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Its Not Negative If Its True
Its not negative if its the truth. Has McCain supported and perpetuated the policies of the Bush Administration? Yes. Has McCain made ridicualous statements ranging from not knowing the names of former Soviet-bloc nations to having 80% of our power needs met with nukes? Yes.
Certainly, how one illustrates McCain's shortcomings can be contrued as negative or positive and I'm not advocating exagerration but simply hammering home a half dozen solid disastrous policies of McCain and hammering a half-dozen easily digested concrete solutions to these problems in terms that the average person can understand-and with passion.
Obama keeps asking for McCain to have a real debate about the issues but its too late for that! Its never going to happen. McCain's only tactic is to instill fear and insecurity into the minds of those who are undecided.
Certainly, how one illustrates McCain's shortcomings can be contrued as negative or positive and I'm not advocating exagerration but simply hammering home a half dozen solid disastrous policies of McCain and hammering a half-dozen easily digested concrete solutions to these problems in terms that the average person can understand-and with passion.
Obama keeps asking for McCain to have a real debate about the issues but its too late for that! Its never going to happen. McCain's only tactic is to instill fear and insecurity into the minds of those who are undecided.
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I think it would be useful for people to realize that something Obama has in common with one of our greatest Presidents was INEXPERIENCE. If you have a lot of experience, but it's BAD experience, then it doesn't count.
August 19, 2008 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Obama keeps asking for McCain to have a real debate about the issues but its too late for that! Its never going to happen."
Excuse me? Presidential debates are not only going to happen, but they have even been scheduled for 9/26, 10/7, and 10/15 (see Wiki excerpt below).
I think it is safe to assume that "issues" will be brought up.
Wikipedia:
"There are three presidential debates scheduled between Obama and McCain. No third party candidates or Independent candidates have been offered an invitation to debate in any of the debates[39] as Obama and McCain are the only candidates on the ballot in all 50 States and the District of Columbia[citation needed]. The Commission on Presidential Debates has proposed that two of three 90 minute debates be held in an informal, seated, talk show format, while the third would be in a town hall format that allowed both candidates to walk around.[40]
First presidential debate: Friday, September 26, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
Second presidential debate: Tuesday, October 7, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee
Third presidential debate: Wednesday, October 15, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York"
August 19, 2008 9:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure what the standard definition of "negative ad" is.
Sometimes it's used to describe ads that attack the opponent instead of highlighting good things about the candidate that makes the ad, regardless of the veracity of the accusations.
Other times it's used to simply described false attacks against opponents.
August 19, 2008 11:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope the real debate that Obama wants will happen *at the debates* but Obama better not get too wonky. More like a mixture of wonk with consise answers that call out McLame's inadequacies.
August 19, 2008 11:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Regarding negative ads: simply pointing out McCain's 90% record of supporting Bush and where America is today is a "negative" ad because it doesn't talk about whats good about Obama. I think the point is to USE those kinds of facts, which he is doing.
Speaking of the debates; if they questions are soft-ball, they play more to McCain's "strengths" (patriotism, "evil", etc...jeez) but if they are policy and detail oriented, this I would presume would favor Obama.
I would suggest that he not get into too much extemporaneous "philosophizing" and be consise. Caveat: much of the country doesn't know him still and the debates will be their first real hearing. Therefore, some biographical info will be necessary and enlightening. In fact, I would hope that ACTUALLY, Obama's upbringing and family history (multi-cultural, broken home, middle-class) would resonate with the majority of voters in a way that a silver spoon wouldn't.
August 19, 2008 11:45 PM | Reply | Permalink