Why can’t Obama shake old man McCain?
Obama should be pulling away as if McCain had been chained to a stump.
After the 2006 elections, the polls showed an unnamed Democrat trouncing an unnamed Republican in the presidential race. Then McCain shut down a field of seriously flawed candidates (including himself) while it took Obama all spring to ice Hilary Clinton. Now that the candidates were known, a funny thing happened. Obama could not pull away from McCain. Poll after poll showed the race tightening until it was neck and neck leaving the conventions. How can this be? How can “The One” not be mopping the floor with “The Maverick”? The obvious answer is that it is attributable to race. I don’t buy it. Do a thought experiment and put Colin Powell in place of Obama. Still think it would be close? Could, the reason it is still close be that the Democratic agenda does not appeal to people that actually vote?
The mainstream media likes to say that Democrats are right on the issues. Evidently “right on the issues” is a euphemism for approaching each problem with a maddeningly complicated policy that eventually bankrupts tax payers and insures future generations are similarly afflicted. The electorate, generally more adept at political analysis than credited, doesn’t believe these plans will work any better than previous plans and is left to evaluate them on the basis of personal bounty. It is at this point that the inevitable tax increases and perverse incentives drive voters away from Democrats.
Democrats have embraced socialism and fascism, their foreign policy adheres to Neoconservative orthodoxy except that force cannot be used where actual US interests are involved and they feel compelled to force the rest of us to embrace flagrant libertine behavior without consequence or modesty while playing nagging mother to anyone that wants to actually accomplish anything. When personified in the form of a candidate it becomes an anchor. Bright articulate candidates get bogged down explaining minutia that makes them seem dull and bureaucratic. Nobody, save the press and the party faithful believe these details matter. Grown ups know that the details will be provided by armies of lawyers that take away any benefits to tax payers. The candidate ends up looking small with no perspective on what is important and thus no ability to lead. It is not that the Republicans will have well conceived proposals communicated with abundant lucidity. They will just seem that way compared to what the Democrats present.
This is the handicap Obama has to overcome. He is wrong on the issues and needs to rely on selling himself to get elected.