McCan't

I'm not an expert, but after 3 years of being taught that everything is marketing and 2 years of working in the retail marketing sh*t, I know a little bit. Not much -- but I know enough to realize that John McCain needs to dump his PR staff and marketing team.

You'd think with all of the fallout over the Paris/Britney ad that he'd re-think the plan. That didn't work, no matter how many pundits attempted to defend it. Racial, personal, really unrealistic -- failure. But while I was in Vegas I saw one where he said he'd save us from the energy crisis by drilling in protected areas of Washington and Oregon -- like we've been keeping America back by our need to save wildlife. How could we be so selfish? Here, drive your giant car! Screw those animals and birds. I don't know what the hell we were thinking.

His latest is about how during the past 4 years things have gotten worse. No surprises there. It's going to be a tactic that everyone will use this election: Gas prices up and everyone is broke, and you can blame the leader. It's okay, he's expecting it and after 8 years who cares what people think now? But McCain will turn everything around with his experience in economics. To back up this claim, the announcer proudly tells us how McCain had "taken on Big Tobacco." I asked my mom about this, because I thought it was just me -- and she thought it was just her --- and we both agreed that statement A really doesn't connect to statement B. So taking on tobacco companies that make money regardless of every new regulation that comes about, will somehow save us from the gas crisis? What made this even worse, was that it followed on the heels of an Obama ad.

Obama's ad said things were bad, but "here's the plan: boom tax breaks on middle class, boom remove tax breaks on companies who send jobs out of the US, boom support education. Thank you." (Ticking off the plan is an old Clinton strategy, but it's a good one.) McCain's ad said things were bad, but "we have some vague ideas and McCain's such a great guy that he's going to turn it around. Okay? He took on Big Tobacco! See? He's there for you!" (The pal is an old Bush strategy and it's not so great unless you have a history of Bud drinkin'.)

John, I have nothing against you personally, but I won't vote for you, because I think you're campaign relies too heavily on reaction to your opponent (bad in boxing = bad in politics), and, honey, if you can't tell good advice from bad in your bid for the presidency, what will happen if you're actually in charge?