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The Note: McCain Losing Traction, Options as Final Debate Looms

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October 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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Cynics, Pessimists and Naysayers:

You won't be able to hold your denial much longer. As you continue FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT as your fearless leader McChicken has called for, it appears that fighting yourselves out of a wet paper bag is impossible.

Cmon, you know, McChicken, Palin the parrot, the GOP and the entire world is acutely aware of the inevitable. Somewhere deep down inside, there's a voice saying to you...........

POTUS OBAMA - Resistance is Futile

Donkeys don't win thoroughbred horse races

Posted by: Nat Turner | Oct 15, 2008 9:23:39 AM

geevil....BTW, I am NOT a lazy slug...I have been working since I was 15 years old, and am still struggling to make $30,000 a year. I have never been laid off because as soon as I lost a job I had another one waiting. I didn't have the money to finish college because of the Bush policies, So here I am...
You are an idiot by saying people who are struggling are slugs...

Posted by: militarymom | Oct 15, 2008 9:24:27 AM

geevil...I don't know what polls you are reading but the REAL ones show Obama from 3-14% above McCain.

The lies coming from the right and the McCain campaign aren't going to work as long as we Americans are struggling to feed our kids.

Posted by: newvoter | Oct 15, 2008 9:26:33 AM

Acorn? LOL is a joke all over the net and even now with the MSM because there are too many pictures of McCain speaking at their events! LOL Same poor tactics and message and the American people, Democrats and Republicans alike, are sick and tired of the lies.

Posted by: Grissom | Oct 15, 2008 9:27:36 AM

It will be interesting to see how negtive McCain feels he can go in this debate.
He cannot cross that fine line and look like an angry old man.

Posted by: happless | Oct 15, 2008 9:28:47 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 9:30:26 AM

McCain is a tired, angry old man who thought he could pick a pretty woman to incite the racist base of his party and give him eye candy in the process...talk about out of touch! LOL THAT might have worked 20 years ago but in this day and age? Racist are a minority and Sarah palin is too old by 24 years!

Posted by: Grissom | Oct 15, 2008 9:30:55 AM

If McCain brings up Ayers, who was a member of the Weather Underground when Obama was 8 years old, then McCain's involvement with Wm. Timmons is fair game. Timmons was a lobbyist on behalf of Saddam Hussein after the first gulf war. His job was to try to get sanctions against Iraq lifted! He is a traitor! And now McCain has tapped him to head his transition team if he gets elected. SHAME!

Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 15, 2008 9:31:30 AM

Barack Obama has claimed that he foresaw the subprime mortgage collapse and took steps to warn the Treasury — by writing a letter. That claim has come in two presidential debates. Peter Wallison reminds Wall Street Journal readers of the obvious in pointing out that Obama serves as a Senator and had the power to draft LEGISLATION, not letters, to prevent the collapse. Instead, Obama voted PRESENT:

Finally, on the matter of deregulation and the financial crisis, Sen. Obama should consider his own complicity in the failure of Congress to adopt legislation that might have prevented the subprime meltdown.

In the summer of 2005, a bill emerged from the Senate Banking Committee that considerably TIGHTENED regulations on Fannie and Freddie, including controls over their capital and their ability to hold portfolios of mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. All the Republicans voted for the bill in committee; all the Democrats voted AGAINST it. To get the bill to a vote in the Senate, a few Democratic votes were necessary to limit debate. This was a time for the leadership Sen. Obama says he can offer, but neither he nor any other Democrat stepped forward.

Instead, by his own account, Mr. Obama wrote a letter to the Treasury Secretary, allegedly putting himself on record that subprime loans were dangerous and had to be dealt with. This is revealing; if true, it indicates Sen. Obama knew there was a problem with subprime lending — but was unwilling to confront his own party by pressing for legislation to control it. As a demonstration of character and leadership capacity, it bears a strong resemblance to something else in Sen. Obama’s past: voting PRESENT.

It demonstrates a key difference between Obama and John McCain. When McCain saw the potential for crisis, he took action by co-sponsoring Chuck Hagel’s Fannie/Freddie reform bill that would have increased regulation on the two GSEs. He spoke in the Senate for its passage.

What did Barack Obama do? He wrote a letter. He didn’t bother to co-sponsor the bill that could have prevented this year’s financial collapse, or to even allow it to come to a vote. Obama talked (allegedly — we have yet to see this letter) while McCain took ACTION.

Now Obama and the same Democrats who PUSHED Fannie and Freddie to buy a trillion dollars in bad loans want to blame “deregulation” for the crisis. It wasn’t deregulation, and as Wallison points out, the industry didn’t get deregulated at all. Congress created this crisis by pushing Fannie and Freddie into not just buying subprime paper but into transforming it into Securities that infected the entire financial system.

