This should be a fun game- let’s try to figure out the smear before it happens:
Tonight, John McCain will talk directly to his opponent in a television ad his campaign is airing in battleground states, around the time Barack Obama accepts the presidential nomination, McCain’s campaign said.
Aides would give few details beyond the fact that McCain will speak directly to the camera, addressing Obama.
The strip-tease on the ad is one of several moves by the McCain campaign that could distract attention from Obama’s big night.
Ayers, Rezko, whitey- what will it be? Or is McCain going to announce he is only going to serve one term? Or will we hear about his time in Viet Nam again?
*** Update ***
Actually, as suggested in the comments, he may very well congratulate his opponent. Pretending he is running a respectful campaign after dumping the contents of the Schmidt/Goldfarb/Rove GOP bilge pump on to the airwaves for 8 weeks is just the kind of thing a maverick would do. Add to it, if there is any media dumb enough to fall for that crap, it is the American media.
Scruffy McSnufflepuss
One thing’s for sure. It won’t be in front of a green background.
Another thing’s for sure. We’ll get to find out that mcCain was a POW.
4tehlulz
Ayers. POW. Ayers. Iraq. Ayers. POW. POW. Michelle.
Also, POW.
ploeg
Good. The only reason why McCain would want to get into Obama’s face is because Obama is getting on McCain’s nerves.
Scruffy McSnufflepuss
Shit. WordPress hiccuped and put that up a couple times. Sorry.
greynoldsct00
That format sounds like a public scolding of some type. Their arrogance knows no bounds.
ploeg
Good. The only reason why McCain would want to get into Obama’s face is because Obama is getting on McCain’s nerves.
Calouste
Desparation that.
So McCain is going to say something negative about Obama in a person-to-person manner? Did he not read the pages in the Karl Rove handbook that you contract those kind of things out?
Or is he going to lay down some kind of challenge? That would be the macho, mavericky kind of behavior that would make McCain feel good about himself and the rest of the world would view as either childish or just plain can’t give a sh1t about.
4tehlulz
TRIPLE POST! POW
pillsy
My guess? It’s not going to be an attack at all. He will congratulate Obama on his nomination, perhaps acknowledge how historic it is, and wrap it up with a, “May the best man win!” sort of friendly challenge.
It’ll make the his devotees in the Village have bone-shattering spontaneous orgasms and forget all about the way he flipped out when a Time reporter asked him how much he loved America and cute puppies. Any possibility of the media narrative shifting towards McCain’s increasingly negative campaign will be annihilated, and he’ll be able to say whatever the fuck he wants until November 4th.
Algerine
He has to do something newsworthy to try and get the media’s attention to shift to him. I think he’ll announce who his running mate is going to be.
tomjones
Because the last time McCain attempted to steal some thunder during an Obama speech worked out so well for him?
stevie314159
Either the high road:
“I congratulate my black opponent on his historic black nomination, on the 45th anniversary of another yada yada speech by a black guy whose birthday I didn’t want to celebrate.”
Or:
“HEY, GET OFF MY WHITE HOUSE LAWN”.
EdTheRed
McCain: Is it OK if I say this into the camera? I only am who I am
because I was born that way. I have a gift, and I am trying
to not be selfish about it…but to use it, OK?
If you want to knock me for that, it’s your own problem.
Jealousy will get you nowhere. I’m going to keep rockin’ on.
Voice Over:
For John McCain, the future is something to look forward to, not to fear.
He is a creative man of many interests…war, Iran, karate, Georgia, and war.
He is a man of passion and mystery.
He was a POW.
Smudgemo
I’m guessing he’s been saving up a brand-new joke about who the female father(s) of Obama’s kids is/are.
SpotWeld
Maybe he’ll do a GOP version of Boom Da Yada
Davis X. Machina
McCain’s wasting his time if he thinks he’s getting into Obama’s head.
You can’t get inside the head of a sphinx.
mark
How about … the Democrats are hoping for defeat in
IraqIranGeorgiaRussia, a bad economy, and another hurricane for New Orleans!JL
McCain will once again talk about his disappointment that Barack did not join him for town hall talks. Then did I talk about the surge.
Ted
This could either help McCain a lot, or do him a lot of harm. Should be interesting.
Bey
He’ll play the collegial congratulatory game, but meanwhile the name of his VP will just leak out. By accident right smack in the middle of Obama’s speech.
Oopsie!
Pb
That’s not change we can believe in.
David
NO. BAD MENTAL IMAGE.
Josh from TX
Disclaimer: Sorry, I know this isn’t an open thread, but I’m trying to get a lot done today.
So,
I have a quick question for the commentators here: I’m a pretty steady reader of Balloon-Juice, and have occasionally looked at some of the disgruntled Hillary websites(for amusement purposes), and found NQ (i refuse to link to it) to be particularly batshit crazy.
