Blue Crab Boulevard

Unforced Error

I've called the Obama campaign the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight recently. This is the biggest, glaring example I have seen of that. Obama's campaign has gone on the offensive on ads that discuss Obama and his association with Bill Ayers, the unrepentant 60s radical who believes his group didn't set enough bombs. What disturbs me the most is that the campaign is officially planning to coordinate economic attacks on television stations that air the ad:

Bauer’s letter called on the Justice Department to open “an investigation of the American Issues Project; its officers and directors; and its anonymous donors, whoever they may be.”

“This is a sad ploy to circumvent the First Amendment by a campaign who has no arguments with the merits of our ad. It’s the classic maneuver: If you can’t win on the merits, file a lawsuit,” said a spokesman for the American Issues Project, Christian Pinkston, who said his group's non-profit status allowed it to participate in elections as long as it does a majority of policy work, which it plans to do.

A spokeswoman for Keeney, Laura Sweeney, declined to comment on Bauer’s letter.

The Obama campaign plans to punish the stations that air the ad financially, an Obama aide said, organizing his supporters to target the stations that air it and their advertisers. (Emphasis added)

These are thuggish tactics the like of which I don't recall ever seeing before, at least not one directly coordinated by a campaign. They are frightened of this ad in a way that is making them react - or rather overreact - in a very bad way. This is going to backfire badly on the Obama campaign. More from Jennifer Rubin.

Politics | Gaius Tuesday, 26 August , 2008

By syn, Tuesday, 26 August , 2008 @ 6:54 am

No surprise here, the Left is vicious and when they say ‘by any means necessary’ they are not kidding.
By Rich Horton, Tuesday, 26 August , 2008 @ 9:04 am

Gee, it seems Obama and Co. are taking political lessons from Robert Mugabe.
By Ropelight, Tuesday, 26 August , 2008 @ 10:50 am

Lawyers have a trained incapacity to see beyond the tools of their trade. Bambi has filed legal challenges against every opponent he’s ever run against. It’s how he operates, SOP.
Everyone wants to get ahead. Honorable folks work to improve themselves, knaves try to eliminate the opposition.
By TimF, Tuesday, 26 August , 2008 @ 2:59 pm

Given that TV on-air talent is one of the Messiah’s strongest support groups, isn’t an economic boycott of TV stations a bit like biting the hand that feeds you?
By bill-tb, Tuesday, 26 August , 2008 @ 4:59 pm

Marxism cannot survive in a free country … something has to give, you are seeing what Obama thinks needs to change. I bet this is how they did things in Indonesia.
By Mockinbird, Wednesday, 27 August , 2008 @ 3:13 pm

It’s disgusting. This is the way to a Marxist state. I want Florida to secede …again.