Sean Hackbarth's blog

The campaign that ran a Super Bowl ad now refuses to sponsor a part-time team in the Sprint Cup. Money problems? -Patrick

The Obama campaign pulled back from plans to sponsor a NASCAR car:

“The Obama campaign will not be sponsoring a car in the Sprint Cup series, though we will continue to look for ways to reach out to voters and convey Senator Obama’s message of change.” said Bill Burton, an Obama campaign spokesman

Sports Illustrated first reported the proposal on its Web site, saying Obama’s campaign is in talks with BAM, a part-time operation that hasn’t raced in recent weeks, to sponsor its No. 49 car in the Aug. 3 race at Pocono.

I think some of this talk was simply a trial balloon that didn't soar into the sky. Some of it is also reduced fundraising expectations. Paying for offices in all 50 states takes precedence over a potentially failed bit of marketing.

McCain has an opening to connect to NASCAR fans. I'm not recommending he sponsor a car, but getting to a race as soon as possible to get some pictures taken with drivers would make for a nice contrast.

Bill Kristol thinks Mike Murphy will be joining the McCain campaign soon. I haven't seen Murphy's work up close but he has a solid track record on McCain's 2000 Presidential run and Mitt Romney's 2002 governor run. More importantly McCain trusts Murphy and is willing to accept criticism. Kristol writes, "As observers of the 2000 effort know, he has a deep rapport with McCain — including an ability to tell him when he’s made a mistake."

I'm disappointed it's taken three months for McCain to get his campaign organized, but I'm starting to have hope they'll be able to develop themes to best position McCain to "NOT OBAMA" voters.

David Brody reports Phil Burress, an evangelical conservative leader, has come aboard to help Sen. McCain win in November. Here's a portion of a memo he sent to other Christian conservative activists:

Yesterday, though, I saw and listened to a man who likewise is principled. John McCain, unlike most politicians, will not be bullied, threatened, paid off or pressured into changing his position. That was refreshing. I was once one of those people who said "no way" to Senator John McCain as President. No longer. The stakes are too high. And if Obama wins I need to able to get up on November 5th, look at myself in the mirror, and when I pray, say, "Lord, I did all that I could."

Notice that it's more about stopping Sen. Obama then being for McCain. However, also notice how McCain's biography and his reputation as a maverick helped him. Burress sees him as "principled," tough, and firm in his convictions. McCain's stubbornness on issues that infuriate many conservatives may be the very quality that ends up bringing them out to volunteer and vote for him. Being true to himself will be a strength for McCain and a good contrast to Obama who is a blank slate with a thin resume tacking to the center for political expediency. Early in the primary season Obama mesmerized millions with his perceived authenticity. Despite all the teeth-nashing conservatives like me will give him, McCain has a chance of winning the authenticity battle. [Cross-posted to The American Mind.]

Put aside for the moment the Wesley Clark's attack on Sen. John McCain's war record. I can't imagine the Obama campaign feeling good about his performance on Face the Nation. One of his talking points was Obama has superior judgment. Clark mentioned that at least four times. Does that judgment include befriending convicted felon and fixer Tony Rezko, working with domestic terrorist William Ayers, and the 17-year relationship with the radical Trinity Church? How superior is Obama's judgment when he voted against a bill that would have protected infants that survived abortions?

Obama's "superior judgment" rests on being against the Iraq War from the start. Ok, but that's not the problem facing the next President. What to do with Iraq is. Obama says he'll pull out all troops within 16 months while his former adviser Samantha Power (who might be part of an Obama administration) has said that's a "best case scenario." Voters should know which path a President Obama would take.

Clark also mentioned Obama was running on his character. Does that include abandoning his promise to take government campaign funds for the general election? How does political expediency fit into Clark's vision of superior character?

