It works, but it has to be part of an overall strategy to “paint” the character of the candidate in negative tones, and then narrative builds on that character matter, cementing it in place. It has to be this two stage process, and thus the last minute Negative Ads frequently don’t work if the foundation has not been laid for them fairly early on.

In this campaign, I think we will find the intended strategy stumbled on the Financial Meltdown and the obvious failure of McCain to comprehend the implications of the crisis and act in a way that inspired trust. Just prior to the meltdown, McCain’s campaign had several negative paint jobs going on Obama, one which might have captured votes being Obama’s supporters “Negative” and “Sexist” attitude toward Palin, who was being presented as the Heroic Mother of Five Kids, etc. etc., The theme of the elitist rejection of the pure as the new driven snow, working class mom. Had this been allowed to develop, it might very well been a winner. But it failed simply because attention shifted away from this kind of cultural theme to the hard rocks of bank failures, crashed 401K’s and the necessity for Presidential Leadership in response to financial meltdown. Significantly it was Palin whose narrative began to tank after the meltdown, largely because what had been constructed for her suddenly became irrelevant. After the meltdown one wanted to see Obama pallin’ around with his set of elite economists and Financial Industry leaders. I think this may turn out to be a classic example of how a set-up for a character attack based in cultural differences and hostility backfired.

I think it was the intention of the McCain Strategist to wrap racial differences with a many pronged attack of cultural elitism — remember the use of the term “Uppity” in various forms? They wanted to play on Racism and racial turf, but they didn’t want to do it directly or overtly. In the language of George Wallace, you can’t “out seg” your opponent anymore. I suggest what we need to know is how to counter such a strategy without needing a Financial Meltdown to destroy the strategy. In fact, I think what the McCain camp had planned, as I see it, the strategy might well have been successful had not the subject been changed for good by the Financial Meltdown. The intent of the strategy was to divide women voters on cultural and class variables. Setting up the “highly educated, elitist, uppity Negro” against the “traditional Mom who mixes work with raising a brood of children” was designed to get such a division to the benefit of McCain.

Most of us will want to move on — let’s start constructing the next administration and looking at congressional priorities — and others are going to watch with interest the potential civil war in Republican Ranks — but getting a good understanding of what’s happened over the last year’s selection and election process is quite critical to the future.

Our county is now at 47% of registered voters having voted early or absentee.

freep: The Gators moved up in the BCS because losses tend to “decay” a bit in the computer models: a recent loss hurts more than one that is farther in the past. Also, the win over Georgia was over the then #6 in the BCS (and preseason number 1 AP) in very convincing fashion. The only Georgia touchdown was in garbage time; the “real” score in that game was 49-3. That’s why the Gators actually even got one #1 in the AP. I was very impressed with the Sooners when I went to their game against Kansas, but they have a very tough road ahead with Texas Tech and Ok State still on the schedule. Texas has the easy road in the South. If you take Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, there are going to be at least 3 more losses to apportion among those teams because of the way they still have to play each other. If the Sooners win out, they’re still screwed because Texas is very likely to win out also and the Sooners would be behind them. How is a three way tie resolved if Texas, Texas Tech and OU each have one loss?

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/….._1102.html

All roads lead to Rove where the strategy of lying to create an alternate reality is concerned. Make Rove the poster child of the cultural and political hijacking that has gone on these past 8 years, and tie FOX News around his neck so they can both be flushed down the toilet simultaneously, once and for all.

No more brainwashing, Karl.

Rove’s crimes are revealed here:

http://plungerspeaks.blogspot.com

Karl, you are the scapegoat, and you are going to prison for your crimes.

The young man did a great job and when one gets to the end of his paper, you have no other conclusion than to pick Obama.

He went around to some undecideds in our neighborhood and asked if they would read his paper to give him feedback. The feedback, “Jeebus kid, after reading this, clearly, I’m voting for Obama.”

I did early voting and voted against him. Don’t regret it either. But I am an unenthusiastic about Obama. He is running as a Reaganite, and whether he is or is not one is irrelevant. He is going to have to be one if he expects to govern, and that is the problem.

Bob in HI