by Frank James
I say forget this week's last presidential debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Let's instead schedule a cage fight between David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, and Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager.
The two were on Fox News Sunday and had themselves a verbal prize fight. Host Chris Wallace even had to tell the two political operatives to break their "clinches."
Talk about nasty. Based on the way these two clashed, we shouldn't expect to see a ratcheting down of the animus between the campaigns in the next few weeks before Election Day. Anything but.
Here's an excerpt that gives a flavor of how Axelrod and Davis beat each other, rhetorically, to a pulp:
WALLACE: David, you get the last word. And talk, if you will, about this argument that, you know, if you -- if you elect Obama and you have a strong Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, you're giving total control of the government to the Democrats.
AXELROD: Look, I think the way you root out corruption in Washington is first take on the lobbyist culture, and you know, what we can't have are lobbyists making millions of dollars selling access to public officials, as Rick has done selling access...
DAVIS: Well, David, what do you...
AXELROD: ... to Senator McCain.
DAVIS: ... think you've been doing in your organization?
AXELROD: That is not -- that is not how -- that is not...
DAVIS: I mean, you even wrote...
AXELROD: ... how you clean up...
DAVIS: ... you even wrote an op-ed...
AXELROD: ... corruption in Washington.
DAVIS: ... saying that you thought -- you thought that the...
AXELROD: I -- I'm -- Rick...
DAVIS: ... the patronage politics...
AXELROD: ... Rick, we're talking about...
DAVIS: ... of Chicago was a better model for...
AXELROD: ... we're talking about...
DAVIS: ... Washington than the law and order model that we currently occupy.
AXELROD: We -- I never -- that is...
DAVIS: I think...
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: That is as untrue as everything else that you've said here.
(CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: That is not what I said. Rick...
DAVIS: Does your company represent any corporate interests?
AXELROD: Rick, why don't you answer the question about whether you sell access to Senator McCain?
DAVIS: Well, if you're going to talk about me...
AXELROD: That's been reported in the newspaper. Is that false?
DAVIS: Well, I think that's the point.
AXELROD: It is false that you sell access to Senator McCain?
(CROSSTALK)
DAVIS: ... what you do in your business in the newspapers...
AXELROD: No, answer the question.
DAVIS: ... because I think it would be excellent reading.
AXELROD: Do you sell access to Senator McCain?
DAVIS: No, I don't.
AXELROD: Is that how you've made millions of dollars?
DAVIS: Not at all.
AXELROD: You've never done that. You've never -- nobody's ever...
DAVIS: David...
AXELROD: ... been told that they ought to hire you...
DAVIS: ... let me ask you a question. Is this the kind of...
AXELROD: ... if they want to get to Senator McCain?
DAVIS: ... politics that you're...
AXELROD: I'm asking you a question.
DAVIS: Character assassination has become the hallmark of the Obama campaign. This is the kind of thing that...
Here's a transcript of the entire show.
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Comments
If we could lock these 2 guys in a room until after the election and somehow force all advertising and candidate appearances to address exactly how each of the 4 candidates would go about solving all the problems this country faces, the voters would be far better served.
Posted by: Kenneth Janowski | October 12, 2008 4:44 PM
You can always tell what the Republicans are doing - it is whatever they are accusing the Democrats of doing. Like, accusing the Dem's of character assassination
Posted by: R Goldwater | October 12, 2008 4:53 PM
Amazing!!!!
I sat down for the first Sunday in a long time to see the morning news shows. It was AMAZING!!! Supporters of MCCAIN (i.e. Rick Davis) completely blew off the last week of attacks and racial remarks. As if its John Lewis and Barack's fault. Every single show had a mccain supporter spinning the wheels. I've never seen anything like this before. Mccain is the only person who attempted to be reasonable (pressured by the secret service i'm sure). Now I know why Mccain is losing (his staff/supporters are terrible!!!! ). And his base (which he never really embraced) are mainly bigots/racists. Hey Mccain, they are not voting for u, they are voting against Obama.
If anything we need to stand up to the real culprits (Sarah Palin, republican base, fox news). After what I witnessed from these crowds (oh yeah, its more than just a few, its most of them–watch youtube) these people only respect people who look like them. Hispanics, Indians, Asians (regardless of whether you've married in) are not exempt from this disease
As for that previous argument with reverse racism, please put it in perspective. Blacks have never had a legitimate candidate before (I'm sure they are PROUD!!, but not racist).. So throw the entitlement theory out the window. I know blacks would mainly vote for the democratic party anyway. Now I know why!!! They only make up 12% of voters, some of which don't vote. There really is no comparison.
Posted by: Markie | October 12, 2008 5:08 PM
Rick Davis is John McCain's favorite pimp. Lucky for him, all that came to light just as the economic crisis was surfacing. Good job to Axelrod for bringing it to the fore again. I love how Burton and Axelrod aren't taking any poo from the Foxers lately. http://enough2008.blogspot.com/2008/09/madam-pimp-and-legislator-parable-of.html
Posted by: Levi | October 12, 2008 5:38 PM
Rick Davis is the most corrupted, hateful individual. McCain's sold his soul when he hired Rick Davis. Rick Davis is SO evil and he is such a liar. It has been reported by numerous papers that his firm was receiving $15,000 a month until August, 2008 from Freddie Mac.
Posted by: Margie Nelson | October 12, 2008 6:23 PM
Rick Davis is the most disgusting man I've ever seen on television. How can he think that merely shouting over his counterpart possibly makes him a good surrogate for his candidate?
Posted by: C. Neiman | October 12, 2008 8:57 PM
Wow, Obama-bots. You really are a hateful lot, aren't you? Let's see, from the above pro-Obama comments I read "assasination," "mostly racists," "pimp," "corrupted,hatefful..evil." And that from three of the four comments posted. Gee, where are you getting all of your negative energy...could it be from the Obama campaign? Read today that Obama supporters torched a home that had a McCain sign on its lawn (you won't find that on the Swamp, though). But hey, let's believe the news media about where the hate is coming from. The Obama campaign and its hate-mongering racism sickens me. That's why I'm just another Democrat for McCain/Palin.
Posted by: Bemused | October 12, 2008 10:11 PM
Bemused,
You are not a Democrat of you are voting Republican. The two party platforms are entirely different.
If you were a Democrat you would be, at the very least, be voting for Obama. (the hold your nose vote a lot of Republicans are giving McCain).
Posted by: shano | October 13, 2008 1:14 AM
These coments are a good examole of why America has losy the respect of many in the rest of the world
Posted by: chris perkins | October 13, 2008 10:02 AM