# What tactics will Republicans use against Obama? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604 "2008-02-21T19:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/141 "2008-02-28T04:39:39Z")
Watching Cunningham strut around in that video, I knew he [reminded me of someone.](http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/#mea=2399) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/142 "2008-02-28T05:34:24Z")
[QUOTE=garius] …Know it’s a bit picky (and not exactly on topic), but that’s the second or third time i’ve seen that (mis)usage on the 'dope in recent times, so in the spirit of fighting ignorance etc… 🙂 [/QUOTE] Well, ignorance is Blitz. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/143 "2008-02-28T05:59:48Z")
[QUOTE=EddyTeddyFreddy] Give credit where it’s due: [McCain today disavowed](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/26/mccain-distances-himself-from-supporters-comments/) the “Barack _ **Hussein** _ Obama” bleating Bill Cunningham. [/QUOTE] On the [Obama blogs](http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGgxH5), people have changed their screen names to include ‘Hussein’, as a way to take positive ownership of it to prevent it from having any power when someone tries to use it as a weapon. I love it! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/144 "2008-02-28T06:12:13Z")
[QUOTE=Squink] [That Cunningham clown speaks:](http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS01/302270009) [/QUOTE] I’m still giving McCain a pass. The guy “meets” like a thousand people a day, and most of the time it’s a handshake and a “nice to meet you,” and it’s on to the next rube in line. I don’t believe he should be expected to remember every asshole he’s ever shaken hands with or shot the shit with at some fundraiser. I have no doubt that he forgets who most of these people are 4 seconds after he meets them. This is a game which could be played just as easily with Hillary or Obama. God knows how many people Hillary “met” as First Lady, not to mention Senator and there’s no reason she should remember 99% of them. I saw Olbermann making McCain his “Worst Person in the World” tonight for saying he’d never met Cunningahm and it bugged me. I thought it was cheap and reaching and the kind of thing that Fox News always does to Democrats. I think John McCain’s only mistake was that he probably should have asked his staff if he’d ever met Cunningham before he made the claim. I honestly don’t think he was intentionally lying, though, and I think that his disavowal of Cunningham was an expression of who he really is (and it didn’t help him either since Rush Limabaugh, et al were attacking him for it today). John McCain might be a conservative and might be profoundly wrong on Iraq, but he is not the kind of scumbag that we’ve seen in the past. Neither is Obama, for that matter, who routinely praises McCain at his rallies and calls him an “American hero.” I actually think that Hillary is probably the dirtiest campaigner left in the race, and I’m including Huckabee. Not that I think she approaches Rovian levels or anything, but she’s more old school than the rest of them. The Clintons will still go for the nuts when they have to. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/145 "2008-02-28T06:51:32Z")
I also think that Obama will be swift-boated. John McCain will have nothing to do with it, but he has to be aware that there is a very good chance that it will happen. I wonder how much about McCain’s divorce will be brought up. I believe she was in an accident that changed her physical appearance quite a bit. I don’t see Obama bringing that up, but the Democrats will get out the word. > [@](#): > > **ElvesL1ves** : …and the Episcopalians aren’t mainline? To the best of my knowledge, the Episcopal Church has not taken an official stand supporting same sex marriages although many individual Episcopalians support the idea. > [@](#): > > **Sam Stone** : Obama has never had his character tested in any way remotely similar to that. I can’t name anyone in public office whose bravery has been tested that way. I admire his courage beyond my ability to express it. But he also has feet of clay and other parts of his character may be lacking. Does anyone remember the testy letter that McCain sent Obama a couple of years ago? I wonder if that letter will come into play during the campaign. It was so cutting it made me cringe. I don’t remember the contents – just the blood and tears. “Steal this ilk.” – maybe said by **Abbie Hoffman** (who would have been 71 this year) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/146 "2008-02-28T10:50:04Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I’m still giving McCain a pass. [/QUOTE] No one could have predicted that a Republican talk radio host, asked “to throw some red meat to the crowd" might get out of hand? Anyone but a stupid person could have predicted that. McCain’s not stupid. If he really wanted to limit this sort of incident, McCain would, at a minimum, have to talk to his state campaign chairmen about keeping to the high road. That doesn’t seem to have happened here, or if it did, the talk was ineffective. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/147 "2008-02-28T12:11:43Z")