My question is: WTF is the deal with the author; Larry C. Johnson? Seriously, this guy’s resume sounds like he should be a relatively well adjusted, intelligent individual who seems like he would be politically aligned with the republicans, if nothing else. Is this why he’s launching this die-hard Hillary thing? Is he hoping to drum up enough malcontent to swing things in favor of McCain? I know we’re trying not to reopen this can of worms, but this is an honest question and I just want to know if this guy took a dive off the crazy tree or what. Because if it’s genuine, and this guy really is a counter-terrorism adviser, I’m fucking scared.
Thanks
Jon H
McCain’s going to announce that “he’s got the gasolina you crave”
Ugh
He’s going to challenge Obama to some town hall debates.
gopher2b
Notes 45th aniv. of Dr. King’s speeech and congratulates Obama on being first african american to win nomination. Then he goes directly into Obama not having enough experience making the implicit point that winning the nomination is enough of an accomplishment and he doesn’t need the Presidency….then POW and bio stuff. Ends positive.
There won’t be anything about meglomania or elitism.
daryljfontaine
Option #1: Vicious “social divide” rhetoric, calling out Obama on their differences on abortion &c.
Option #2: “I renew my invitation for Senator Obama to join me at multiple town hall meetings blah blah blahdy blahdy blah.”
Option #3: The “good show old chap” headfake from above, complete with geysering media bukkake-fest over McCain’s sportsmanship and positive approach to the campaign. “Negative campaign? Not good old John, no never!”
D
rumpole
I’m with the commenter. There will be no smear. And (again, on an emotional level) he gets to piggy-back on the emotion and good feelings that his nomination and speech are going to generate–despite his best efforts to destroy that aspect of the campaign. Credit where credit is due–if he’s going high road, that’s smart politics. There’s no “ifs” about it. The media will fall for it.
The “scary black man that wants to make you watch gay sex on your lawn lock up the kids before he kills all the unborn fetuses did I mention the gay sex” stuff starts tomorrow.
nightjar
MCcain — He will challenge him to a barbecue at dawn.
KCinDC
As usual, do the thought experiment: If Obama tried to step on McCain’s convention speech with ads or a VP leak, the screeching from the media about his unprecedented rudeness would be deafening.
OT: John, you might be interested in this Scott Beauchamp followup.
The Other Steve
If it’s anything else, he’ll be laughed at.
Davis X. Machina
I think it’s going to be upbeat. Openleft.com had an analysis the other day that has Obama’s favorables going up in the teeth of McCain’s attacks. If they’re right, it has to be upbeat
The Thinking Man's Mel Torme
Well, hardly ever.
smiley
If it’s a smear, it will be celebrity.
JL
Time Magazine has an article and a link to the tape of an interview with McCain. It’s worth listening to the entire twenty minutes. Has anyone listened to the tape. McCain is either on drugs or has a age problem.
Just Some Fuckhead
John McCain will reiterate what Democrats have been saying all week: that he is our friend! I bet he dresses in warm colors and flashes that winning smile a bunch. How can we vote against lil chipmunk cheeks when he’s so friendly and cuddly and rascally??
Alan
Limbaugh today called all of Obama’s role models admirers of Lucifer–the greatest rebel of them all.
JR
I know: He’ll go to a Greek restaurant. Look at dese mawble cawlums!
Ted
I’d say that’s a good bet. McCain knows he does best in the town hall format, and probably not so well in the podium/moderated debate against a lawyer.
He can challenge Obama to the town hall debates, and this time do it so publicly that Obama will almost have to oblige or look like a wuss. They were really hoping to get Obama into that setting.
Dreggas
He’ll be going greek alright, with his buddy Lieberman.
thomas
This like A-Rod’s stunt last fall during the playoffs – after the Yanks were eliminated.
Classless.
Tsulagi
He could, that would be perceived as a classy thing. Fairly smart too. But I’m thinking two things working against that. One, GOP don’t do classy. Two, he could probably get that done for free. If he called the networks saying he wanted them to tape a brief message solely of congratulations, good chance they’d do it and run it during their nationwide broadcasts. Give their talking heads even more to talk about.
But given it’s an ad he’s paying for, I’d bet more on it being a challenge of some sort. Maybe that townhall stuff. If so, the head talkers’ tongues would go to warp speed buzzing about The Challenge more than how good (presumably) Obama’s speech was. McCain calling him out. If Obama accepted the challenge, it could be seen as him following McCain’s lead. If he didn’t accept, he could be seen as running. Would be a slick move.
