What makes you think this will be counterproductive?  I mean, there's pretty good evidence that small-scale messaging through personal relationships is actually very effective at moving political opinions.  Books like The Influentials, The Tipping Point, and Applebee's America go into the details, and while they may not all be 100% true, I think they do uncover some basic and important trends we should be aware of.  Do you have any reason to suggest this idea would be counterproductive?

Also, the memes I'm talking about are all based on either his policy positions or his actions as a public official.  Re-read the list; I'm not talking about cheating or sex scandals or any of the other junk out there.  There's nothing wrong with attack politics, as long as the attacks are based on "fair game" material like policy positions, actions as a candidate/elected official, etc.  If you don't attack a candidate for public positions and actions, there is no accountability in the system.

I think you are wrong, by the way, in saying "McCain is not Bush".  His style of campaigning is different, and he has weaker ties to the evangelical movement, and so forth, but his whole game plan within the primary has been to argue that he represents a third term for Bush.  So why not hang that around his neck and make him accept that mantle?

There's nothing underhanded or otherwise non-straightforward about concentrating emphasis on one (true, documented) problem with McCain and his record in one time period.  But I do agree that it's important to keep everything above board looking as well as above board in reality.  

So I personally think that the anti-McCain badge would be less effective, because it's basically announcing that it's a space for saying anti-McCain stuff - anybody who isn't already anti-McCain would tune it out.

But I certainly think the overall strategy is a good one.  I'm always shocked by the number of reasonably well informed progressive folks who still think that McCain would make an acceptable president.

I strenuously disagree with richmond199. Sadly, most people don't give a rat's ass about differences on policy positions. They tend to vote for the guy they like, the one who makes them feel comfortable and safe, the one they think they know, the one they think isn't going to surprise them too much. A lot of people think they know McCain. They have swallowed his "straight-talking maverick" persona hook, line and sinker. The MSM will drop Obama like a hot potato in favor of McCain as soon as Obama has the nomination locked up, and begin pushing that amiable, good old Honest Johnny Mac image for all it's worth. We can't fight that by "highlighting policy positions." We can only fight it by going straight after McCain's image. You can label it "calling names" if you like, but a steady assault on his image will eventually wear away McCain's reputation. Not every hit will be a score, but there is a cumulative effect. God knows, the Republicans have been doing that to our candidates for years. They don't do it just because they're nasty, ugly pieces of crap (although they are); they do it because it works. It can work for us this time - and, as I have said elsewhere, we will have the lovely advantage that our attacks will be true.

- McCain admitted he knows nothing about the economy, and his advisers have radically different views

• McCain has no real plan to fix health care
  
• McCain flip-flopped on the Bush tax cuts after previously criticizing them
  
• McCain voted in favor of extreme stress positions last week
  
• Osama Bin Laden is stronger than at any time since 2001, yet McCain mocked the idea of targeted strikes on Waziristan, oops one of those took out AQ #3 a few weeks ago (best w/Obama as nominee)

We should also be ready for his VP selection.

- Pawlenty is not well liked in MN these days

• The evangelical base is convinced Crist is gay
  
• Ridge, Rice = Bush
  
• Almost everyone else is a total nut

- Play up the "one heartbeat from the presidency" angle to subtly emphasize his age and health problems

I'd also suggest some base wedges, but we have to be careful to not do it in a way that attracts independents.  Posting these on a conservative message board can produce flame wars.

• Gang of 14
  
• McCain-Feingold
  
• McCain-Kennedy

Just saw Howard Dean's interview on Wolf Blitzer, and I thought Gov./Dr. Dean was EXTRAORDINARILY effective, in his message about McCain.

He kept referring to McCain as a "situational ethicist".  It sticks in my mind like little else has in the world of punditry, and I am a political junkie, and I see and hear a lot of political punditry (I know; I need to get a life).

We need to stress Dean's message about McCain's current ethics of convenience.  

Isn't that message vulnerable to attack, when we consider that Navy Pilot John McCain spent 5.5 years at the Hanoi Hilton, and refused the N.Vietnamese offer of early release, because McCain's dad was a prominent military guy (admiral, wasn't he?).  What about McCain on campaign finance reform?

On the latter subject, we continue to hammer home what is already out there: McCain is up to his jockstrap in lobbyists, and his campaign finance dealings are as shady as Jack Abramoff (whom he did favors for).  That message is already getting out there.

McCain's Vietnam service can be turned against him, but not in the sleazy dishonest "Swiftboating" way Vietnam was used against John Kerry.

We stress that the OLD MCCAIN was the one who stood on principle, and fought for our country, before being spoiled by Washington, Charles Keating, Jerry Falwell, Jack Abramoff, and Rev. Hagee.  We honor his service in the late 1960's/early 1970's, while in uniform; however, that heroism of a bygone day, doesn't explain what he has done more recently, and doesn't answer the problems of the early 21st Century.

An alternative way to say something along these lines would be to say that in 1970, we needed young Americans like John McCain to step up.  In 2008, we need a new generation of Americans to step up; Americans like Barack Obama.

Carefully crafted, the message ties a bunch of themes together..  McCain's advanced age, "old politics v. new politics", and the situational ethics referred to by Gov. Dean.  

OBAMA WILL NEED TO GO ON OFFENSE ON THIS THING, once nominated, to show McCain and the right wingers who are now lining up behind him, that he (Obama) is not afraid, and will not only fight back, but will affirmatively take the fight to McCain and the GOP.

jfrankesq
ps: Wolf Blitzer is a blow-dried fucking conservative knee-jerk hack!!

