The Democrats' Plan To Hit McCain

Politico: Presumed GOP Nominee's Reputation For "Straight Talk" Will Be Scrutinized

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jeanne Cummings.

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With John McCain poised to win the Republican nomination, Democrats are already gathering ammunition to use against him in the general election.

In more than a few instances, the best fodder has been provided by the candidate himself.

A case in point: As the economy was rising late last year as a major issue for voters, McCain in New Hampshire delivered this grenade, with its pin still in it: "The issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," he said. "I've got Greenspan's book."

Those are not the only words that will come back to haunt him in November.

From the economy to Iraq to immigration to abortion, the Arizona senator's lengthy voting record and his primary season offerings to the Republican Party's conservative wing provide a deep vein for opposition researchers to mine for shifting positions and policy inconsistencies.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is already moving to redefine the presumed Republican nominee. In a fundraising appeal sent out Wednesday, Dean called McCain "a media darling" and warned that "from Iraq to health care, Social Security to special interest tax cuts to ethics, he's promising nothing more than a third Bush term."


The tough part for Democrats will be making any criticism stick. Republican rival Mitt Romney tried to no avail. The sharp, eleventh-hour assault launched by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and a cadre of high-profile conservatives also failed to derail his candidacy.

Doug Schoen, a former adviser to President Clinton, says the Democrats must act quickly. "The trick is to get him on the flip-flops and not let him get back to the center where he can be a real force," he said.

The appeal of a flip-flop assault is that it could undermine McCain's reputation for taking tough stands and sticking with them no matter how the political wind blows.

Carter Eskew, a former adviser to Vice President Al Gore, puts it this way: "Go right after his strengths. Take the Straight Talk Express and push it off the rails."

Democrats are also convinced McCain is standing on soft ground on policy issues that are foremost in voters' minds. Tad Devine, a strategist to 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, says those substantive critiques should be the first line attack.

On the economy, McCain has tried to distance himself from his self-deprecating comment about his understanding (or lack thereof) of the economy. But his attempts have fallen flat in part because he's made the mistake of alluding to the weakness more than once.

In 2005, he sat down with Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and said: "I'm going to be honest; I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."

On the campaign trail, he's also suggested he'd look for a vice presidential running mate with strong economic credentials to balance weaknesses of his own. He tried to take that one back, too.

Those comments, coupled with McCain's relatively thin economic message, could leave him vulnerable to recasting by the opposition.

One broad theme that will be used against him is that he's offering little more than an extension of the Bush economic policies that have exacerbated the nation's wealth gap and brought about a return of giant deficits.

Democrats could also take some sharper shots at his economic plan, which centers on two core messages: cutting taxes and cutting spending.

On taxes, McCain's votes against President Bush's 2003 tax cuts and his explanation for them are likely to become major talking points. "I just thought it was too tilted to the wealthy and I still do," he said of those tax cuts. "I want to cut the taxes on the middle class."

Democrats are sure to argue that if the Bush tax cuts were "too tilted" toward the rich in 2003, they are only more so now.

McCain will have to square his previous comments with his call today to make Bush's tax cuts permanent and add new cuts for the middle class.

To recover the lost revenue from the tax cuts, McCain is promising to cut earmarks and wasteful spending -- a line that plays well with his party's fiscal conservative wing.

On this point, the senator is on firmer footing since he's earned solid credentials on the issue by leading some major fights against pork barrel projects.

[jack3213]

The Clintons are as corrupt as can be. What''''''''s more disheartening and hard to fathom, is the sheer number of gullible, entitlement minded supporters there are for them. Especially when the Clintons criminal history is still relatively fresh. I fear for the future of our country, when so many potential voters are more enamoured with gender politics and pop culture than the more important issue of character and adherance to the Constitution. The Clintons are not only power-mad, but they also promise a Socialist/Marxist style of government. Something their supporters either ignore, or actually support. The ignorance and rejection of the greatness of America by the Democrat electorate is stunning and sad. The ominous, looming danger of a Clinton or even an Obama Presidency is horrifying.

[the74blaster]

Posted by von_marko,

He who laughs last laughs best! Hopefully my turn comes on the first Wednesday in November. I heard Rush is stocking up on the pain meds already.

This is going to be fun.

[von_marko]

the74blaste... Do you think Swift Boat had an effect on the Kerry campaign?? It did. How can you put Hillary against McCain?? ha ha

Would you put Obama up against McCain?? Obama wants to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. ha ha

Keep drinking the Kool Aide liberals.. if it helps you to get by day to day. ha

[the74blaster]

Dems to challange McCain?? ha ha ha While Hillary was supporting communist, McCain was being tourtured by them. WHile Obama was trying to surrender the war in Iraq, McCain got was busy winning it. ha ha you libs are toast.

