McCain Makes a Mistake

Camp McCain goes negative at the Olympics:



Camp Obama stays with the positive message of the Olympics:



The public seems to prefer positive.

UPDATE: Seems like Nate at Fivethirtyeight.com agrees with me. But then, going negative at the Olympics is always a stupid call. The best thing for McCain: the ads get drowned out in the sea of other positive feeling.

Here's the real problem with McCain's ad: The Olympics are the biggest venue for celebrity creation in the world. Right before Michael Phelps takes the stage, McCain puts on an ad to bash celebrities. Bashing Obama in this context is a little like bashing Michael Phelps. After all, they both have the adoration of the world, right now, and when you look at the pictures of the two, there's little difference. That's only going to create sympathy for Obama...or associate Obama in people's minds with Michael Phelps. Not what McCain should be doing.