FOR Republicans, Sarah Palin’s vice presidential debate performance last week is the silver lining behind which lies a cloud — the reality that the fundamental dynamics of the presidential race remain tilted against their ticket with only a month left to change minds.
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The economy, underscored by congressional action on a $700 billion financial rescue package, is the predominant issue in the campaign, and it’s benefiting Democrat Barack Obama almost by default. Americans are eager for an economic change and seem willing to look past Obama’s proposals to raise taxes and grow government.
At this point it’s unclear whether Republican John McCain has enough time or opportunity to make the case that he is the best economic change agent.
The two remaining presidential debates offer McCain his best chance, but history suggests the debate format makes it hard to score a knockout. Especially when the opponent is playing it safe, as Obama no doubt will do in the upcoming head-to-head meetings. The kind of spectacular victory McCain needs usually requires cooperation — a major gaffe or meltdown — and Obama’s performances have been calm, cool and reassuring.
Still, Palin’s strong work against Joe Biden last week should produce what pundits call an "inflection” in the campaign, a little bump. Her performance will reanimate the GOP base, which will be critical for grassroots efforts down the stretch, as well as turnout on election day.
Palin well exceeded the admittedly low threshold set for her (and by her) before the debate — pounded by opponents, satired by the cultural elite and undercut by her own poor performances in broadcast network interviews — but it’s unrealistic to expect it will erase Obama’s lead.
Only McCain can do that. He can attack Obama on national security and foreign policy questions, but the Democrat was good enough on both in the first debate that it’s doubtful that alone will work.
The real opportunity is on taxes, Obama’s faith in big-government solutions that require more tax dollars and the economy.
The old Reagan line of attack against Washington is available, but McCain must do more than bang populist pots and pans. He can ridicule Obama’s menu of big-government ideas as implausible, historically speaking, but also must convince voters he has an economic vision that reaches into the middle-class homes that are embracing his running mate.
It’s a steep climb. Palin’s debate performance at least offers the chance. Now McCain must make the most of it.
The two remaining presidential debates offer McCain his best chance, but history suggests the debate format makes it hard to score a knockout.
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God bless whoever wrote this article they are grasping harder than Fox News to find something positive to say. I do not think anyone can fairly say that Palin or McCain have won anything in this campaign. One is clearly clueless about the economy and the other is clueless about everything! The thought of this stupid bimbo self described hockey mom running this country makes me scared as hell! I think she may be even dumber than George W but its close. God save us from our politics
Ambrooke, re your 9:08 a.m. Oct. 6 post (below): Prophetic. At this week's events, Palin revved up her demagoguery to such a pitch that one supporter yelled "kill him!" as she went on about the inflated Obama-Ayers connection; at other events, supporters yelled out "treason" and "terrorist" in reference to Obama, profanity and personal threats have been hurled at media covering the events, and one supporter threw a racial epithet at a black camera man (following that gem up with "sit down, boy," just for good measure).
This is nauseating. I typically ignore the invective that individual supporters or bloggers spew, but this is different: This is the candidates themselves stoking a mob mentality that is dangerous. This is the sort of stuff that triggers (as it did yesterday) the need for Secret Service investigations into threats against the candidates--i.e., the need to look into whether the "kill him" shouter was serious. Who shouts that sort of stuff at a campaign event? How mentally unstable do you have to be. Regardless, the fault lies with the campaign for taking this turn.
My hope (and, actually, my belief) is that McCain is NOT comfortable with this turn in the campaign. But like his party's forcing him to select Palin over his preferred running mate, I suspect that this turn has less to do with him as a man and more to do with the cynicism of current GOP president campaign politics.
McCain and Palin are grasping at straws and nothing they do seems to work. They can sling all the mud at Obama they want, but we Americans are just not buying the crap republicans have been selling for the past 8 years anymore. We get that when Bush took office that there was a huge budget surplus. We get that we were talked into a quagmire of a war based on a lie and that in the process we have killed thousands of our best and bravest young men and women in the process. We understand that our economy is in the tank. We are not buying your right wing crap anymore. Keep slinging all the mud you want, while progressives laugh all the way to the White House.
You have 2 rich guys running for president. If they both want other rich people's taxes raised, how come so many, especially like Oprah want to pay more taxes? Why not just do what is morally correct and give it away instead of going through a middle man?
Its amazing that Oklahoma is a red state. Just shows how dim Oklahomans are in intelligence. If you believe that electing a party to the Senate, Hosue and Presidency can make a difference how can you possibly vote Republican?
Nah, what Mc/P will do is drag out every low-road tactic they can find from the Karl Rove playbook. Sad, given that its something McCain tended to rise above in his past. Just wait--we're going to hear "Obama is a terrorist," "Obama hates America," "Obama is a Muslim," "Obama hates white people," etc. etc. etc. For Palin, it will be like a duck to water. For McCain, you'll be able to see how much he hates doing this on his face.
Convincing voters that he has an "economic vision that reaches into middle-class homes" is going to be pretty tough for Sen. McCain, since to date it appears that he has no economic vision at all. He may want to start there.
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Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
This is nauseating. I typically ignore the invective that individual supporters or bloggers spew, but this is different: This is the candidates themselves stoking a mob mentality that is dangerous. This is the sort of stuff that triggers (as it did yesterday) the need for Secret Service investigations into threats against the candidates--i.e., the need to look into whether the "kill him" shouter was serious. Who shouts that sort of stuff at a campaign event? How mentally unstable do you have to be. Regardless, the fault lies with the campaign for taking this turn.
My hope (and, actually, my belief) is that McCain is NOT comfortable with this turn in the campaign. But like his party's forcing him to select Palin over his preferred running mate, I suspect that this turn has less to do with him as a man and more to do with the cynicism of current GOP president campaign politics.