It's not that there aren't issue based arguments for McCain or not that there aren't people making those arguments. It's just that McCain's campaign is focused on vapid personality attacks.

In no way does that ridiculously false statement follow from what I have posted on this thread or on all the other threads on this site to which I have posted.

DLS,
This where you attacked Obama's supporters: “This ad was 100% sound and addresses a known problem that Obama faces (actually going beyond rock star celeb status to being worshipped — Jim Jones is not a bad analogy when the extreme cases are considered.)”

“Then why is McCain focused on attacking Obama's character in all of his ads?”

He isn't.

So McCain's ads about Obama not visiting the troops and Obama's celebrity status are policy disputes. Sure.

More of the country agrees with McCain than with Obama on exploiting our oil and gas reserves, which only makes sense because we should, and McCain has not capitalized on this because he's inept and blames Obama for today's high fuel prices instead, which is nonsense. More of the country wants a sanely managed withdrawal from Iraq than want what the extremists want, which is to flee Iraq.

You're right about the oil stuff, that's one issue out of many.

And you're wrong about Iraq. Obama has never said we should flee from there. You're lying. Why don't you stop?

He isn't.

“I'll tell you why, because the country agrees with Obama on The Issues.”

More of the country agrees with McCain than with Obama on exploiting our oil and gas reserves, which only makes sense because we should, and McCain has not capitalized on this because he's inept and blames Obama for today's high fuel prices instead, which is nonsense. More of the country wants a sanely managed withdrawal from Iraq than want what the extremists want, which is to flee Iraq. Obama's appeal is largely emotional and superficial as well as PC-political — this has nothing to do with Obama's character, of course, any more than his positions on oil and gas drilling — and McCain has finally addressed that in an ad, but too late for it to best have the desired effect. McCain is attacking Obama, but not his character, and he is doing an inept job.

Just so you know what's really happening.

In no way does that ridiculously false statement follow from what I have posted on this thread or on all the other threads on this site to which I have posted.

kids and missing logic…one day you'll be more consistent…but you may not be so liberal any more if you are conventional…

* * *

“According to the numbers Obama is only popular with about 48 percent of the people.”

Perhaps if you adjust for turnout or bias. I note the typical 7-8 per cent lead or so in favor of Obama, in the Iowa Electronic Markets Vote Share market. The Winner Take All market shows Obama far above McCain, in the area near where I have been speculating aloud and asking if Obama will gain at least the “Golden” or “Divine” Proportion (from Classical Age mathematics, a number which finds its way into nature and art in many places), which would constitute a “true majority” or accurately defined supermajority and thus a “mandate” (for “change”). I have routinely reviewed the graphs for these two markets because unlike those who act like toddler-level MTV-attention-span types and rush to and gush over the latest poll each day or hour, I view the “big picture” instead to learn what real, general, trend there is with this contest. (WIth the data you can also see how Michelle Obama's “proud” remark that insulted so many Americans caused a temporary reversal in the trend before damage control and continued lackluster McCainery [tm] restored the trend.)

Here are the graphs (once again),

http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/graphs/graph_Pres08...

http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/graphs/graph_Pres08...

And here are the prices (values),

http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/pricehistory/priceh...

http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/pricehistory/priceh...

and as you can see, the vote share shows the 7-8 point spread in current polls,

07/29/08 UDEM08_VS 20 10.880 0.544 0.544 0.544 0.544
07/29/08 UREP08_VS 4 1.876 0.469 0.469 0.469 0.469

07/30/08 UDEM08_VS 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.544
07/30/08 UREP08_VS 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.469

whereas the winner-take-all shows a split near the 62-38 I have speculated about.

07/29/08 DEM08_WTA 39 24.475 0.625 0.630 0.628 0.626
07/29/08 REP08_WTA 26 9.674 0.370 0.375 0.372 0.375

07/30/08 DEM08_WTA 154 96.837 0.623 0.645 0.629 0.623
07/30/08 REP08_WTA 199 75.854 0.364 0.386 0.381 0.364

(The “Golden” or “Divine” proportion is 61.8 or 61.0834 per cent depending on what level of precision you wish — it can be more precise but this is sufficient for our purposes here. Note that the residual fraction, 38.2 or 38.1966 per cent, is approximately the size of a minority plurality that is significant. The ratio of the minor to the major values here is the same as the ratio of the major values to the whole, i.e., 100.0%. This defines a true substantial majority or a supermajority.)

I use 62-38 for more coarse precision because that's what it would be in the Senate.

You, DLS and McCain are unable to argue against Obama on actual issues, so all you have to left to do is attack his character and the character of his supporters.

You're ideologically bankrupt.

Thats less then half. The difference is numbers. 48 percent like him. 52 percent like someone else. McCain gets 45 percent and hes like….the most boring person on the planet.

That made me laugh too.

Of course, also, there's a lot of emotion rather than reason behind that popularity.

Then why is McCain focused on attacking Obama's character in all of his ads? I'll tell you why, because the country agrees with Obama on The Issues.

This would have been a perfect ad to run several weeks ago, or even an ad showing people looking up to Obama speaking with tears in their dewy little starry eyes, or praying on their knees before his picture. (Provocative but still 100% valid)

1. “I don't see anything racist in it at all. “

There's nothing racist in it. What was remarkable was how many liberals were calling in to Bill Press's show to correct him and argue with him about it while he stubbornly held to his paranoid delusion or convenient excuse to dishonestly attack McCain. And the typical far-left “arguments” including those made by Chris were regurgitated on that show — to no avail among intelligent listeners, who know better.

2. “A majority of Americans now want more drilling for domestic oil production.”

McCain already acted on this issue, and did so in a remarkably stupid manner. He blamed Obama's pandering to the no-drilling nuts for high fuel prices today!

3. Of course he's popular. Of course, also, there's a lot of emotion rather than reason behind that popularity. His campaign is all about making people Feel Better, appealing to much superficiality (Hilton and Spears, indeed once more), aided by blunders by the other competitor.

Ok, Chris… I'm not getting in the middle of this one, but I do have to say. That made me laugh.

Does the word 'miscegenation' mean anything to either of you? The advert could have used any number of male or black celebrities, but they chose two young white women instead. Hrmmm…

This ad was 100% sound and addresses a known problem that Obama faces

Obama's 'problem' is that he's popular. That's a hell of a problem to have in an election.

Yes, McCain is uninspiring (adults don't require inspiration) but he has some good selling points based on the GOP being the lesser of two evils and on the right (correct) side on a number of issues, including energy policy. But he's too much of a Dem Lite or fearful of a swing voter backlash, apparently, to push as hard as he should on drilling, while working hard to prepare to present a strong, appealing position on something else. But is he doing this? No. It's ineptitude.

Pop music divas make perfect sense, Jazz. This ad was 100% sound and addresses a known problem that Obama faces (actually going beyond rock star celeb status to being worshipped — Jim Jones is not a bad analogy when the extreme cases are considered.) But the timing for this was earlier this year, not now. Normal observers (not the “racist” paranoid types) are struck by how late McCain's campaign is learning what to do. “Late and lame”…