Vague Concerns
I suppose I should be more enthused by Obama's triumphant speech to a couple of hundred thousand Germans in Berlin. It was a pretty good speech, well delivered. And it's not just John McCain's comments bringing me down.
I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering any place outside of the country after I am president of the United States.
I'm not sure whether McCain said this today because he's already filled his quota of political speeches in other countries or because he really does forget that he campaigned in Canada just over a month ago.
No, it's nothing McCain's doing to make me feel uneasy, but it all seems to be too easy for Obama. McCain and his campaign seem to be flailing, and--tightening polls notwithstanding--Obama seems to be looking more and more inevitable. The problem with that? I don't believe in inevitable. I want to see Obama work for and earn the presidency, not just coast to victory because McCain's running a lame campaign. I don't believe that Obama will coast to victory, because I think if it looks too much like a fait accompli there will be a backlash.
Of course, maybe I'm just rambling and don't know what I'm talking about. It's probably just the phase of the moon.
posted by Doug @ 2:16 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I'm having the exact opposite reaction you are. All the fundamentals are against Senator McCain -- the economy, the war, the anti-incumbent sentiment. The McCain campaign itself is a series of screw-ups -- yesterday, they had the guy trying (and failing) to define the surge while standing in the cheese section of the grocery store, before whisking him off to the Sausage Haus to speak before a crowd of tens.
And despite all of this, the polls are tightening. Why? What is it people in swing states (let alone red states) are seeing that makes them say "Yeah, I'm probably going to vote for Senator McCain?" I understand that roughly a third of the electorate is committed to the GOP and to conservatism, and would vote for a brain-dead rhesus monkey if he were the Republican nominee (just as a third of the electorate will vote for the Democrat, no matter what). It's that independent third of the electorate who decide elections, and the poll all seem to indicate that they are relatively evenly split.
It reminds me a little of the SNL sketch from 1988 where they parody the debate. Carvey as President Bush gives an answer to a question that consists mostly of him saying "I'm sure I've used up the 90 seconds alotted for my answer, so I'll leave it at that. What? I still have 83 seconds left? Oh. Well, I'm sure this discussion about how much time I had left has used up that time. What? You're not counting this discussion against my time? Are you sure? That seems unfair to Governor Dukakis."
When Carvey finishes his answer, Lovitz as Governor Dukakis just turns to the camera and deadpans "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy."
And right now, I can't believe Senator Obama isn't posting the same kind of numbers he posted against Alan Keyes.
I remember that sketch (I had the same reaction as "Dukakis"), but I also remember seeing it on some news show (probably one of the Sunday morning talkfests), when it was used as an example of how well SNL captured Dukakis's arrogance.
Like you, I don't know why anybody with an open mind would seriously consider McCain. But the fact that they seem to be makes me nervous.
I was talking to a staunchly Republican friend of mine recently and he shed some light on his voting philosophy that explains why McCain has a legitimate shot at winning this thing. I'm paraphrasing, but he basically said, "I thought Bush was a total doofus, but better him than Al Gore or John Kerry. And McCain is a hell of a lot better candidate than Bush, so I'm happy to vote for him. I wish he'd been the nominee in 2000."
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