2008 Election
Heart of the Campaigns
Obama
fit the American mood in many ways that McCain did not. The "Hope
and Change" candidate offered a clean break from Bush. He had
opposed the Iraq War from the start, declaring it "a rash war"
in an Oct. 2, 2002, speech in Chicago, and promised to end it.
Obama
energized young people and built a powerful Democratic coalition that
included blacks and Hispanics. He also was an excellent orator and a
fundraising juggernaut. Artist Shepard Fairey's stylized blue-and-red
"Hope" poster, designed from an Associated Press portrait
of Obama, was instantly iconic.
…
Obama,
who was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, had faced false rumors,
smears and racist innuendo, including in the 2008 primaries. Ever
mindful of how history might judge him, McCain vowed to keep "that
kind of ugliness out of this political campaign."
It
put McCain, time and again, in the awkward position of having to
denounce various attacks on Obama from the right that didn't meet his
standard of civility.
…
… McCain
decried a North Carolina Republican Party TV ad that put a spotlight
on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., Obama's former pastor, who had made
inflammatory statements about the United States in his fiery sermons.
McCain did not want to make an issue of Wright, who had said things
such as, "No, no, no, not 'God bless America' — God damn
America!"
Soren
Dayton, a McCain campaign aide, likewise found himself in hot water
after promoting what the gossip website Gawker called "an
inflammatory YouTube mashup of Barack Obama's recent speech on race,"
which also featured Wright.
In
a new era of independent spending by outside, third-party groups,
McCain knew he couldn't stop everything that would be thrown at Obama
on his behalf.
"I've
pledged to conduct my campaign in an honorable fashion," McCain
said in June. "I will do everything that I can to make sure that
this campaign is respectful, but I can't be a referee, and I can't
judge every piece that's run and be the judge of it."
…
[Sarah]
Palin's limitations as a national candidate had become apparent.
Though she had managed to get through the convention and had won
acclaim for her speech, she was not ready to address policy.
Palin
was responsible for resuscitating the McCain campaign in the polls –
their ticket had surged past Obama and Biden — but after the
convention, McCain aides didn't know what to do with her. She was
largely sequestered from the media, keeping her away from
hard-hitting questions about foreign policy she couldn't answer.
NBC's "Saturday Night Live" mocked her mercilessly. "SNL"
star Tina Fey's spot-on impersonation defined her in the public
consciousness. To this day, many Americans believe it was Palin that
said "I can see Russia from my house" when in
fact it came from one of Fey’s send-ups of her.
The
real test came when Palin started giving interviews to high-profile
journalists such as Katie Couric of CBS News.
She
failed that test and bombed, famously bungling even a softball
question about what newspapers and magazines she would read to keep
up with world events.
“I’ve
read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for
the media,” Palin said. “Um, all of them, any of them that have
been in front of me all these years” (Nowicki 6-8).
"Sen.
McCain and his operatives are gambling that they can distract you
with smears rather than talk to you about substance. They'd rather
try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up," Obama
said at an event in Asheville, North Carolina.
"That's
what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas, and running out
of time," he said.
The
comments come a day after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's running
mate, claimed that Obama associated "with terrorists who
targeted our own country.”
The
McCain campaign shot back on Sunday, saying its accusations are "true
facts," and not "smears."
"The
last four weeks of this election will be about whether the American
people are willing to turn our economy and national security over to
Barack Obama, a man with little record, questionable judgment, and
ties to radical figures like unrepentant domestic terrorist William
Ayers," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.
"Americans
need to ask themselves if they've ever befriended an unrepentant
terrorist, or had a convicted felon help them buy their house --
because those aren't smears, those are true facts about Barack Obama"
(Obama 1-2)
The
Statement: Republican vice presidential candidate
Gov. Sarah Palin said Saturday, October 4, that Democratic
presidential nominee Barack Obama is "someone who sees America,
it seems, as being so imperfect that he's palling around with
terrorists who would target their own country."
