I'm uncomfortable about this election. McCain just doesn't seem to be a worthy opponent for Obama. The campaign has already descended into trivialities instead of issues. The Republicans need a credible, viable candidate to make this all worthwhile.
It's easy to forget that the Republican convention is almost a month away. It's not too late for them to pick someone else. Not only that, it would probably all be consistent with their party rules (I admit I haven't checked). That is, if all of the primary election candidates withdrew their candidacy, including McCain, then the candidate would simply be chosen at the convention, as they were in the "old days".
I think that this could actually help their chances of winning, too, for four reasons:
- They would have a better candidate
- The undivided attention of the world media would be focused on the Republicans rather than Obama
- They could blame the failure of the primaries on the system and on the Democrats
- They could pick someone specifically designed to counter Obama
In fact, if McCain withdrew his candidacy, thereby cancelling the Republican primaries, it could have an adverse effect on the Obama campaign, even given the "free" month before the convention. The media and people in general would be more focused on Republicans and not so much on Obama. And don't think that the month without a presumptive candidate would cause the Republican attack dogs to slow down. They wouldn't miss a single step, in fact, they would increase their attacks because there would be no effort wasted pushing their own Republican candidate.
In the long run, though, it could also benefit Obama: he could use the month to firm up some of his positions and to campaign in a wide variety of locations. More importantly, if the Republicans chose someone of substance, then the debates after the conventions could actually be meaningful. I think that Obama does much better at that level, I really don't think that responding to attacks via Paris Hilton or concerning the canceled hospital visit in Germany are where he can really show his best qualities.
Well, it's just a thought.
Greg Shenaut