define our bogeymen. Yesterday, I suggested that McCain had to run against “Goldman Greed & Co.” That is still my advice. There is a reason why: You can remind people that Goldman Greed & Co. knew the mortgage securities they were selling were bad paper. Goldman systematically and knowingly dumped bad paper on its customers. Break cleanly with the Bush administration’s implementation of the bailout law and say “No:” No conflicts. No corruption. No Goldman Greed & Co. in charge. Take the side of the people and do it without hesitation.
Rule Six: Sir, we need to make Goldman Greed & Company the issue, not “the economy.” We need to attack Obama’s links to Wall Street.
Seventh, we can use Flight Commander Palin in her current posture. She is an aggressive pilot. She will fly point on the mission. Rule seven: We put our most aggressive pilot up front. Her flight will lead the attack. There is no time for hesitation. The attack must be aggressive and relentless. Sarah is that kind of an officer.
Eighth, stop talking about your record, experience and legislative minutiae. This is painful, sir, but you have to recognize that people are completely ignoring those factors. The “economy” is overshadowing everything. It’s not your fault. But only a harshly negative campaign will break through the media’s obsession with the “economy.” The media love the economic turmoil; they have realized that the economy is Obama’s secret weapon to defeat you. Nothing else worked. The economy is working. For you to stick to a strategy that was developed in a different economic environment is a fatal mistake. Rule Eight; Forget about your experience and competence; concentrate on Obama’s weaknesses. Attack, attack, attack.
Lastly, can we win this war and still shave on November 5th? Yes we can! We can stick close to the facts, because the facts and the truth are devastating. We don’t have to tell lies about the evil Emperor Obama. We can devastate him with the truth.
Bill Ayers gave Barack Obama a $100 million checkbook. Can anyone reasonably believe that Ayers entrusted the money he personally had raised to someone untried whom Ayers did not know well and could not trust? Garbage! Ayers knew and trusted Obama before he wrote him a check for $100 million dollars.
Likewise, can anyone believe David Axelrod’s latest lie, that Obama accepted a check from Ayers for $100 million dollars ($50 million Annenberg and $50 million matching) without knowing who was behind the money, and who Bill Ayers was? Equally garbage.
Who did Obama think Bill Ayers was? An Ed McMahon substitute, delivering $100 million from Publishers Clearing House? These men, Obama and Ayers, knew each other intimately before the Annenberg deal went down. No honest person can hold a contrary opinion.
We can hit Obama with a devastating critique and challenge: if you won’t tell the truth about Ayers, and subject your academic years to searching cross-examination, we will apply the common law “adverse inference rule” and draw a negative conclusion from your silence and secrecy. Ayers is the linchpin of our strategy, but not the only pin. Obama has a lot of shadows, a lot of unknowns in his life. It is fair game to shine some light on his dark corners and shady past.
We can attack and destroy and conquer the enemy with the truth. We don’t have to lie or distort. The truth is Obama’s greatest enemy. Let’s use it in our ads.
Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Obama. Let’s drop our bombs without a lot of drama. The fate of the nation depends on us. We can and will succeed with a new strategy Wednesday morning.
Let’s go.
----------------------------------------------
Readers of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, say the book is still the only gold standard and practical handbook on Barack Obama's unfitness for the presidency. Buy it.
Book orders: http://OrangeStatePress.com. Immediate shipment from Amazon.com or the publisher now available.
---------------------------------------------
FULL DISCLOSURE: I recently decided to oppose Barack Obama's election and became Executive Director of The Stop Obama Coalition, http://StopObamaCoalition.com. By default, I became the national leader of the anti-Obama movement. I am not acting as either a Democrat or Republican. I have had no contact whatsoever with the McCain Campaign. I am not a member of any political organization. The views expressed are entirely independent. I am acting as an American citizen who sincerely believes Obama is not the man we need in the Oval Office. We are going to run a very dynamic and aggressive campaign against Obama. I will continue to write my news and opinion columns for ContrarianCommentary.com. /s/ Andy Martin
----------------------------------------------
URGENT APPEAL: The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama is raising money to fight Barack Obama. http://CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com. Please give generously up to the maximum of $100. Our ability to fight and defeat Barack Obama is directly dependent on the generosity of every American."
The Committee of One Million to Defeat Barack Obama limits itself to $100 maximum contributions; there are no bundlers, fat cats or illegal contributions. Obama is opposed to everything America stands for," says Executive Director Andy Martin. "But while Obama has raised more than a third of a BILLION dollars, his opponents have raised virtually nothing. We can't just sit back and expect John McCain to do the job all alone. Americans can either contribute now, or pay later. If we do not succeed, Obama will."
E-mail: contact@CommitteeofOneMilliontoDefeatBarackObama.com
---------------------------------------------
Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. He is currently based in New York selling his new book, Obama: The Man Behind The Mask. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin comments on regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.
His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, published in July 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 or cell (917) 664-9329
E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]
posted by Andy Martin | 5:26 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home