The Take from Obi-Wan, Two-And-a-Half Days Out

National Review Online ^ | 11/1/2008 | Jim Gerhaghty

[tatown]

As promised, here is what is on the mind of my mentor, nicknamed Obi-Wan Kenobi, two-and-a-half days before the sun rises on Election Day...

Your posts on some polls in Pennsylvania that show McCain within reach emphasizes what some readers need to remember, that a lot them aren’t seeing the pointed end of the McCain campaign unless they live in a targeted state and are a targeted voter. If you have the right demographic and you are in a key state, you have gotten getting six or seven mailers that are extremely good negative pieces (covering all those issues that a lot of conservatives think McCain isn’t hitting hard enough on). You have also gotten six or seven taped phone calls from Republican leaders and ordinary citizens and the messages are good. You are also hearing radio ads about “congressional liberals.”

The RNC is claiming 64 percent more contacts like this than in 2004 and I think that’s probably accurate. And the 2004 effort was impressive – RNC was praised for it. This is bigger.

And if you live in a targeted state you are seeing McCain TV ads. Lots of them. For all the talk of the Obama advertising advantage, McCain is outspending Obama by 10 million in the last ten days of the campaign. That isn’t well known. And they are good spots on McCain’s public service, the economic message and in what the McCain camp calls “Joe the Biden”, which quotes Biden about testing a new president.

[steve-b]

I have been a registered Democrat since 1980.

"Rush, I've been a Republican all my life, but...."

[kcvl]

Good for you!

[Salvation]

**More generally, McCain seems to have controlled the issue dynamic issue coming out of the last debate. The polls are all showing Joe the Plumber and his question has penetrated voters’ consciousness. And McCain and Palin and the RNC have actually been using the word “liberal.” (One amazing thing about both Bush campaigns is that they never really used the worst brand in politics against the Democrats. They steered away from the “l” word.) And this isn’t like 1992 or 1996 when the Republican message never broke through.**

[Cap Huff]

We really don’t see too many people on this forum with a recent background like yours. I was a registered voter in the city of Chicago until I was 42 years old and I have plenty of understanding of the political climate Obama is coming out of. I realize that not all Democrats are like Illinois (particularly Chicago) Democrats. In all those years registered to vote in Chicago I never once voted for a Democrat, and I think you can see why. Thirty years ago I might have been comfortable voting for some Democrats in other parts of the country, but now Chicago politics is coming to the national scene.

In the best sense of the expression, I say, welcome to FR. I hope that you will stick around and look at things from a different perspective. I’m certainly happy to see that you see through the Obama deceit.

[Salvation]

**One final point to keep in mind about McCain’s campaign. The public measures a candidate on personal qualities and his stands on the issues. But they also want to see how he runs a campaign – for them it’s a sign of whether he can handle a presidency. McCain was able to recover from losing his lead when the economic crisis hit and come back from a lackluster second debate and then developed a good message for the last debate and rest of the campaign. And his campaign has made smart strategic decisions about spending their money. McCain is finishing strong; he’s showing will. At a subliminal level, voters pick that up.**

In other words, voters aren't dumb -- they see that McCain is the better candidate.

[wny]

Wait until the Monday MSM smear-job on McCain and/or Palin....it’ll change everything.

[Stentor]

The poster pointed out the Democrats answer is the thugs in ACORN.

Why is it that every Obama canvasser I see looks like either Clay Aiken, Aileen Wuornos, Ben and Jerry, or Medea Benjamin?

[thesetruths]

change how

[thesetruths]

yeah if you read between the lines

[thesetruths]

Well,that would be as bad as saying Obama will win, his point seems to be there are so many new variables that nobody knows!

[t2buckeye]

My husband and I are going to Valley Forge tomorrow to pray, just as George Washington did so many years ago when the outlook was so bleak.

[mad_as_he$$]

Great idea. