This indicates a renewed interest in the public, at least on the internet, in Obama's radical associations. So, how did it come about that in the last day there is suddenly a renewed interest in Obama's radical associations. It all started with this attack by Sarah Palin.
In fact, as the Washington Post points out, attacking Obama's relationship to Ayers is all part of a new McCain strategy. (H/T to Hot Air)
Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.
With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.
...
Two other top Republicans said the new ads are likely to hammer the senator from Illinois on his connections to convicted Chicago developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko and former radical William Ayres, whom the McCain campaign regularly calls a domestic terrorist because of his acts of violence against the U.S. government in the 1960s.
The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. appears to be off limits after McCain condemned the North Carolina Republican Party in April for an ad that linked Obama to his former pastor, saying, "Unfortunately, all I can do is, in as visible a way as possible, disassociate myself from that kind of campaigning."
McCain advisers said the new approach is in part a reaction to Obama, whose rhetoric on the stump and in commercials has also become far harsher and more aggressive.
They noted that Obama has run television commercials for months linking McCain to lobbyists and hinting at a lack of personal ethics -- an allegation that particularly rankles McCain, aides said.
The MSM wasn't done mentioning the connection between Obama and Ayers. At about the same time, this New York Times piece came out attempting to downplay the connection.
In fact, according to several people involved, Mr. Ayers played no role in Mr. Obama’s appointment. Instead, it was suggested by Deborah Leff, then president of the Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based group whose board Mr. Obama, a young lawyer, had joined the previous year.
At a lunch with two other foundation heads, Patricia A. Graham of the Spencer Foundation and Adele Simmons of the MacArthurFoundation, Ms. Leff suggested that Mr. Obama would make a good board chairman, she said in an interview. Mr. Ayers was not present and had not suggested Mr. Obama, she said....Archives of the Chicago Annenberg project, which funneled the money to networks of schools from 1995 to 2000, show both men attended six board meetings early in the project — Mr. Obama as chairman, Mr. Ayers to brief members on school issues.
Then, today, the Associated Press came out with this story attempting make Palin's attack into some sort of back door racist attack. (H/T to Little Green Footballs)
Palin’s words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee “palling around” with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn’t see their America?
Her reference to Obama’s relationship with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were “pals” or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.
Obama, who was a child when the Weathermen were planting bombs, has denounced Ayers’ radical views and actions. ...
In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers’ day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.
Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as “not like us” is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.
Of course, it should surprise no one that the MSM is attempting to downplay, dismiss, or deflect this story. At this point, I think it's important that I share some words of wisdom from Dick Morris. He believes that the perspective that the MSM attempts to drive is ultimately irrelevant. They move the conversation by what they cover not the way in which they cover it. A great example of this is the media firestorm over McCain's ad in which he compared Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. The MSM skewered McCain for this, but what they ultimately did is draw attention to the ad. As such, Obama immediately lost several points in the polls and the ad was effective. It mattered not what their perspective was but it mattered a lot what they chose to cover.
The same thing is in play here. Suddenly, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Reverend Jeremiah Wright are all sharing the media stage with the faltering economy. If this election is a referendum on economic policy McCain almost certainly loses. If, on the other hand, it is a referendum on Obama's connections to a plethora of radicals, crooks, and liars well then McCain almost certainly wins. If the MSM insists on covering this recycled story as though it was brand new, that is exactly what is going to happen. If that happens, it will be difficult for Barack Obama to explain it all away.
Now, it is highly unlikely that the MSM will play into McCain's hands enough to actually turn this into enough of a story for it to overtake the economy. Still, if McCain wanted to roll out his attacks on Obama and his radical associations, it's unlikely he could have dreamed for a better media response. Already the attack from the AP has allowed the Palin campaign to respond.
The last four weeks of this election will be about whether the American people are willing to turn our economy and national security over to Barack Obama, a man with little record, questionable judgment, and ties to radical figures like unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers. Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever befriended an unrepentant terrorist, or had a convicted felon help them buy their house — because those aren’t smears, those are true facts about Barack Obama.” —Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008
Furthermore, the author of the New York Times piece clarified himself to the Politico as well.
As for Steve, he was great in outlining his theory -- that Obama and Ayers had a relationship going back many years, to the 1980s, and that Ayers therefore must have proposed Obama for the board. He looked at the same letters I'd seen showing Ayers (and one of the two co-organizers, Anne Hallett) had discussions early on with Annenberg folks about the need for a board. Unfortunately, his theory is wrong.
What Steve didn't do was talk to the people involved. As I report, Deborah Leff and Pat Graham give a credible account of how they chose Obama, and I have no reason to think they're lying. Moreover, if Obama only met Ayers when Obama joined the Annenberg project, it seems hardly likely that he would have pushed for Obama's appointment. On the other hand, since Obama already served on Leff's board, it makes perfect sense that she would propose him.
All of this back and forth only goes to further the story and give it more and more attention. It is almost impossible for a recycled story to take on front page status. I can't remember it happening before. Yet, it appears for at least a day, the MSM is determined to do just that. If they keep this up, the election may soon turn on Obama's radical associations.
Obama has tried to stay above the fray regarding these comments.
In Asheville, N.C., Obama noted his opponent's tactic and likened the McCain campaign's linkage of him to Ayers and others to "Swift boat" attacks of 2004.
In remarks to voters, Obama said the personal attacks against him from the GOP camp are "smears without substance. He declined to address his own campaign's latest gambit of calling McCain "erratic" and "dishonest."
Obama said the country faces many crises, but instead of focusing on them, McCain plans to "turn the page on the discussion about our economy and spend the final weeks of this campaign launching Swift boat-style attacks on me."
"Senator McCain and his operatives are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance. They'd rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up. It's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time," Obama said. "We're not going to let John McCain distract us from what we need to do to move this country forward."
That's probably an astute political move, and if this stor dies out in a day or even a few, then Obama will be seen as the one showing class, and McCain will be seen as desperate. Still, if the MSM insists on making this an issue, then it won't be a one or two day story. Then, Obama will have to defend these associations and then he will behind the proverbial eight ball. Frankly, Obama shouldn't have to do any of this. All of this had its run, and should have been part of the past of the campaign. Yet, it appears the MSM is determined on making it front page news, and by doing so, they become McCain's unwitting accomplices.
2 comments:
Of course Obama should "have to do it." He should have had to do it nine months ago, before the primaries, when this was all new news, not old news. Then the Democrats would have been looking at a Hillary nomination and an easy win in the general.
The economy is the last thing on my mind - although the MSM says it is of utmost importance now. We are on the verge of electing a Marxist to the highest U.S. office! This has to be blocked by revealing Obama's true character and I am glad that the MSM is unwittingly assisting. (And yes, McCain CAN talk about the economy and what would happen to it under Marxist regime.) Thank you for the clever and insightful blog.
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