Coming back from vacation at the wrong time
A month ago, I wrote about how the ad wars and campaign counterattacks of the 2008 presidential race were having little effect on the polls, since undecided voters weren’t paying much attention.
The high TV ratings for the closing days of the Republican convention, along with the latest polls showing McCain edging into a lead over Obama, suggest that the tabloid-friendly nomination of Sarah Palin as VP caught their notice just long enough to be won over (temporarily, at least) by the “she’s a disaster — no, wait, she’s America’s new conservative sweetheart!” turnabout.
Not only that, the extended apathy toward the race has let McCain revive his effort to become the world’s oldest chameleon. Anyone who tuned in to Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic convention saw an earnest, heartfelt promise to change America. Thanks to the lack of policy specifics and the GOP’s efforts to confuse the electorate, low-information voters who watched McCain’s speech saw a guy who seemed to promise the same thing — only he’s a war hero and has a swingin’ sidekick, too!
As long as no one pays attention to the facts, McCain could get away with it. Obama’s challenge is to inject reality into the race without coming across as a dry, wonky scold (which is exactly the Kerry/Gore mold the GOP would like him to fall into). It’s also going to be a problem that many of the voters who let their opinions be influenced this past week aren’t going to pay much attention again until the debates start later this month — in which time the Republicans will be pressuring the not-likely-to-resist media to essentially declare the election already over, with McCain the presumptive winner.
Obama will not only have to pay for his own microphone, but use it more forcefully and skillfully (or at least do so more consistently) in the coming weeks than he has in the preceding few months if he wants to swing the political conversation back in his favor. (More to come on that subject when I get a chance.)
Tags: McCain, Obama, polls, undecideds, WH 2008
September 8th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Last few months? There is just a month and some change…
September 8th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I’ve edited the line to clarify what I meant. Now it’s your comment that doesn’t make sense.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
How dare you return from vacation, you f#$cking
c@nt
September 9th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Obama/Biden have to come out swinging against Palin and the string of lies her and McChange are propagating. And I don’t mean reality based arguments. They have to republicanswiftboat the personalities themselves for the lying sack(s) of shit, disfunctional, hypocritical ass holes they are. Its their narrative line because its the only thing they (and those leaning their way) respond to.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:30 am
If the press or the pollsters knew how to contact the voters, they would. Since all they know how to do is use their old rolodex with the names provided by some company paid to provide names, they will never have a clue as to who is voting.
The idea that this isn’t going to be a landslide for Obama is absurd. The MSM has to make themselves look attractive to some viewer. I just don’t know any voters that watch the MSM or are called by pollsters.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:48 am
[...] month ago, right after the Republican convention attempted to reinvent John McCain as a reform-bringing outsider, I remarked to someone via email that “with McCain pretending [...]