[Here is a list of tatics Time Magazine’s Mark Halperin thinks will work for McCain:](http://thepage.time.com/halperin%E2%80%99s-take-ways-mccain-can-beat-obama-that-clinton-cannot/) > [@](#): > > Things McCain can do when running against Obama that Clinton has been unable to do well or at all: > > 1. Play the national security card without hesitation. > > 2. Talk about the Iraq War without apologies or perceived contradiction. > > 3. Go at Obama unambiguously from the right. > > 4. Encourage interest groups, bloggers, and right-leaning media to explore Obama’s past. > > 5. Make an issue of Obama’s acknowledged drug use. > > 6. Allow some supporters to risk being accused of using the race card when criticizing Obama. > > 7. Exploit Michelle Obama’s mistakes and address her controversial remarks with unrestricted censure. > > 8. Play dirty without alienating his party. > > 9. Dismiss Obama’s brief national tenure from his own lofty platform of decades in the Senate – there will be no ambiguity about who has more experience as conventionally defined. > > 10. Use his sterling war record to reinforce his image of patriotism and valor – and contrast it with his opponent’s. > > 11. Emphasize Barack Hussein Obama’s unusual name and exotic background through a Manchurian Candidate prism. > > 12. Employ third party groups like the NRA to hit Obama on issues that might turn off general election voters. Perhaps an ad such as this will run in Ohio: “So, what do you really know about Barack Obama? Did you know he supports meeting with the head of terrorist states? Do you know he wants to get rid of your right to own a handgun? Do you know he is calling for the repeal of the law preventing gay marriage? Do you know he is for a trillion-dollar tax increase? What do you really know about Barack Obama?” > > 13. Face an electorate less consumed with “change change change” (the main priority for Democratic voters) and keenly interested in “ready from day one” as an equally important ideal. > > 14. Link biography (experience/courage) and leadership (straight talk) to a vision animated by detail – accentuating Obama’s relative lack of specificity. > > 15. Give Obama his first real race against a credible Republican. (Clinton has always asserted that Obama would wilt before a fierce Republican assault.) > > 16. Confront Obama with a united, focused campaign absent of second-guessing, which hits the same themes and message every day. I think Cunningham was trying to work #6 but that backfired. You can do #13 only by wishing really, really hard for voters to forget that they don’t like where this country has been heading for the last 7 years. McCain’s lack of specificity in reality (as opposed to Obama’s perceived lack of specificity) will make #14 hard to pull off. Bloggers and such already are researching Obama’s past. That’s why we keep getting the Muslim/turban/not _really_ black crap. Manchurian Candidate? Seriously? This ran in Time Magazine? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/148 "2008-02-28T12:18:03Z")
Political Judo–if Obama’s people can bribe a prominent McCain supporter or two to use racial slurs in a high-profile way, major damage to McCain could be done. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/149 "2008-02-28T13:16:52Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] _sigh_ Just this afternoon I heard [Bill Cunningham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_cunningham) being interviewed on _All Things Considered,_ and he **actually** said Obama is “to the left of Senator Bernie Sanders.” :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] (does sad victory dance) -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/150 "2008-02-28T13:41:05Z")
[QUOTE=Merijeek] (does sad victory dance) -Joe [/QUOTE] I heard him on All Things Considered too and Robert Siegel was noticably irritated with him. When Cunningham said he may endorse Clinton and have Clinton on the show, I cheered! Go right ahead and endorse Clinton, Send out press releases! Clinton pairing with that assh\*le would be great! Push her even further into the ditch. I now her bus already crashed into that ditch, but obvisouly she can go even deeper. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/151 "2008-02-28T14:08:35Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] I heard him on All Things Considered too and Robert Siegel was noticably irritated with him. When Cunningham said he may endorse Clinton and have Clinton on the show, I cheered! Go right ahead and endorse Clinton, Send out press releases! Clinton pairing with that assh\*le would be great! Push her even further into the ditch. I now her bus already crashed into that ditch, but obvisouly she can go even deeper. [/QUOTE] Oh, don’t be silly. That’s like all those dittoheads out there who say, “I’ll vote for a Democrat if McCain is the Republican nominee”. No. No you won’t. You’re not fooling anyone even a little bit. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/152 "2008-02-28T14:25:23Z")
