There is so much to talk about over the last few days, but very little of it can be put together to form a common thread. Here is what is keeping me awake at night:
Negative Campaigning
Obama has finally started his offensive against McCain. Hooray! It's about time someone stood up to the smear tactics of the Republicans, and previously I was really disappointed that Obama sat back and watched the Right gain ground on him as he took the moral high ground by not responding to GOP false claims. It is a well-known fact in political science that negative campaigning works, and this is the home stretch of a race where Obama/Biden are clearly ahead and need to maintain that 6+ percentage point lead. Even if the claim is related to McCain's associations to Keating and the S&L Crisis, the McCain's health care plan, or that McCain is becoming more erratic as of late, it is still negative compared to where Obama stood previously.
In terms of the claims that Obama has associated with "domestic terrorists," it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Obama was only 7 years old in 1968. Serving on a charity board with someone does not constitute "palling around" with terrorists, regardless of the spin neocons want to put on this hockey puck. And even if Obama held a meeting in Ayers' home, he did so many years later, after he was a professor at Northwestern University. I love Keith Olbermann's response.
My prediction is that the negative campaigns will get a lot worse before they ever get better, and I wouldn't be surprised if Reverend Wright was summoned for an encore performance because he proved to be so effective in the past. Fasten your safety belts, America! You're in for one hell of an October reality TV sweeps month...
VP Debate Fallout
I sincerely hope that Thursday was the last time I ever have to sit down in front of a television and have to watch and/or listen to Sarah Palin for 90 minutes ever again. As I mentioned in my previous post, the bar was so low for her that she did well just to show up and read off her cue cards--regardless of the questions that were asked. One source cited 10 times where she failed to answer the question she was asked, in addition to her stating quite bluntly: "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."
Well, Governor Palin, let me put this in simple terms: The American people wanted to know where you stood on all these issues last week during the debate. That was the straight-talk they wanted to hear. That's why Gwen Ifill crafted those questions for you! You're making a mockery of yourself, Governor Palin--even moreso than Tina Fey!
Overall, this "debate" was not about winning or losing; it was about Palin recovering from her recent press interviews and Biden not looking like a patronizing bully. Here is a short list of articles you can read if you are so inclined. DonateGate
I don't know if anyone has coined the phrase yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if we heard something like this blow up in the near future. Obama's campaign donations are being called into question, and the Republicans are crying foul. Personally, I agree that nothing will come of this until after the election is over, and I would prefer that it does not detract from the discourse that should be all about the issues. Full disclosure: I have given the maximum amount ($200) of an individual donor to the Obama campaign.
I think this is a revolutionary way of running a grass-roots campaign, and it brings together some of the forward progress of the 2000 campaign and the 2004 campaign, with so much more to celebrate! Between the Internet and YouTube specifically, we are seeing a fundamental shift in a candidate's ability to reach the masses--as well as a fantastic way for citizens to act!
Big Shifts in the Electoral Map
The economy has created some new swing states in the past week. West Virginia and Georgia are now in play! In addition, McCain pulling out of Michigan is a definite sign of weakness in the GOP campaign. Obama is also pulling ahead with about a 3.0% lead in Florida; some are attributing this to the weaknesses in the economy.
Even though some are saying they could still catch up, there are just as many saying that the race is already over.
Town Hall Debate on Tuesday
Some say the town hall debate format is McCain's strong suit. I would argue, based on Obama's stronger performance in caucuses v. primaries, that it is also Obama's strong suit. Expect a draw, which will go to the front runner. At the time of this entry, the front runner is Obama by more than 6%.
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