John McCain has managed to paint an ugly picture of himself. The lies of his commercials have been pointed out by the media, his pick of Sarah Palin has most rational people questioning his "Country First" slogan, his condescending manner toward Barack Obama in the first debate cost him voters.
So, I wonder, does anyone really listen to John McCain anymore for anything other than the entertainment value?
This may sound like a trivial point, but if every word out of McCain's mouth is treated as political gamesmanship, than the only way he can win is if Obama completely screws up horrifically between now and election day.
I haven't seen any polls on the subject of whether or not people believe John McCain's statements any more or less then they did before. I'm asking you all for anecdotal evidence of people who may have once considered McCain seriously, but now take everything he says with a pound of salt.
If McCain's reputation for being a "straight-talker" has been tarnished severely, he would do best to shut up and pray that Obama makes a big mistake.