That’s all Obama has left, however, to distract people from his inaction and his support of government distortion of the lending market to achieve artificial social-policy goals. That’s what makes his alliance with former Fannie Mae chief Jim Johnson such a revealing data point about Obama and the Democrats in general.

Posted by: Obama Voted "Present" on Financial Reform | Oct 15, 2008 9:31:33 AM


I end up laughing all the time when
I try to think what McCain has been
saying.
He said: "when you want to attack
your enemy you never mention what
you are going to do (Ref. Afghanistan /Pakistan war).
Now, he has mentioned that he will bring Ayers issue during the debate.
McCain, you have already mentioned
your intentions, and hope your opponent will not prepare himself for the attacks? Folks, we will have a huge problem incase McCain wins, which I do not anticipate will happen.

Posted by: FM | Oct 15, 2008 9:31:35 AM

CMON GEEVIL! Sing along with me!!!!

Row row row your boats, gently to DEFEEEEAT!!!

Merrily merrily merrily merrily, all the CROW you can EEEEEEEEAT!!!!

Aren't you stuffed with eating so much "Blackened Crow"???

POTUS OBAMA - Even Geevil Knows

Posted by: Nat Turner | Oct 15, 2008 9:32:01 AM

McCain + Timmons + Rick Davis = CORRUPTION

Posted by: William J. LePetomaine | Oct 15, 2008 9:32:25 AM

McCain has forgotten more than NOBAMA will ever know in his unethical lifetime.

He sure did distance himself from Wright after he made the racist comments. It was good enough for NOBAMA all those years until he wanted to be President.

NOBAMA has the gift of gab. But so did Clinton. Remeber, the Democrat who pulled down his pants in the oval office. The married guy, you know the President. Could you imagine Reagan or Bush doing that? Hardly, they have morals.

Liberals are just jealous of Palin because she represents so many conservatives who have REAL VALUES.

Posted by: darryl from indy | Oct 15, 2008 9:35:28 AM

darryl from indy,

What is illerate about exposing the fact that Old McGeezer is very sick and they are hiding the information from the voters.

You Repugs are really in denial.

Let me say it again.

McCAIN IS SICK, VERY VERY SICK.

The voters deserve to know this TRUTH.

Posted by: Steve_NJ | Oct 15, 2008 9:37:17 AM

The issue with myself and co-workers are, With Obama, we don't trust him. The way he is running away from now undesirable relationships and back pedaling.
With McCain, We are afraid he will not survive and Palin will end up in charge. Whom is far from leadership ready.

We need a competent third choice, cause neither of these 2 candidates are qualified.

Posted by: undecided still | Oct 15, 2008 9:37:55 AM

It doesn't matter. The media has never tested Obama and they will not now. So thanks to the media we will have a very weak and inexperienced leader - Obama.

Mark my words. After Obama wins and is inaugurated - you will soon be seeing Rev. Wright in the white house. Just watch - that whole thing was staged when Wright came out against Obama and then Obama threw him under the bus and then we never heard from Wright again.

Posted by: BRENDA | Oct 15, 2008 9:38:30 AM

Darryl: What women in her right mind would have wanted to have sex with Reagan or Bush? UGH!!!

Posted by: linda n carolina | Oct 15, 2008 9:38:45 AM

"it bears a strong resemblance to something else in Sen. Obama’s past: voting PRESENT."
_________________________________________________

Do you even understand what you are writing? Voting "present" in the Illinois State Legislature is not uncommon. It is used to signal support for a bill, but perhaps not the wording; it is used when there is a conflict of interest, etc.

Obama voted "present" 123 times out of 4000 votes.

Obama was labeled "head of the class" by the Illinois Times for his legislative abundance.

Posted by: Paige | Oct 15, 2008 9:38:56 AM

geevill, geevill, geevill, you're fighting this to the (bitter from your perspective) end, aren't you. All these months of your pathetic garbage have gotten you absolutely nowhere. Obama will win this election because most people in this country have a pretty decent level of intelligence and perspective. He'll be a great president and will prove you so wrong. So, m'dear, chill. It'll be ok.

Posted by: nomorerepublicans | Oct 15, 2008 9:39:02 AM

Keep your cool tonight Sen. Obama.

McCain is going to either come at you with everything, or he's going to try and play the role of "hero that can save you".

Either way...stay on message. Don't get rattled. If you get hit, counter and come back with a few well placed punches of your own! McCain's hands are less than clean. His choice of friends leaves a lot to be desired.

Break a leg Obama!

Posted by: Greg in MN | Oct 15, 2008 9:42:14 AM

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