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The Note: GOP Attacks on Obama May Backfire

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June 24, 2008 8:33 AM

ABC News' Rick Klein Reports in Tuesday's Note: It’s going to take more than a town in New Hampshire (even one with the perfect name and vote total) to make things right in Democrat-land.

It’s going to take more than spiking a silly seal to kill the storyline of Sen. Barack Obama’s arrogance. (Just ask Karl Rove.)

It’s going to take more than a polite plea from Obama to get Democratic donors to pay back Mark Penn. (Though a Clinton-Obama phone call is certainly a start.)

It’s going to take more than a $300 million prize to make gas prices Democrats’ fault.

It’s going to take more than James Dobson (and more than a little “fruitcake”) to get the evangelical base energized for Sen. John McCain like it was for President Bush.

It’s going to take more than one ill-advised comment to get Charlie Black a ticket off the “Straight Talk Express” (but maybe not much more than that).

Just when we thought there might be a policy debate emerging -- here come Rove, Black, and Dobson to turn the page on the GOP playbook. This may not have been the way they wanted their messages to get out -- but is there any doubt now as to how Republicans plan on depicting Obama?

Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.

For all we know, all three men may be right (on the facts, and on the politics) for -- but that doesn’t mean Obama should flee from this fight. (What shouts out for change more than a campaign that is itself a repeat?)

Start with Black, who may have been speaking the truth (ask Hillary Clinton about that) but nonetheless got slapped down by McCain after telling Fortune’s David Whitford that the assassination of Benazir Bhutto “helped us” and that a terrorist attack would “certainly . . . be a big advantage” for McCain.

Said McCain (responding quickly): “I cannot imagine why he would say it. . . . It’s not true. I’ve worked tirelessly since 9/11 to prevent another attack on the United States of America.”

“The comment reinjected the fear of terrorism into the campaign as both candidates had been shifting their conversation to the economy and $4-per-gallon gasoline,” Michael Shear writes in The Washington Post. “It also vividly recalled the 2004 contest between President Bush and Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry, in which Republicans repeatedly questioned Kerry's ability to protect the country from terrorists.”

It’s tempting (and maybe accurate) to cast this as a rerun of the GOP’s 2004 strategy (Sen. John Kerry was even on hand to lead the Obama pushback).

Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.

ABC News' John Santucci and Alexa Ainsworth contributed to this report.

June 24, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom, Thompson, Fred, Veepstakes | Permalink | User Comments (33)

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Obama and the press will pull out the beat all race card if they tell the truth about Obama

Posted by: rag top | Jun 24, 2008 8:38:07 AM

Obama continues to play the race card, which is a joke. He actually thinks America will buy his empty rhetoric. Again, all he can do is whine, but has absolutely no plans for America. It would be nice to see where he stands on the issues besides always lashing out at McCain for taking a stand. I wonder, can Obama EVEN think for himself? Its doubtful as he has well shown. Empty suit with no substance is the Obama campaign theme!

Posted by: Jack, Chicago IL | Jun 24, 2008 8:42:56 AM

I laughed last night when I saw the news of Obama trying to court the women vote in New Mexico. I watched the piece and actually saw women "rolling" their eyes when he was speaking. He might as well forget it. The Democratic women are hurt by Obama's hate campaign against Hillary. We will NOT vote for this jerk Obama! Never! He's history!

Posted by: Susan | Jun 24, 2008 8:45:23 AM

Media constantly refering to criticism of Obama as "ATTACKS" will backfire. It already has.

Posted by: geevill | Jun 24, 2008 9:15:55 AM

I cant help but laugh whenever I see Barack Obama trying to look presidential.

Posted by: JULIE | Jun 24, 2008 9:41:44 AM

Obama-nomics would slow job creation to a stand still, innovation, improvements and originality and speculation and investment just when it's needed most by our country in a recession and heading for a depression. I know that Obama flip-flops and says one thing today and another thing tomorrow but he will probably keep his word on raising taxes because that has been the only clear issue of his campaign to date---higher taxes, bigger government.

Posted by: Anne | Jun 24, 2008 9:45:17 AM

The Republicans will say and do what they have and Obama will say and do what he has to.

To say he must remain idealistic is nice, but after his lost because he did you would call him brave, but a fool.

Most presidents move to the center,. bush didn't, what did we get. They didn't compromise the last several years, the result 29 % favorable rating for the President and a whopping 19% favorable rating for Congress.

He promised he could work with both side of the house and find common ground.The American public demands that things get done, that can only be done with compromise.

Posted by: Thinking | Jun 24, 2008 9:46:56 AM

Karl Rove should be in jail. Charles Black is a slimey, former Nixon Dirty Trickster all growed up. In the GOP, the slime rises to the top.

Posted by: hopesprings52 | Jun 24, 2008 9:56:48 AM

To Julie - You will be laughing for the next four/eight years, so get use to it and realize that Hillary will never be president.

Move on!

