McCain, Palin Stress Biography Over Issues

Politico: Campaign Speeches, Ads Focus On Personal Narratives Of The Two Candidates

(The Politico)  This story was written by Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Martin.

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When John McCain’s campaign manager said last week that this presidential election “is not about issues,” it wasn’t a Freudian slip. It was an unvarnished preview of McCain’s new campaign plan.

In the past week, McCain - with new running mate Sarah Palin always close by his side - has transformed the Republican campaign narrative into what amounts to a running biography of this new political odd couple.

In McCain’s new stump speech and first post-convention ad, the impression his strategists hope to leave is unmistakable. McCain is the war hero. Palin is the Every­mom. And together, they will rattle Washington.

Considering the big challenges the country faces - two wars and a wobbly economy, for starters - the focus on personal narratives might strike some as jarringly superficial for the times.

There is also significant danger for a campaign that emphasizes the personal over policy: The allure of even the most compelling - or unorthodox - life story can fade, begging the question: Where’s the beef? For McCain, the answer comes largely in policy positions that mirror those of an unpopular president, and for Palin, her brief time as a public figure prompts many more questions than answers.

But the McCain campaign is betting its best chance to win is by aiming for the gut, not the heads, of voters.

This should not come as a huge shock. For one thing, the political climate pretty much demands it.

The Republican brand is in the tank. And despite all his talk about independent-mindedness, McCain actually differs very little from President Bush on the serious issues of the day: Iraq, taxes, trade and health care.

To win, McCain advisers believe the Republican nominee must distance himself from Bush and even his own party. That isn’t easy work.

But they got a solid clue on the best way to pull this off from none other than Barack Obama. They saw how his generalized message of change resonated. So while Obama was busy soft-selling the change portion of his campaign at his convention, McCain was busy stealing it - and busy downplaying the sort of issue-by-issue laundry list Obama delivered in his State of the Union-like acceptance speech.

Politics is also about masking your weaknesses. Let’s face it: McCain is not a policy wonk, especially when it comes to discussing domestic issues. He’s gotten more comfortable talking about issues such as energy because he’s had to this year, but he’s much stronger on the nitty-gritty substance of governing only as it relates to his sense of political honor (how, for example, pork-barreling is tied to corruption).

This new approach allows both McCain and Palin to play to their strengths. They both have arresting stories to tell. Not only are they strong in their own right, but the narratives stack up especially well against their opposition. Republicans see the matchup this way:

• Prisoner of war and decorated Navy flier who still bears the wounds of his service versus a first-term senator with a foreign-sounding name and nontraditional background who has never worn the uniform.

• Mother of five and thorn in the side of the “old boys’ club” in her home state versus a 65-year-old male senator with 35 years in Washington and a penchant for grandiloquence and self-reference.

Meanwhile, the McCain-Palin team will crow about riding into Washington with six-guns blazing to clean up a dirty town. But beyond clamping down on congressional spending - something Palin didn’t make a priority as governor of a state that is legendary for its take from the federal treasury - they offer precious few specifics of how they’ll do the deed or how their maverick personas would actually fix rising unemployment levels, energy dependence or hobbled education and health care systems. Still, the campaigning-by-biography plan seem to be working - for now. McCain and Palin are drawing bigger-than-ever crowds and leading in the polls, and even the Republican Party as a whole is seeing an uptick in popularity.

Oddly, it’s the vice presidential candidate who seems to be the reason. Does anyone think the convention would have grabbed as large a TV audience without her? Does anyone think voters would be lining the streets and packing crowds without Palin onboard?

The McCain campaign is using Palin’s celebrity to sell his biography - and as a means to overcome the Arizona senator’s historic reticence to delve into his Vietnam experience. To this end, Palin has become chief testifier to the courage and fortitude McCain demonstrated 40 years ago.

Appearing with the Arizona senator at rallies following the convention, she touted his prescience on the surge in Iraq before focusing unambiguously on what Republicans really want to get across.

“He is the only great man in this race,” Palin said flatly before about 15,000 flag-waving Coloradoans in military-heavy Colorado Springs on Saturday.

If that didn’t convey the point, she also noted: “It’s a long way from the fear and the pain and the squalor of a 4-by-6 cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office.”

