The American Spectator

AmSpecBlog

Re: McCain's Gains

By Robert Stacy McCain on 8.20.08 @ 12:09PM

Or is it Obama's losses? I agree, Phil, that Team Maverick's "celebrity" attack has been the main factor. Solid tactics: Locate the opponent's weak point and hit it with everything you've got. This goes back to Patrick Ruffini's notion of the "all about Obama" strategy.

Some left-wing bloggers are whistling past the graveyard, pretending that Obama's meltdown isn't really happening, but a slew of other indicators reinforce the Zogby/Reuters poll data. There's the RCP map and the Intrade trend, plus the LA Times/Bloomberg poll.

Credit clearly goes to Steve Schmidt's aggressive strategy, and to John McCain himself -- everybody knows he doesn't like negative politics, but Maverick proved willing to do what it takes to win. The key from here: Don't let up. Keep up the pressure and try to force the opponent into full-blown panic: "... and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit . . . Such tactics will win every time."

topics:
Trade, John McCain