Want to read something funny? I mean, genuinely hysterical? Take a look at the memo distributed by the McCain campaign in early March, immediately after John McCain officially secured the Republican nomination.
“It is critical,” the memo explained, “as we prepare to face off with whomever the Democrats select as their nominee, that we all follow John’s lead and run a respectful campaign focused on the issues…. Throughout the primary election we saw John McCain reject the type of politics that degrade our civics, and this will not change.” The memo added that “overheated rhetoric and personal attacks” only serve to “distract” us, and that it was imperative that the campaign hold itself “to the highest standards.”
Given what we’ve seen of late, it’s hard to look back at this without laughing.
Well, that certainly didn’t take long. On July 3, news reports said Senator John McCain, worried that he might lose the election before it truly started, opened his doors to disciples of Karl Rove from the 2004 campaign and the Bush White House. Less than a month later, the results are on full display. The candidate who started out talking about high-minded, civil debate has wholeheartedly adopted Mr. Rove’s low-minded and uncivil playbook.
In recent weeks, Mr. McCain has been waving the flag of fear (Senator Barack Obama wants to “lose” in Iraq), and issuing attacks that are sophomoric (suggesting that Mr. Obama is a socialist) and false (the presumptive Democratic nominee turned his back on wounded soldiers).
Mr. McCain used to pride himself on being above this ugly brand of politics, which killed his own 2000 presidential bid. But he clearly tossed his inhibitions aside earlier this month when he put day-to-day management of his campaign in the hands of one acolyte of Mr. Rove and gave top positions to two others. […]
Many voters are wondering whether a McCain presidency would be an extension of Mr. Bush’s two disastrous terms. If the way Mr. McCain is running his campaign these days is an indication, Americans don’t have to wait until next January for the answer to that one.
Every word, every ad, and every press release from McCain and his gang has become relentlessly negative. Yesterday, honoring the 50th Anniversary of NASA, McCain issued a statement … attacking Obama. It’s another example of the Pinata Politics we talked about the other day.
But there’s one detail that shouldn’t go overlooked: Republicans aren’t exactly thrilled with the all-attack, all-the-time John McCain.
The NYT noted today that the GOP establishment is “worried” about the implications of this latest McCain persona.
The old happy warrior side of Mr. McCain has been eclipsed a bit lately by a much more aggressive, and more negative, Mr. McCain who hammers Mr. Obama repeatedly on policy differences, experience and trustworthiness.
By doing so, Mr. McCain is clearly trying to sow doubts about his younger opponent, and bring him down a peg or two. But some Republicans worry that by going negative so early, and initiating so many of the attacks himself rather than leaving them to others, Mr. McCain risks coming across as angry or partisan in a way that could turn off some independents who have been attracted by his calls for respectful campaigning.
The drumbeat of attacks could also undermine his argument that he will champion a new brand of politics.
“The McCain campaign, I think, is being pulled in two directions,” said Todd Harris, a Republican strategist who worked for Mr. McCain in 2000. “On the one hand, this race is largely a referendum on Obama, and whether or not he’s going to pass the leadership threshold in the eyes of voters. So being aggressive against Obama on questions of leadership and trust and risk are important, but at the same time I think they need to be very careful because McCain is not at his best when he is being overly partisan and negative.”
Mike Murphy, a former McCain strategist, added, “I think the campaign does have to be careful about its tone. A pure attack tone could be perilous.”
Mark Salter, a senior adviser to McCain, told the NYT, “There are no cheap shots. There are honest differences between them.”
No cheap shots? McCain has said Obama deliberately wants to lose a war. The campaign has an ad in heavy rotation blaming Obama for high gas prices. McCain and his gang have spent nearly a week pushing a bogus smear about Obama snubbing injured U.S. troops. McCain suggested Obama might be a “socialist.” The McCain campaign even hinted that Obama is weak on genocide.
What, pray tell, does the McCain gang consider “cheap”?
As for the concerns of the Republican establishment, it appears that train has already left the station. McCain doesn’t want to a positive optimist with a vision for the future; he wants (or has been convinced that he wants) to be a dishonest smear artist.
We’ll see what voters want.