Obama Plans Sharper Tone as Party Frets

Obama Plans Sharper Tone as Party Frets

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By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY
Published: September 11, 2008

Senator Barack Obama will intensify his assault against Senator John McCain, with new television advertisements and more forceful attacks by the candidate and surrogates beginning Friday morning, as he confronts an invigorated Republican presidential ticket and increasing nervousness in the Democratic ranks.
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Ray Stubblebine/Reuters

Senator Barack Obama greeted Senator John McCain at a forum on public service Thursday night. Mr. Obama planned to begin intensifying his assault against Mr. McCain on Friday.
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Mr. McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate and the resulting jolt of energy among Republican voters appear to have caught Mr. Obama and his advisers by surprise and added to concern among some Democrats that the Obama campaign was not pushing back hard enough against Republican attacks in a critical phase of the race.

Some Democrats said Mr. Obama needed to move to seize control of the campaign and to block Mr. McCain from snatching away from him the message that he was the best hope to bring change to Washington.

After back-to-back attack ads by Mr. McCain, including one that misleadingly accused Mr. Obama of endorsing sex education for kindergarten students, the Obama campaign is planning to sharpen attacks on Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin in an effort to counter Mr. McCain’s attempt to present himself as the candidate of change with his choice of Ms. Palin.

Mr. Obama's campaign released two new advertisements this morning that underscored the tougher road it is taking, criticizing Mr. McCain for, among other things, favoring tax cuts for corporations and acknowledging that he doesn't know how to use a computer or send e-mail. "Things have changed in the last 26 years, but John McCain hasn't," an announcer says in one advertisement. "After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same."

The new tone is to be presented in a speech by Mr. Obama in New Hampshire and in television interviews with local stations in five swing states, backed up by new advertisements and appearances across the country by supporters.

In addition, advertising themes will be pay equity for women, an issue that has particular resonance as the campaigns battle for female voters, and a more pointed linking of Mr. McCain to President Bush and Republicans in Washington.

But Mr. Obama’s aides said they were confident with the course of the campaign. They said that, other than making some shifts around the edges, particularly in response to Mr. McCain’s effort to seize the change issue from Mr. Obama, they were not planning any major deviation from a strategy that called for a steady escalation of attacks on Mr. McCain as the race heads toward the debates.

That response is characteristic for a campaign that has presented itself as disciplined and unflappable and is reminiscent of the way Mr. Obama’s campaign reacted a year ago when it came under fire from allies who said it was not being tough enough in going after Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“We’re sensitive to the fluid dynamics of the campaign, but we have a game plan and a strategy,” said Mr. Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe. “We’re familiar with this. And I’m sure between now and Nov. 4 there will be another period of hand-wringing and bed-wetting. It comes with the territory.”

Still, Democrats outside the campaign suggested Mr. Obama should be urgently working to regain control of the message.

“The Obama message has been disrupted in the last week,” said Representative Artur Davis, Democrat of Alabama. “It’s a time for Democrats to focus on what the fundamentals are in this election.”

Phil Singer, who was a press secretary for Mrs. Clinton in her primary campaign against Mr. Obama, said, “The Obama people need to reboot and figure out ways to make the McCain-Bush argument newsworthy again.”

The uneasiness among Democrats is the result of a confluence of factors in the week since Mr. McCain accepted his party’s nomination in St. Paul. The selection of Ms. Palin became the defining event of Mr. McCain’s convention, revving up the conservative base and drawing the spotlight away from Mr. Obama.

Mr. McCain’s increasingly aggressive campaign has sought to put Mr. Obama on the defensive in each news cycle, using any development at hand, like Mr. Obama’s colloquial comment this week about putting “lipstick on a pig,” to keep attention away from Democratic messages about the economy and the similarities between Mr. McCain and Mr. Bush.

And a series of quick polls taken after the Republican convention have suggested that Mr. Obama has lost support among white women and independent voters. Polls taken so close to major political events are notoriously unreliable, but Democrats remember what happened in 2004, when Republicans used the period right after Senator John Kerry’s nomination to undercut him with a series of attacks.


Katie's Play Is Selling A-OK
Filed under: Broadway Babies > Katie Holmes

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Hard to believe!

Katie Holmes could be part of one of the fall season's biggest 'non musical' box office winners on Broadway.

Variety reports that the producers of the Homles-starring play All My Sons have just announced that their advance ticket sales total about $3.5 million.

Guess those box office dud rumors can be put to rest for the time being.

[Image via WENN.]

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Dina Plays Nice
Filed under: Lindsay Lohan > Love Line > Dina Lohan > Michael Lohan > saMAN Ronson

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It's been a while - DAYS! - since we heard from Lindsay Lohan's parents, but our prayers have been answered.

