Why Gramm-pa McCain's new anti-Obama strategy won't work

By GottaLaff

Here is a breakdown of why Newsweek's Andrew Romano doesn't think much of Gramm-pa's nasty ways (this is a detailed piece that I boiled way down):

There's no doubt, then, how McCain and Co. will spend the final month of the 2008 campaign. The question is: Will it work?

My hunch is no. Here's are five reasons why:

1. The Economy Isn't Going Anywhere

2. Ayers and Wright Aren't Exactly Breaking News

3. There Aren't a Whole Lot of Swingers to Be Swung

4. Last-Minute Attacks May Damage McCain As Much--if Not More--Than Obama: FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver makes an important point:

If the McCain campaign brings up William Ayers -- or Jeremiah Wright -- it will almost certainly be seen as attack politics. This might seem to be stating the obvious. But remember that this wasn't the case during the primaries. The Wright and Ayers stories were instead driven by actual news -- ABC's reporting of Wright's inflammatory sermons, for instance -- and were largely not pushed by the Clinton campaign. So unless McCain's oppo research team is sitting on some fresh news about Obama's ties to Ayers or Wright, the stories are liable to be reported as a typical partisan attack, which will impeach their credibility in the public's eyes and reduce their staying power.

The only news here is McCain's negative strategy; we've already litigated Wright and Ayers. As a result, Silver adds, "it may be quite difficult for McCain to attack Obama in this fashion without significantly damaging his own brand."

5. The Obama Campaign Has Muddied the Waters on Riskiness and "Corruption"--and Will Continue To Do So

Ultimately, if McCain can't convince swing voters that Obama is substantially riskier and more "tainted" than he is--if his attacks elicit equally irrelevant (but equally unflattering) attacks from the Dems--it's hard to see how he'll benefit from baring his teeth.

There you go. Nice and rational.