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Stephanopoulos: McCain Camp Struggles to Find the Right Tone

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October 17, 2008 7:59 PM

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: John McCain may be trailing behind Barack Obama in the latest polls, but the McCain campaign remains optimistic about the chances for a McCain comeback over the next two weeks of the campaign. 

However there is a struggle inside the McCain campaign about the tone he should take, sources tell ABC News.

Some former McCain advisers want to see McCain take a more positive tone on the stump and give up on some of the attacks he's been making against Obama.

They point to the campaign tactic adopted by incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who is locked in a tough fight for his Senate seat against comedian-turned-politician Al Franken. About a week ago, Coleman pulled all of his negative campaign ads and now he's tightened up the race there. 

One of the fiercest fights for Obama and McCain is in the once reliably red state of Virginia. McCain campaigns in Prince William County Saturday, where he hopes to erode Obama's support in Northern Virginia. Obama campaigned in Roanoke, Virginia today.

Polls show McCain is trailing Obama in the battleground state of Virginia, which hasn't voted for a Democratic president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

McCain aides concede that the Republican candidate can't take the White House without winning Virginia.

But Obama has invested heavily in the state and has three times as many campaign offices there as McCain. He has also been outspending McCain in television advertising 4 to 1 in the last couple weeks in Virginia. The McCain campaign is looking to close that spending gap in the coming days -- holding out hope for  the traditionally conservative-leaning state.

Obama is even giving McCain a run for his money in West Virginia.

While Obama lost West Virginia to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary by 40 points, Obama television ads in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia have spilled over into West Virginia -- tightening up the race there.

The Obama campaign has decided to put about $1 million of TV advertising in West Virginia to win those five electoral votes.

October 17, 2008 in McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (728)

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Hopefully, the unethical tactics used by the McCain-Palin campaign have backfired. Hopefully, the United States people are smarter than believing the grossly distored facts and lies told by the Palin-McCain campaign.

HOPE-FULL me: OBAMA-BIDEN 2008

Posted by: Terresa | Oct 17, 2008 8:08:34 PM

...distorted...

facts and lies by the McCain-Palin campaign.

Posted by: Terresa | Oct 17, 2008 8:10:26 PM

The right tone would be for McCain's camp to stop lying about Obama. It's gotten ridiculous. Negativity and lies turn people away from your message.

Posted by: Deena Rockefeller | Oct 17, 2008 8:11:50 PM

Captain McCain and the talking parrot have no idea how to steer the ship.

Yes, the talking parrot is entertaining enough, but it sure has learned a bunch of hateful talk.

Posted by: Obama/Biden - the ONLY positive choice | Oct 17, 2008 8:18:48 PM

The GOP only knows one political tactic...scare the #### out of the masses. Then convince them all that Republicans are somehow a safer pick.

Its like watching the rats go down on the Titanic. They're hitting every panic button they can as they realize the end is near

Posted by: Buddy Knuckles | Oct 17, 2008 8:20:27 PM


This is a lock for Mr. Obama. Mr. Farrakhan knows.

After all, this is a "divine" intervention - even WashPost calls it "preternatural".

Farrakhan Says 'New Beginning' For Nation of Islam
CHICAGO (AP) ― The Nation of Islam, a secretive movement generally closed to outsiders, has planned a rare open-to-the public event at its Chicago-based headquarters in what the Minister Louis Farrakhan deemed a "new beginning" for the group.

Posted by: Onlooker | Oct 17, 2008 8:22:54 PM

How does the media let Palin slide when she says she was "glad she was found innocent of doing anything unethical" the very day all the headlines read

PALIN FOUND GUILTY OF ABUSE OF POWER AND VIOLATION OF ETHICS?

Both McCain AND now Palin have Violation of Ethics charges. And those Republican "reformers"?

Posted by: Team Integrity - GOP style | Oct 17, 2008 8:24:23 PM

Buddy Knuckles ;;;scare tactics?...you are funny

Posted by: LordHelpLiberals | Oct 17, 2008 8:26:24 PM

Oh no! I be afraid of that Louis Farrakhan. He ain't no real Americun like me.


You're a pinhead.

Posted by: Get a life | Oct 17, 2008 8:26:47 PM

you liberal idiots think Bush/McCain/Palin have a monopoly on lying , cheating and stealing...proves that there are a lot of deaf, dumb and blind liberals out there.

Posted by: LordHelpLiberals | Oct 17, 2008 8:28:35 PM

Please check on report on Keith Oberman's show tonight, Friday, that Obama's general legal counsel has requested that the Justice Department investigate the White House and the McCain/Palin Campaign for interference in voter registration. Obama's general counsel said that they had requested that the Special Prosecutor who is investigating the firings of the attorneys at the Justice Department add this allegation to her current investigation.

Posted by: Cheryl Vickers | Oct 17, 2008 8:30:22 PM

Bush used the words "terrorism" and "9-11" constantly to scare Americans while he and Cheney pursued their own private agendas. So much so, it became the subjects of late night jokes after a while.

McCain and Parrot are trying the same old thing. Obama is the "secret terrorist" who wants to "steal the election" from country loving patriots.

Sad part is 40% of America is still falling for this crap.

It's the "We know we suck, but listen to this accusation" strategy.

But when you realize McCain hired all of George Bush's campaign staff, it's not that hard to figure out.

Yah, he's not George Bush. Sure he's not.

Posted by: McCain IS McSame | Oct 17, 2008 8:33:34 PM

Yeah, don't worry about Louis Farrakhan. Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright have asked him not be a hater.

=)

Posted by: Johnson | Oct 17, 2008 8:39:37 PM

Oh I want McCain to continue his nasty attacks, his smears, all his Ayers and Acorn and Obama ties. I want him to continue to incite mob-mentality, to keep asking who Obama really is. It's not too late to ask that question. I want McCain to keep spreading untruths, half truths, and to continue putting Palin by herself in any interview possible single in front of the cameras. I want McCain to keep focused on attacking Obama, the nastier the attack ads, the better. WHY? Because this will continue to backfire, and blow up in his face and blow up his entire campaign into tiny bits. This will ensure his LOSS!! This is all he has, and can not focus on the core issues our nation faces, he puts the campaign first, himself first and the nation is well, somewhere in the mix. That is exactly what this warmonger will do IF he is elected. He deserves to lose and lose badly the way he has conducted this campaign. His rage, and ill temperament has done well to show who HE REALLY IS!
Yes, He is no George W Bush. HE IS FAR WORSE!!!

Posted by: jaMar | Oct 17, 2008 8:41:42 PM

Ooooo, is this where the name calling and wild accusations portion of the "discussion" begin?

McCain is going hyperbolic in his negativity. Obama is milking it. And the media eats it all up.

Welcome to reality America, it may scare you. oops, just got you to vote GOP

Posted by: Buddy Knuckles | Oct 17, 2008 8:48:25 PM

Too much is at stake America to put someone in the White House that even remotely resembles George W Bush. And with McCain voting 90% of the time WITH HIS PAL GEORGE DUBUA, can you afford another four more years of this? Look where we are, look at the shape this nation is in, your 401K, your job, the number of foreclosures, the meltdown of our economic structure is enormous. This all happened under George Dubua's Watch. And it still is not fixed, $700BILLION DOLLARS LATER! We have two major wars just brewing. We are still spending $10 mill a month in Iraq, a war Bush lied about. No weapons of mass destruction, ever found. Bin Laden is still not found. WAKE UP! Put your prejudices aside. Vote for the right man, not a black man, green man, blue, man or red man, but the right man, and that man is OBAMA. Obama transcends race. His mother was WHITE. HE was raced by WHITE GRANDPARENTS. This is not a white or black issue. It is about all our issues and our issues are very serious, heading for a full blown Depression and tons of despair and suffering. We can not afford another four years of the same FAILED POLICIES and OLD IDEAS.

McCain was right, he is no George Bush, he is however far worse!

Posted by: jaMar | Oct 17, 2008 8:55:28 PM

Buddy Knuckles, Take your meds or see someone about your paranoia. If George W hasn't converted us to the United States of Evangelicals, I'm pretty sure Obama (who happens to be a Christian) won't convert us to anything either. George W gave it his best shot but much like anything he tries to succeed at, he didn't quite make it. Thank G-D!

Posted by: ceinscottsdale | Oct 17, 2008 8:57:47 PM

I just read that the Republican Party of Virginia has circulated a mailer bearing a dark-skinned face and the words "America must look evil in the eye and never flinch." Are you kidding me ? A person with dark-face is evil ? What are McCain's advisor thinking to allow this disgrace to happen. All kind of impression are they giving to this children in Virginia ? This is out right "DIRTY and DIGRACEFUL!!!!!" How can one vote for McCain with this stuff. Don't tell me he doesn't know...even if he doesn't know, he is STILL responsible since he is the person in the ballot. DISGRACE.....what is next ? a KKK office at the state house of Virginia ?

Posted by: farshs | Oct 17, 2008 9:00:55 PM

The right tone would be to stop the hate rallies. It reminds me of the 1960s Civil Rights Era.
Palin won't realize how much damage she's done until election day. The young people voting today dont want division, they want unity.

Posted by: Lucky Lucy | Oct 17, 2008 9:01:39 PM

If John McCain has any integrity left--and it's open question whether he does--he'll abandon the creepy negative robocalls and all the other desperate, dishonest crap and begin to focus on his own best arguments. At this point, though, McCain's talking points all boil down to some version of "that other guy is a poo-poo head." Who's running that campaign, some nine year old with an attitude?

Posted by: Kate | Oct 17, 2008 9:03:05 PM

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