Do you think Obama needs to publicly call McCain out on all this BS?

[cags]

I think he does.
I think he needs to call it dirty lying.
Its disgusting gutter politics that McCain must have learned from George Bush and Karl Rove.
Its dangerous and incites anger that is not good for this country.
When people are yelling "kill him" and "terrorist" at your rally's that says something about you as a candidate.
What are you teaching the children of this world when you are inciting anger against another human being.

[Windy]

1. YES!!!!! He needs to go on the TeeVee and put a stop to this and put McCain/Palin in their place.

The truth is on his side!

[TornadoTN]

2. UNDOUTEDBLY YES - This is the "Swift Boat" moment, Obama has to get in front

Cut it off, answer the questions, set the record straight - the media will listen and it will get play. Call McCain out on his tactics and his promises of running a "clean" and "honorable" campaign. Lay it all on the line.

[JohnMcCant2008]

3. Three days ago I woud have said NO, but now? Abso-fucking-lutely!

[liberal N proud]

4. Someone does

The media should sure as hell be saying this isn't right

[1corona4u]

5. Yeah, I do.

Daily. In a presser.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Uh, Obama virtually called McCain a coward on ABC News yesterday

WTF are you talking about?

[TwilightGardener]

21. I saw that, that was awesome. Saying that a man doesn't have the guts

to talk trash to your face is essentially saying he's a dishonorable yellow coward.

[PretzelWarrior]

7. YES! It is so incessant...that it is almost as if Obama

hasn't responded DESPITE the fact that he has. I don't know. He's been addressing it in interviews....I think his proxies should jump up and down about how dangerous it is to incite mobs the way Mcan't and Palin are.

[Mike Daniels]

8. He needs to have every surrogate on the air before noon attacking this

You know that Palin and McCain are going to be hitting this on every stop today.

And, it's not going to stop with Ayers. 2 to 1 that adverts on Wright are on the air by tomorrow as well.

[ThatsMyBarack]

9. Of course!

Don't we all?

[KayLaw]

10. Yes, I most certainly do.

These damned liars need to be shut down right this very minute.

[VeraAgnes]

11. Has Mccain any "kills" on his military record?

Is Mccain a "war-baby-killer"?

[CoffeeCat]

12. I seriously think that Obama should....

take the bull by the horns, and give a speech--like he did when the Wright situation
was at full tilt.

Obama can use McCain's lies about Ayers--as an opportunity to explain the truth and also
to give a very inspirational and uplifting speech about how great America is--but how
this kind of dirty politics is the worst of America.

Obama can rise above these attacks. If he lays out the truth about this and calls
the McCain camp's rhetoric as LIES--he can gain control of the message. Obama should
give a kick-ass speech about moving our country forward with a new kind of politics
that will empower people--instead of being like John McCain--who underestimates the American
people by assuming that they crave a steady diet of rumors, lies and attack politics.

If Obama wants to be really bold--he could call out McCain and accept McCain's invitation
for a town-hall meeting. Obama could say, "I'm for transparency and honesty and if John McCain thinks that I have
ties to domestic terrorists, than this is a very serious issue and the American people
deserve clarity. Since Senator McCain is launching these attacks, I am accepting his
invitation to a town-hall debate, which he has openly asked me for many times, so we
can discuss this issue openly and honestly with the American people--instead of talking
through attack ads and soundbytes that are spewed from the campaign trail."

Call out McCain and force him to stand on a stage--in front of the American people--and make
these attacks to Obama's face--where Obama can calmly explain the TRUTH about his relationship
with Ayers.

DO IT UP OBAMA!!!!!!

[cags]

15. That would be perfect!!!!! A challenge to his face!!!!

[Medusa]

13. Yes. Now.

This instant.

[Smarmie Doofus]

14. Normally, I would say YES. But the polls suggest NO would be a ...

... safer course of action.

It's a bit of a paradox. I think Dukakis.... and perhaps Kerry....lost in large part 'cause he didn't kick the shit out of Atwater, etc.; preferring to tour western massachusetts and "look presidential" instead.

Obama and Co. may be thinking that dull, staightforward low-key is a better sell for this particular candidate. Seems to be working so far. The core dynamics are different this time: Race, the economy, etc.

I will say this: a lot of swing voters seem to be repelled by what they perceive as "wimpiness." Especially in candidates for this particular office.

I trust Obama and braintrust are aware off this.

[cags]

17. I think some people will fall for this crap though, Obama needs to nip it in the butt right now...

before the polls start tightening because of it

[occe]

16. Absoloutely

I feel it will hurt him mightily if he doesn't be more firm. NOW is not the time to brush it off and be nice. This is crunch time.

I don't want a Kerry '04. Not this time. Not this year.

[scheming daemons]

18. ABSOLUTELY NOT. Every news cycle about this is BAD for our side...

Obama needs to tie EVERY public utterance to the economy.

EVERY one.

[cags]

20. I think he needs to address it loudly, or he will appear to be hiding and some will fall for it

[scheming daemons]

22. When he addresses it loudly, as you say... it pours gasoline on the fire and makes it

*THE* media narrative for several days.


All discussion on the economy goes away.


The discussion moves to McCain's turf.


You're taking the bait. You're doing EXACTLY what the McCain campaign wants you to do.



