McCain uses ridicule as a campaign tactic

An enduring election myth is that the 'real' presidential campaign starts in the fall - that what we're seeing is merely posturing and strategic positioning in preparation for the true battle. The fact is, a candidate’s image is shaped and reshaped in real time and perceptions created today directly influence opinions formed tomorrow, which in turn affect decisions in the voting booth on election day. The general election is fully engaged now, and has been for months.

In that regard, we recently offered this explanation of McCain's 'Celeb' video: 

McCain’s mid-summer salvo against Obama is about one thing: finding an acceptable way to ridicule him. 

Note this July 15 piece from the New York Times: 

What’s so funny about Barack Obama? Apparently not very much, at least not yet. Comedy has been no easier for the phalanx of late-night television hosts who depend on skewering political leaders for a healthy quotient of their nightly monologues. … there has been little humor about Mr. Obama: about his age, his speaking ability, his intelligence, his family, his physique. 

Two weeks after the Times piece was published, the McCain camp and GOP surrogates flooded the airwaves with the likes of Paris, Britney, and tire gauges.

Ridicule is the GOP’s most reliable weapon. The political assault on Al Gore, Howard Dean, John Kerry and other Democratic leaders has centered on the right’s capacity to turn them into objects of ridicule. Rightwing talk radio is premised on the lampooning of liberals.

Thus far, Barack Obama has deftly avoided becoming the target of rightwing derision. Like Hillary Clinton, he is disliked – and feared – by many on the right, but less often mocked or dismissed. Which is what makes Obama a dangerous foe to Republicans and Clinton a formidable nemesis.

Cracking the code and finding Obama’s ‘mockability’ is team McCain’s immediate imperative. As McCain tries to zero in on a way to mock Obama, Democrats and progressives who are looking for an effective counter-attack must distinguish between generic negative political attacks and rightwing ridicule. They are not the same thing. 

Now, bookending the Times article is this August 9th piece from the Telegraph, The joke is finally on Barack Obama:

Have you heard the one about the presidential candidate who was once so popular that comedians were frightened to make jokes about him? 

The punchline is this: the more seriously he took himself, the more Barack Obama has become a laughing matter.

Only a month ago American comedians and satirists were complaining that they found it hard to get people to laugh at the first black presidential nominee. A New Yorker cover cartoon showing him as a Muslim extremist was roundly denounced.

But growing Obama fatigue among voters after his pseudo-presidential visit to Europe and the Middle East has unleashed a wave of satirical fire, mocking Mr Obama for his apparent belief that he has the election in the bag. 

The Telegraph suggests that McCain's barrage had its intended effect and that there is now an acceptable way to ridicule Obama. If the 2004 Purple Heart band-aids are any indication, the GOP's mocking of Obama will manifest itself in many ways between now and November. The question is how central it is to McCain's campaign.