Cross posted at Strategy '08.
I want to start off by saying that I am very happy to see Senator Obama finally hit back hard at Senator McCain for his ridiculous attacks. His new response ad is very effective, and his comment about John McCain needing "to talk more about what he is for and not just what he's against" was the kind of effective soundbite we need to hear from the Obama campaign more often. I hope that this is the start of a more aggressive response by the Obama camp to John McCain's ridiculous behavior.
In the spirit of being more aggressive, the Obama camp needs to start hitting back at the notion being spread around that he is somehow an elitist. Ever since Senator Obama's "bitter" remarks were taken out of context during the primary, the media and Senator Obama's opponents have been trying to paint him as some sort of elitist who is out of touch with the working man.
More below the fold.
They are continuing this attack lately, by constantly questioning if Senator Obama's trip overseas makes him seem "arrogant" or "presumptuous". When they lack real facts to attack with, media organizations have taken to blatantly doctoring quotes to misrepresent Senator Obama's remarks. Senator McCain's campaign has jumped into the fray, putting out a truly deranged memo to try to paint Senator Obama as an elitist.I couldn't make this up if I tried:
Only a celebrity of Barack Obama's magnitude could attract 200,000 fans in Berlin who gathered for the mere opportunity to be in his presence. These are not supporters or even voters, but fans fawning over The One. Only celebrities like Barack Obama go to the gym three times a day, demand "MET-RX chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and bottles of a hard-to-find organic brew -- Black Forest Berry Honest Tea" and worry about the price of arugula.
So Senator Obama is the elitist, while Senator McCain is the down to earth candidate that Americans want to have a beer with? To see who the true elitist is, all we need to do is to compare the background of the two candidates. Let's Start with Senator Obama.
Senator Obama was:
Raised by a single mother and his grandparents.
His family occasionally needed the help of food stamps to get by while he was growing up.
Instead of getting a high paying corporate job after college, he choose to take a low paying job as a community organizer on the streets of Chicago.
He and his wife only recently paid off their student loans from college.
Does that sound like the portrait of an elitist to you? Someone who grew up on food stamps and decided to help the people of his community over taking a corporate payout.
Now let's take a look at John McCain:
Born as the son of an Admiral.
Despite getting only average grades as a student, he managed to get accepted to the prestigious Naval Academy due to his fathers connections.
After returning from Vietnam, he cheated on and eventually left his crippled wife for a much younger beer heiress (who is now estimated to be worth approximately $100 million dollars).
He is now standing to make millions from the sale of Anheuser Busch, an American cultural symbol, to a foreign corporation.
Wears $520 Italian shoes.
When you compare the two, there is no doubt about which candidate worked hard all their life to get where they are, and which candidate is out of touch with the experience of the average American. The Obama campaign needs to start highlighting these facts about Senator McCain (through the use of surrogates), so that voters can see who he really is. It's time to stop giving him a free pass.
Cross posted at Strategy '08