I'm glad Obama is smarter than that.

[cags]

32. If he doesn't do it, I predict a small drop in the polls, because some people will fall for it

I like having this huge lead

[TwilightGardener]

19. No. He's doing fine. Joe Biden is doing the job--it's his role.

[scheming daemons]

24. EXACTLY. Obama must, above all else, remain looking Presidential...

He's winning because he is NOT getting down in the mud with McCain.


Every public utterance by Obama should be focused on the economy. EVERY ONE.


Every time he answers McCain, he legitimizes the whole thing as a news story and gives McCain several news cycle wins.



This is *NOT* 2004 people.... Swiftboating only works when the economy is off the table...and the economy was not a big issue in 2004.


Swiftboating BACKFIRES against the backdrop of an economic collapse.


LET IT BACKFIRE. Don't take the bait.

[TwilightGardener]

27. I agree--people here want him to make some sort of "big speech" about it--

that would be a disaster. Obama is not sinking fast in the polls because of this bullshit--people are reading too much into natural fluctuations in the daily tracking polls, and getting panicky because he's not ahead now by ten of fifteen points. We've still got four weeks to go, it will not necessarily be a steady march to a guaranteed landslide, but we're in a good position. This crap may shave off some points, but that's all it will do.

[Smarmie Doofus]

28. I'm not sure Biden commands the same level of news coverage. nt

[scheming daemons]

33. We don't WANT news coverage of McCain's race-baiting rallies..... GEEZUS!

We want news coverage of Wall Street... the credit crisis.


*MCCAIN* wants news coverage about racial politics.


Get a clue. PLEASE.

[TwilightGardener]

34. He doesn't, but his punchier statements made the news yesterday.

We just don't need that much focus on this from Obama himself, because he only has 20-some days left and he needs to spend it on serious-ass campaigning, not taking McLoonie's distraction bait. If Obama was losing REAL ground in the polls, then that might be a different matter, but we seem to be riding out the storm with minimal damage right now.

[Smarmie Doofus]

40. I agree. There are risks involved by so doing , however. nt

[endthewar]

23. NO! Wait until the 3rd debate.

If McCain goes without mentioning it, hint that the American people deserve a President who isn't a coward and can talk to them straight to their faces.

[Smarmie Doofus]

26. Mmmm... interesting idea. nt

[endthewar]

30. Obama laid the groundwork for it

when he mentioned during his Gibson interview yesterday that he was surprised that McCain couldn't say it to his face.

[Smarmie Doofus]

36. Missed that interview. That theme could resonate.

The "swingers" seem to like a degree of machismo in their presidential candidates and what you describe is worthy of Gary Cooper of Jimmy Stewart.

I think there is a risk in being too passive in the face of unfair attacks and there is also a risk in fighting fire w. fire when you seem to be leveling off with about a 10 percent edge, nationally.

What you're describing sounds like an entirely reasonable middle course.

[endthewar]

38. Interview link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x210008

[Schulzz]

25. I think he should call McCain out in the third debate.

If McCain again does not bring up Ayers, Obama should talk about this, at least in his closing statement. But I don't think they should make the entire news cycle about Ayers. That's what McCain wants. A distraction from the economy.

[JBoy]

29. Yes, get McCain on the record in front of millions saying that kind of trash is inappropriate.

[Ganja Ninja]

31. Yup. He needs to confront him at the next debate.

Ask him straight up if he believes his own accusations or if he's just making them because he can't win on real issues.

[wayamerican]

37. Limericks in Service of the Truth

Hey DUers,

I started a site for Palin limericks: "The American Center for Sarah Palin Inspriational Limericks," and today I have addressed the issue of the Republican smear:


Sarah, ever since your debate with Biden,
everyone wonders where you've been hidin'.
A cave in Waziristan?
Palling with Taliban
to prove Obama Hussein knew Bin Laden?

the site is at http://www.sarahpalinlimericks.blogspot.com .

I'm a poet and a grad student at Washington University in Saint Louis, and, after the media blitz, decided to try to do something to help foment discussion. Please feel free to send limericks--in these anxious weeks, writing limericks (strangely enough) has been pretty therapeutic.

Matthew

[Perky]

35. No.

Basically, I see this as mass distraction from issues at hand, I don't thnkw we benefit greatly from a three day war of words over trivial things. I don't want to be passive about it. But I don't wan Ayres to control the next three or four newscycles baecuase there is no real upside to that,

Support is hardening why put it at risk,

If we see support softening. that I think it is appropriate to call him out on the issue of running an honorable campaign.


How is this: At the next debate in his opening statement Obama says: I only have one question. What the hell have you done with the Real John McCain? The Real John McCain had more honor than what your campaign has become. The real John McCain promised a campaign on the issues: Issues these voters want to hear about from both of us on. You want to talk about Bill Ayers, a guy I barely know; a guy I have said was involved in despicable, deplorable acts. John you were supposed to be better than this. John you need to stop listening to your advisors and run the campaign you promised the American people. We will all be the better for it.

[leftist.]

39. "I can take 4 more weeks of John McCain's attacks ..."

"... but America can't take 4 more years of John McCain".

I think he's already doing it and doing it in a way that makes sense given his position in the polls. I trust this campaign.