Word: republicanized
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...Given the country's current harsh view of the Bush Administration and Republicans in Congress, McCain could be doing far worse. Counted out for much of the summer, the campaign operation, under the leadership of Steve Schmidt, has managed to run consistently ahead of the Republican brand. The campaign's top brass, meanwhile, remains unapologetic about its risk-taking approach and undaunted by the odds. "We would have packed up the tent four months ago if we didn't like daunting challenges," says Mike Duhaime, the campaign's ground-operations chief. McCain, as well, has been unapologetic about the moves...
...Each of the bold moves brought McCain short-term political gain, throwing the normally unflappable Obama off his stride and keeping the Republican nominee very much in the presidential hunt in a dismal year for Republicans. But the tactics also contained the potential for long-term political costs by distracting from, or eroding, the central McCain message. By comparing Obama to a vacuous Hollywood starlet, McCain found a coherent critique of Obama but relinquished his own ability to rise above the political maw. By choosing Sarah Palin, he lit a grass fire of GOP enthusiasm but risked undermining his ticket...
...well of false sanctimony is not a bottomless pit," explains one Republican consultant. "I think they have reached the bottom of the well...
...debate ended, McCain's campaign posted an attack ad online highlighting Barack Obama's repeated admission on the shared stage that McCain was "absolutely right." On its face, the spot seemed like damaging proof that Obama is a wishy-washy follower, not a clear leader. But both Democratic and Republican strategists were puzzled. Why was the campaign cutting a spot that undermined the claim that McCain invites bipartisan agreement? Do they now suddenly scorn consensus? "They got the tactic right, but the message was off," observes one Republican campaign consultant. An Obama spokesman, Tommy Vietor, described the YouTube spot more...
...reformer add substance to his theme of "putting country first," but they don't explain what a McCain presidency would mean, or how it would differ from the past eight years. "At no point have they told the American people where John wants to lead them," says a third Republican strategist. "Had they spent more time laying the predicate, they'd have something to fall back...