Word: mccain
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...McCain formed his unorthodox plan for winning the White House in the dark days of midsummer, during a time when his campaign was defined by small crowds, logistical missteps and an inability to break through the media's fascination with Obama. At the time, McCain's aides openly vented their frustration, both with the political climate, which favored Democrats, and with the media, which they believed had unjustly soured on McCain. It was an environment that seemed tailor-made for Schmidt, McCain's new day-to-day campaign manager, who had earned his stripes in the hardscrabble world...
...plan Schmidt developed for McCain called for the campaign to go on offense, with sometimes shocking moves that would begin winning weeks of news coverage. Call Obama an unprepared celebrity. Reintroduce McCain as a maverick and a change agent. Hit old Republican themes on taxes and spending. Run away from the record of Republicans in Congress and the White House. Make copious use of outrage and emotion. Rather than a single, unified message, Schmidt planned a multifaceted attack, which would be stitched together under the banner of "Country First," a phrase that both highlighted McCain's war-hero biography...
...same time, campaign aides laid out benchmarks for success. "I outlined the campaign this way: We need to be tied before the conventions; we were," says Bill McInturff, McCain's top pollster. "We need to be ahead after our convention; we were. We need to be roughly tied at the debates." After that, however, McInturff told his candidate, the campaign was a "black hole...
...entire strategy rested significantly on the McCain campaign's ability to keep disrupting the political discussion. If people questioned Palin's credentials, attack the media. If talk turned to the economy, attack Obama for proposing to raise some taxes. If the news cycle slowed, release a new advertisement, more controversial than the last...
...September, the plan was disrupted by real-world events. The financial crisis now knocking over banks and rocking the world economy forced McCain to shift gears. His big gambit - suspend the campaign and return to Washington - was undercut from two sides. First, upon arriving he found he had very little power to win votes for the deal or shape the negotiations. In fact, House Republicans voted against the initial package he supported by a margin of 2 to 1. Second, many viewed his decision to suspend his campaign as little more than yet another gimmick designed to grab press attention...