Scotty
It’s just going to be a sales pitch to get rid of all those stupid pressure gauges they have in the McCain warehouses.
slag
I’m going with “Obama has a black baby!!!”. Cuz that one never gets old.
Apsaras
Of course John McCain would do this. Appearing near Barack Obama is the only way this guy can get anyone to look at him.
I think we’ll, at the very least, see a pro-forma congratulations followed by a request that Barack Obama admit he was wrong on The Surge(tm) or some nonsense. Maybe, if he’s feeling really ballsy, an earnest request to stop all the “hate-filled rhetoric” and have an honest campaign. It’s exactly the sort of trite, duplicious nonsense that fools like David Brooks and Richard Cohen go ga-ga over.
cybergal619
McCain: I give up!
(Holding and swinging hands with Ms. Lindsey and Joey L, they stare into each other’s eyes, turn and
skiphobble away into the sunset. Ok, just a little ass grabbing, too.)Ed Drone
It’s time for Obama to scotch that, nip it in the bud, by calling today for just such a joint appearance — to take place AFTER the last organized debate. Then Cain* can’t ‘challenge’ Obama, just complain about the timing of it.
Of the various things Cain’s ad could be about, this (the challenge) is the one that has the most reverberation, so it costs Obama little to cut Cain off and steal his thunder. If the Cain ad is about anything else, Obama is no worse off.
And Obama is no real slouch at the town-meeting style event, anyway. People say it isn’t his strong suit, but even his weak suits trump Cain’s. Hell, make it a town-hall meeting in front of current and former GIs (maybe at Walter Reed), and really plaster the clown all over the place.
Ed
* “Mc” means “son of” (or “in the lineage of”), so McCain is actually from the Cain family, and we should just admit it.
w vincentz
McPow will announce his VP pick, some guy named Larry Craig that lives in an airport bathroom stall doing tap dancing.
smiley
He was outraged by the Plame outing, wrote about it in strong terms, and fooled a bunch of people into thinking he was some sort of progressive or something. Don’t know why he’s so rabid about Clinton. He probably calls himself a conservative democrat. BTW, he’s not the only one who posts there so check the author when you see the batshit crazy.
Steve M.
Ayers. He thinks he can get Ayers onto the front pages if he says, “While I was a POW, this guy was a terrorist.” And even though the ad will run so late it will be seen only by tweakers, the McCain-loving press will rerun it a billion times tomorrow.
Martin
THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR MCCAIN!
Rome Again
Personally, I think he’s going to attack on something that hasn’t happened yet, so therefore we can’t predict it. It all depends on something that happens tonight.
Apsaras
Drudge Report is in full on red text mode where every little thing is proof someone is the VP nominee. Pawlenty cancelled his meetings! The Romneys are getting run through security! Joe Liebermann has been locked out of his house!
Alan
Limbaugh seems to think this site is the place to go for smear material. Evidently, Biden’s to blame for the GOP bankruptcy bill and the mortgage/credit crisis.
Oh, and if you scroll down you’ll see that Obama’s Roman columned stage resembles Nazi architecture.
No no, the GOP isn’t desperate. Maybe “Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.”
Zifnab
Lame. Desperate. And forgotten within two weeks.
This is Obama’s big day in the sun, and McCain will just look that much more forgotten for trying to dive into it.
We’ll all be hearing from McCain and his party continuously in a week. He has nothing to gain by doing this now, but he’s hot headed and impulsive, and he doesn’t know when to sit down and shut up.
It’ll make a beautiful dichotomy with Obama’s hallmark address.
zzyzx
They just showed the ad and it was a congratulations ad.
Mary
They just previewed it on MSNBC (on in the other room, so I missed most of it). Something like: “We disagree on [blah] but tonight I congratulate you. That is all.”
And now the newscritters are swooning. Of course.
nightjar
The Devil you say.
nepat
Guess McMaverick’s internal polling is showing his maverickiness is taking a hit. Here’s the ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4KIvRTg6KQ
Something’s seriously up with McMaverick, though. He has a very tough time keeping a straight face.
zoe from pittsburgh
I just saw the ad– it would be sorta nice if he weren’t smirking the whole time. His delivery is flat, there is no heart there, he’s totally phoning it in. Not to mention that it doesn’t make up for over a month of dirty, nasty ads.
McCain is just doing it to say that he did it. Watch his campaign “leak” his VP choice tonight, totally contradicting McCain’s congrats to Obama for his historic moment on a historic day.
McDouchebag.
Steve M.
Power failure in Sedona? It looks as if he’s in a freaking crypt.
slightly_peeved
Most US journalists should be strapped to a chair with their eyes forced open Clockwork Orange-style and forced to watch loops of this guy:
Jeremy Paxman
The little ‘ding’-ing counter tracks how many times he has repeated his original question (without getting an answer).