ABC News reports that Arizona Senator John McCain is poised to pick GOP campaign operative Terry Nelson as his pick to be his national campaign manager — news that will cause some voters to raise their eyebrows all the way up to the tops of their skulls.
And probably cause some to re-evaluate whether a vote for McCain and his “Straight Talk Express” might be endorsing a kind of campaigning reprehensible to many independent voters. The reason: Nelson is linked to that famous “Harold, call me!” ad that was deemed by many (including yours truly) as hitting the racism hot button:
ABC News’ David Chalian Reports: For the third time in as many days, a top-tier presidential hopeful is revealing who will serve as his/her campaign manager. On Tuesday we learned former Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) plans to head up the day to day operations for the Edwards campaign should the former Senator choose to officially make the race. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that top Clinton adviser, Patti Solis Doyle, will serve as campaign chief if/when Sen. Clinton formally jumps in.
Later today, Sen. John McCain’s exploratory committee plans to announce veteran GOP campaign operative Terry Nelson as his pick to be his national campaign manager, should the Senator choose to turn his exploring into a full-blown run for the White House
Here’s the “nut graph”:
Nelson served as national political director for Bush-Cheney ’04. He has served in senior roles in both the political and field/grassroots organizing arenas at the RNC and the NRCC.
…Nelson’s hire is clearly a huge get, but will not come without controversy. Nelson made political headlines in the 2006 cycle as the strategist tapped to head up the RNC’s independent expenditure which was responsible for that extremely controversial ad in Tennessee against Harold Ford, Jr. featuring a young blonde actress portraying a woman who met Ford at a Playboy party and who suggestively asks him to call her at the end of the ad. (It caused enough heartache for one of Nelson’s other clients, Working Families for Wal-Mart, that they sought and received his resignation after the episode.) Nelson was also tied up in the recently settled New Hampshire phone jamming case and in Tom DeLay’s TRMPAC troubles from his days at the RNC.
Different people see different things in resumes. Did McCain not see any of this, not care, or feel it’s what he needed for his campaign?
ABC’s Political Radar then contains an assertion that begs a comment here:
The left-leaning blogs will certainly jump on this with gusto.
No, it isn’t just “left-leaning blogs.” This hire will not be hailed by :
- Those who want to see an end to ads (that raise the issue of race, sexism or religion used even in the typical plausible-deniability mode used in campaigns. The ads go up, eventually they’re pulled down. The consequences linger. There are voters who will vote against politicians who use those ads or embrace those that feel anything goes in politics to claw the way to a victory.
- Those independent and moderate voters always felt John McCain was a cut above the rest. This move indicates he hired a very adept and effective political infighter. And this seems to be a cut above AMONG the rest.
There are sure some who will legitimately wonder: if McCain gets the GOP nomination and the Democratic candidate is Barack Obama (African-American) or Hillary Clinton (female) will we see ads that Rush and Sean can argue never brought up a racist or sexist suggestion bring up a suggestion so clear that even a Martian visiting the earth for the first time to buy a Playstation 3 notices it?
- It suggests McCain is gearing up for a brass-knuckled primary season. Will we see an issue-oriented campaign or does this hire signal that McCain and his camp may indulge in a bit of the kind of tactics McCain suffered at the hands of the Bush camp in South Carolina in 2000? Should Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney brace themselves now for below-the-belt attacks that are later defended as not below-the-belt?
The bottom line: no, Political Radar, it isn’t just the left that’s raising an eyebrow, although we know full well that by raising it some will suggest we MUST get checks from Howard Dean. (YAWN…….)
The notable aspect of this appointment is that it shows McCain is hiring one of the toughest and best people to help him win.
But it also raises the issue of whether the Straight Talk Express is now on the track towards muddier areas.
And whether just as George W. Bush’s slogan a “uniter not a divider” fell by the wayside, the “Straight Talk Express” will soon vanish as a brand name as it takes a detour to other destinations.
BUT THAT’S JUST OUR VIEW. HERE ARE SOME OTHERS
While I saw nothing wrong with the Ford ad in question and think the pretense that robo-calling is anything unusual absurd, I must admit that someone with this kind of baggage is an odd choice to serve as the front man for McCain, a man who has built his career on smug contempt for politics as usual and a holier than thou stance on campaign ethics. Then, McCain’s actions have seldom matched his rhetoric.
I suppose the “reaching out to African-Americans” talk is now back to just talk. The Republican who is leading the pack for the 2008 presidential campaign is making it clear that racist campaigning is not just acceptable, but quite welcome. Then again, McCain also now embraces Jerry Falwell and the intolerant bigots of the religious right – the same people, by name, who McCain called “agents of intolerance” the last time he ran for president. Good to see the double-talk express is in full swing.
Karl Rove has taught John McCain well. Be macho and attack. Always attack…But, the biggest lesson McCain learned in the 2000 South Carolina primary after Rovian henchmen spread rumors that McCain had a black baby? “Do unto others!
Shakespeare’s Sister: “Evidently, after his wife was called a junky and his adopted daughter was called his illegitmate black child by the Rove smear machine in 2000, McCain the Maverick decided: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. What a trailblazer.”
What better way to telegraph to other GOP hopefuls that Senator John McCain is not only going to make a run for the presidency, but he’s going to obliterate everyone in his path to make sure he gets the nomination. Move over frontrunner status, because McCain is going for his own South Carolina strategy, hoping to mimick Bush all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue….I guess McCain’s lesson after watching Bush all these years is to go dirty early and often. Senator Obama had better hold on.
OTHER READING
Sourcewatch on Terry Nelson
Terry Nelson Wikipedia
Josh Marshall’s September post on Nelson’s hardball tactics
The Hotline on McCain’s 2008 Presidential campaign team
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.