On Sunday, Bill Kristol said that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign is “pathetic.” Similarly, in his New York Times op-ed this week, Kristol said that McCain should “fire his campaign” and “start over.” Today on Fox News, campaign manager Rick Davis continued to lash out at Kristol for his criticisms:
DAVIS: Yes, well, you know, it’s a good thing Bill Kristol has never run a political campaign because he’d probably have to fire himself at least two or three times.
Look, we’re doing a great job, I think, getting John McCain out in front of the people. But, you know what, our campaign is about presenting John McCain to the American public. We — he can handle it himself. And you’re right; I mean, he probably doesn’t even need a campaign to do what he does so well.
Watch it:
Earlier this week, campaign spokeswoman Nancy Pfotenhauer claimed that Kristol had “bought into the Obama campaign’s party line” and spokesman Tucker Bounds said, “I just don’t think what he had to say was very intelligent.”
Never thought I’d say it, but I totally agree with Rick Davis. He and the rest of the McCain campaign are doing a great job. For Obama. So, thanks!
PEACE
October 16th, 2008 at 10:38 amMy head is spinning…
This is the second time this week I’ve agreed with a Rightie.
Oh, and Mr. Davis…where’s Carly?
October 16th, 2008 at 10:38 amWhen the Titanic is just about to go down, its a hell of a time for the deck boy to start criticizing the carpet….
October 16th, 2008 at 10:41 amMeanwhile…Ron Kaufman, Republican strategist said on MSNBC a few minutes ago that Obama’s plan to “redistribute wealth” is “Communistic.”
Gosh, couldn’t he make a Nazi analogy?
October 16th, 2008 at 10:41 amI love hearing and watching the Right fight……..I have a Left for them and his name is Obama.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:42 amAfter last night Mr. Davis will be taking some time off to spend with his family. Like, the rest of the year.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:42 amDAVIS: Yes, well, you know, it’s a good thing Bill Kristol has never run a political campaign because he’d probably have to fire himself at least two or three times.
– - Davis knows this campaign is no longer about McCain. Kristol is promoting the darling of the neocons, Sarah Palin. Fissures and fractures run deep in the GOP.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:43 amAnd you’re right; I mean, he probably doesn’t even need a campaign to do what he does so well.
What he does so well? You mean LIE?
October 16th, 2008 at 10:48 amDAVIS: “Look, we’re doing a great job, I think, getting John McCain out in front of the people”
Okayyyy…taken literally, a bad job of getting your candidate “out in front of the people” would be not letting him do media interviews, town hall meetings, stump speeches and rallies….so sure, jolly well done!
Unfortunately , Mr Davis your “good job” is coming to naught.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:54 amYou’d think this would make it clear how far out of the way they go to make people that disagree with them look bad or stupid. They’ve been doing it to Obama and his supporters for quite a while, but it’s funny how instantly they’ll do it even to people who would typically support McCain.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:54 amDoes anyone remember all of the republican trolls and some Hillary supporters at most progressive blogs telling us how the republican attack machine would eat Barack Obama alive in the general elections? Seems to me Barack has come out of this unscathed and looks to be our next president.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:55 am(McCain) spokesman Tucker Bounds said, “I just don’t think what he had to say was very intelligent.”
I frequently reach this same conclusion about Kristol’s commentary.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:58 amFor giggles, here’s what Erick Erickson of RedState thought about the debate:
“Tonight we finally saw what so many of us have been waiting for. John McCain mopped the floor with Barack Obama. Throughout the night, Barack Obama looked distant, like he did not want to be there, like he was annoyed. He really looked annoyed all night. McCain on the other hand looked like the comeback kid — the guy who knew he had to do well. And he did.”
October 16th, 2008 at 10:58 amDAVIS: Yes, well, you know, it’s a good thing Bill Kristol has never run a political campaign
—-
TP: In fact, Kristol has run a political campaign. In 1988, he ran the unsuccessful Senate campaign of Alan Keyes in Maryland.
So even when they smear each other, they lie.
October 16th, 2008 at 10:59 amRick Davis is running the campaign of a presidential candidate who won’t garner 200 electoral votes and will lose the popular vote by double digits…..and he’s arrogant enough to criticize another nutjob who hasn’t done what he does?!
October 16th, 2008 at 11:03 amThanks for that recon work, 5th Estate. Good stuff.
To quote the film American Beauty: “Never underestimate the power of denial”.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:03 amWord is Carly Fiorina is spending time with Sarah Palin, showing her how to run a company…into the ground.
Phil Gramm is trying to borrow money from Lehmans, but is considered a bad credit risk.
In other news, cardiologists went in to check Cheney’s heart, but found nothing.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:09 amFor more giggle, this was K-Lo after the debate:
I Just Don’t Get any of the insta polls, which seem to give it to Obama.
Heh.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:11 amWe — he can handle it himself. And you’re right; I mean, he probably doesn’t even need a campaign to do what he does so well.
