October 7, 2008
The Debate that Really Won’t Matter (Armstrong Williams)
Unless Barack Obama really chokes, tonight’s debate really won’t move the needle of public opinion in John McCain’s favor. Oh, plenty of Americans will be watching, but I would wager that a dwindling few of them remain truly “undecided.” This month’s financial mess has served to crystallize in voters’ minds what they were sensing in their guts for far longer — that the Republican Party just isn’t up to the task of addressing the serious issues facing our nation right now.
To be clear, that’s not to say that the GOP can’t return to its once-dominant role as the party of prosperity. But for now, Americans aren’t buying what Republicans, at any level, are selling.
The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced this goes beyond just having a bad year of Abramoff-type scandals, bathroom-stall encounters and federal indictments. Those don’t help, but the larger problem is one of losing their own identity.
The party I knew fought against wasteful spending at all costs; they didn’t take the path of least resistance when faced with tough choices, as congressional Republicans often did with Bush in the White House. I’m not piling on here, but we all know the first step toward recovery …
So why does this matter to John McCain, you ask? After all, he’s the un-Bush, the one who takes on establishment Republicans. Well, yes and no. Yes, he is an independent-minded thinker, but he’s still brushed with the same coat of paint that has stained the entire party this election cycle. And no, in these final four weeks, McCain will not need to go on the offensive, and that means trotting out some tired lines about the tax-and-spend liberal tendencies of Obama. That sort of hackneyed message just doesn’t appeal to the glassy-eyed hopes of young voters.
Irrespective of his policies and their impact on the electorate, Sen. Obama has elevated above those arguments. Tonight’s debate once more will allow him to look presidential. And that’s why you won’t see too much movement in the polls later this week.
Visit www.armstrongwilliams.com
Permalink TrackBack
Email This Post
Share this post
What's This 14 Comments
»
The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Any real undecideds are mostly for mcCain. I'm sure there'll be many of them at the debate tonight. I don't see how there can be that many 'undecideds' at this point. Some of them want to be in focus groups and on television, or they would not vote for a bi-recial candidate, but won't admit it. That's just my take on it.
Comment by Joyce — October 7, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
Hi Armstrong
I heard on the news this evening that Sen Obama is sending his economic team back to Chicago to construct an updated economic plan… Holy Christmas.
Wow, what an escape plan to avoid responding to the financial quuestions asked by the townies tonight! It's just another slick move …
Another example of avoiding the tough questions… Another opportunity to avoid sticking his neck out… I think we are seeing a pattern here… from the candidate (Obama)that had to be summoned by the President to return to Washington to assist with the bailout. HA!
Somehow - McCain, who never- ever asked for earmarks in his entire career, speaks to me as the leader that will nail those fatcats and put them behind bars. I hope the government finds their money and recaptures some of the loses for the unfortunate people that may not get their paycheck this week, or can't make their payments this week, or planned to retire in a couple of months…
There is no way Obama can ever fix this. I really thinks he is over his head. Alex Baldwin nailed it on Bill Maher Show, 'Obama never though he would have ever gotten this far…'
The next PIG-joke Obama comes up with should place the MSM in the limelight. Thanks to the mass media he HAS gotten this far… They had their hands in the piggy bank too.
Vote McCain/Palin
Comment by JFK-HRC — October 7, 2008 @ 6:55 pm
The wild card in this situation is Sarah Palin. When she speaks, people listen. She alone may carry the day.
Comment by Robert Rosencrans — October 7, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
The Republican brand is indeed damaged, but the Democrats chose to run a candidate who can't withstand close examination of his past and his real positions, while the media is refusing to examine his past and his real position. Therefore the election simply comes down to this: will the dissatisfaction with the brand coupled with being scared about the economic world coming apart outweigh the concerns with the really strange Democratic candidate THAT WILL MAKE IT TO THE PUBLIC AWARENESS. The candidate, on the positive side for him is attracting every left-leaning malcontent thus increasing HIS base, his supporters are attempting to commit huge voter fraud on massive scale, but he also has to face the Bradly effect. You also have to take the following factor into account: in addition to being poorly examined, the Democratic candidate is not experienced. Even with the advantage of the Democratic brand under the circumstances (for no other reason that they aren't Republicans, but with no substance) will the voters think that the inexperienced candidate is ready to solve the horrendous economic problems out there?
Comment by Igor R. — October 7, 2008 @ 7:29 pm
Sounds like you expect Obama to lose the debate.
We need experience now and it,s finally dawning on people that Obama has none and McCain is ready to help us out of this mess.
Have you noticed that Pelosi and Reid are not showing their faces.
The democrats have nothing to offer and know they have got some explaining to do.
Comment by Teerry Gee — October 7, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
I just watched the debate, and I'm very pleased with Senator Obama's performance. I think our nation will elect him as President in four weeks.