McCain, Palin noted, is the sort “whose name you’ll find on war memorials in small towns all across this great country - only he was among those who came home.”

Citing Democrats’ populist rhetoric about “fighting” for average Americans, Palin has also begun to remind voters of McCain’s military service by employing the term literally.

“Since Sen. McCain won’t say this on his own behalf, let me say it: There is only one man in this election who has ever really fought for you, and that man is John McCain,” Palin said at another large rally outside Detroit on Friday night, drawing loud applause and chants of “John McCain, John McCain.”

For his part, McCain has used her reformist image to amplify his, though without the droning details and fine print of McCain-Feingold and the like. “Send a team of mavericks who aren’t afraid to go to Washington and break some china,” he implored the raucous crowd in Michigan.

But McCain recognizes that Palin’s appeal is as rooted in her personal story as it is in her reputation as a reforming politician.

In their first ad featuring Palin, the campaign features a picture of McCain and Palin together as an announcer proclaims, “They’ll make history,” a clear allusion to her potential to be the first female vice president.

And, in an interview over the weekend with Univision, McCain first cited her political credentials in defending her preparation for the office.

But when asked more open-endedly what Hispanic voters should know about Palin, he went straight for the heart.

“You know, one of the things that Hispanics, in my view, are strongest on are family, family, la familia, and this is a great example,” McCain said. “From an oldest son who is about to go to war, to a youngest baby who is so, so perfect and so exceptional with Down syndrome. So, I think you would find that Hispanic people will warm to her and love her the way that other people have known her, again, as the most popular governor in America.”

And the thousands of women thronging McCain-Palin rallies since the convention are clearly learning to love her for some of the same reasons.

While some cite her anti-abortion stance, most touch on her authenticity or, more candidly, her gender.

“I think she’s absolutely a woman that everyone can relate to, she’s everybody’s mother, she’s everybody’s daughter, everybody’s sister,” observed Heather Nitzkorski, who with her husband drove the hour from Denver down to Colorado Springs on Saturday.

For others - especiall those who brought their daughters and granddaughters out to events and waved “Girl Power” signs - Palin evokes the same sort of Jackie Robinson-like pride based on her gender that Obama does with his race.

Joanne Hannawell of Wauwatosa, Wis., was at a Friday rally in the Milwaukee suburbs. She put Palin’s appeal this way: “I think it’s time we have a woman involved in higher office.”

[labrat9999]

Palin has been honest about what she doesn''t know. When asked last month about the vice presidency, she said, "I still can''t answer that question until someone answers for me: What is it exactly that the VP does every day?" When asked about Iraq, she said, "I haven''t really focused much on the war in Iraq."

[mitch5511]

It''s time for people to use the freakin'' heads and concentrate on the issues instead off allowing their emotions run away with them. After the last 8 years of complete ineptitude by the Bush administration, we had *** well better take this election much more seriously!

It is absolute disgrace on how the US citizenry has become so complacent in their political responsility for the well-being of our nation.

Bottom line, going all gaga over personalities is stupid and illogical!

[trudem1]

Palin is a pig.

Questionable reimbursements - $700 hotel rooms - takes the whole family along
Religous Crackpot - Speaks in tounges
Family history of irresponsible pregnancies
Creationist
Does not "follow Iraq much" but says its Gods will.
Tried to ban library books
Supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" - loves earmarks
Hires lobbyists to get pork
Does not believe in global warming
Under investigation for questionable ethics in state police firing
Says terrorism against Jews is part of "Gods plan" because they refuse to accept Jesus.
Thinks Alaska is the promised land for the Rapture
Asks church to "Pray for the Pipeline"
refers regularly to Alaska%u2019s Aboriginal people as %u201CArctic Arabs%u201D

Palin is a joke.

