Steve Schmidt

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Mac's Big Guns Turn to Polishing Palin

Honchos, candidate huddle at Ariz. ranch to prepare for Thurs. debate with Biden

(Newser) - Sarah Palin will be coached by the best people John McCain’s campaign has to offer in preparation for her debate Thursday with Joe Biden, the Wall Street Journal reports. Campaign manager Rick Davis and strategist Steve Schmidt are headed with Palin today to McCain’s Arizona ranch as the...

'Maverick' Aides Are Veteran Bushies

McCain-Palin campaign steered by former Bush workers

(Newser) - Sarah Palin may be a newcomer to national politics, but her army of aides has ace operatives who chiseled their craft working for George Bush's campaigns and administration, reports the Washington Post. They won the White House —twice —but some Republican loyalists question if the former Bush communications...

McCain Camp Slams 'Biased' NY Times

Strategist cries foul after paper reports on lobbyist links

(Newser) - The McCain camp launched another attack on the media yesterday, this time blasting the New York Times as "biased" for its report linking the campaign to lobbyists for Freddie Mac and Freddie Mae. A spokesman called the Times a "pro-Obama advocacy organization" after the paper revealed that campaign...

Obama Steps Up Assault on McCain

Candidate to go on the attack as party frets about Palin

(Newser) - The Barack Obama campaign kicks off its leaner, meaner approach today, reports the New York Times, going on the offensive with a New Hampshire speech and new ads in an attempt to wrest momentum back from the GOP. The candidate's strategists say it has long been the plan to get...

Rove Legacy Tails McCain's New Top Dog

Schmidt takes the reins

(Newser) - Steve Schmidt is the new captain of the McCain campaign ship, which an ex-operative compares to the "Pirates of the Caribbean." Known as a taskmasker and carrying the seemingly oxymoronic reputation of a moderate Karl Rove protégé, Steve Schmidt isn't showing his hand just yet. The New ...

McCain Strays Off Message, But Which Message?
McCain Strays Off Message, But Which Message?
analysis
Jul 31, 2008 1:38 PM CDT

McCain Strays Off Message, But Which Message?

Candidate ad libs as staffers attempt to strategize

(Newser) - John McCain relishes interacting with voters and sparring with the press, a style that's helped earn him his "maverick" reputation even as it ties his advisers and staff in knots. The campaign as a whole is turning to Karl Rove-style tactics, but the candidate's unpredictable behavior is making it...

'Sgt.' Schmidt Hones McCain's Pitch

Strategist hammers good about McCain, bad about Obama

(Newser) - Fiery Republican strategist Steve Schmidt argues that above all, a campaign needs something good to say about its own candidate, and something bad to say about the opponent. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how 'Sgt. Schmidt', newly given the reins to John McCain's campaign, is methodically and...

Competing Ambitions Split Camp McCain

Once again, his campaign is riven by squabbling factions

(Newser) - John McCain inspires an uncommon degree of loyalty among the advisers and strategists who've served on his campaigns. But they are less charitable toward each other, writes Adam Nagourney in the New York Times. McCain's 2008 campaign is riven by longstanding feuds and conflicting spheres of influence—a problem compounded...

The Man, and the Message, McCain's Been Missing

Enter '00 mastermind Mike Murphy

(Newser) - Mike Murphy, the irreverent mastermind behind John McCain’s 2000 presidential bid, is poised to swoop in and rescue his stalled 2008 effort, writes William Kristol in the New York Times. Murphy sat out the primaries because he was close to both Romney and McCain, but with McCain’s machine...

'Sergeant Schmidt' to Whip McCain Camp Into Shape

Tough-talking GOP veteran takes the helm at HQ

(Newser) - The man Karl Rove nicknamed "Bullet" and John McCain calls "Sergeant Schmidt" has taken over day-to-day control of McCain's campaign, and his no-nonsense style is expected to make an immediate impact, Politico reports. Steve Schmidt, a hardworking veteran of the Bush and Schwarzenegger campaigns, is famed for his...

Shuffle Atop McCain Team Yields Combative New Boss

Steve Schmidt takes day-to-day reins from Rick Davis, who'll focus on big picture

(Newser) - John McCain has ordered a shake-up at the helm of his campaign operation, Politico reports, with top aide Steve Schmidt taking day-to-day control from manager Rick Davis, whose focus will shift to the big picture. Schmidt, known for an aggressive style honed on President Bush's and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election...

McCain Clutches at Shrinking Spotlight

Upcoming tour aims to rally media attention

(Newser) - John McCain is now in a race for media coverage, packing in a full slate of public events through April, Politico reports. The press corps tailing the famously accessible senator has dwindled since he sealed the Republican nomination. Though campaign aides say his Democratic contenders “would rather be us,...

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