Oct 08 2008
A Tie Goes To McCain. He Will Change Washington, Not America
McCain wants to change DC, Obama wants to change America!
Reading through the views of the politically obsessed this morning (me being one myself) one has to step back and think about the country and our choices. Just about everyone agrees the debate was boring (after Sarah Palin, of course it was boring) and basically a draw. Conventional wisdom had decided a draw goes to Obama because he is in the lead (sort of, for now). Many on the right are mad McCain wasn’t throwing everything at Obama he had in his arsenal on Obama’s bad history.
As usual I am going to be contrary here. Obama’s checkered past is sinking in slowly with the public, the surrogates can do the trash talking. Â That is what Sarah and Joe What’s-his-name are for. American’s don’t want to hear from their Presidential options all about who the other guy played cards with ten years ago. They want to hear where the nation will go.
And in these times of near panic and a lot of partisan screaming, keeping a cool head is a damn important thing to steady a nation rocked by war and financial crisis. The last 8 years have been tough, but not because of Bush but because we were thrust into fighting a war with a devilish and brutal enemy. The sub-prime mess took decades to blow up, but it is clear it was due to liberal politics taking over sound lending practices, and DC cronyism where money flowed from mortgages into fat cat pockets and into campaign coffers.
McCain nicely tied Obama to the financial mess and many agree McCain dominated the economic issue. That IS the issue of the day folks. Instant gratification is such a waste of time. Americans are going to ponder the debate and let things sink in. They will work it at the water cooler and over a few dinners. All these political junkies forget to savour the moment and watch history unfold. Their impatience with their fellow citizens is why hyper-partisanship is so tarnished.
Here’s how the world looks outside the minutiae of the political industrial complex and the politically obsessed. It’s scary out there. We have enemies still trying to kill us and a financial disaster rolling the world now. All of our future plans for ourselves and our families are now at risk. There is a great unknown ahead of us. 91% of us think we are on the wrong track, and the track is not leading to a shining city on a hill.
When America steps into that voting booth they can select between a inexperienced, unknown, platitude slinging junior senator who promises everything on a silver platter, or they can go with the old war horse who has been attacked by every side in DC. One of the reasons Obama may be slipping in the polls is once he became the inevitable choice people FINALLY started to think about what that would mean. And I think they started to get worried.
One of my readers, Archtop, summed it up very well last night:
Obama wants to change America while McCain wants to change Washington.
This is the golden nugget that came out of this debate. This is the bottom line bumper sticker America gets. This is Obama’s Achilles Heal – he and his liberal friends hate America and want to change America. McCain wants to fix Washington, because that is the cause of America’s problems.
I think America will, in the end, reject the risky choice of Obama mainly because he doesn’t have faith in America and McCain does. And McCain showed that faith and respect all night. To build moment takes one good small shove in the right direction at a time. Each shove helps you pick up speed.
Obama has the entire liberal media covering for him, more money than God, and more air time with his ads. And still he is only tied? This is going to be an interesting week or two coming up. But don’t lose faith in America – John McCain hasn’t.
Wild Idea: Send Palin to debate Obama for the last round! The election will be over.
McCain wants to change DC, Obama wants to change America!
I think the point that Obama wants to change America while McCain wants to change Washington is an incredible shorthand that honestly and brutally describes the difference between Obama and McCain.
The point needs to be brought home in ads every day from now through the election — McCain has to make it clear the problem is NOT AMERICA, but the political culture in Washington
And PALIN needs to be making this point in every stop and every speech — America, there’s nothing wrong with you, you work hard and play by the rules. Obama says he wants to change America and he’ll require you to work — you need to TELL WASHINGTON TO CHANGE and TELL WASHINGTON TO LEAVE YOU ALONE!
I only hope that your analysis of polls is correct… Tie goes to Senator Obama… Game over if polls ARE correct… Next week’s debate is anti-climactic… Senator Obama will sit on his lead as he did with Senator Clinton and ride to a close win… 🙁
You might remember when you pounded on me because I hoped
that texasdarlin might have found enough facts to disqualify Obama.
I still hope she has and the Berg lawsuit will pay off.
If not, I won’t mind, at all, if a meteor lands on Obama’s head.
Or a lightning strike finds him out and about.
I don’t think you politically addicted operatives get it.
Most of the voters are not as clued up as you / we are.
Historians will analyze from the future how the USA made the same
mistakes (sort of) that led 1930’s Germany into WWII.
After 2010, the Left will turn on itself, but too late for maybe
twenty – thirty million Americans who happened to live in DC,
NYC, SanFran, or LA.
AJ,
at this point I am not reading any MSM reports on the election.
I am bored rigid with our media – that includes Fox News.
I might be one of those voters who won’t bother to respond to a poll,
(if I was asked). I got my absentee ballot yesterday, from the state
of California, and I will vote a straight Republican ticket.
After that, I’ll turn on the radio on Nov 5th to see who won.
If Obama wins, I’ll then just look to safeguard myself. For now, I live
in the middle of nowhere. If Obama wins, I’ll keep it that way.
I SENT THE NEW SLOGAN TO JOHN MCCAIN 2008. MACCAIN WANTS TO CHANGE WASHINGTON, OBAMA WANTS TO CHANGE AMERICA. Maybe if enough people sent it to the McCain compaign he will get it.
Interesting.
Obama files motion to delay producing his birth certificate:
http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/defendants-obama-and-dnc-desperate-to-delay-discovery/#more-3680
One can hope.
[…] Strata: thinks McCain helped himself and he had a comment with a good slogan; McCain wants to change DC, Obama wants to change America! […]
Looking back at the debate, I think the question of who won is the wrong question. Although McCain did NOT win, maybe we should ask who lost?
My answer to that is Obama clearly lost. It became clear last night that Obama is a socialist who wants to change America.
McCain though needs an economic plan and needs to announce it aoon with a big speech. Then let Sarah take over its promotion. Four points:
1) taxes – extend the 2003 tax cuts, cut the corporate rate to 25%, alternative voluntary flat tax, abolish the AMT, cut dividend tax to 15%, and full tax deductions for capital investments.
2) Budget cuts of $200 billion per year
3) Anti-Inflationary monetary policy. I know the Fed just cut the Fed Funds rate to 1-1/2%, however, with the above tax policy the Fed Funds rate needs to rise as the economy recovers. We cannot have negative real interest rates (the nominal rate minus the inflation rate). Obama does not talk about the ruinous monetary policy he supports.
4) Regulatory refrom on oil, natural gas drilling, nuclear power, and transmission lines for solar and wind projects. Palin’s natural gas pipeline is not scheduled to open until 2017 because of red tape. Solar projects are delayed because the greens tie down the approval of transmission lines to connect the projects to the grid. Mr. Pickens where are you?
Wild Idea: Send Palin to debate Obama for the last round! The election will be over.
Why yes, yes it would be. But not the way you think.
Here’s another wild idea: how about letting Palin hold a press conference? Why do think the McCain campaign won’t let that happen?