In The Blogs

Campaign Realpolitik

| Fri Sep. 12, 2008 11:23 AM PDT

The McCain campaign has lied about the Bridge to Nowhere, Obama's tax plan, and his vice presidential pick's record on earmarks, attacked the media for not treating Sarah Palin with sufficient deference, and run a series of highly disturbing ads against Barack Obama that leave little doubt they are designed to play on racial fears and stereotypes. "Morally unfit" to be president, one commentator lambasted McCain, who had previously vowed to run an honorable campaign, and been the victim of such vicious smears himself during his unsuccessful 2000 Republican primary run against George W. Bush. If there were a referee, perhaps he could be implored to cry foul and make it stop. But, having lived through 2000 and 2004, it's also not so surprising to observers that this is the kind of campaign that McCain has chosen to run at the top of the GOP ticket. He's determined to do whatever it takes to win, and his party has used such tactics, and successfully, in the past.

So what about seeing the political campaign world as it really is, and not how candidates say they would like it to be? So suggests washingtonpost.com's political writer Chris Cillizza in this chat today:

St. Louis: Since you're so "in the know," I was wondering if you've heard from Republicans -- off the record, of course -- that they're surprised by McCain's campaign. His traditionally Republican campaign is smart -- they win -- but it also seems so out of character for the old McCain we knew in 2000. What are Republican insiders thoughts on this change?

Chris Cillizza: Hmm, was that "in the know" comment a shot at me?

If so, well played. Onto the question....

Republicans have always -- or at least for as long as the Fix memory lasts -- adopted a realpolitik approach to political campaigns.

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That is, they use tactics that work -- whether or not they are "fair". Republicans are, typically, far less concerned about the approval of newspaper editorial boards and the so called "eastern media elite" than their Democratic counterparts, a fact that allows them almost total freedom when it comes to how they conduct their campaigns.

Democrats, on the other hand, always promise to play as down and dirty as Republicans but when the rubber hits the road tend to back off somewhat.

The one Democratic politician in recent memory who didn't follow that blueprint was Bill Clinton; it's no accident he is the last Democrat to win elected office.

In the frame of campaign politics, "fair" doesn't really matter. Effective and persuasive do.

I don't condone this but state it merely as fact.

The jury remains out on how the Obama campaign will approach the final seven weeks of the campaign.

It's hard to argue with Cillizza. "In the frame of campaign politics, 'fair' doesn't really matter. Effective and persuasive do." There are virtues to running an honorable and mostly positive campaign that reflects the candidate's professed desire to usher in a new, less divisive era of politics to Washington (and perhaps additional political risks to Obama too in appearing too angry or negative). But with the stakes so high, there is more virtue perhaps in winning.

Comments

Submitted by Jeugenen (not verified) on Fri Sep. 12, 2008 12:14 PM PDT.

AMERICA'S MALIGNANT NEO-MARXIST CANCERS

America suffers from Podhoretz Neo-Con and Leiberman Neo-Lib political cancers, in her executive, legislative, and judicial organs. Their subversion of foreign policy, Christian morality, and labor relations are notorious.

The 9/11 Terrorist Spectacle is one of the lesser symptoms caused by their hate provoking foreign military interventions. The un-patriotic and illegal Neo-Con Iraq War in support of Judeofascist Israel is costing over a trillion dollars and killing more than 4,000 young patriots; and doing worse damage to Iraq.

Roe vs. Wade is sacrificially killing more than 40 million children of Christian mothers. Naturally, Neo-Marxists and their following of Christian heretics, not wanting to be stigmatized as morally depraved child killers, want every woman to sacrificially kill her children.

Money scammed and extorted from blue-collar rednecks and school teachers by the Neo- Marxist union lobbies, SEIU and NEA, is electing Congressional political prostitutes who enact legislation that subverts Christian culture, nationalistic unity, freedom from excessive governmental regulation, and capitalistic free enterprise.