This time around it's momma Dina Lohan who's speaking out.

So what does the Orange Oprah have to say????

She claims she really likes Lezlo's girlfriend, saMAN Ronson.

That's not what daddy, Michael Lohan, had previously said.

Remember, Michael claimed that his concerns over the bad influence that is Ronson grew out of the shit Dina was telling him about LezLo and saMAN!

But Dina says that's not true.

And, Wednesday night, while she was at a benefit in NY with the happy couple, Dina spoke to reporters, naturally.

Momma said, "I love Lindsay and I love Samantha, if they are happy, I am happy. This is my child, I mean, what better place for a child to be than happy in her soul and her spirit."

How sweet and - yet - she seems so fake!

[Photo via Getty Images.]

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Playlist:

9.10.08 PM Sean Avery, MTV VMAs, M...

9.10.08 AM Katie Holmes & Joshua J...

9.9.08 PM Christina Aguilera, Katy...

9.9.08 AM MTV VMAs, Jonas Brothers...
Not Engaged
Filed under: Tara Reid > Love Line

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We bet her alleged fiance, Julien Jarmoune, had a coronary when he heard the wedding rumors and asked her to put an end to the insanity ASAP!

Tara Reid is NOT engaged. Thankfully - or unthankfully, depending how you look at it.

Here's what the former actress wrote on her blog:

Yet again another rumor. No.. I am not engaged and Julien does not own J & Company. I have been hard at work launching MANTRA and Julien launched his own denim line called Black Orchid.
I am about to leave to NY on Saturday to shoot the campaign for MANTRA. I am so excited! Can't wait for all of you guys to see the photos!
Xoxo
Tara

Heavens help the man who actually gets dragged down the aisle with Terror.

[Image via PR Photos.]

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Kanye Speaks!!!!
Filed under: Kanye West > When Celebrities Blog

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Mr. West is breaking his silence about his arrest at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday for being a tad too aggressive with a paparazzo and vandalizing his camera.

The rapper turned to his blog on Friday and said the following about the incident:

"We back in the lab!!! I'm cool with the paparazzi. This guy wasn't cool. I gotta work now… I'll rant later!"

And there you have it.

We look forward to that "rant"!

[Image via WENN.]

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Ben Affleck Gets A Makeover
Filed under: Ben Affleck > Jason Bateman

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Blast from the past!

No, he's not making a sequel to Dazed & Confused, sadly.

Sporting a long wig, Ben Affleck was spotted on the set of his new film, Extract, Thursday in Los Angeles.

Yes, that's Jason Bateman next to him.

Yum!

[Image via Daniel Mayer Photo.]

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He's Loaded!
Filed under: TV News > Anglophilia

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Wow!

House star Hugh Laurie will be making $400,000 per episode in his new contract with the show.

That salary will make him one of the highest paid actors on TV.

That's a lot of money! We can't believe he's not the top earner!

His network mate, Keifer Sutherland, gets about $500K per episode for playing Jack Bauer on 24.

Laurie was making a 'measly' five figure rate per show when he started in 2004.

Way to move on up, doc!

[Image via Mavrix Online.]

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There's Only One Way This Can End
Filed under: Personally Perez > Zportz

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In the ring!

Come on, SantinA. Bring it.

Perez is not afraid of you!

P.S. We love Beth. She's so trashy and stoopid!

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Their Latest 'Victim'?
Filed under: Tom Cruise > Juliette Lewis > Pink > Lisa Marie Presley

pink.jpg

The power of Xenu!

We hope this isn't true, but…..

Star magazine is reporting that Pink has turned to Scientology!

The singer supposedly sought comfort in the "religion" following her split from ex-husband Carey Hart.

Her pal, fellow rocker Juliette Lewis, is said to have introduced her to Scientology.

Pink's attendance at Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley's baby shower last month is making sense now! In fact, she hosted the party!!!

A source tells the rag, "Pink is in the beginning stages of checking out the religion, but she has taken to it and she wants to get more involved."

Expect a Pink/Tom Cruise sighting very soon!

[Image via WENN.]

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Quote Of The Day
Filed under: Quote of the Day > Celebrity Feuds > Miley Cyrus > Jonas Brothers

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"There’s a lot of shit out there where people are calling it ‘rock.’ I went into Barnes & Noble the other day, and there’s a huge display that says ‘rock & roll,’ and it had a big thing of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. I went, ‘What the fuck is this?’ People are believing that shit that is not rock & roll, is not the rock lifestyle, is rock.”

- Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx tells Rolling Stone