As to Clark's attack on McCain's military record he, like the Left, fail to realize McCain isn't basing his Presidential run on being a POW. When McCain talks about experience he means his years in the Senate working on legislation and talking to foreign leaders. McCain doesn't brag about Vietnam. Compare that to Obama's skinny-tie-thin resume, and it's no wonder Clark had to say "judgment" umpteen times. Matt Lewis is right if Clark doesn't think McCain is qualified to be commander-in-chief what does that say about Obama?

Then there's Clark's past statements on how valuable military service is to a Presidential candidate. In 2004 that was Sen. John Kerry.

Alan Stewart Carl rips this line of attack:

First of all, only the most cynically opportunistic of people would blame McCain for anything the Vietcong forced him to do during torturous captivity. Secondly, I would argue McCain’s time as a prisoner of war sure as hell matters as it shows a level of resolve and ability to survive under intense pressure. I know Harvard Law is pretty difficult too, but, come on…

I won't argue that McCain's military career is off-limits--sort of like Obama claims no one can criticize his wife. There may be something in McCain's past that can tell us something about who he really is. Sort of like Kerry's claim to have been in Cambodia during Christmas of 1968. But minimizing the courage of enduring all those years in the Hanoi Hilton won't play with voters.

[Cross-posted to The American Mind.]

For the most part this minor hubub about Sen. McCain pumping his own gas and not remembering the gas price is a manufactured smear by Think Progress. The reporter passed on a question from a reader which referred to the gas price the last time McCain pumped his own gas. The Arizona Senator admits he didn't remember the last time he filled up a tank so it's not a surprise he didn't remember the gas price. When was the last time Sen. Obama pumped his own gas and what was the price? It's a lame question that doesn't give us any insight about McCain.

That said, McCain is susceptible to this kind of attack because he hasn't connected with voters on economic issues. Running off to Canada and Latin America firms up his foreign policy cred, but doesn't help with the bread and butter issues that really concern voters. McCain has to get over his preference of talking foreign policy over economics. That's what the election will hinge on.

[via memeorandum]

[Cross-posted to The American Mind.]

The McCain Report has become an instant hit. It's lively, interesting, funny, and pushes the campaign's message. Hiring Michael Goldfarb and letting Joseph Pounder, a former Romney rapid response maven, loose to weblog were great ideas.

The weblog even got some love from Newsweek's Andrew Romano:

The McCain Report, on the other hand, is actually readable. Written by new hire Michael Goldfarb (formerly a blogger at the Weekly Standard), the Report wouldn't seem out of place on any number of smart, substantive conservative websites; it just happens to be an official production. Since launching the blog on Friday, Goldfarb has advanced an interesting (if debatable) argument about how increased taxes won't lead to increased government revenue; characterized Obama's early opposition to the Iraq war as a matter of political convenience rather than bold leadership; and reminded readers that Obama wasn't always opposed to the Bear Stearns bailout. He's even tried a little--gasp!--humor. In an item titled "Take a Chance on McCain," Goldfarb informed "disaffected Hillary supporters" that "John McCain is a huge ABBA fan," then posted a vintage YouTube clip of the catchy Swedish quartet. "We're still working out a few kinks," he writes elsewhere. "A last-minute decision to ditch the lime-green background cost us some time." Needless to say, this is more self-mockery than the earnest Obama bloggers have mustered up in 17 months online.

The McCain Report could be better. First, why isn't the McCain Report the campaign weblog? It's better than the current one which is mostly a place to highlight the latest video clips. The McCain Report is what supporters (and opponents) should be reading. Second, the news stories sidebar is a nice touch, but it needs posts to weblogs, not just the MSM or opinion journals. If and when they branch out to blogophere linking I hope they don't stick to the A-listers. Links are currency and linking to a good post from a lesser-known weblogger will sent them traffic and build goodwill. Third, they should allow comments and moderate them well. That will make the McCain Report a productive online community. The campaign could definitely use a single place to get online and offline grassroots actions organized.

It's been a great start for the McCain Report and should make for interesting reading through the rest of the campaign.

[Cross-posted from The American Mind.]