[Smurf-316]

Does McCain Have a Chance in an Election About the Economy?


by Jennifer Rubin | August 7, 2008

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Democrats are frustrated and Republicans are amazed: Barack Obama is not running away with the presidential race.
This is the presidential election, we have been told, that a Democrat can’t lose. The economy is in decline, with unemployment on the rise, President Bush’s approval ratings in the basement and virtually everyone convinced that America is “on the wrong track.” But the race remains tight, at least according to the polls.

The McCain camp would no doubt like to keep the focus of the coverage where it was for most of last week, on story lines far from the economy. The narratives were the ones they dictated: Obama’s presumptuousness, the success of the surge and the Democrats’ opposition to offshore drilling (which has popularity ratings approximately double that of Bush and Congress combined.)
But that’s not a luxury the McCain campaign will have going forward. The economy will be an issue, and no incumbent party in recent times has held the White House in faltering economic times.

If McCain is to have a chance once the discussion shifts back to the No. 1 concern for voters, he’ll have to simultaneously destroy voter confidence in Obama’s ability to manage the economy and separate himself from some of the most unpopular elements of his own party.
So how can he do it?
First, McCain and his surrogates argue that if things are bad now, Obama will only make them worse. By focusing on Obama’s ideas for tax increases (and there are a few of them) and his protectionist hype from the primary, McCain will be invoking memories of Smoot-Hawley, George McGovern and Walter Mondale. If the choice is fiscal conservative versus old-fashioned tax-and-spend liberal, McCain may level the playing field.

The problem: Obama is already sliding away from his self-described “overheated” protectionist language and suggesting he may delay planned tax increases. It makes it hard to paint Obama as a traditional liberal when he’s sounding more like Robert Rubin and less like Robert Reich every day.
Second, McCain takes a few pages from the populist playbook usually employed by Democrats (and more recently, by Mike Huckabee). McCain is not about to run as a defender of big business and unbridled market capitalism. His new ad declares: “Only McCain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, fought corruption in both parties. He’ll reform Wall Street, battle Big Oil, make America prosper again.” Not exactly your average Republican appeal.

[tkea154]

Interesting set of proposals and more interesting set of hurdles to overcome. As I see it, the Party that preached fiscal responsibility abandoned it's message. Deregulation only lead to corruption. The trickle down, trickled off and went straight to the top. Short-sighted business leaders have skimmed off profits by allowing our working class membership to fend for themselves. Too many companies did not take into account the effect of compounding unemployment. With every Company that moved it's operations overseas, it left in it's wake a vaccum of unemployment. The states were also left high and dry by the block grants of the 80's. Each state now has to overcome shortfalls in their bugets. I've voted Republican since Nixon but the boom/bust economics that Truman foretold has come to fruition. Honestly, I think Obama wins by a landside. People increasingly feel, even independents and former Republicans like myself, the Republican Party abandoned the middle-class. Deregulation in the private sector has lead to greed and corruption. You state that Obama has moved off his protectionist views, I hope not because the patient(U.S. economy) took one in the carotid and is hemorrhaging fast.

[WiseOne]

Yup, I have a funny feeling that Obama will win handily. People are so enamored with him and people also want to be a "part of history." The fact of him being black and making history will, most likely, get him elected. I hear people say racism will keep him out and I could not disagree more. McCain has a hard row to hoe this election to be sure!

[metermaidbf1]

Gee, I hate to break the mold here, but I think it is going to be a Slam-Dunk for McCain. Greed and corruption exist on both sides equally. I can bring up either. Nobama's downfall is going to be the fact of the unabashed support by the mainstream media and the support of the hollywood supposed elite that the American public deems to be ignorant! It doesn't have to do with race or gender, because America is ready for that. Politically, America is not a leftist\Socialist country and never should be, if we move that way, you can start putting us in the same sentences as the Romans. Congress is going to have a hard time meeting their aspirations this time as well, their approval has been in the tank even further than GW. When history (real history) looks back, GW won't have done so bad and Congress will have been proven to be a bunch of idiots. I am scared to death right now that Pelosi is 3rd in line! Come on America, stop being so ignorant! Maybe all you'll have to aspire to is being a small town mayor. Guess then you could kick the crap out of Matt Damon when he shows up in your town for a movie.

[Smurf-316]

The Democrats will pick up more seats in congress and who ever wins better be really nice to them....lol

[metermaidbf1]

May God forbid that the American public is that stupid! I know there is precedence depending on this or that, but at a 9% approval rating, do you actually have confidence that the Democrats will retain the house? I do know that Republicans got voted out because they acted like drunk Democrats, but the Dems, haven't done anything in 2 years. I think you'll have to live in la-la land if that will happen. If it does, I'm heading to L.A. to act in a movie, because pretending to be somebody sure has to be a lot easier than actually being somebody and accomplishing something.

[metermaidbf1]

Originally Posted by WiseOne

Yup, I have a funny feeling that Obama will win handily. People are so enamored with him and people also want to be a "part of history." The fact of him being black and making history will, most likely, get him elected. I hear people say racism will keep him out and I could not disagree more. McCain has a hard row to hoe this election to be sure!

Better hold on to that funny feeling if that is what you are wishing for, First out of the box would be to question the change phrase, it hasn;t been so prevalent lately and he picked a 36 year Senator for his running mate, guess that's a lot of change!

[metermaidbf1]

Why, in God's good name, would anyone seriously pick a president because they may be enamored with them or be a part of history? You make a part of history, no matter who you vote for and when you vote for them.

[metermaidbf1]

Obama will lose 67 to 33, not because he is black and totally outspeeches McCain. He will lose because his politics are too socialist for the averagre American to endure!

[metermaidbf1]

This is ridiculous, I am way more qualified than Nobama!