McCain's Soft Offensive Against Obama
While the Democratic contenders are locked in battle, John McCain is roaming the countryside.
First was the Bio Tour—a sort of “this is your life” venture revisiting his personal highlights. Then came the “It’s Time for Action” tour, which wended through places his campaign describes as “communities that have been forgotten and left behind.”
This has spawned a certain amount of head-scratching in Republican circles. Why the soft sell during a period when the Democrats are making it so hard to get attention? And why go to places that never vote Republican anyway?
It’s not as crazy as it seems. Yes, McCain makes much of the idea of projecting an honorable image, and avoiding personal attacks. And certainly, as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do bloody, muddy battle, McCain has been able to present himself as someone who has remained above the fray. (Witness his public condemnations of the North Carolina Republican Party for running scary attack ads against local Democrats based on Obama's controversial pastor.)
But these tours themselves, ostensibly conducted for the purpose of re-introducing McCain and reaching beyond usual Republican enclaves, are something else: an implicit criticism of Obama, whom McCain is convinced will be his opponent.
What could be negative—or even comparative—about visiting the Naval Academy and his high school? Plenty.
While Obama was fending off stories about his flag pin and his wife’s comment that she had never been proud of America, McCain was reveling in nostalgia over his family’s military service and the sacrifices he made in service of “a cause greater than [himself].”
While Obama deals with question after question about his spotlight-dwelling mentor Reverend Wright, McCain introduced us to his salt-of-the-earth English teacher who, McCain says, influenced his character and values. The implicit message is that the other guy has Wright’s invective and McCain has Mr. Ravenel's honor code.
As Obama suffered defeat in Pennsylvania, losing many rural areas by thirty points, where was McCain? In Inez, Kentucky, extolling the virtues of coal miners, and discussing Obama’s “bitter” comments in front of a cheering crowd heavy with religious, gun owners.
The tours may be the best solution for the dilemma that plagues the McCain campaign: they desperately want to refight the culture wars but have a candidate who doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. The tours provide him with venue after venue to make the arguments about character and values which will form a key portion of his campaign message.
Not that this soft offensive is likely to last much past the time a Democratic nominee is finally selected.
McCain will suddenly find himself under attack, and subtlety will go out the window. When he really means to set up a contrast between his supporters and associates and Obama’s—and his patriotism and his opponent’s—he will have no choice but to directly address those issues himself.
It’s also fair to ask whether McCain will really be able to run a general election campaign premised on refighting a culture war in a year when voters are talking about other things. With the Iraq war unconcluded and the economy lurching toward recession, Americans will have limited patience for the sight of McCain revisiting his childhood and wandering through “forgotten” places. They will want him to focus on foreclosures, health care and jobs in their neighborhoods.
It will be time for action.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 46.4
- 41.6
- Obama +4.8
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 55.7
- 32.7
- +23.0
- McCain
- 52.4
- 34.7
- +17.7
You are dead right on my friend...People want to talk about issues. But the GOP has become so weak on issues in th last 20 years that the only escape is found within those cultural wars... There is no question those cultural wars will be there come this november...This is even more so granted the unconventional nature of the potential Dem nominee (a woman or an African-American). I wonder however if those cultural wars won't backfire on the GOP...We'll have to wait and see...
Presidentia elections are decided by swing voters who care more about character/personality/appearance/leadership than issues stances. The American people will not elect as President an emaciated arugula eater whose father was a Muslim goatherd and whose father figure/spiritual advisor beseeched God to damn America. Obama will join the Dukakis, Kerry, Mondale pantheon.
I'm not entirely certain that he is trying to fight the so called cultural war. I think he has been left with a significant mess that has to be cleaned up and he seems to approach it realistically. The other issue that never comes out in your media is that Senator Obama has a very leftist agenda. I would suggest the first socialist (at least in platform) since William Jennings Bryan. I am not entirely certain that the Democrats want an issue campaign because this will become immediately apparent if it does. The democrats cannot with a leftist platform.... no matter how many books the intellectuals write about Kansas.
Don't worry Jim, all of Obama's leftist tendencies will be on display this Fall, if a few 527's have anything to say about it. At that point, along with this wonderful gift of Reverend Wright, poor Obama will have fallen the farthest of any candidate since Dewey was a cinch to win the election in 1948!
McCain should have been in Pennsylvania. He should be in be in the remaining democratic primary states matching dollar for dollar any advertising going on. While it looks like a primary, the national election is taking place now and people are taking positions on issues without republican involvement. He should outline where both candidates are wrong or misleading, because once the candidate is selected unity will emerge and, since Obama and Clinton are so similar, the platform will have been solidly communicated.
