Post by StPetersburgHoya (Inactive) on Sept 19, 2008 11:35:02 GMT -5
The last thing McCain wanted during this election was a deepening problem with the economy. 6 weeks from the election and he's got it. This is the October surprise. His ticket includes someone with no economic experience - and he himself admitted that he doesn't know as much as he'd like about the economy - a comment that has come back to haunt him. Moreover, the difference between McCain's response - no bail outs, fire people in charge - sounded Un-presidential and like McCain was searching for a scape goat to avoid getting into a regulation vs. de-regulation fight that is generally not favorable to a Republican in this economic climate. By contrast, Obama's speech was Presidential - it looked like he realized, like Congressional leaders and the current administration - that the economic problems have reached a tipping point where action - not politics - is needed. We've had a chance to look at McCain's responses to crises in this cycle - Georgia: call them up and get into a name-calling fight with Putin, the economy: fire people, don't bail-out anyone and hope for the best. That is not presidential - its short term, calculated, and cynical. His poll numbers reflect that people have caught on.