Why McCain won't bring up Rev. Wright

[brandymac27]

http://www.newsweek.com/id/164504

Do the Wright Thing

Senior advisers think John McCain should attack Barack Obama's ties to his former pastor. He won't.

For a man who boasts of delivering "straight talk," John McCain was sending mixed messages. Supporters who gathered earlier this month outside Milwaukee thought he needed to amp up his campaign rhetoric. One by one, they stood and railed against the "shady characters" linked to Barack Obama. The crowd roared its approval when McCain blasted Obama's ties to William Ayers, the former Weather Underground radical. But then James T. Harris, an African-American host of a conservative radio show, urged him to hit Obama's "soft spot." "It's absolutely vital that you take it to Obama," Harris said. "We have the good Reverend [Jeremiah] Wright … I am begging you, sir. I am begging you. Take it to him." McCain looked uncertain, pausing ever so slightly. "Yes, I'll do that," he said. But then he promptly changed the subject to the economy.

Top aides to McCain share the dismay of his hard-core supporters. Many senior advisers, as well as McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, believe the campaign should remind voters of Obama's ties to Wright, whose inflammatory sermons emerged as a problem for the Democratic nominee during the primary. "If we were to go up with an ad during the final weeks of this campaign just showing excerpts of [Wright's] sermons, we would probably win," says one senior McCain aide, who declined to be named discussing internal debates on tactics. "But we won't."

McCain has refused to do it. The main reason, according to two aides who did not want to be named discussing private conversations with the candidate: any attack could be viewed as racially insensitive—or stir up racist sentiments—and that gets personal for McCain. He has not forgotten the racial smear directed at his own family during the South Carolina primary in 2000, when he ran against George W. Bush. Back then, supporters of Bush (their precise identities were never known) papered cars outside churches and McCain events with nasty fliers.

They suggested his adopted daughter, Bridget—who was then just eight years old—was in fact his illegitimate child by a black prostitute. The McCains were sickened about the impact this might have on Bridget and planned to wait until she was much older to tell her about it. Not long ago, Bridget, who is now 17, found out what had happened when she Googled herself.

There are probably other factors at play, too, in McCain's thinking. Bringing up Wright at this point would open his campaign to charges of hypocrisy and even desperation. Last spring, McCain himself condemned the North Carolina Republican Party for running an ad featuring Wright's sermons, including one in which the preacher said, railing against the treatment of blacks, "No, no, no. Not God bless America. Goddam America." McCain trashed the ad, saying it "degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with Democrats."

Shortly after the North Carolina ad ran, Obama said on "Meet the Press" that Wright was a "legitimate political issue." At that point, McCain criticized some of Wright's more extreme views—including, as he put it, likening U.S. Marines to the Roman legionnaires "responsible for the death of our savior." But McCain also said that he didn't believe Obama shared Wright's "world view." His comments prompted pushback from the Obama campaign nonetheless. Spokespeople said McCain was contradicting his earlier position that Wright shouldn't be an issue. In May, Obama broke his ties to Wright after the pastor restated some controversial views to the National Press Club.

McCain won't try to stop independent groups from hammering Obama on his former association with Wright. Last week, the Republican Jewish Coalition began running ads suggesting Obama had surrounded himself with advisers who are "anti-Israel." The ad includes a photo of Obama with Wright, captioned HOSTILE TO AMERICA. The McCain campaign said it would not ask the group to desist. "Senator McCain's position on Wright is very clear," says spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker. "He's not the referee in this race."

The debate over Wright within the campaign is part of a larger conflict over how negative McCain should go in the final weeks before the vote. In spite of polls showing that McCain has been losing support among swing voters, senior advisers remain split over whether character attacks have benefited their candidate. Last week, McCain scaled back on the attacks, focusing more on his own proposals. That may or may not help him win. But looking back after Nov. 4, McCain will likely argue that no matter what happened, he did the right thing.

[Prosperity]

now that John McCain knows he is going to lose I think he will start ignoring his advisers and do what he knows is right

[AsburySkinsFan]

Here's my question for those thinking that the Rev. Wright is the key to the McCain victory: What exactly can be exposed about Obama's link to the inflamatory pastor? We've been through all of this before and Obama has weathered the attacks, just like he weathered the Ayers attacks, this card has been played and it was played by Hillary, sorry but the Ace is no longer in the deck.

[USS Redskins]

Yeah, because it doesnt matter that his Barackness sat in the pew while Wright spouted his bigoted, racist banter for 20+ years... no big deal that the man who craps gold and pisses champagne, who will probably be president, had this man baptize his children, who in his own book said that this man was a huge influence in his life and a mentor.... no cause for concern there. It was just a loose affiliation.

Mr. Obama speaks so damn well, it just makes no difference.

[brandymac27]

now that John McCain knows he is going to lose I think he will start ignoring his advisers and do what he knows is right

Well, IMO, I give him credit for this b/c he could have easily listened to them previously and really bashed Obama on this issue. The fact that he chose not to, despite what everyone else wanted him to do, shows that he deserves some respect.

[AsburySkinsFan]

now that John McCain knows he is going to lose I think he will start ignoring his advisers and do what he knows is right

No sense soiling himself more than he already has, after all he's probably going to have to work with Obama in the future and with a Democratic House and Senate, something could be said about burning bridges.

