The divided we stand gambit
The McCain campaign’s decision to start emphasising that a vote for McCain is a vote for divided government is a smart move. There are a considerable number of independent voters who are tempted by Obama but would have second thoughts about the Democrats running the show in Washington without any checks on them.
But once again McCain’s lack of a message is a hindrance to him. He needs to be able to say convincingly that he’ll work with Congress to get X, Y and Z done.
There is talk that the McCain will roll out a set of new economic proposals this coming week. If McCain is to get back in the game—and the polls both nationally and in the key states show him falling further behind—these need to be practical and centered on the middle class. McCain has to present himself as part of the radical centre, someone who knows that change is needed and is going to get it done.
At the moment, Obama is rolling to victory. The financial crisis has given him a huge boost; more thanks to how it appears to bolster his campaign action than because of any positive actions on his part. McCain needs to find a way to talk about this issue, and fast, if he is going to become competitive again.
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DC Cat
October 12th, 2008 11:46pmWon't work, people vote for president and then down the ballot
Old Hack
October 13th, 2008 4:18amUnity=change
Divided=gridlock
Yes Americans (like everyone else) prefer not to have one party in too dominant a position for long.
But this time I don't know whether it squares with the cleanup of Washington message.
A cleanup would require goodwill on the Hill from the Dems.
For better or worse this message is premature but it will be the Gop platform in '10
THX1138
October 13th, 2008 9:49amIt seems that Johnny Drama and Bile Spice are divided with Bible Spice on minute 14 of her 15 mins of fame and her chances of becoming VP disappering before her eyes, wanting to press on with even more vicious attacks on Obama.
Johnny Drama knows the game is up and is desperately trying to reign in the rapture wingnuts to salvage the last tattered remnants of his reputation.
The last couple of weeks should be great fun as GOP disintegration gathers pace and the blame starts to fly.
Conservative Cabbie
October 13th, 2008 11:43amTHX
Please please please come back here on Nov 5th should McCain actually win. I would so like to read you writing some humble pie.
Ian C
October 13th, 2008 11:46amThe McCain campaign's incoherence since the financial meltdown is a result of not having a clear strategy and message form the start that could cope with the election moving onto less favourable ground. Once the election was no longer about Obama he would always struggle without a clear alternate mesaage. His failure to nail Obama on the tax front while he had the chance is a result of that incoherence.
See todays WSJ online on how easy it should have been to nail the 'tax reductions' of Obama's promised programme. He is copying a certain G Brown's tax credits which are a dishonest name for benefit dependency and for some extraordinary reason it has remained un-rumbled in spite of the failed precedent, along with so much else about this man.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122385651698727257.html?mod=djemITP
THX1138
October 13th, 2008 12:45pmConservative Cabbie- I will be back on Nov 5 I promise but I doubt very much that I will be eating any pie.
Why don't you go back and see Mel she's got a new post up spouting the same old crap you wingnuts love so much.
In the real world Obama has just gone +6.5 in Colorado and +7 in Gallup daily tracking
THX1138
October 13th, 2008 8:01pmHitch Endorses Obama and knifes Palin
http://www.slate.com/id/2202163/
"And the only public events that have so far featured his absurd choice of running mate have shown her to be a deceiving and unscrupulous woman utterly unversed in any of the needful political discourses but easily trained to utter preposterous lies and to appeal to the basest element of her audience"