Fitting nicely into the “Democrats support terrorists” theme is the [recent attack on Obama](http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Jonah+Goldberg:+Left-wing+radicals+never+have+to+say+'sorry'&articleId=8a13783d-0b1c-41f6-b5b4-8116c7480b88) for having visited with a university professor, William Ayers, back in the mid-90s when Obama’s political career was just getting off the ground. Seems that in addition to supposedly being a local political power, Ayers was involved in bombing the Pentagon as a member of the Weather Underground in 1970. Now, Obama’s having had anything to do with Ayers a dozen or so years ago is not appealing, though it’s unclear what that association amounted to. I am going to have to balance it against things like John McCain currently sucking up to and getting an endorsement of Rod Parsley, Ohio right-wing evangelical political kingmaker. Parsley was big in backing the Ohio gubernatorial campaign of Ken Blackwell, best known for his sleazy tactics as Sec. of State in trying to disenfranchise Democrats. Parsley runs something called the [Center for Moral Clarity](http://cmc.rodparsley.com), which does things like smear Planned Parenthood over the abortion issue. If it comes down to Obama vs. McCain, I’ll have to weigh this kind of stuff carefully. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/153 "2008-02-28T16:38:52Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Fitting nicely into the “Democrats support terrorists” theme is the [recent attack on Obama](http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Jonah+Goldberg:+Left-wing+radicals+never+have+to+say+'sorry'&articleId=8a13783d-0b1c-41f6-b5b4-8116c7480b88) for having visited with a university professor, William Ayers, back in the mid-90s when Obama’s political career was just getting off the ground. Seems that in addition to supposedly being a local political power, Ayers was involved in bombing the Pentagon as a member of the Weather Underground in 1970. [/QUOTE] Sorry to have to disabuse you, but the camp that actually started the “Obama meets with terrorists” crap was a fellow Democrat – Hillary! See Howard Wolfson’s Blog on the official Hillary website, [here](http://blog.hillaryclinton.com/blog/main/2008/02/22/143137), where it concludes with this zinger. . . > [@](#): > > **In Case You Missed It** : “Obama once visited '60s ‘terrorists’.” [Read more](http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8630.html). Lovely, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/154 "2008-02-28T16:44:47Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] _sigh_ Just this afternoon I heard [Bill Cunningham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_cunningham) being interviewed on _All Things Considered,_ and he **actually** said Obama is “to the left of Senator Bernie Sanders.” :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] I loved the part where Cunningham was claiming that he emphasized “Hussein” out of respect and honor for Obama, the way that, according to him, one does when they say “Franklin Delano Roosevelt” or “John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” Of course, the host didn’t call him on the obvious weasely-ness of such a claim. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/155 "2008-02-28T19:29:46Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] I loved the part where Cunningham was claiming that he emphasized “Hussein” out of respect and honor for Obama, the way that, according to him, one does when they say “Franklin Delano Roosevelt” or “John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” Of course, the host didn’t call him on the obvious weasely-ness of such a claim. [/QUOTE] Since he’s got so much respect in him, I wonder if someone in his show’s listening area could call him and ask him what John McCain’s middle name is. Any volunteers? I’d like to hear how long that pause is before he can answer. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/156 "2008-02-28T19:32:45Z")
Tiberius. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/157 "2008-02-28T19:57:12Z")
On Hannity he called his former endorsee “Juan Pablo McCain”. Man, this middle name bit has legs. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/158 "2008-02-28T20:29:33Z")
Hannity has seen the light, hasn’t he? Surely by now he has discovered his deeply felt admiration and loyalty to McCain? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/159 "2008-02-29T00:05:04Z")
This is sweet: [RNC denounces use of ‘Hussein’ in Obama’s name](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/28/rnc-denounces-use-of-hussein-in-obamas-name/) > [@](#): > > “The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement. "We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation.” Whatever slime gets tossed up on the beach between now and november, it’s comforting to know that the Republicans won’t be behind it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604/160 "2008-02-29T02:07:36Z")
[QUOTE=Merijeek] Oh, don’t be silly. That’s like all those dittoheads out there who say, “I’ll vote for a Democrat if McCain is the Republican nominee”. No. No you won’t. You’re not fooling anyone even a little bit. -Joe [/QUOTE] A number of Obama-ites here have claimed they will "stay home in droves’ :rolleyes: if Hillary gets the nod over Obama. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tactics-will-republicans-use-against-obama/438604.md?page=9)