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The Note: McCain Losing Traction, Options as Final Debate Looms
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ShareOctober 15, 2008 8:40 AM
ABC News' Rick Klein reports in Wednesday's Note:
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- This night, at least, they won’t be far apart.
As the big shots gather for one final time in the longest time that’s been the 2008 campaign, cue the careless talk over which strangers will make an appearance: Bill Ayers? Tony Rezko? The John McCain that Sarah Palin has been hoping for? The Barack Obama that Hillary Clinton had been hoping for?
But you may be right that there’s a bigger question forming a storm front over Long Island Wednesday: Does any of it matter?
So it goes like this: McCain is caught in the worst kind of no man’s land 20 days out, behind by just enough for it to keep him out of range of a second wind. Obama is not the angry young man, and he has answered the question of whether he belongs on the same stage as McCain.
McCain’s attacks (and those he might yet launch) are under the complex pressure of mixed messaging (maybe that’s not his style) and fears of backlash (don’t ask me why).
Read the rest of The Note -- and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day -- from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.
It’s Obama who, from the previous encounters, derived the most benefit -- as reflected by the polls (14 points in the latest NYT/CBS numbers), and the race’s psychology.
And the build-up over what strategy McCain will employ makes that a story regardless: Either he finally attacks, and risks looking desperate, or he doesn’t, and risks looking like he senses that he sees the lights going out.
“Every indication -- including a New York Times/CBS News poll released Tuesday that showed Mr. Obama vaulting to a significant lead -- suggests that Mr. Obama has succeeded in erasing many of those doubts [about his candidacy], primarily through the debates,” Adam Nagourney writes in The New York Times.
“Mr. McCain is highly unlikely to let this third and final debate -- the last time in the campaign that he will command an audience anywhere near this size -- pass without a fight,” Nagourney writes. “Still, history suggests that barring a major mistake by Mr. Obama -- who has over this year not made many -- or some startling new attack or appeal by Mr. McCain, it will be hard to erase the impressions that Mr. Obama left in the first two debates.”
As for Ayers: “Speaking to a St. Louis radio station on Tuesday, John McCain said that Barack Obama's recent suggestion that McCain does not have guts to raise the Bill Ayers issue to his face ‘probably ensured’ that the former Weather Underground leader will come up in Wednesday's final presidential debate,” per ABC’s Ron Claiborne, Teddy Davis, and Arnab Datta.
Continue reading today's Note by clicking HERE.
ABC News' Hope Ditto contributed to this report.
October 15, 2008 in Ballotwatch, Biden, Joe, Bush, George W., Clinton, Bill, Clinton, Hillary, McCain, John, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (289)
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McCain will thorw everything at him and try to make it stick. Get the "Willie Horton" ads ready. He will do anything to save his pathetic campaign. They gave this election away. Poor John thaought the media would protect him. He's been selling out his party for so long... for THIS! Poor John. He thought acting like a Democrat was the same as actually being one, with the press. Looks like some people will be staying home on election day. The party sabotaged itself by picking a Democrat. Pure and simple. And now Obama will get four years. Thanks GOP!!!
Posted by: hmn | Oct 15, 2008 8:50:16 AM
Doubt and mistrust are sinking Obama as the stories of ACORN voter fraud, jesse Jackson bragging about Obama's pro-black anti-Jew agenda, Obama telling a plumber he will take his income and give it to lazy slugs, so on make it to middle America despite MSM blackout.
Posted by: geevill | Oct 15, 2008 8:52:20 AM
McCain lost everything...his honor, his soul and everything he ever stood for when he hired on all of Bush's advisers who smeared him in S Carolina.
Posted by: linda n carolina | Oct 15, 2008 9:05:14 AM
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
...the Washington lobbyist who JOHN McCAIN has named to HEAD HIS PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION TEAM, aided an influence effort on BEHALF of IRAQI DICTATOR SADDAM HUSSEIN !!!!!
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
William Timmons
Posted by: Joe6Pack | Oct 15, 2008 9:06:20 AM
Why is the media not reporting this?
McCAIN IS SICK, VERY VERY SICK.
I tell you the old geezer will die in office if elected.
The media must investigate and force McCain to release his latest medical records.
The votes deserve to know.
Posted by: Steve_NJ | Oct 15, 2008 9:09:58 AM
Never thought I would see the day geevil was weakening. To make your points valid, you're actually using Jesse Jackson as credible all of a sudden? Because he says something that he hoped would be damaging to Obama; you give him credibility possibly for the first time in your life. I dont know you, but I know you're better than that...Listen to yourself; have some dignity in these last days.