Comment by Joyce — October 7, 2008 @ 11:34 pm
From "Politico" - this is the kind of scum that symbolizes what's behind the "reasonable" face of the Obama campaign:
McCaskill's edge
I mentioned a few days ago that Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill's mild affect masks a bit of a killer, and that she's perhaps the Obama campaign's deftest surrogate on the attack.
But I was still kind of amused by her brief interaction with Mitt Romney in the press file just now.
McCaskill was stepping out of her chair at the end of an MSNBC interview, and Romney was up next. She and a staffer unplugged her various wires, and she handed Romney the earpiece the guests use to hear the host.
"I spit on this before I put it in," she said to Romney, with a sweet smile.
UPDATE: Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom emails: "You should have seen what she did to the chair."
Comment by Igor R. — October 8, 2008 @ 12:54 am
I am sorry to say but GOP is not the party of prosperity for everyone only the special few. They some how think wealth will trickle down (not pour down), but it does not and even Nature grows from the bottom up! GOP is called conservative for a reason — they conserve and do not give. Liberal means to give amply and genourosly.
Palins' Un-American Activities
Imagine if the Obamas had hooked up with a violently anti-American group in league with the government of IRAN!. By David Talbot
Oct. 7, 2008 | "My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand." This was former revolutionary terrorist Bill Ayers back in his old Weather Underground days, right? Imagine what Sarah Palin is going to do with this incendiary quote as she tears into Barack Obama this week. ONLY ONE PROBLEM. The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that's the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year. ("Keep up the good work," Palin told AIP members. "And God bless you.") ALSO, Palin quoted James Westbrook Pegler, a facist and racist, in the
debate?
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07...
McCain Camp cannot talk about the economy because their Economics are for the Rich, the well-off and the well connected!
Comment by angellight — October 8, 2008 @ 7:29 am
I can see that our rightwing nutjobs are out in force. After watching the debate, it was clear who could lead America to a better day and it wasn't McCain, it was "that one". I knew I was going to vote for "that one" but McCain just sealed it.
Comment by Mike Coleman — October 8, 2008 @ 9:49 am
McCain needed a win and make Obama look inexperienced, he did neither. What sort of conservative rails against spending then proposes a $300 billion program?
"My friends I will freeze all necessary spending right after I spend another 300 billion!"
The problem with McCain is that he is unable to hide his disdain for Obama, from that snarky "that one" comment to his demeanor on stage, he looked old, cranky and voters noticed. That's the reason why the ten townhalls were a bad idea, it would have disarmed the stark visual contrasts.
Obama also scored points on foreign policy and voters are starting to get comfortable with the idea of an Obama presidency. McCain's attacks were inconsistent and erratic, while Obama effectively counterpunched and linked McCain to Bush. The narrative: McCain=Bush, more of the same.
They are trying to paint Obama as some radical leftwinger, but his appearances continually show otherwise. You are watching a 21st century candidate vs a 20th century pol, and its not even close. This will be a landslide and the GOP should brace themselves for a carnage at the polls in Nov.
Comment by Theard — October 8, 2008 @ 10:46 am
To RR of post # 3. In case you haven't noticed, the Palin infatuation seems to be dieing and the reality of conservative's failed economic philosophies is in American's faces. When the Palin puppet was first dangled at the convention, 95% of Republicans approved of McCain's choice yet 74% conceded she wasn't qualified to be POTUS. Now that this robust conservative economy is in the toilet, people are no longer willing to trust an incompetent and inexperience McCain mouthpiece simply because she's touched the hearts of a few soccermoms and Joe Sixpacks.
Comment by andy42302 — October 8, 2008 @ 11:19 am
Theard
It is my understanding that the $ 300 B was approved long befor the $700 B.
McCain is going to help the innocent people caught up and victemized by the fatcats.
I think you would agree that the fatcats need to be put in prison, return their bonuses. You would agree that regulation should be acknowledged and not ingnored by incompetents like BarneyFranks and the Democratic head-in-the-sand-leadership!
Comment by JFK-HRC — October 8, 2008 @ 11:31 am
JFK,
The 300 Billion was a new proposal that McCain unveiled last night and to my knowledge, it has not been approved.
I will say that Dems werent innocent bystanders in this mess but the fact remains–The GOP was at the helm and controlled congress twelve of the last fourteen yrs.
fatcats and those responsible should face justice.
Comment by Theard — October 8, 2008 @ 12:05 pm
13 Theard
There is some confusion on that 300 B.
Glad we agree on JUSTICE…
Hopefully, they will go to regular prison, a let some of the hardcore criminals move up to the white collar prisons, since these fatcats had a hand in their sad lives and poor choices along the way, no matter how indirect it may be.
Comment by JFK-HRC — October 8, 2008 @ 4:05 pm