The
Facts: In making the charge at a fund-raising event
in Englewood, Colorado, and a rally in Carson, California, Palin was
referring at least in part to William Ayers, a 1960s radical. In both
appearances, Palin cited a front-page article in Saturday's New
York Times detailing the working relationship between Obama and
Ayers.
In
the 1960s, Ayers was a founding member of the radical Weather
Underground group that carried out a string of bombings of federal
buildings, including the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol, in protest
against the Vietnam War. The now-defunct group was labeled a
"domestic terrorist group" by the FBI, and Ayers and his
wife, Bernadine Dohrn - also a Weather Underground member - spent 10
years as fugitives in the 1970s. Federal charges against them were
dropped due to FBI misconduct in gathering evidence against them, and
they resurfaced in 1980. Both Ayers and Dohrn ultimately became
university professors
in Chicago, with Ayers, 63, now an education professor at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
Obama's
Chicago home is in the same neighborhood where Ayers and Dohrn live.
Beginning in 1995, Ayers and Obama worked with the non-profit Chicago
Annenberg Challenge on a huge school improvement project. The
Annenberg Challenge was for cities to compete for $50 million grants
to improve public education. Ayers fought to bring the grant to
Chicago, and Obama was recruited onto the board. Also from 1999
through 2001 both were board members on the Woods Fund, a charitable
foundation that gave money to various causes, including the Trinity
United Church that Obama attended and Northwestern University Law
Schools' Children and Family Justice Center, where Dohrn worked.
CNN's
review of project records found nothing to suggest anything
inappropriate in the volunteer projects in which the two men were
involved.
Obama
campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt told CNN that after meeting Obama
through the Annenberg project, Ayers hosted a campaign event for him
that same year when then-Illinois state Sen. Alice Palmer, who
planned to run for Congress, introduced the young community organizer
as her chosen successor. LaBolt also said the two have not spoken by
phone or exchanged e-mail messages since Obama came to the U.S.
Senate in 2005 and last met more than a year ago when they
encountered each other on the street in their Hyde Park neighborhood.
The
extent of Obama's relationship with Ayers came up during the
Democratic presidential primaries earlier this year, and Obama
explained it by saying, "This is a guy who lives in my
neighborhood ... the notion that somehow as a consequence of me
knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago - when I
was 8 years old - somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make
much sense."
…
Verdict:
False. There is no indication that Ayers and Obama
are now "palling around," or that they have had an ongoing
relationship in the past three years. Also, there is nothing to
suggest that Ayers is now involved in terrorist activity or that
other Obama associates are. (Fact 1).
Republican
Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida said on ABC’s “This Week” it was
not what Obama did when he was 8 but “what occurred when he was 35
- 38 years old and was initiating his political campaign.”
“It’s
about his judgment and who he associated with during those years and
right on into his political campaign,” he said.
“It
is fair game,” Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut
who supports McCain, said on “Fox News Sunday” (Egan 1-2).
The
campaign generated enormous enthusiasm, with millions of new
registrants joining the voting rolls (though the McCain campaign
alleged that many of these were registered illegally, after
allegations surfaced that several employees hired by ACORN, an
interest group that lobbies on behalf of lower-income families, had
submitted falsified registrations). McCain hosted numerous town hall
meetings (a format in which he excelled) throughout the country, in
which attendees could question the candidate; however, some of these
meetings came under media scrutiny when some audience members became
heated in their criticism of Obama. Obama rallies consistently
attracted large crowds—including some 100,000 at a rally in St.
Louis, Mo., in mid-October—and tens of thousands often came out to
see Palin on the stump (the campaign had provided only limited access
to Palin for the media). Although some commentators, including
conservative ones, questioned her readiness for the vice presidency
and presidency, she proved enormously popular … (Editors
1-6).
On
what should have been the
most controversial issue of the day — the Iraq War — McCain
agreed
with
George
Bush
and
continued to be a
vocal
advocate of the escalation strategy known as the "surge"
that Bush implemented to turn the
war around.
Notwithstanding,
smear tactics continued.