Davis actually thinks that the McCain campaign is “doing well”. Wow, he’s definitely gone off the cliff.
But he is correct that John McCain doesn’t need a campaign to “do what he does so well”, which is being a mean, nasty and angry individual.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am5th Estate Says:
For giggles, here’s what Erick Erickson of RedState thought about the debate:
“Tonight we finally saw what so many of us have been waiting for. John McCain mopped the floor with Barack Obama. Throughout the night, Barack Obama looked distant, like he did not want to be there, like he was annoyed. He really looked annoyed all night. McCain on the other hand looked like the comeback kid — the guy who knew he had to do well. And he did.”
Now that is about the best example of projection I have ever seen. What planet does this guy live on. Even people who visit redstate must have been scratching their heads and wondering what debate this guy was watching.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:13 amralph the wonder llama Says:
So even when they smear each other, they lie.
Well yes, it’s like political Tourette’s syndrome.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:14 amAnd Davis is one to talk about running a political campaign. Let’s take a look at Davis’ track record:
Ran Bob Dole’s failed campaign in 2000-check
Ran John McCain’s failed campaign in 2008-check
Heckuva job Rick! I guess it’s a lot easier to successfully lobby Congress for a failed mortgage corporation (Freddie Mac) than it is to lobby the American people on behalf of a flawed candidate!
October 16th, 2008 at 11:16 amJeesh, infighting, name calling, finger pointing and cat fights, and it’s not even one of MY family get togethers!
This will hopefully complete the implosion of the failed neo-con takeover of the republican party. I would welcome, and hope for, a republican party that rises from the ashes with a temperate, reasonable, peaceful rebranding that focuses on true ideological government issues, instead of the religious, intrusive, combative principles they’ve been ramming down our throats lately.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:23 amAll Republican campaign managers had better get used to running losing political campaigns.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:28 amUncle Fester Lurks: Does anyone remember all of the republican trolls and some Hillary supporters at most progressive blogs telling us how the republican attack machine would eat Barack Obama alive?
I was one of those Hillary supporters who was worried that Obama was going to be ‘weak’ in the face of the GOP attack machine and that Hillary was better prepared for it.
On the other hand I was worried that the same old crap likely to get thrown at Hillary was just going turn everyone off. but then on the other other hand I thought Hillary would be able to really expose the same old attacks and destroy them once and for all whilst I feared the attacks on Obama would be new and thus more “interesting”.
Obama himself was very good during the battles with Hillary, but I wasn’t impressed with Obama’s campaign team countering the stuff Hillary’s crew were throwing out. (I also thought Hillary’s team was crappy, just the same old negative sh#t as as any other politician’s team ends up doing).
When Obama got the nomination I thought it quite deserved and a good choice (not just an ‘acceptable’ one).
Since the battle has been engaged however I’ve been delighted with Obama AND his campaign team.McCain is certainly a terrible campaigner but that dosen;t mean Obama had it easy in any way ( how do you win an argument with someone so erratic?).
Obama has been brilliant (by just being himself it seems) and his campaign team has been superb—sharp and very well organized and disciplined. His ‘ground game’–offices volunteers etc–is also really on the ball.
Despite the national problems (or indeed in part because of them) Obama could very well prove to be one of the very best presidents ever.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:39 amJohn. With a campaign like yours who needs opposition! Isn’t there an NCSB(National Campaign Safety Board) out there to investigate the cause of this trainwreck.
October 16th, 2008 at 11:44 amThis little spat is so damn cute. Let me see if I have this straight:
First, Mr. Kristol somehow convinces John McCain that selecting Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate is a good idea (and “mavericky”). And one can assume that Mr. Kristol promised John McCain that she would receive favorable national press coverage in The New York Times. At the same time, Mr. Kristol advises the McCain campaign to take off the gloves and portray Barack Obama as a unpatriotic scary black man with connections to terrorists.
But then, when when it’s realized that the American people perceive both of these tactics as stunts (and the selection of Palin as reckless) and John McCain’s poll numbers get worse and worse, Mr. Kristol stands up and claims that negative campaigning and the competence of McCain’s staff are the cause of McCain’s failure to gain ground in the election – an obvious attempt to pre-empt the notion that McCain’s problems are directly related to Palin.
And the McCain campaign, now stuck with Palin because of Mr. Kristol’s efforts to fool John McCain into thinking that selecting her was wise, is vocally trashing Mr. Kristol.
I’m sorry, but this is better than the first season of Desperate Housewives. It’s sublime.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:20 pmAnd John McCain himself — when asked last night why Sarah Palin would be a better President that Joe Biden — couldn’t even form a sentence that had the word “President” in it. How sad is that? He could have skipped the direct question and just said something like “Sarah Palin would make a fine President.” But no…he couldn’t do it. He made it clear that even he doesn’t trust his own judgment. And he’s already abandoned her and left her out there to die.
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