I would rather an hear an Obama+Clinton versus McCain debate now so I can start to make a decision rather than wait for the red state / blue state retoric.
McCain needs to a Clinton. Take the high road himself and have his surrogates do the dirty work.
i'm sure he will find many willing volunteers
McCain needs to a Clinton. Take the high road himself and have his surrogates do the dirty work.
i'm sure he will find many willing volunteers
I partially agree and partially disagree. I agree that his tours up to now have been extremely useful and clever. However, I think that elections are won and lost on image and emotion. As the election comes closer and McCain's offensive gradually becomes more direct and intense, he will use the emotions of the culture wars to bring out the base. Remember that unlike Clinton, Obama has not convinced the masses that he even shares any American values. Also, remember that conservative policies are not exactly popular at the moment.
McCain and the Republicans needed a culture war; the issues are the last thing they want to talk about. Obama is more than happy to oblige. He has no experience. No one believes in this hope and change surrounded with Bush bundlers, oil executives, Wright, Rezko and Ayers. Obama is a weak character, a typical politician surrounded with some unsavory characters and likely owing some favors. This is what is meant by paying your dues. If you have enough experience, you know the usual suspects. DC is not going to change. An outsider with this much baggage is no reformist. Hillary Clinton was the "policy" candidate, and the Republicans did everything they could in the early caucuses to get her out of the race. Now they're trying to keep her in to drag the primaries out as long as possible and damage Obama for the GE while letting her take the blame. She knows what's going on. That's why Bill appeared on Limbaugh's show the day TX voted. The Dems fell for it hook, line and sinker. It's another year with a Republican in the White House.
McCain's getting to the issues. He put out a health care plan today (insurance pool with some level of federal subsidies for those who can't get or can't afford insurance on the private market) which looks like it might actually work without involving a complete federal government takeover of health insurance. It's the most practical health plan I've heard from any of the three candidates because it doesn't involve tearing the system up and replacing it with a giant federal bureaucracy.
And the visits to "forgotten" areas aren't a waste of time, either. If the Dem superdelegates dump Obama for Hillary - which they might do if Hillary stomps Obama in Indiana - and if McCain chooses a black running mate (JC Watts?), a lot of black voters are gonna be giving the Republican Party a second look, especially if McCain can come up with some practical programs which will benefit black voters (like the health care plan).
I think this is one reason McCain is taking the high road on the Wright mess. If you plan to seriously court black voters, you can't start by trashing the first serious black candidate for president.
This is a good strategy. Republicans need to rebuild their party by broadening its appeal. So Republicans might as well start by making an effort to show respect for black voters.
amen
The Federal Income Tax Lien for $48,000.00 filed against Rev. Wright
www.webofdeception.com
Will the media in the White House Garden ever ask Bush a real question? I can't tell if they gave up, because his answers are so pathetic, or they feel sorry for a president with such dismal approval ratings.
Man, this president is such a hack. If you look at Eisenhower, there was a man who you could call a leader.
People say that Karl Rove is such a genius. I really doubt that, because once you take the issues that anger everyone out of his calculus, you are left with a president that is rarely coherent and intelligible in his answers.
I hope that this country moves on from leaders like this.
"Give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves" - Lenin (?)
Why should the Republicans chase after the black vote?? Only 9 percent the last election. It's obvious blacks are shackled to Democrats much to their chagrin. However none have the fortitude to question their kneejerk support of a party that has done nothing for them but use and abuse them.
Hispanics are the wave of the future. Get used to it.
(1) Why should we "chase after" the black vote? Um, possibly because black voters are our fellow citizens and if we treat them with respect they might decide to support Republican candidates? Isn't that the usual reason political parties "chase after" various groups of voters?
(2) We should ALSO "chase after" Hispanics. I don't see why Republicans can't seek support from black AND Hispanic voters. The Republican Party has a lot to offer and we should do a better job of getting our message out instead of just writing off particular groups on the theory that they'll never vote for us anyway so why bother.
The real question, though, it does it really matter? I mean, haven't the critical mass made up their minds already anyways?
Why waste time going after the African vote?? Republicans have proved that they don't need to win those votes to succeed nationally and locally.
Africans will not vote for anyone with a capital R behind their name. It's been ingrained in black folk since around FDR, and solidly since LBJ.
Great blogpost, "McCain: Maverick... or Goose?", at www.streetsweeper.wordpress.com