[roy7011]

Seems like this biography stuff is a code for the sinister campaign which is suggestive of the ideas that Chris Matthews advanced during his hard talk yesterday. The Republicans are appealing to the historic negatives of previous years. Wake up America. This is 2008 there are issues more important than biography

[roy7011]

Seems like this biography stuff is a code for the sinister campaign which is suggestive of the ideas that Chris Matthews advanced during his hard talk yesterday. The Republicans are appealing to the historic negatives of previous years. Wake up America. This is 2008 there are issues more important than biography

[roy7011]

Seems like this biography stuff is a code for the sinister campaign which is suggestive of the ideas that Chris Matthews advanced during his hard talk yesterday. The Republicans are appealing to the historic negatives of previous years. Wake up America. This is 2008 there are issues more important than biography

[pastdue1]

noseonurface
As you write your unsubstantiated claims about Obama and Islam, does it ever occur to you that the biggest infiltration of America by Islams came about with Bush. That Bush has wanted to sell off our intrastructure to Islamics, and only pulled back when US citizens balked. Don''t you think it odd that Bush invaded Iraq when Saudi has squashed civil liberties as heavily as saddam. And Pakistan has nuclear weapons, but they agreed to be an ally in Iraq. Do you think it is hapinstance that Cheney''s old company is moving its headquarters to Dubai? Think carefully, when you go to vote, or you may be voting for what you least want.

[im4honesty]

"CATFISH" and "BARRACUDA", what a team!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the real Sarah Palin:

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/510219.html

Ladies and Gentlemen, Sarah Palin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPTMcs8wpHc

A lady not to be trusted.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Sarah Palin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI

Alaska first, the US last.

noseonurface at 02:24 AM : Sep 10, 2008 wrote:

"I love to watch liberals squirm."

Really? Palin is going to be doing a lot of squirming over the next few months - which means you Republicanazis will be squirming even more than normal.

[dmhphils]

Posted by RushLiberal at 01:56 AM : Sep 10, 2008

You guys are really getting desperate now.

I love to watch liberals squirm.

[ubrew12]

"McCain, Palin Stress Biography Over Issues"

Is that a nice way of saying they are trying to baffle us with bvllsh*t because they cant dazzle us with brilliance??

[rushliberal]

Sarah Palin''s churches are actively involved in a resurgent movement that was declared heretical by the Assemblies of God in 1949. This is the same ''Spiritual Warfare'' movement that was featured in the award winning movie, "Jesus Camp," which showed young children being trained to do battle for the Lord. At least three of four of Palin''s churches are involved with major organizations and leaders of this movement, which is referred to as The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit or the New Apostolic Reformation. The movement is training a young "Joel''s Army" to take dominion over the United States and the world.

[dmhphils]

Posted by rodneyt74 at 01:33 AM : Sep 10, 2008


You are obviously on a string.......you get your news or your "fact" from CNN?

Obama is a pretty talker but not from the heart. Why can''t you discern that?

[rodneyt74]

noseonurface you are obviously a big racist. Thats all you bring up is how you think he is a muslim. Go ahead and vote for your mccain and palin. I don''t argue with racist.. your brain obviously can''t even handle the fact a african american will be president. Maybe after he wins you can move to russia.. Seems like you might be better off there.


and for facts you might want to watch revealed on cnn this saturday, I have seen it and it debunks all the Republican garbage about obama and him being a muslim. But don''t think you are really interested in facts about obama you just want to be a racist..

[dmhphils]

Why isn''''''''t the American press telling us this candidate is supported by every Muslim organization in the world?

[dmhphils]

There is terrorism we can see, smell and fear, but there is a new kind of terror invading The United States in the form of Sharia law and finance. Condoning it is civilization suicide. Middle East Muslims are coming to America in record numbers and building hate infidel mosques, buying our corporations, suing us for our traditions, but they and the whole subject of Islam is white noise leaving uninformed Americans about who and what is really peaceful. Where is our investigative press? Any criticism of Islam or their intentions, even though Islamic leaders state their intentions daily around the globe, brings-forth a volley of ''racist'' from the left-wing Democrat crowd.

[dmhphils]

A formal plan for targeting America was devised three years after the Iranian revolution in 1982. The plan was summarized in a 1991 memorandum by Mohamed Akram, an operative of the global Muslim Brotherhood ''The process of settlement'' of Muslims in America, Akram explained, ''is a civilization jihad process.'' This means that members of the Brotherhood must understand that their work in ''America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God''s religion is made victorious over all other religions.''