A DNC Memo On McCain

So here's the problem: the Democrats are whacking the hell out of each other, spending money they'd like to spend on John McCain, and McCain has acres of room to stretch and mark his territory.

The DNC has labored mightily to fill the breach, with daily e-mails to reporters, conference calls, research hits -- and now a focus group report. The DNC spoke to (presumably undecided) voters in Minnesota and West Virginia. Read the DNC's memo here.
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What I found most interesting, in part because it hasn't yet really come up in the context of the general election:

Women panelists in the focus groups reacted surprisingly strongly to the fact that Senator McCain opposes requirements for health plans to provide contraceptive coverage and favors abstinence-only sex education. Even among women who described themselves as pro-life, those aspects of Senator McCain’s record cast him as someone who is “unrealistic,” “out of touch,” and “stuck in the past.” Many of the women in the groups were resentful when they learned that Senator McCain favors overturning Roe vs. Wade, and were disappointed because they expected him to be more moderate on this issue.

The memo concludes in boldface:

Perhaps the biggest threat to John McCain that emerged from our focus groups is the damage he inflicted on his “independent” image and reputation for “straight talk” by shifting his positions to make them more acceptable to the conservative wing of his party.

Comments

It's going to fall on deaf ears. As long as HRC keeps fighting a fight that is over - she cannot win - McCain could actually survive the dead girl/live boy scenario. Obama is the nominee - it's done - but if HRC doesn't withdraw than this stuff is irrelevant.

Posted by Bill | March 28, 2008 3:22 PM

These facts are why the notion that hordes of Hillary voters are going to bolt to McCain absurd.

McCain has gotten a free ride from the media.

He is widely seen as more moderate than he really is.

And I think in the end, many HIllary supporters will not vote to overturn Roe vs Wade....Is Justice Stevens going to last 4 more years?

The media are celebrating because their darling McCain is doing well in head to heads....but the problem is that McCain improves in the polls when he is out of the headlines....once John McCain comes into focus, this is going to be a very different race.

The Left is going to have to do all the heavy lifting. Because the media tries to protect John McCain at every turn. To the average political reporter, the number of people who die in unnecessary war is less important than who holds the best barbeques and has the most ironic sense of humor.

Posted by RKA | March 28, 2008 3:30 PM

Because the media tries to protect John McCain at every turn. To the average political reporter, the number of people who die in unnecessary war is less important than who holds the best barbeques and has the most ironic sense of humor.

It's simpler than that, and comes down to one word: access. McCain gives these guys unprecedented access, and speaks to them as if he's already had a few shots of Knob Creek. That, more than anything else, is why the press is his base.

Posted by Bill | March 28, 2008 3:34 PM

What this highlights to me is the problem facing the democrats is actually stronger: as the Muslim rumor with Obama shows the longer false information is pushed the more entrenched it becomes in the zeitgeist.

McCain's biography tour should be bracket by the democrats with an advertising push in New Mexico as well as an op-ed Sunday. And a commerical by Richardson.

But he has the field to himself in a swing state.

Obama can't focus on contesting the battleground states and introducing himself as the nominee until the summer; having given McCain three months of free press pass and time to get great local coverage directing his own narrative.

No matter how wonderfully the primary has allowed the democrats to organzize in all the states; McCain gettting to push his own narrative makes this an incredibly harder election. And pushes it towards personality than Issues IMO.

If they could bracket this biography tour by relentlessly pushing the John McCain: Four More Years of Bush Policies meme in every place he goes and towards local media they would be successful no matter WHO the nominee would be. But the fact that they can't get their ish together and no outside group is doing this for them; makes November an actual hill to climb.

This is a democratic year; Hillary Clinton knows this which is why she's fighting despite her unfavorable ratings. She could be in Bush territory (which she is) and the policy differences would make her the next president. But she hasn't grasped that AA voters will stay home and the longer McCain is unchallenged this will become a personality election like 2004 and she will lose.

It's incredibly frustrating to watch, personally.

Posted by Rhoda | March 28, 2008 3:37 PM

Bill, you are right.

But the media should be bigger than that.

Does a respectable teacher give a student better grade than deserved because they are teacher's pet?

The problem is that the average reporter's narcism far outweighs their patriotism.

If they really cared about their country's they would treat candidates fairly, regardless of how much they get their asses kissed.

But diva journalism is what gave us 8 years of George W Bush. Give a reporter a cute nickname, they'll give you a pass.

Posted by RKA | March 28, 2008 3:56 PM

C'mon, Senator Clinton. Please drop out already! Have the grace and common sense that Ralph Nader didn't have in 2000.

Posted by Debbie | March 28, 2008 3:56 PM

But diva journalism is what gave us 8 years of George W Bush. Give a reporter a cute nickname, they'll give you a pass.

Well, every reporter has aspirations. Sigh.

Posted by Bill | March 28, 2008 4:00 PM

Please let it be that the Dems will try to bring abortion into this.

35 years into Roe v. Wade and 50 million dead babies.

That is change only a Dem can be proud of.

Posted by John | March 28, 2008 4:43 PM

That stuff on birth control and abstinence-only will be a great hit on McCain for the debates. Wow, what an old, out-of-touch fool he will look if he clings to that leaky life boat with the conservatives. And if he flip-flops, all the better! He's now pissed off the base. Either way, a story for at least a week or two.

Posted by N M | March 28, 2008 8:36 PM

As a moderate/independent/once right leaning/now left leaning politically interested person...

*phew*

I still like McCain and would consider voting for him (as I would Obama) even with the last few months of pandering to the hard line right. Because what they and I are both convinced of (I shudder to agree with the Hannitys of the world) is that he was basically lying to win the nomination. Lying badly. Thing is, I don't think it ever helped him with hardliners or hurt him with moderates, because the whole thing was with a wink and a smile.

Yes, yes, he gets a free pass and all that. It still remains true that he is far more moderate politically and willing to work across the aisle than almost any other Republican candidate. That's why he was the only one who ever had a chance to win in what should have been a landslide Dem win in 2008.

Republicans were too blind to see he always had the best shot in the general. Ditto Democrats. Maybe to a lifelong Dem he's McSame as Bush, but not to anybody else in the nation.

Posted by Andrew N | March 31, 2008 10:14 AM