… viewers
in battleground states were assaulted by deceptive claims, among them
that Arizona Senator and Republican Party nominee John McCain wanted
to cut Social Security and stay in Iraq for one hundred years and
that Illinois Senator and Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama did
not take Iran seriously and had a close relationship with former
Weather Underground leader William Ayers.
The two most prevalent distortions, each backed
by multimillion dollar ad buys, involved taxation. Specifically, the
Democrats alleged that McCain would impose a net tax on health care
benefits, and the Republicans insisted that Obama would raise taxes
on working families including “yours” (Jamieson and Gottfried 1).
There
was this.
The
McCain campaign has come under fire for an Internet ad that accuses
Obama of calling Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin
"a pig."
In
fact, Obama last week likened the Republican ticket plans for
government reform to putting "lipstick on a pig."
Even
the Arizona senator admitted today that Obama didn't call Palin a
pig, but defended the ad anyway.
…
The Obama
campaign has also complained about a McCain ad that claims the
Illinois senator supports sex education for kindergartners, referring
to Illinois Senate legislation that would teach young children
age-appropriate sex education and how to reject advances by sexual
predators.
The ad
has been widely criticized by independent groups and longtime
journalists.
Reporter
Jonathan Alter, Newsweek's senior editor and columnist and
author of the book "Between The Lines: A View Inside American
Politics, People and Culture," said the tenor of McCain's ads
have reached a new low in the seven presidential campaigns he's
covered.
"The
latest one accuses Obama in the Illinois legislature of supporting
sex-ed for kindergartners, which is a total lie about the nature of
that piece of legislation in Illinois; to me it set a new low,"
Alter said on "Charlie Rose" Thursday.
Called
"527" groups, Alter said, "These
are the first lies that I have ever seen that come directly from one
candidate in a presidential election."
Obama
responded. “Enough of this. We can't afford to let
them make another big election about small things... We are up
against a very powerful entrenched status quo in Washington. They
will say anything and they will do anything."
The
527 group ads continued.
A new
group with ties to the Swift Boast Veterans for Truth campaign
against Kerry has amassed a multimillion-dollar fund and is putting
the finishing touches on television ads attacking Obama.
The
group, known as the American Issues Project, brags it has run ads
7,307 times in 14 markets, calling into question the longstanding
relationship between Obama and William Ayers.
"American
Issues Project clearly has struck a nerve inside the Obama campaign,
but even more important is the reaction of the American people, who
are starting to question why Senator Obama would have such a close
relationship with an unrepentant domestic terrorist," said Ed
Martin, American Issues Project president, on the group’s Web site
(Parker 1-3).
He’s
a Muslim. He was sworn into office on the Koran. He doesn’t say the
Pledge of Allegiance. His pastor is an anti-Semite. He’s a tool of
Louis Farrakhan. He’s anti-Israel. His advisers are anti-Israel.
He’s friends with terrorists. The terrorists want him to win. He’s
the Antichrist.
…
Among
conservatives, Fox News has endlessly amplified such rumors. Karl
Rove, a new hire by the network, recently speculated that Obama would
withdraw funding for Israel. Sean Hannity has asked if Obama has a
“race problem.” Fox News radio host Tom Sullivan compared Obama
to Hitler. “Fox News are on to him and all the arguments our
‘smear’ camping [sic] is making and for the most part it
is running with them,” right-wing blogger Ted Belman, of
Israpundit, wrote in a recent e-mail (Berman (1-4).
Meanwhile,
the
national
economy
had
begun to collapse.
There
had been warnings about mass mortgage failures and a potential
housing bubble. Concern grew to the banking system and its "toxic
assets." By September 2008, the United States was in the midst
of a financial meltdown.
The
federal government on Sept. 7, 2008, seized Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, the giant mortgage lenders. After Lehman Brothers Holdings filed
for bankruptcy Sept. 15, real fear gripped Wall Street. The Federal
Reserve on Sept. 16 bailed out the giant insurance company American
International Group, or AIG, as "too big to fail" became a
catchphrase of the rescue effort. Bush, Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke eventually would
ask Congress for an emergency $700 billion financial
bailout.
