Obama camp seizes on 'divorced' comment

[jefferson_dem]

Obama camp seizes on 'divorced' comment
By: Mike Allen
September 12, 2008 12:46 PM EST

After a week on defense, Barack Obama's campaign is roaring back with a new theme for attacking John McCain: “out of touch.”

In a conference call with reporters on Friday morning, the Obama campaign seized on a comment by McCain in Thursday night’s ServiceNation forum in New York, where the candidates appeared separately on the seventh anniversary of 9/11.

McCain was defending his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 9,800. Asked by Judy Woodruff of PBS about Palin's stint as “a small-town mayor,” McCain replied: “Listen, mayors have the toughest job, I think, in America. It's easy for me to go to Washington and, frankly, be somewhat divorced from the day-to-day challenges people have.”

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters on the call that is “a critical comment by John McCain that evidences why he really isn’t going to bring change.”

“I have been with John McCain in Washington, and I think what he said reflects the reality of many people,” Durbin said. “But even worse is the situation that his economic policies that he wants to continue with George Bush have failed. If he would, you know, be in the real world of American families in New York, Illinois or Florida, he would understand that.”

<SNIP>

A new Obama ad out this morning uses the phrase “out of touch” and mocks McCain’s confession that he was still learning to go online by himself: “Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn’t. He admits he still doesn’t know how to use a computer, can’t send an e-mail. Still doesn’t understand the economy. And favors $200 billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class. After one president who was out of touch, we just can’t afford more of the same.”

An Obama official says the campaign’s message is “out of touch, out of touch, out of touch.”

“John McCain can’t bring about change when he is completely out of touch with the lives of regular Americans,” the official said.

Obama made a similar coment about mayors at the forum: "Mayors have some of the toughest jobs in the country, because that’s where the rubber hits the road. We yak in the Senate. They actually have to fill potholes and trim trees and make sure the garbage is taken away."

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=56E555B0-18FE-70B2-A802010BCD63AAE8

[me b zola]

1. K&R

:kick:

[Beaverhausen]

2. excellent.

[uponit7771]

3. Good!!!

[grannylib]

4. They really SHOULD sieze on the WORD and repeat it just

as McSame said it: DIVORCED from what regular people go through. Not JUST out of touch - DIVORCED.

Remind the fundies of his actual affair/divorce at the same time, not that they care when one of their own does anything unethical, dishonest, etc.

[liberalla]

18. I agree - Interesting that he used that particular word.

...and John McCain sure knows about divorce!

[margotb822]

5. Hit this softball out of the park!

McCain lobbed this one straight at Obama.

[truthisfreedom]

6. Video here ( I posted it earlier too)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x188203

[Cha]

7. So we got mccain on tape admitting he's

divorced from the reality of challenges that Americans have ..all because he's trying to pump up the mayor of a town that she left them $20 Million in debt. Way to step in a trap, mccain.

[progressiveforever]

8. Let the Cannons roar......

and let the Republican fall where they may

[President_Obama]

9. McCain divorced the peoples' day-to-day challenges for a rich, pretty trophy challenge

[terrya]

10. Here we go!

"Out of Touch" + the change message. Perfect. :thumbsup:

[Sugarcoated]

11. Ha

The moment after I read the thread title Sherrod Brown came out with this very thing in his interview on MSNBC. On Message!

On Edit: And he's doing a pretty darn good job defending the Dem ticket and laying into the bad guys.

[SeaLyons]

12. Excellent. n/t

[Straight Shooter]

13. In Wasilla, the rubber didn't hit the road, it skidded off into the ditch. n/t

[Alter Ego]

14. That phrase: "Out of touch".

Does anyone see how that phrase is being used?

Obama already leads in polls that ask "Who's more in touch with issues that affect you?"

This is that "gut" instinct that gets people to ultimately choose you in the voting booth, regardless of the polls. "Yeah, that McCain fella talks about bein' a maverick and all, but I think that Obama guy really seems to get my problems."

[nomorenomore08]

15. McCain's new theme song: Hall and Oates - "Out of Touch"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UDm48ImL9w

[FatDave]

16. Oh my.

That wasn't a smart thing to say, Johnny.

[quantass]

17. .

[judasdisney]

19. But Obama won't actually advertise or PLAY the clip of McCain saying that. That's too "aggressive."

[renie408]

23. Give it TIME. There are still seven weeks to go. It's like salt in the soup...

they can always get MORE aggressive. Look at McCain. What can he do now? He came out swinging SO hard that now he would pretty much have to claim that Obama actually IS Osama Bin Ladin with his beard shaved to keep up the attack. This is one case where the Dems really do need to keep their powder dry.

[judasdisney]

25. TIME to slip in the polls further until it snowballs into a McCain win.

Democrats refuse to fight back = get me the hell out of this country

[jerryster]

20. Good. Obama needs to keep hitting.

I also enjoyed watching a clip of Joy Behar telling McCain that his ads were lies. It was great!

[RBInMaine]

21. GOOD ! KICK ASS !

[DeeDeeNY]

22. I want to see this picture on one of the out-of-touch commercials

You know if the situation was reversed and Obama was the old guy, the Repukes wouldn't hesitate --

[MadrasT]

24. Oh, SNAP!

That would be the bomb. That pic says it all.

[jerryster]

26. You're absolutely right.

They would run it without any qualms.