Issues, Not Insults

01 August 2008 |permalink | email article

A steady string of taunting McCain ads by veteran Bush 2004 operatives has been effective. Part of a calculated pattern to distract Obama they have forced him off message as the Democratic convention draws nearer. 

Whether race becomes a driving issue, which neither candidate wants, is unclear, but odds favor Obama to win – but only if he can exploit McCain’s weaknesses and convince voters that he’s experienced enough to lead and detail a specific blueprint for change.

Oddly, Obama is getting some help from many unhappy conservative commentators. One is Daniel Henninger at the Wall Street Journal who suggested this week that McCain’s remarks on taxes, Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore are obtuse.

“What I’m asking is, does John McCain have the mental focus, the intellectual discipline, to avoid being out-slicked by Barack Obama, if he isn’t abandoned by his own voters?”

Snap Shots

Two Atlantic.com Polls: One suggests McCain, by 79% to 21%, is exploiting the race issue; the other shows Obama to be perfectly humble (49%), needs to be more humble and careful (40%), and is presumptuous ((11%).

Quote of the Day

*** “I don’t want to become a Democrat; I just want a new direction and then a chance for the Republican Party to get back to its roots.” – Rita B. Hauser, a prominent philanthropist and former Bush fundraiser who supports Obama as part of his campaign to woo atypical voters to the Democratic column.

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