McCain is going negative. That’s about as predictable as the leaves turning color this Fall. The Palin/McCain ticket, bereft of ideas and on the wrong side of the issues that are most important to an increasingly-restive electorate, have but one arrow left in their quiver. Attacking Obama’s character, qualifications, and moral fitness to be president, is just about all a tired, cranky McCain can do in an attempt to reverse his slide in the polls. Going into tomorrow night’s "townhall" debate, Barack Obama had better wear his Teflon suit. But as is often said, the best defense is a solid offense.
Given that the "townhall" format is McCain’s preferred debate milieu, and the likelihood that he will dodge questions on the issues and instead, focus his energy on attacking Obama personally, there is a way that Obama can turn McCain’s perceived strength against him. Recalling that McCain’s "townhall" gatherings up to this point have essentially been "by invitation only," and like George W. Bush whose campaign required that attendees sign some sort of "loyalty oath," McCain is accustomed to a highly-homogeneous audience of die-hard GOoPers, and not a more heterogeneous mix of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. Herein lies McCain’s vulnerability.
I recommend the following tactic for Barack Obama:
Let’s assume that the first question goes to Obama. Based on past performance, we can anticipate that he will provide a thoughtful, factual response, followed by a statement that contrasts his position with that of McCain. Asked the same question, it is reasonable to expect that McCain will sidestep the issue and go right into attack mode. Since Barack can take a few punches and not lose his cool, he might allow McCain to do this a couple of times. Then, perhaps on the third occasion, Obama can abruptly step away from the lecturn and approach the edge of the stage to address the audience directly. Obama then points out that he is here to discuss the issues that are on the minds of the American people while his opponent, who originally pledged to wage a positive campaign, is more interested in making personal attacks. Obama could then ask, by a show of applause, how many members of the audience want the debate to be about the issues and how many want to hear McCain continue with his distracting negative comments. I think the answer will be obvious and McCain will be shamed into discussing the issues, on which he can’t possibly score too many points.