Switzerland, France: Swift Boat Strategy Part II

Jean-François Schwab, a Swiss blogger at americanpolyphony, revisits the summer of 2008 in US politics, a deceptively eventful summer that has seen Obama's slight advantage in the poll disappear and turn into a 5 point-deficit in favor of McCain a week before the Democratic National Convention.

In his review, Schwab highlights the effectiveness of the video clips produced by the McCain campaign that frames Obama as a “celebrity not fit to lead” and his “cult-like” following.

Schwab also notes that this strategy of ridiculing Obama as a celebrity is the central theme of Jerome Corsi's book on what he calls “the Obama Nation”. This is the same Corsi, Schwab notes, who penned the pamphlet, “Unfit for Command” that successfully questioned John Kerry's military past in the 2004 elections in what is known as the “swift boat”strategy.

He adds:

“Il faudra néanmoins rester très vigilant jusqu'au bout dans ce genre de “basse campagne” et les trois débats télévisés officiels à venir auront toute leur importance pour corriger certains tirs et redresser certaines vérités. Car la campagne de John McCain a rappelé dans ses rangs un certain Steve Schmidt, artisan des campagnes victorieuses de Bush et Cheney en 2000 et 2004, mais aussi celle d'Arnold Schwarzenegger en 2006 pour sa réélection comme gouverneur de Californie. Ce redoutable directeur opérationnel est notamment le concepteur des deux clips républicains de l'été, “Celebrity” et “The One”, fustigeant le côté star et messie d'Obama.”

One has to be very mindful of this kind of “low class campaign” happening until the end of the elections. The three official televised debates to come will be critical to rectify some errors and correct a few distortions. Indeed, the McCain campaign welcomes into its ranks a certain Steve Schmidt, main contributor to the the successful Bush/Cheney campaign of 00 and 04 but also Arnold Schwarzenegger's for his reelection in 06 as the governor of California. This remarkable director of operations is notably the creator of the concepts behind the two Republican advertisements of the summer, “Celebrity” and “The One”, deriding Obama as a star and a messiah.

However, another European blogger, Julien Landfried posting at Ilovepolitics, points out the smear politics and accusation of elitism might be backfiring for McCain:

“le clip réalisé par Brave New Films ci-dessous démontre bien à quel point McCain est mal placé pour faire du “populisme”. Avec une dizaine de propriétés à son patrimoine (estimé à au moins 35 millions de dollars), sa vie est dans doute éloignée de celle d'un Américain ordinaire, en particulier à l'ère de la crise des subprimes…”

This video clip produced by Brave New Films demonstrates that McCain may not be the best person to “act as one of the common people”. Owning a dozen of real estate properties (estimated at at least $35 millions USD), his life is as far removed from the lives of regular American people as it gets, especially in this era of subprime crisis…

2 comments

  • East Coast-USA

    FOREIGNERS CAN’T VOTE FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA.

    OBAMA “HOPES” WE WON’T NOTICE HOW OFTEN HE “CHANGES” HIS MIND!

    THE DNC AND BIASED MEDIA “SELECTED” OBAMA. HILLARY WAS “ELECTED” BY THE PEOPLE.

    WHY WAS OBAMA SO INTERESTED IN HOW MANY HOMES McCAIN OWNS?

    OBAMA AND McCAIN ARE BOTH MULTI-MILLIONNAIRES! WHO CARES! THEY BOTH HAVE EXPERIENCED “THE AMERICAN DREAM”. McCAIN IS ALSO AN INVESTOR. PORTFOLIOS CHANGE DAILY. APPARENTLY OBAMA HAS NO BUSINESS SENSE.

    IS OBAMA WORRIED THAT McCAIN MAY HAVE HOMES IN ALL OF OBAMA’S 57 STATES? IS OBAMA JUST STUPID OR WHAT?

    OBAMA KEEPS SCREWING UP — WE DON’T NEED AN EXPERIENCED “VICE PRESIDENT” — JOE BIDEN.

    WE NEED AN EXPERIENCED, QUALIFIED “PRESIDENT” — JOHN McCAIN IN 2008!

  • lova

    @east coast-USA
    Interesting use of capital letters. I seem to have seen this comment repeated on several posts on this website though. I guess it is possible to shout and stutter at the same time…

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