Posted by: PoliticsAsUsual | Oct 15, 2008 9:13:13 AM
Well If Mccain is going there with Ayers,I hope Obama will go there with Keating 5,Palin abuse of power,Mccain Mafia ties, Mccains strong strong ties with Bush Not to Mention all of Mccains Lobbysit ties, But hopefully neither of them will. They should stick to the Issuses and point out their differences in their policies anyway Its gonna be a Great Debate But they have to sit across from eachother will Mccain look at Obama?
Posted by: Angie | Oct 15, 2008 9:13:44 AM
geevil, sinking Obama? That level of denial is Palin-esque. What planet are you on?
Posted by: mudge007 | Oct 15, 2008 9:13:52 AM
geevil,
when will you give up? On the morning of Nov 5?
Posted by: Ro | Oct 15, 2008 9:14:00 AM
To Steve_NJ
Could you be anymore illiterate??
It scares me you have a privilage to vote.
Posted by: darryl from indy | Oct 15, 2008 9:14:34 AM
1. McCain's campaign has been badly run, plain and simple.
2. McCain made a transparently political, cynical, and irresponsible choice in picking Palin for a running mate.
3. McCain himself has been increasingly erratic. He approves ridiculously negative attack ads, then insists he is running a "respectful" campaign. It doesn't add up.
4. The vehemence at McCain/Palin rallies lately shows that his "base" is slipping away from him. They are much less intersted in McCain and what he has to say than they are in Bubblehead, the nonsense she is spewing, and in just plain hating Obama as being "unAmerican."
McCain's campaign is a mess.
Posted by: jon in maryland | Oct 15, 2008 9:14:48 AM
ABC is evil - Making people believe that Obama has ever had a chance of becoming Pres in this election. Do you believe in the Easter Bunny too?
Posted by: Jon Iscream | Oct 15, 2008 9:15:06 AM
Listen everyone....you all have crucified Obama for the last two years, over Rev Wright, Ayers, Jesse Jackson and ACORN.
Obama survived and came out as a person who weathered the storm and is moving forward. He is even tempered and direct.
Wright is "old hat", Jesse was simply jeolous, and the ACORN issue is riduculous. Obama represented ACORN in a law suit over 13 years ago.
Plus Mccain has also beenm linked to supporting and speaking at ACORN rallies.
So where is the new news? There is none. McCain has made some REALLY bad judgements and the biggest was Palin. Her negative rallies really turned people off when they wanted to hear about the sconomy.
He is an angry man who made a lot of bad choices.
Posted by: life201 | Oct 15, 2008 9:16:41 AM
Geevill will have to get a real job instead of a paid Republican troll. Where do you live Geevill? We can start networking for you.
Posted by: linda n carolina | Oct 15, 2008 9:17:08 AM
John McCain is known to be a gambling man, who spends up to 14 hours at a time, at the craps table in a Las Vegas Casino.
He took a gamble, and showed us all that it wasn't about our country after all, it was all about JOHN MCCAIN.
John McCain made the fatal mistake of putting our country at risk by putting Sarah palin on the ticket.
Posted by: Truth Matters | Oct 15, 2008 9:18:21 AM
Some networks are reporting that the McCain campaign is trying to lower expectations before this last debate.
Wasted effort. First two debates did that already.
Posted by: ricky | Oct 15, 2008 9:18:57 AM
Jon...I do believe in the Easter Bunny, PLUS I believe Obama should and WILL be our next president.
I have confidence in this country that they know we cannot survive another 4 years with the Republican in the WH and a VP that cannot speak proper English.
Posted by: formerhillary | Oct 15, 2008 9:19:25 AM
geevill hopes to land a position with Rick Davis getting $15,0000 per month from Freddie Mac for doing nothing.
Posted by: ricky | Oct 15, 2008 9:20:34 AM
Linda...You are so right. I never agreed with a lot of John McCains' policys but at least I respected him.
I don't anymore. He has soiled his good name by running a campaign so negative and sending his pit-bill Palin in. She was the worse choice he could have made
Posted by: thetruth | Oct 15, 2008 9:21:28 AM
I should not be unkind to geevill who I have come to admire. After this is over, my friend, what say we hit the road and rediscover America. All we need is a burlap bag and we can live off the ACORNs alongside the road.
Posted by: ricky | Oct 15, 2008 9:23:16 AM
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