Repeat after me: John McCain is a liar.
Kerry was too reluctant to call Bush a liar, even though he obviously was. we can no longer afford not to call a spade a spade.
Let us now take apply the lessons of Pelosi and of Lakoff: Having guts matters. How we talk about things matters.
Events will not hand us a better chance to build our frame for John McCain!
It is an axiom of campaigns that we must define McCain before he can define himself.
NOW is our moment. McCain is struggling with the FEC AND the lies about his spreading his legs for lobbyists. (follow the numerous diaries about the sources who show that McCain has lied, including McCain himself
McCain is vulnerable right now, and right now is the moment for Obama to move in for the kill.
- McCain is in bed with lobbyists (perhaps literally)
- McCain is lying about it.
- McCain cheated on his wife (#1, that is. maybe #2 also. Remember, if you mess around with a married man, you end up with a husband who cheats on his wife, Cindy. Yes, I've learned from Karl, and I intend to win, not play nice.)
- McCain has brushed up against scandal all too often. Where there's smoke there's fire. I doubt very much he was so snow white in his dealings with Charles Keating.
- he accepted over $100,000 from Abramoff's outfit
- he's trying to weasel out of his commitments to public finance after having tried to sieze the high ground by faking a "pledge" by Barack Obama.
so, per the Bush rule: you get only three themes
- McCain is a corrupt insider
- McCain is a liar
- McCAIN CANNOT BE TRUSTED.
There, say that to everyone you know. Especially that last one. Repeat as necessary to win whitehouse.
As others have said, the narrative writes itself
NOW is the time to define McCain as dishonest. once that takes root, he's doomed. I'm sorry, but in the post Rove era, this is how it's done.
This is one hit diary no one here will much object to I think.
Repeat after me: McCain CANNOT BE TRUSTED.
Go! Go! GO! YES WE CAN!