[brandymac27]

Here's my question for those thinking that the Rev. Wright is the key to the McCain victory: What exactly can be exposed about Obama's link to the inflamatory pastor? We've been through all of this before and Obama has weathered the attacks, just like he weathered the Ayers attacks, this card has been played and it was played by Hillary, sorry but the Ace is no longer in the deck.

I'm assuming they feel that by rehashing the whole Wright issue, they can sway a few of the undecided voters. At this point, they need all the votes they can get, and I think they thought that this was the one way to get them.

[Burgold]

I think asbury may be right. There's no one in this country who isn't familiar with the Rev. Wright situation. Hillary did Obama a backwards favor by putting it out there and letting people digest it. Everybody's already made up their mind on that issue as to whether it's important, it's important but they can live with it, or it's unimportant. If John McCain brings it out it's just more mud not a revelation.

[AsburySkinsFan]

I'm assuming they feel that by rehashing the whole Wright issue, they can sway a few of the undecided voters. At this point, they need all the votes they can get, and I think they thought that this was the one way to get them.

Yeah, I get the argument, but the problem is for McCain that he needs more than a few undecideds, and the polls are already showing that McCain running negative is turning off voters, what's more is that if he does run negative with the "Rev." and collects a few undecideds and still loses, what has he accomplished?

[alexey]

Yeah, because it doesnt matter that his Barackness sat in the pew while Wright spouted his bigoted, racist banter for 20+ years... no big deal that the man who craps gold and pisses champagne, who will probably be president, had this man baptize his children, who in his own book said that this man was a huge influence in his life and a mentor.... no cause for concern there. It was just a loose affiliation.

Mr. Obama speaks so damn well, it just makes no difference.

I think there is a good chance that Obama was there to connect to the community and to make sure he can claim himself to be a Christian for political purposes. I think he is too philosophically advanced to subscribe to any particular religion.

[brandymac27]

Yeah, I get the argument, but the problem is for McCain that he needs more than a few undecideds, and the polls are already showing that McCain running negative is turning off voters, what's more is that if he does run negative with the "Rev." and collects a few undecideds and still loses, what has he accomplished?

I agree with you 100%. It accomplishes nothing, but I think some in his campaign are getting desperate and they'll resort to anything if they think it could lead to a win. Even though Obama is up in all the polls, I think they're clinging to that slight possibility that some may change their minds, or they can hook a few undecided's.

[Ivy94f]

I guess I don't understand why you would bring something up that ppl already know. This ten year old clip has been all over the news and internet since it was found. Not sure what new ground he thinks it would cover anyway.

[EersSkins05]

This is just a suggestion, but it's something I've been kicking around for a while.

Is it possible that he doesn't want to bring up Rev. Wright b/c that association reminds voters that Obama is a Christian and not a Muslim?

[AsburySkinsFan]

This is just a suggestion, but it's something I've been kicking around for a while.

Is it possible that he doesn't want to bring up Rev. Wright b/c that association reminds voters that Obama is a Christian and not a Muslim?

Honestly, I might think this were true if it weren't for the fact that the people who actually think that Obama is a Muslim say that Obama's church attendance is just a cover for his Muslim faith.

[mjah]

Yeah, because it doesnt matter that his Barackness sat in the pew while Wright spouted his bigoted, racist banter for 20+ years... no big deal that the man who craps gold and pisses champagne, who will probably be president, had this man baptize his children, who in his own book said that this man was a huge influence in his life and a mentor.... no cause for concern there. It was just a loose affiliation.

Mr. Obama speaks so damn well, it just makes no difference.

Now, now, Mr. Limbaugh... It's time for your meds now...

...No, just one dose today. You remember what happened when you took seven doses, don't you?

[Mickalino]

Here's my question for those thinking that the Rev. Wright is the key to the McCain victory: What exactly can be exposed about Obama's link to the inflamatory pastor? We've been through all of this before and Obama has weathered the attacks, just like he weathered the Ayers attacks, this card has been played and it was played by Hillary, sorry but the Ace is no longer in the deck.

I think asbury may be right. There's no one in this country who isn't familiar with the Rev. Wright situation. Hillary did Obama a backwards favor by putting it out there and letting people digest it. Everybody's already made up their mind on that issue as to whether it's important, it's important but they can live with it, or it's unimportant. If John McCain brings it out it's just more mud not a revelation.

I guess I don't understand why you would bring something up that ppl already know. This ten year old clip has been all over the news and internet since it was found. Not sure what new ground he thinks it would cover anyway.

Like the "4 more years" song from Obama hasn't been beaten into the ground either ?

[ccsl2]

Like the "4 more years" song from Obama hasn't been beaten into the ground either ?

It has, but the difference is that it is working.

Also it shows how slow the McCain Campaign is. Obama has been saying this for the longest, and finally on this last debate he actually had a come back for it. Too bad it was 2 debates too late.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Like the "4 more years" song from Obama hasn't been beaten into the ground either ?

4 more years is much more effective than Rev. Wright, because people can connect to 4 more years, when they hear Rev. Wright they hear an inflamatory preacher and trust me, no body listens to us anyways.