Tea Leaves = Blog by Josh Marshall = TPM

[L. Coyote]

Tea Leaves = Blog by Josh Marshall
08.06.08 -- 10:40AM -- http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/207299.php


On the subject of this new McCain ad sleazing Obama, in our editorial meeting this morning I told Greg that I was interested in what more we could find out about the disjuncture, if there is one, between the public reception of this stuff and the media reception. My sense is that over the last 48 hours or so, McCain's Celeb/Blackening campaign has been turning against him among pundits. But that doesn't mean the ads aren't resonating with voters, at least the class of voters McCain's campaign is trying to pull back into their column.

One goes into these analyses with the assumption that campaigns don't make demonstrably stupid decisions. But that's of course often a poor assumption. My own take -- or maybe more, the possibility that seems the real issue -- is that these ads probably are stiffening the support of some voters McCain absolutely needs to even make a go of it in November. But he's simultaneously endangering what is undoubtedly his biggest asset -- which is the residual public perception that he's a truth-teller, a politician above the normal partisan scrum and game playing. More and more he comes off as an angry and not infrequently out-of-it old man. ..........

[speedoo]

1. What I think....

"But he's simultaneously endangering what is undoubtedly his biggest asset -- which is the residual public perception that he's a truth-teller, a politician above the normal partisan scrum and game playing. More and more he comes off as an angry and not infrequently out-of-it old man."

This is definitely the downside for McWhine. Going negative this early means he is backing himself into a corner that will not allow him to campaign of the PERCEIVED asset as stated above.

A very questionable strategic decision by his campaign, IMO.