“Fumbled the ballâ€, “slipped on iceâ€, “dropped the soapâ€, any of these statements accurately describe the McCain Campaign’s latest tactical & potential strategic blunder.
He has “suspended his campaign†so he can address the issue of the economy in Washington. He is calling for a suspension of the debates until a decision can be reached. On the surface, it sounds kinda nice. Our gray-haired, war vet is hoping on a plane to help to ‘get to the bottom’ of the worst economic crisis in 80 years. However, much like Chess, Poker and Go-Fish, any good move cannot be evaluated till his or her opponent has a chance to strike back (that is, as long as it is not checkmate, four of a kind, etc.), and in this case, Obama’s cards look pretty good.
The Line in the Sand
The old man drew a line in the sand, which I suppose, he thought it was the same old Democrats who would go “me too†and sit down and let McCain lead. Well, Obama is not from the ranks of the old guard. The Illinois Senator called his bluff, saying, “This is exactly the time the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess.”
Now what Johnny boy? Well I guess he has no choice but to suspend his campaign and let Obama get a few extra days to campaign with the old man locked up in Washington trying to “solve†the crisis.
Polls are Against Him
Will America shun Obama for not looking as responsive? According to a Survey USA Poll: No. In fact a wide majority across the board (men, women, 18-30, etc.)of those polled thought it wouldn’t help. Apparently America is not as dumb as McCain’s camp thought, as it likely would not help. What is he going to do? Descend from the sky in a plane wearing a cape, ready to stop the potential next great depression? Perhaps analysis will change, however the polling data was so overwhelming, that it’s not likely to swing very much.
Plus now with a poll showing Obama opening up a commanding lead, many are asking if he is really trying to jumpstart his campaign.
Ask Dave
Meanwhile the show rolls on with McCain locked in a think-tank? Well, not exactly. The Arizona Senator bailed on David Lettermen at the last minute (I suppose to follow through with his threat). Now he stiff’s Letterman for an entire guest spot with Dave having nothing to talk about, but how he got stiffed by John McCain. See the spot below. It’s hilarious!
Dave praises the man but torpedoes the move, “He can’t run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?”
“What are you going to do if you’re elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We’ve got a guy like that now!”
Lettermen than plays live footage from an interview McCain was giving with Katie Couric, Dave declares “You need a ride to the airport!â€
In front of an audience of millions, and millions more on the Internet, Dave turned McCain’s free advertising into the best reason to vote for Obama. I’ve heard this from people behind the scenes, YOU DON’T MESS WITH DAVE! He has an attitude and he’s not afraid to use it!
Meanwhile Wanda Sykes was on Leno tearing down the GOP:
“Well, you know, I watched the convention. you know, watching the Democratic Convention, it felt like America. You know, it looked like America. It was hopeful and it was positive and, you know, everybody holding hands. And then I watched the Republican Convention. It was like watching a meeting in Dr. Evil’s lair.â€
McCain’s Offensive Collapsing
Worse yet for McCain is that the Democrats in the Senate jumped all over him. Reid
stated that there was no need for McCain to even be there, Barney Frank called it the biggest Hail Mary in the history of politics or Mary’s. Others called it a stunt, and his increasingly souring relationship with the media just keeps working against him.
Besides, the Democrats are leaking that a compromise has been reached. Wouldn’t McCain look stupid if a compromise was reached before he even got to Washington? Let’s just hope that the rumors are true.
Even worse is that McCain may hold the fate of the bill in his hands. If he is against it, his Republican cohorts will vote with him, if they don’t, it’s a sign of abandonment. With the chances of a compromise being reached with the President with no need of any major Republican votes, McCain may even be seen as irrelevant.
The Debates
Now McCain wants to put off the debates. Aside from the fact it will cost the University where the debates are being held $5 Million Dollars (yeah that’s conservatism for you) it will translate into decreased ratings for CNN and CNN.com that will be astronomical.
Plus it makes McCain look like a coward, especially since he is talking about delaying the Vice Pres. Debates. It has become widely known that they are hiding Palin from the media and delaying the debates will be taken as a sign of weakness.
hat the old man has slipped and it is highly likely that he won’t get up (that is not a reference to the infamous Life-Alert ads of the ‘90s). ABC News analyst George Stephanopoulos told Good Morning America Wednesday that a challenger up over the 50% mark, as Obama was today, has not lost since Harry Truman’s amazing upset over Dewey.
This is, of course, only one poll. I have seen many that have the race closer. However, I did not see any that had McCain in the lead, which means the momentum has swung away from him and Obama is clearly on the rise.
All eyes are on these debates now. They could break Obama, who is expected to do better or seal the deal on McCain. I’ll tell you one thing. If McCain cannot get the upper hand on Obama, the McCain / Palin team will surely be defeated.
Could it be that the nightmare of Bush and the Republicans is coming to an end? I believe so. Unfortunately it may not be enough to save us from their monumental catastrophic mistakes.
On that happy note, I will leave you with something to cheer ya up a notch: A funny sketch from Saturday Night Live that skewers the McCain ad strategy with humor.