McCain Narrative 3: Leader vs. Celebrity
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, History, McCain
If you want to get a more complete view of the shifting narratives of the McCain campaign, start by reading the intro, Narrative 1 and Narrative 2.
Now then…onto McCain’s most effective attack…
“Gentlemen, let me put a few things on the table for observation and discussion,†Steve Schmidt said to his fellow strategists while sitting in a conference room in the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton. “Would anyone here disagree with the premise that we are not winning this campaign?â€No one disagreed. It was Sunday, July 27, and Obama had just concluded an eight-day swing through the Middle East and Europe that received practically round-the-clock media coverage. “Would anyone disagree with the premise,†Schmidt went on, “that Mr. Obama has scored the most successful week in this entire campaign? I mean, they treated him like he was a head of state! So tell me, gentlemen: how do we turn this negative into a positive?â€
“It’s third and nine,†Bill McInturff, a pollster, observed. “Time to start throwing the ball down field.â€
Eventually, it was Schmidt who blurted out the epiphany concerning Obama. “Face it, gentlemen,†he said. “He’s being treated like a celebrity.â€
The others grasped the concept — a celebrity like J-Lo! or Britney! — and exultation overtook the room.
While the celebrity attacks did work to bring Obama back down from his high poll numbers, the biggest problem with this strategy is that the person employing it starts to look just as unserious as the one they’re attacking.
And then McCain’s next move will, I think, prove to be fatal for his campaign. Because he decided that he wanted a little star power himself and he found it in the most unexpected of places.
More soon…
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