In S. Carolina 2000 Rove went dirty on McCain but now McCain is using him?

[Botany]

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/03/21/the_anatomy_of_a_smear_campaign/

The anatomy of a smear campaign
By Richard H. Davis | March 21, 2004

Every presidential campaign has its share of hard-ball political tactics, but nothing is more discomforting than a smear campaign. The deeply personal, usually anonymous allegations that make up a smear campaign are aimed at a candidate's most precious asset: his reputation. The reason this blackest of the dark arts is likely to continue is simple: It often works.

The premise of any smear campaign rests on a central truth of politics: Most of us will vote for a candidate we like and respect, even if we don't agree with him on every issue. But if you can cripple a voter's basic trust in a candidate, you can probably turn his vote. The idea is to find some piece of personal information that is tawdry enough to raise doubts, repelling a candidate's natural supporters

snip

Anonymous opponents used "push polling" to suggest that McCain's Bangladeshi born daughter was his own, illegitimate black child. In push polling, a voter gets a call, ostensibly from a polling company, asking which candidate the voter supports. In this case, if the "pollster" determined that the person was a McCain supporter, he made statements designed to create doubt about the senator.

Thus, the "pollsters" asked McCain supporters if they would be more or less likely to vote for McCain if they knew he had fathered an illegitimate child who was black. In the conservative, race-conscious South, that's not a minor charge. We had no idea who made the phone calls, who paid for them, or how many calls were made. Effective and anonymous: the perfect smear campaign.


http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/13/rove-talks-fairly-regularly-with-top-mccain-staffers/

[saltpoint]

1. McCain is up against a cultural sea change and very possibly a political

tidal wave.

He may feel he needs to ask the bad guys to bolster him against what's coming.

Given the requisite hard work and commitment, etc., I think we stand a very good chance at a history-making night in November, and McCain, thick as he usually is, knows it.

So he's on his knees in the alley begging the bad guys for favors.

[klyon]

4. He may be on his knees but he works for them

not them working for him

[Lerkfish]

6. ding! a winner

republican politicians are the ultimate owned items.

[Liberal Gramma]

8. Yes, with McCain we'd have another figurehead president

The real power is behind the throne.

[saltpoint]

9. And I think Halliburton has a no-bid contract on the knee pads!

[blondeatlast]

2. I'd love to see a gutsy reporter ask him about this.

McCain just wants the WH and will fall in with the neo-con line to get thee as he's more than proven during the last 8 years with his Semnate record.

[Botany]

3. Well reporters and pundits read D.U. all the time .....

.... so all we need is one person to ask him about this. Although i doubt it will
happen .... they let a coke snorting, AWOL going, alcoholic, with 3 failed businesses,
and phony cattle ranch into the White House w/out hardly a word from
them so I wouldn't hold my breath on McCain

[JohnnyLib2]

5. Well said!

[blondeatlast]

7. If just one reporter realizes they may get the legendary McCain temper on film, though,

we may have a chance, as that's got to still be a VERY sore point for him. He let down his family and his campaign with that and certainly sunk his chances.

I'm ever an optimist! :evilgrin:

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. USE HIM !!! It would be great when Rove goes to jail over Siegelman. nt

[applegrove]

11. McCain said he was over that slur of his daughter within three weeks of the time it happened.

Remember this is the guy who called Chelsea Clinton ugly when she was just a teenager.

[Hav]

12. .

At least after 2004, when he undoubtedly turned into a major Bush ass kisser, it should have been clear to everyone that this is not only a man who cannot stand up for his family, but also someone who would later help and work together with those who used the colour of his adopted daughter for political gain...by inciting the kind of racism that his daughter will probably have to deal with herself as a child and an adult. His ambitions are more important to him than any principles.

[blondeatlast]

15. I could NEVER forget, much less forgive. I have an 11 yo son--

Wow; that's unthinkable to me.

[applegrove]

17. Of course it was after 2004 when McCain claimed it didn't bother him 3 weeks later.

By then he was kissing * and Rove's ass. It could be rehistory. McCain wanted the nomination for 2008 then and he was kissing all GOP's asses.

[Cha]

13. It's just politics to them...

to me it's the same ol' last century smear and fear when they have nothing to offer. Not even a pic of mccain on the rnc site.

[PretzelWarrior]

14. Roves on a 2 game losing streak. by all means put him in

as a closer. He botched 2006. and he came in to offer advice to Hillary which clearly didn't help.

Rove is good at division...not multiplication. This is a multiplication election cycle.

GO FUCK YOURSELF, ROVE!! You should be behind bars!!!!

[boomerbust]

16. The whisper campaign!

MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

[PretzelWarrior]

18. I agree. McCain is a Manchurian candidate

like the US aggressive strategy against Castro to watch him grow old and feeble, the foreign powers took a low odds bet that someday in his elderly years McCain would finally become president where he could implement their grand plans programmed into his mind through brainwashing.