John Feehery: Speaking Engagements

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Nasty Nabobs of Negativity

Posted on September 9, 2008

 


 


            Spiro Agnew used to call the media nattering nabobs of negativity for its relentless assault on Richard Nixon (and on Agnew).


 


            The media has taken its assault upon Republican politicians one step further by actually joining with the Obama campaign to attack the McCain-Palin ticket.  The media used to love John McCain, but that era of good feelings has long since passed.


 


            Now, with the arrival of Sarah Palin, the Obama-media coalition have worked themselves into such a frenzy that they can only be called the nasty nabobs of negativity.


 


            Signs of Obama’s desperation are everywhere.  He has run a campaign commercial calling McCain a liar.  John McCain is many things, many of which are admirable and some of which are not, but he is no liar.


 


            But there was the campaign commercial, endorsed by that “new kind” of politician, that was as nasty an ad asI have ever seen.  When Bob Dole asked George H.W. Bush to stop lying about his record, it made big news. But Obama calling McCain a liar has barely elicited a yawn.


 


            Obama today compared Palin to a pig.  “You can’t put lipstick on a pig,” he said, making an obvious reference to Palin’s famous quote about lipstick and a pit bull.  Calling your opponent (especially your female opponent) a pig is stunning (even if done tangentially).  After 5 kids, Palin actually look pretty good, so the attack was even more uncalled for.


 


            Obama has other campaign commercials that are similarly nasty.  He keeps trying to link McCain with Bush, to link supposed McCain lobbyists with Bush lobbyists, and to rip McCain’s face off.  The Obama ads lack any kind of personality or humor.  They are just plain nasty.


 


            The Obama campaign has sent dozens of campaign operatives to Alaska to try to dig up some dirt on the nation’s most popular governor.  In that endeavor, they are being joined by the nation’s press corps, who are all trying to earn their chops by breaking the big story on Palin.


 


            Today, the Post really got her.  They did a big expose about how Palin uses the same kind of per diem that is available to most Alaskan politicians.  It was a non-story to just about everybody except the radical left-wing who is looking for any chance to tear down the Barracuda.


 


            But I think the Barracuda will win this fight.


 


            All the nasty nabobs of negativity can do is attack, attack, attack.  But mark my words, those attacks will fail.  If Palin falls down, it will not because of the withering attack from the radical left and their friends in the media.  Those attacks will only make her stronger with a public that finds great reason to doubt the veracity of the anything the old or new media has to say.  That is especially true with Palin’s base supporters.


 


            Worse for Obama, he has blown his cover.  He isn’t a different kind of politician.  He is cut from the same cloth as his city’s mayor, Mayor Daley.  He is all sweetness and light when he is ahead, but when he falls behind, he becomes nasty and looks like a typical politician.  Guess what?  He is a typical politician, except the typical politician has more experience than the junior Senator from Illinois.




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