A Campaign Holiday?

This week begins the two-month campaign slow-down between the July 4th Holiday and the Democratic and Republican Conventions. As with almost every presidential election, a candidate can't win the race during this time, but one sizable slip-up can certainly lose it. It's during this campaign lull when a candidate can be irreparably branded, so it's important to stay on the offensive and respond quickly to attacks. In 2004, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth emerged during the summer to undermine John Kerry's military record. In 1988, it was this summer calm that saw George H.W. Bush unleash Willie Horton on Michael Dukakis, forever branding him as soft on crime. Going into this break, both candidates have very clear plans for where they'd like to be positioned entering the two weeks of conventions in late-August and... [read full story]