The Scorecard
John McCain is not having a very good couple of weeks.
His campaign has been in free fall ever since last week when he called the fundamentals of our economy strong,
He quickly tried to reposition himself on all this economic stuff by insisting he was talking about the American Worker and Small Business owner and we were, in fact, facing a crisis.
Nearly every day since has been an adventure as McCain has unleashed a barrage of prescriptions as if he was engaged in a very public focus group test.
I don’t know about you but these rants do not inspire confidence.
Don’t take my word for it, look at what George Will has to say.
His decision to cancel his appearance on David Letterman may have seemed a good idea at the time but it may prove to be his most egregious error yet.
By insisting that his time would be better spent returning to Washington to focus on the nation’s economy, McCain has invited the wrath of a man who controls five hours of network television a week.
Letterman was hilarious and ruthless in his attack of McCain last night.
And, it turns out, McCain didn’t rush down to the Capitol but merely headed over to another CBS studio which enabled Dave to share with his viewers the shot of McCain having makeup applied to his face across from Katie Couric.
Ouch!
Grade: F
Meanwhile, the President’s remarks last night fell short in a number of respects.
The people who cared enough to watch were looking for an explanation of why this is happening and how the proposed plan will help.
The tone and rhetoric needed to convey urgency while demonstrating that the government’s primary concern was with the average American and not simply bailing out the wealthy.
And it wouldn’t have hurt for him to accept some of the blame for the crisis. The real purpose of the speech was to apply pressure on Congress to move swiftly. A leader with the nation’s welfare at heart would have been willing to share responsibility in order to spur action.
What I saw and heard was a man who was on automatic pilot. He placed blame on everyone but himself. Foreign money flooded our markets. Consumers bought homes they couldn’t afford. Some on Wall Street got greedy.
And the solution wasn’t of his choosing but it’s what the experts say is necessary. And, by the way, Congress needs to act quickly or average Americans are going to be even more screwed.
Did he really say that the rescue was important so people can buy new homes and cars? This are the concerns of the well off. What about the people worried about keeping their jobs, staying in their current homes and putting food on the table? This guy is so out of touch it’s incredible.
Is there a single soul who was motivated to contact their Congressman to support the President after that speech? I don’t think so.
The ball has been passed to Congress, including the candidates who want to move into the White House. Hopefully, they will have a better sense of what concerns the average American.
The need to do something is obvious but he failed to make the case that this particular proposal is the answer.
Grade: D-
Barack Obama would seem to have the most to lose from a major crisis facing the nation but you wouldn’t know it.
The idea of an October surprise usually refers to an international incident that causes Americans to rally around the party in power. It defies logic that any administration would engineer a financial meltdown to foment doubt in the experience of a political opponent but there is the risk that undecided voters would be reluctant to support a relative newcomer such as Obama during such perilous times.
Well you can forget about that. With Bush appearing distant and unengaged and McCain seeming to lose touch with reality, an opportunity to define himself as a confident and compassionate leader has fallen into the lap of Barack Obama and he delivered.
He has been consistent in his call for swift but measured action by Congress. He has outlined the principles that should guide the package. And he has left it to the appropriate experts to work out the details.
I’d call that Presidential.
Some have criticized Obama for beginning overly cool and not getting appropriately angry. I’d call that quibbling. With less than a minute on the clock, I’d rather have the ball in Michael Jordan’s hands than have Bob Knight screaming from the sidelines.
Grade: B+
As for Sarah Palin, the bloom is off that rose.
Her meetings with Henry Kissinger and a handful of world leaders in New York aren’t likely to inspire much confidence if she isn’t willing to share the substance of these meetings with the rest of us.
It’s also a good idea to have more than one example to illustrate what you are trying to assert. Palin has been using a single bill that called for greater oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as proof that McCain has been a leading voice for reform.
But when Couric followed up with a request for another example, she came up empty and promised to get back to Couric with more information.
Double ouch.
Grade: F
Obama has pulled ahead in national polls but the race remains extraordinarily close in the battleground states (though Obama’s lead in Wisconsin has reached seven points which is beyond the margin of error). The next week may be critical. If McCain doesn’t staunch his campaign’s bleeding this may spin out of control. Of course, an Obama stumble could reinvigorate the GOP ticket. In any case, six more weeks and it’ll be over. Unless we have another Florida.
Stay tuned!