Posted by: Jandie | Jun 24, 2008 9:58:45 AM

Obama has built his campaign on “faith”---a bible belting, charismatic individual that avoids (you know solid and substantial) commitments on the issues. He is selling the public that he is a man of principle. He tells those that vote for him that he will use the federal spending program, but after he has your votes, and is the nominee, he says he will not use the federal spending program because it is a “broken system”. Of course the system would have been the same “broken system” a few months earlier too. This is a clear indication that he lacks principles and that his “personal word” means nothing to me. A man’s word should count for something. It is the one thing in life that sets men apart from the boys. Might it be that the image that Obama is building is nothing but a mere image, not a reflection of the true Obama?

Posted by: Ann | Jun 24, 2008 10:01:10 AM

Obama is backed by 80%+ Democrats. Lends amongst Independents. And recieves a higher percentage of defected party members then McCain (Obamacan).

The media fails to report the division within the Republican which runs much deeper.

Membership within the Republican party has drop drastically. Those whom are still Republicans are not statisfied with John McCain. And many will vote Bob Barr.

Posted by: Obamacan | Jun 24, 2008 10:04:40 AM

The pro-Hillary militants want to claim they are "18 million strong". Actually, EVERY poll indicates that isn't even close the number. Hillary may have gotten that many votes in the primary, but the majority of those are voting for the Democratic nominee.

In reality, MOST Dems don't buy into the notion of voting out of a sense of spite because their candidate lost. Or voting against their own interests to try and make some childish point.

There will always be the few overly vocal individuals (like the folks who post their rantings on these blogs everyday, multiple times per day)that think throwing a hissy fit will somehow solve something. As if anyone is swayed simply by making repeated insults.

The reality is that MOST Dems would have been satisfied with either candidate. And we'd rather have a Democrat running the country than four more years of GOP.

**********************************

"The fact is that I have agreed with President Bush far more than I have disagreed. And on the transcendent issues, the most important issues of our day, I’ve been totally in agreement and support of President Bush."

John McCain: Meet the Press '05

Posted by: Reality | Jun 24, 2008 10:08:10 AM

Hey Ann

Mccain at the beginning of hte primary season said he would raise private donations...

then his campaign started to faulter and he ran out of cash.

He then opted INTO public finance, which caps the amount of money you can spend in each state and gives you money from the TAX PAYERS.

After opting in, he took that money to get a loan worth 4 million

and with that loan he then opted OUT of public financing and started to raise money privately again.

Now, he is opting BACK IN.

1. you cant do that because its illegal
2. you cant use tax payers money to brandish you a loan and then return the money... because THATS ILLEGAL because its called fraud
3. since he has opted in and cant legally opt out he has been spending money well OVER the amount he can for states as the primary season ISNT OVER

which is also illegal


soooo

obama who did go back on taking public finance, but since he is funded by and large by the PUBLIC his reversal is hardly a big deal

now please explain how you are giving mccain a pass on this issue if you want to hammer obama for it?

Posted by: bhrandon | Jun 24, 2008 10:23:14 AM

Racism will truly end when ALL Races put an end to their racist views. When it is not an issue that a president is black. When a race does not feel that their dream is achieved just because someone is elected office who shares the same race as they do.

Posted by: Samantha | Jun 24, 2008 10:25:04 AM

"Can't we all just get along?"

Rodney King

Posted by: rusty | Jun 24, 2008 10:48:45 AM

Strange how many Obama-males are critical of those of us who have read his resume, plus its many revisions, and see that even his big ears flip-flop along with everything we thought he had pledged. I also know of no women who will vote for him. Maybe we scorn abortions because we know how to prevent pregnancy, so that scare is worthless. We are already feeling taxed to death so we don't need Obama's tax increases and we don't see any benefit to his programs so far. Since almost all of his advisors are in the ethanol business, he will hardly do anything to improve the oil situation or invention of alternative fuels besides the ethanol failures that have resulted in higher food prices across the world. McCain is not a great choice, but he is a real choice and one with the most experience.

Posted by: Jeanned"arc | Jun 24, 2008 10:51:26 AM

Do you ever notice that cynics never have anything of substance to say? Notice how they have to crack their little dry, corny jokes to make themselves feel better when in actuality, they are a miserable lot?

So funny. I'm waiting on the nervous breakdowns to take hold once McCain is exposed, embarrassed and eradicated in this election.

OBAMA 08

Posted by: Nat Turner | Jun 24, 2008 11:01:48 AM

Country first, Obama never. Send the slime back to Chicago with Wright where he belongs.

Posted by: Mack | Jun 24, 2008 11:43:21 AM

Yes, Great post Samantha.
Yes we can, see through the lies.

Posted by: Mack | Jun 24, 2008 11:45:46 AM

the Obama Campaign has truly demonstated that this is "politics as usual" ... and the Media can bash McCain all they want but there is no guarantee that Obama will win ... the left-wing-liberal-democrat-super-delegates sold out the best candidate the Democratic Party as had in years for their fantasy candidate .. and everybody knows this that is a true democrat!

Posted by: writeNhillary | Jun 24, 2008 11:56:45 AM

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