Best. Campaign. Rundown. Ever.

I just finished reading Newsweek’s behind-the-scenes look at the presidential campaign. Wow. It is an astonishingly rich and detailed piece of reporting, filled with surprising stories and facts, and carrying the ring of truth. While anyone who was ever been in the papers knows that journalists will never get the story exactly right, it seems … Continue reading Best. Campaign. Rundown. Ever.

It’s The Voters, Stupid: Why John McCain Lost

The pundits are already busy burying the corpse of the McCain campaign, and rightly so. As I noted *before* the market crashed, for all intents and purposes Barack Obama had this election in the bag several weeks ago. Yet as they heap dirt on McCain’s political grave, I can’t help but feel that the punditocracy … Continue reading It’s The Voters, Stupid: Why John McCain Lost

Obama Plays Cat-and-Mouse With McCain

At this point, it’s pretty apparent to all that Obama’s campaign, led by “the Ax,” has outflanked the McCain campaign at every turn. It’s telling that Karl Rove refuses to acknowledge “the Bullet” as a protege…I wouldn’t either given his pathetic showing. This is no evaluation of policy or character, simply an assessment of campaign … Continue reading Obama Plays Cat-and-Mouse With McCain

McCain in Pain: Media Piles On Embattled Candidate

Times are grim for Senator John McCain. The polls look ugly, and many pundits (including me) have already declared victory for Obama (though I did it a week before everyone else). And to make matters worse, it looks like whichever Illuminati control the media have decided that today is “Beat Up McCain Day” (or, as … Continue reading McCain in Pain: Media Piles On Embattled Candidate

Debate #2: Obama Wins On Style Points

It’s late, so only a few quick observations. 1) Obama won this debate. As in the previous debate, he got the best single shot in (Last time, it was “You were wrong.” This time, it was “Next up, Baghdad.” The old adage is all too true–live by the sword, die by the sword. McCain’s sword … Continue reading Debate #2: Obama Wins On Style Points

Let Palin be Palin

John McCain’s campaign is in disarray. The economic crisis is turning the election into a referendum on the economy…which is McCain’s greatest weakness. The disastrous Couric interview looks to have transformed the Sarah Palin VP pick from a blessing to a curse. And he failed to win a much-needed victory in last night’s debate. So … Continue reading Let Palin be Palin

US Presidential Debate: A Strategic Victory for Obama

John McCain turned in a relatively strong showing to stem the bleeding after an absolutely disastrous week (The bailout! The Katie Couric/Sarah Palin interview! The debate cancellation fiasco!). But Barack Obama also performed well, landing the sharpest blows of the night with his series of statements about the Iraq war (“You were wrong”). I’m inclined … Continue reading US Presidential Debate: A Strategic Victory for Obama

It’s Over: Obama Will Win The Presidency

In the words of the immortal Chick Hearn, this election is in the refrigerator. The lights are out, the eggs are cooling, and the butter is getting hard. The Jell-O is jiggling. Thanks for playing, John McCain, you can now take your place with Dole (no good reason to run), Gore (inexplicably, ran as a … Continue reading It’s Over: Obama Will Win The Presidency

What McCain Must Do To Win

Two weeks after the Sarah Palin nomination shook up the presidential race, we seem to be settling into a new campaign narrative, one which should deeply concern John McCain and his advisors. Below is a screen capture of the most popular stories on the New York Times website. I grabbed it today, September 14: Nine … Continue reading What McCain Must Do To Win

Sarah Palin: A Smart, Strategic Pick for McCain

I think Palin is a brilliant move on McCain’s part. He didn’t have a lot of attractive choices. People hate Romney, and don’t care about Pawlenty, Crist, et al. Palin shores up his standing with evangelicals and the hardcore base, and allows him to break far more openly with Bush (McCain had been forced to … Continue reading Sarah Palin: A Smart, Strategic Pick for McCain