These malignant cancers got started in America 60 years ago, when millions of pitiful defeated Marxist refugees from Nazi Germany and Marxist Soviet Union were trustingly accepted as immigrants by inexperienced America, after their rejection by experienced Europe. History suggests that their destruction will inevitably occur, with surprising speed. Russia was utterly devastated by Marxist cancers for two generations, and is very slowly recovering with the gradual introduction of democracy, freedom of speech, nationalism, and Christianity. But Germany under Hitler, and Spain under Franco, quickly destroyed their Marxist cancers, before they could seize control over vital governmental organs. Each healthy nation naturally has a unique defensive immune system for destroying malignant political cancers. England's immune system is so effective that Marxist cancers are unable to grow.

America's Constitution is quite extraordinary in that the supreme defensive governmental organ of the People is the grass-roots town militia. When executive, legislative, and judicial organs become tyrannical, militias spring-up over-night in every town to restore freedom and democracy, by guns and gallows revolutionary justice. America promises to put on the greatest revolutionary show on Earth, to the tune of "God Bless America".

Staunch Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Evangelical, and Fundamental crusaders in the Cultural War indirectly support the revolutionary militias, when they forcefully condemn the heresies and inter-denominational strife that is destroying America's Christian culture. The militia man with Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly, and the Right to Bear Arms go into action in a minute, clutching his Crucifix and gun. With Separation of Church and State, his pastor never tells him how to fight for his Country, and his general never tells him how to pray to his Christian God.

Submitted by Jonathan Stein (not verified) on Fri Sep. 12, 2008 12:44 PM PDT.

It'd be great if Cillizza wrote this in places other than an online chat.

Submitted by ceenik (not verified) on Fri Sep. 12, 2008 5:33 PM PDT.

I'm afraid I don't find Cilizza's comments too illuminating. OK, we all know Republicans are more pragmatic, less afraid of getting down and dirty. But isn't there a matter of degree here?

Bill Clinton looks like an altar boy next to McCain! And maybe I need some history lessons, but did Bush senior and Reagan run comparably deceitful, slanderous, loudmouthed, empty campaigns? I almost look fondly back at the republican dirty tricks of yore.

Submitted by smitisan (not verified) on Sat Sep. 13, 2008 8:34 AM PDT.

Just read an interesting article that argued Sarah Palin represents the shadow side of Obama's idealism, and realpolitik is an example of it, arguing that things never change and there's no point in trying to appeal to the better part of man. Palin's major qualification, as far as her fans are concerned, is her ability to ridicule liberals in general and community organizers in particular. These people want a comedian in the White House. Who was it who said that when history repeats itself the first time it's comedy, the second time it's tragedy, and the third time it's farce?

Submitted by MarthaA (not verified) on Sat Sep. 13, 2008 7:45 PM PDT.

James Dobson Doesn't Speak For Me:

When he uses religion as a wedge to divide;

When he speaks as the final arbiter on the meaning of the Bible;

When he uses the beliefs of others as a line of attack;

When he denigrates his neighbor's views when they don't line up with his;

When he seeks to confine the values of my faith to two or three issues alone;

What Does Speak For Me:

David's psalm celebrating how good and pleasant it is when we come together in unity;

Micah reminding us that the Lord requires us to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with Him;

Isaiah the Prophet speaks for me in his call for all to come and reason together and also to seek justice, encourage the oppressed and to defend the cause of the vulnerable;

Nehemiah the Prophet speaks for me in its example to work with our neighbors, not against them, to restore what was broken in our communities;

Matthew the Apostle speaks for me in saying to bless those that curse you and pray for those who persecute you;

Paul the Apostle speaks for me in saying that words spoken and deeds done without love amount to nothing.

John the Apostle speaks for me in reminding us of Jesus' command to love one another. The world will know His disciples by that love.

James Dobson attacking Barack Obama's Christianity doesn't speak for me.

Differences between Christian faith of Obama and James Dobson:

http://www.jamesdobsondoesntspeakforme.com/

Submitted by Aaron (not verified) on Mon Sep. 15, 2008 7:24 AM PDT.

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July