In Virginia Beach, VA, a visibly worn John McCain speaks to a townhall with a visibly different message.
Yes, still attacks but many fewer, and more references to I and We for much of the speech. (Full text here)
He's also conceding the challenge the campaign faces, and reworks that old change argument.
"I'm the change guy. Again."
We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. The hour is late; our troubles are getting worse; our enemies watch. We have to act immediately. We have to change direction now. We have to fight.
...
I’ve been fighting for this country since I was seventeen years old, and I have the scars to prove it. If I’m elected President, I will fight to take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I’m not afraid of the fight, I’m ready for it.
...
The explosion of government spending over the last eight years has put us deeper in debt to foreign countries that don’t have our best interests at heart. It weakened the dollar and made everything you buy more expensive.
"The American people and MSM like the other guy more. We're in trouble"
Let me give you the state of the race today. We have 22 days to go. We’re 6 points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq. But they forgot to let you decide. My friends, we’ve got them just where we want them.
Ummm. Yeah. 6% down in the polls is PRECISELY where you want to be I'm sure. The rope-a-dope strategy, right? I have news for you senator. You're not Ali, you're Fraizer.
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Well. Predictable. We all knew, that while FR, Redstate and NQ were baying for this attack stuff. It doesn't sell, at least from the candidate, towards the people who are still deciding.
I wonder if he will try to push the Ayers line in the debate this Wednesday. If he won't mention it on Monday, I wonder if he can in a much more Independent focused event.
The big thing I see is that McCain is again running as the change guy. We've seen it before with Hillary and McCain and its "No Sale" against Obama.
Obama IS Change and McCain can't co opt change... at least not 6 points worth of voters.
My approach to responding to this speech would be:
"I'm glad that Senator McCain finally acknowledges just how disastrous this last 8 years has been, and how we cannot afford 4 more years of the same. John unfortunately neglects to mention his over 90% votes of support for these failed policies. He can't run from his record, and we cannot believe his erratic changes on these now. I will take the country to prosperity with green jobs, middle class tax breaks and a focus on ensuring that the middle class, and not the big corporations who've failed us, get their due first, as we recover"
Update: Much better title. Thanks wobbledon