The
economy was not McCain's forte. Even as the crisis deepened, McCain
continued to repeat a stock stump line of his about the strength of
the "fundamentals" of the economy. And even if the economy
had been his expertise, voters saw Bush and the Republicans as
responsible for the crisis.
… no
poll after the week of Sept. 21— as the economy spiraled down —
showed McCain with a lead.
Understanding
the stakes, McCain made the remarkable decision to suspend his
campaign for two days so he could return to Capitol Hill to address
the financial crisis. It was another "maverick" move that
would show his commitment to putting the health of the country over
his personal political interests. The only problem: McCain had no
clear idea what to do about the economy and already was a latecomer
to negotiations over the proposed $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief
Program.
"I
asked, 'Are you sure that you want to do that?' Because nobody knows
how this is going to work out," Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., a McCain
ally who'd spoken by telephone with McCain, told The
Republic
at
the time. "But you know John. He's willing to take big risks if
he thinks it's for a big cause."
…
A
subsequent, combative Sept. 25 White House meeting that included
Bush, McCain, Obama and other congressional leaders yielded no deal.
Footage of McCain silently sitting at the table didn't help his image
as having a poor grasp on economic issues. McCain also was under
pressure from his fellow congressional Republicans not to make the
situation worse for them. House Republicans were also on the ballot
in November, and they worried their party's presidential nominee
might throw them under the bus by savaging whatever bailout package
emerged from the discussions.
Quoting
sources, CNN reported that McCain
said little during the White House summit and
didn't say anything for the first 43 minutes.
…
McCain
later would tell The
Republic
that
it was Bush who had called him in from the campaign trail. According
to McCain's later account, made to the newspaper's editorial board in
February 2010, Bush asked for his help to avoid a looming worldwide
economic disaster.
"I
don't know of any American, when the president of the United States
calls you and tells you something like that, who wouldn't respond,"
McCain said. "And I came back and tried to sit down and work
with Republicans and say, 'What can we do?' "
McCain
eventually went along with the TARP bailout, a vote that would haunt
him for years (Nowicki 15-19).
McCain
announced the suspension of his campaign for a few days in September
to return to Washington, D.C., to address the financial crisis and
suggested that the first debate be postponed. Obama played more of a
behind-the-scenes role and insisted that the debate take place,
saying “It is going to be part of the president’s job to deal
with more than one thing at once.” Obama was also aided by his
decision to opt out of the federal [campaign] financing system, which
would have limited his campaign to $84 million in spending. … The
Obama campaign’s decision paid off, as it attracted more than three
million donors and raised an astounding $150 million in the month of
September alone, enabling the campaign to outspend the McCain
campaign by significant margins in the battleground states and to
purchase 30 minutes of prime-time television six days prior to the
election (more than 33 million Americans watched the Obama
infomercials) (Editors 1-5).
Works
cited:
Berman,
Ari, “Smearing Obama.” The
Nation, March 13, 2008. Web.
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/smearing-obama/
Editors
of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, “United
States Presidential Election of 2008.”
Encyclopaedia
Britannica.
Web.
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-2008/Primary-Results
Egan,
Mark, “Obama
Accuses
McCain of Smear
Campaign.”
Reuters,
October
4, 2008. Web.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics/obama-accuses-mccain-of-smear-campaign-idUSTRE4932E920081005
“Fact
Check: ‘Is Obama Palling around with Terrorists?’” CNN
Politics, October
5, 2008. Web.
https://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/05/fact-check-is-obama-palling-around-with-terrorists/
Jamieson,
Kathleen
Hall and Gottfried, Jefrey A., “Are
There
Lessons
for the Future
of News
from the 2008 Presidential
Campaign?
Daedalus,
Summer
2010. Web.
https://www.amacad.org/publication/are-there-lessons-future-news-2008-presidential-campaign
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