If this election was a speech-making contest it would have been over before it started. McCain is still a halting speaker with a tendency to step on his words. But he has a biography that resonates with his supporters. Warm-up speaker after speaker stressed how McCain had risked his life for his country, so the people here could give up a couple of hours to turn voters out for him. In 2004, John Kerry won this county by 25 points and the McCain campaign knows that they need to stop Obama from racking up a margin here that is so big that they can’t overcome it in the rest of the state.
The theme of service continued when Cindy McCain introduced her husband by pointing out that the McCains and the Palins currently have three children on active service. (One of Joe Biden’s son is heading to Iraq soon). McCain’s stump speech, though, is surprisingly light on foreign policy. Instead he is pressing the argument that Obama will mean higher taxes. In a nifty bit of triangulation, he stresses how both he and Obama disagree with Bush on economic policy. But Obama thinks Bush left taxes too low while McCain thinks spending is too high.
To my mind, McCain should be emphasising the Commander in Chief test more. Obama’s defence of his tax plan—he says he’ll cut them for 95 percent of families—does seem to be working. But national security is an area where McCain still leads. Obama, who four years ago was a state senator in Illinois, would be the most inexperienced Commander in Chief in the history of the Republic. Given that America is fighting two wars and trying to prevent Iran from going nuclear this is no small issue.
One final note on the McCain crowds: There is a narrative in the press that McCain crowds are dangerously angry. But at this rally the mood was upbeat and light-hearted. There was no animus beyond the usual political knockabout directed at Obama. I’m sure there are some yahoos who have been making idiots of themselves at McCain rallies but the attempt to tar all McCain supporters with this brush is deeply unfair.
PS I discovered one new area of agreement between McCain and Obama today. Both campaigns are playing Brooks and Dunn’s Only in America as the second song after the candidate leaves the stage.
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