Jonathan Alter: Obama's Chicago Attack Dachshund: 'They Bring a Knife; We Bring Nice Schmear!"

"When oppo* goes transparent, it might shrivel." Jonathan Alter

I had to read that again. Oppo? Isn't that Greek for Holy $hit the Cheese is on Fire!'

No.

It means political opposition research. Barack Obama's Newsweek, MSNBC, NBC, Daily Kos, Huffington Post ( now with a hilarious assortment of Chicago dweebs attempting to say something) is what Progressive 'Oppo' is all about. Jonathan Alter, a Lakeview Lad from the Lincoln Park -in shade of Old Town at sunset - is a Chicago street tough giving John McCain, that mean old man, genuine talking to:

McCain's campaign theme is that he puts the country first and Obama puts himself above his country. It's understandable why this son and grandson of admirals--who has served his country in one way or another since he was 18-years-old, who has never been on a private payroll beyond that of his beer distributor father-in-law--would see himself as someone who puts "America first." He has been a largely honorable public servant for 54 years, and it's acceptable within the confines of sharp debate to portray his opponent as a self-regarding celebrity.

Owwwww. That pinch hurts. Jonny Boy! Thank God you didn't tickle him. It is nice to see that Chicago Style - translated in Progressive - means bringing just the right weapons to war.

Chicago Progressive Jonathan Alter:

You wanna know how to get McCain? They pull a knife, you bring a nice schmear: a nice organic peanut butter, some herbed cream cheese. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the Day Spa - Kiva is nice. *That's* the *Chicago* way! And that's how you get McCain - act like snitches and suck-ups, whine often that is how you get attention - it got me to Harvard. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I'm offering you a deal. Do you want this deal?


I hope that John McCain sends a nice thank you note to Jonathan - in calligraphy on good gold gilded stock. It is the little things that mean so much - to the really mean.



*
Opposition research (often referred to as oppo) is:

The term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, medical, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing candidate,as well as prior media coverage. The research is usually conducted in the time period between announcement of intent to run and the actual election; however political parties maintain long-term databases that can cover several decades. The practice is both a tactical maneuver and a cost-saving measure.[1]
Opposition research may also refer to illegal or unethical means of gathering potentially damaging information on candidates, such as accessing credit reports, wiretapping, theft of files, hacking computer files, and interviewing ex-spouses.
"Vulnerability studies" occur in the 'prebuttal' phase of campaign development, when a candidate's political consultants will amass files of potentially damaging information on their own clients, to prepare pre-emptive strategies for rebuttal at a later date.
Research conducted, at the request of an incumbent office-holder, often by the same staff who conducted campaign research, against political opponents or dissenters. The Hatch Act of 1939 prohibits the use of public office for partisan political advocacy, but often the same staff who once researched private information about opponents are placed in positions of proximity to confidential government files.
Research on the activities of opponents conducted on behalf of advocacy groups, political action committees, churches, labor unions, management of corporations, or sports teams,[citation needed]as well as private individuals. Opposition researchers may work exclusively for one candidate or many, one group, or many groups that share ideologies and financial interests, or the highest bidder. Opposition research has also played a role in confirmation of nominees to the Supreme Court, and other presidential appointments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opposition_research

John McCain: Business Week Says Hooray and NewsWeak BooHoos for Barry

Brooks Jackson of Obama's 527 ( along with MSNBC, Huffington Post, Daily Kos, MoveOn.org, Code Pink,) Newsweeks just so very upset that John McCain has 'distorted' Obama's Energy Agenda - like his Education Agenda that is Rooted in Race Baiting Reparations -with the truth.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/143344

Barack Obama has no Energy Solutions. Hence the Dr. No stuff - not my cup of Meat as Old Bob 'I'm on Barry's Ipod' Dylan might offer. I see Obama as Dr. Doolittle R. Nothing-At-All! Wait for Bill Ayers to start the Revolution Man! Appoint his Old Lady, Bernadine Dohrn to the Supreme Court, Man~! 'Tax the Rich . . . until there are no Rich No More!'

Business Week's Bruce Nussbaum counters with this:

Hooray for McCain. A $300 million Contest for A Better Battery Is A Great Idea.
Posted by: Bruce Nussbaum on June 24
Way to go John McCain. There is nothing more imporant to the US and the world than an incentive-driven competitive innovation process to produce a better battery. A smaller, ligher, more efficient car battery is key to getting the global economy off its addiction to fossil fuels. And just as the $10 million X-Prize proved to be a powerful incentive for the creation of a non-governmental space ship (and Lindbergh won the Orteig Prize for the first transatlantic airplane flight), so too could McCain’s idea push the edge on battery technology.

There are many ways to incentivize innovation. VC money. Government money. Corporate R&D. Labs (government and private). Serious prize money and well designed contests reward both crowd-sourcing and individual genius kinds of creation.

My only problem with the McCain Contest is that $300 million is probably too much money. It implies government bigness and huge scale. The X Prize Foundation gives out ten million bucks and that seems incentive enough.

But that’s a quibble. Both McCain and Obama have not talked very much about innovation to date. With this $300 million contest for a better car battery, McCain leaps ahead in the debate, even without uttering the word “innovation.”

So Barack, what does innovation mean to you?