A suggestion

Go personal.  McCain cheated on his wife after she was involved in a debilitating accident.  He eventually left her for Cindy, who is a rich heiress.  Cindy hasn't done an honest day's job in her life and stole prescription medication from a charity she was working at.

These stories go over terribly with his base, and my parents mentioned them as the reason they don't want him and Cindy as the first family.

Anyone find a picture of his first wife in a wheelchair?  That would help.

Let's start tying John W. McCain* to Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

McCain's "national security credentials" are founded on having been shot down over Vietnam.  Randy "Duke" Cunningham was an actual fighter ace in Vietnam.  If we want an old Top Gun for president, let's at least have a good one.

-- TP

(*) Yes, I know McCain's middle initial is not really W.  It's just an "innocent" mistake I like to make.

I have already been employing this strategy on Facebook. It's easy to do with the sharing tools, and when you have over 400 friends, like I do, a lot of people are going to see what you post on your profile through the "News Feed." College students can be extremely effective this way in influencing other influential people.

However, the list you have brainstormed seems quite shallow, and that's why I would recommend people posting "real" articles about McCain--whether they are NYT, WaPo, or blog posts. This way, you don't have to actually construct the McCain slams, and they seem more legitimate coming from a third party.

I would say that I've reached at least 250 people with negative articles, and comments about McCain using the Facebook newsfeed. The same could be done on MySpace with the Bulletins. If you have access to these resources, I recommend using them. Now.

First of all, I hadn't seen your first installment. I'm glad you apparently have dropped the first recommended theme  -- McCain is unelectable.

By definition, if he were unelectable a diary like this wouldn't be necessary.

But I agree with the summation that Google bombing is most effective in low information races, not the presidency. This will sway based on media portrayal, and Democratic commercials. We need to redefine McCain using his own words, on tape. Like Kerry's "voted before it before I voted against it." It doesn't matter how old or seemingly obscure the comments were, they can be shattering if properly packaged in theme. You have to plant a few devastating phrases in the mindset and vocabulary of the American people -- "McCain doesn't know anything about the economy," etc. That will have exponentially more impact than flailing on social networks.

In Las Vegas there's a local political talk show hosted by Jon Ralston. Perhaps there's similar in Arizona and McCain has made wobbly comments, something that could be summoned. Quotes in local papers. You can't afford to overlook any potential source. Like O.J. Simpson's Bruno Magli shoes popping up in an old Buffalo Bills magazine even after Marcia Clark and company insisted they checked everywhere. This is hardly a matter of a simple Google, or relying on base memory.

It can even be ironic, something like Cheney asserting when you win a war the credit belongs to the previous presidency, since he was responsible for building the military.

Overall, I can't believe we aren't making more use of the '90s economy. Can you imagine the way Republicans would hammer the issue, if they were in charge of the presidency during times like that, preceded and followed by economic plight controlled by Democrats? It would be bombarded beyond description, daily by every GOP spokesman and every right-leaning talking head. Yet when it was in our favor we seem to more or less expect the public to factor it into the equation, without being reminded. Newsflash: it don't work that way. When I detail economic specifics to apolitical friends, comparing '90s to this decade, they insist I'm exaggerating if not pure invention. I realize there is problematic scattered residue, like NAFTA impact in Ohio. But overall Obama needs to define Democratic and Republican differences on the economy, and not let go.  

If McCain volunteered he doesn't know much about the economy, I'm confident it wasn't a one-time thing. Find old related remarks and it can be a fatal self-portrayal.

Your ideas are too direct.  You need to ask leading questions.  Insinuate, insinuate, insinuate!

Get bloggers to write posts answering these questions:

-Is George W. Bush actually smarter than John McCain? (probably)
-Did John McCain do anything of distinction in the military besides become a POW? (not that I know of)
-Is John McCain too old to be president? (change vs. tired old politics)

If you're lucky, the mainstream media will pick up on these questions and post polls on their websites.

Actually I like my idea:  If McCain rallies here in NC I plan to attend wearing a McCain button and carrying a McCain sign and chanting "Four More Years" at every opportunity!

I think this is a great idea.  As a "millenial" i can tell you that people my age get alot of information via sites like facebook and myspace and constantly send video clips to each other.  

my suggestion would be to focus on videos that make mccain look unpresidential.  the problem that needs to be conquered here is that people actually like the guy and many view him as "presidential".  to change that view, people need to see him acting in ways that directly contradict their pre-existing ideas about him.  (if videos like the "bomb bomb iran" thing became viral, they could really change a lot of people's mind about him.)

i think video would be the most effective medium for this because written media is derivative by nature.  it necessarily involves someone telling you something about mccain.  that allows you to possibly discount the message by distrusting the messenger if it contradicts what you already believe about mccain.  however, if you see a video of mccain doing something crazy, you have no choice but to believe your eyes.  

Perhaps this is late and not quite what the original author was looking for, but I'd like to see a site devoted to nothing but pictures of McCain hugging Bush.  Perhaps with a side of him cozying up to nutjobs like Hagee.

Call it "Hugs4Bush" or something.  Even if it's a little silly, simply getting awkward pictures of McCain hugging Bush into the MSM would be a major victory.

We might want to wait to go up with that until say September, when swing voters start tuning in.