Major McCain shake-up as the RNC goes on air Big in 4 Battlegrounds

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Wednesday July 02, 2008 · 11:07 AM PDT

2008/07/02 · 11:07

Alot changing fast in the campaign world as it seems team McCain is using his trip abroad as cover to make some significant changes...

First up, McCain has a new Day-to-Day as Rick Davis steps aside for "long term" stuff (i.e. back burner bullshit)

Steve Schmidt, a bald and barrel-chested operative known for his aggressive brand of political combat, responded by exhorting campaign aides with a speech that one staffer likened to a locker room pep talk out of the football movie "Rudy."

McCain sources say Schmidt, who ran Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection campaign and was a top communications aide in Bush-Cheney '04, will coordinate the campaign's daily pro-McCain and anti-Obama message.

Perhaps most important for the campaign's image is the addition of Greg Jenkins, a veteran advanceman who ran presidential advance in the Bush White House. Jenkins, also an aide on Bush's 2000 campaign, is working to ensure better stagecraft of McCain's events and to avoid a reprisal of the much-mocked green background behind McCain at a high-profile speech last month.

Meanwhile the RNC is set to drop some coin into the race and enter the negative side...

Sources familiar with the media buys say the Republican National Committee has reserved advertising slots in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, large buys that could mark the first serious wave of televised attacks on Barack Obama.

Further details of the advertising plans were unavailable and an RNC spokesman said he was unaware of ad plans and of the substance of any planned attacks. John McCain and the Republican Party have stepped up efforts in recent days to portray Obama as a "typical" politician, and have accused him of changing his position on a range of key issues.

Obama is on the air in 18 states, and has been using his financial advantage to tell his preferred version of his biography, one that roots him in Kansas values and centrist political issues.

No word anywhere on the content of the advertising but one has to believe that the RNC is getting ready to launch it's focus grouped, poll tested, Obama negatives campaign... it'll be very fascinating to see how Obama responds.

Lots has been made about Obama's move to the center and there has been alot of anger on this site. I would implore everyone to seriously consider the alternative, and move beyond the initial disappointments on this issue or that issue... the fact is the RNC is very well funded and very ready to rip Obama as hard as they can. It's times like these that Obama's grassroots backbone needs to get his back.

It was tranquil for a while and that allowed some inhouse arguing... once incoming starts, it's time to man-up and face the onslaught together...

will you step up, move beyond the petty, and do your part today? Or will you enable President McSame?

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