Posted by von_marko,

I hope you really believe your comments and do not bother to vote in the upcoming elections. I mean the wars..shoot a typo...I mean the election is going to be a cakewalk. Its Mission Accomplished for the GOP!!!

Posted by v

[von_marko]

Dems to challange McCain?? ha ha ha While Hillary was supporting communist, McCain was being tourtured by them. WHile Obama was trying to surrender the war in Iraq, McCain got was busy winning it. ha ha you libs are toast.

[the74blaster]

"Democrats could also take some sharper shots at his economic plan, which centers on two core messages: cutting taxes and cutting spending.

Yeah heaven forbid! We democrats have to keep takin your money so we can give it to our constituents! How else would we stay in power ?

Posted by speakinup,

Interesting point of view since the party you support squandered an annual budget surplus of 234 billion they inherited from Clinton and turned it into an admitted 400 billion debt. Based on this we simply cannot afford another GOP president with GOP majority in congress.

I''ll take my chances with a democratic president. They certainly cannot be as bad as Bush.

[mh4cbs1]

Something the Corporate Media forgot to mention about Corporate-Owned Democratic Party Corruption....

Take ALL of the people from ALL of the following states, and their votes counted LESS than the "superdelegates", who are mostly DNC party hacks

Arkansas
Connecticut
Deleware
Hawaii
Iowa
Idaho
Kansas
Maine
Missouri
Montatna
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Hampshire
Nevada
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming

Thats right! If you lived in any of these states, your collective vote (ALL of you combined), counts LESS than the superdelegate party hacks (who during Clinton the first gave us NAFTA, Telecom Deregulation, Wall Street/Banking deregulation, and nothing on alternative energy, corporate welfare reform, progressive taxes, cut bloated military....)

so much for corporate-controlled democracy

[mh4cbs1]

Something the Corporate Media forgot to mention about Corporate-Owned Democratic Party Corruption....

Take ALL of the people from ALL of the following states, and their votes counted LESS than the "superdelegates", who are mostly DNC party hacks

Arkansas
Connecticut
Deleware
Hawaii
Iowa
Idaho
Kansas
Maine
Missouri
Montatna
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Hampshire
Nevada
Oklahoma
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wyoming

Thats right! If you lived in any of these states, your collective vote (ALL of you combined), counts LESS than the superdelegate party hacks (who during Clinton the first gave us NAFTA, Telecom Deregulation, Wall Street/Banking deregulation, and nothing on alternative energy, corporate welfare reform, progressive taxes, cut bloated military....)

so much for corporate-controlled democracy

[heartnspirit]

One color, tears down another color... One race tears down another race... One religion tears down another religion... One size, tears down another size... One name, tears down another name, One appearance, tears down another appearance, One liberal, tears down another... One conservative, tears down another, One ***, tears down/belittle another ***, One person, tears down another person, One child, tears down another child, On and On , a deadly- slow cancer, that breeds ... and breeds into... tearing down selves, tearing down good-true leaders, tearing down examples for our youth, ... tearing down our country.

'' NO FREEDOM, NO INTEGRITY, NO PEACE, NO HARMONY, NO UNDERSTANDING, NO CARING, NO INSPIRATION, NO ENCOURAGEMENT, NO MOTIVATION, NO EXAMPLES FOR OUR YOUTH, NO SHARING, NO GIVING-(without the essence of greed), NO UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, (just words spoken- for self satisfactions).... clearly, NO REAL AND TRUE LIFE TO LIVE.

[buddhabman]

Enough from the uninformed Hillary supporters.

CLINTON v. OBAMA on LEGISLATIVE EXPERIENCE:

Senator Clinton, has served one full term (6yrs.), has managed to author and pass into law, (20) pieces of legislation including the following:

These bills can be found on the website of the Library of Congress (www.thomas.loc.gov).

During the first year in the Senate, Sen. Obama sponsored over 820 bills. He authored 152 bills and co-sponsored another 427. These included the following:

The Coburn-Obama Government Transparency Act of 2006 -(now law )
The Lugar-Obama Nuclear Non-proliferation and Conventional Weapons Threat Reduction Act, (now law),
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, passed the Senate,
The 2007 Government Ethics Bill, (now law),
The Protection Against Excessive Executive Compensation Bill, (In committee). In all since he entered the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has written 890 bills and co-sponsored another 1096. An impressive record, for someone who supposedly has no legislative record or experience.