It appears as though John McCain has chosen to jettison his previous campaign slogan of "Country First" and adopt a new motto of "Campaign First".
Or better yet, it may just be "Surrender First".
In the midst of another catastrophic day on Wall Street and Main Street - during which the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped below 10,000 for the first time in four years - a campaign spokesman for Republican Presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ) made the following statement regarding his campaign's decision to eschew addressing the premier public policy issue of our time i.e. the economy:
"We are looking forward to turning the page on the current economic crisis. If we talk about the economic crisis, we lose."
This statement regarding the most salient issue of the 2008 Presidential Election was uttered in concert with the latest national and state poll numbers - which displayed the breadth of the American voting public's support for Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Barack Obama (D-IL):
National Polls
CNN 53%-45% Obama +8
Gallup Tracking 50%-42% Obama +8
Rasmussen Tracking 52%-44% +8
State Polls
Florida
Fox News/Rasmussen 52%-45% Obama +7
Virginia
Fox News/Rasmussen 50%-48% Obama +2
Survey USA 53%-43% Obama +10
Suffolk University 51%-39% Obama +12
Colorado
Fox News/Rasmussen 51%-45% Obama +6
Missouri
Fox News/Rasmussen 50%-47% Obama +3
New Hampshire
Survey USA 53%-40% Obama +13
Pennsylvania
Morning Call Tracking 49%-38% Obama +11
North Carolina
PPP 50%-44% Obama +6
According to Fivethirtyeight.com, the premier election forecasting analysis website in the country, the race for the presidency stands as follows:
Electoral Vote
Obama 339.7
McCain 198.3
Those are the facts. Now, for the analysis:
This country and its economy are in serious trouble. The financial markets have already collapsed. The value of the dollar is unbelievably weak abroad. Unemployment is sitting at 6.1% - and rising. The value of working Americans' 401K portfolios is sinking like a rock in a river. Energy prices remain high - even as we drift toward the heating season. In short, we are facing an economic crisis the likes of which this great nation has not experienced since The Great Depression - and most Americans are justifiably frightened about their economic futures.
The McCain campaign is also in serious trouble - and for good reason. The Republican Party's failure to manage this country's economy and properly regulate the financial markets has crippled the markets and the financial stability of working-class Americans across the spectrum. McCain rightly believes he cannot successfully debate Obama on the merits of his economic plan. Therefore, he has turned to the one corner in the pit of Hell that will still support him as his campaign drifts toward oblivion: the reactionary, Right-wing lunatic fringe.
An astute observer listens closely to McCain/Palin and their surrogates and hears the mangled, ignorant rants of conservative extremists Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and Ann Coulter. Ironically, these are the same Right-wing extremists-turned-Republican-stooges who couldn't stand McCain and his 'maverick' label (not to mention his past love affair with the press) for years. Now, they are feeding McCain and Palin smear talking points at a time when the country and its citizens are wondering if their jobs, bank accounts, and retirement plans will remain subsequent to the disastrous Bush economy. In the past, one could always count on McCain making an argument to solve a public policy problem - even if it was the wrong argument for a failed policy. It seems as though McCain, via his campaign's economic surrender today, has conceded the election's foremost issue of importance and demonstrated the lack of economic leadership that has plagued the Bush administration for eight years.
This time in our nation's history is about more than a single election. The lost homes, jobs, wealth, and financial security during this crisis have made the need for genuine leadership at the highest level imperative to our survival as a country. Regardless of a candidate's party affiliation, this is not the time to forsake the American people in an attempt to resurrect a flailing election campaign. This is not the time for surrender, but rather resolve as we tackle this recession head on and work to plant it into the turf. By essentially turning his back on the foremost salient public policy problem in the United States, John McCain has displayed the lack of courage and dedication to this country's future that makes him unfit to lead America out of the darkness.
Only one candidate, Democratic Party Presidential Nominee Barack Obama (D-IL), has shown presidential leadership via his calm, intelligent, and detailed focus on the true issues of our time - including the economy. Obama has shown himself to be more than "fit for command". He has solidified the fact that he is the only candidate fit to be the next President of the United States.
http://democratictribune.com/...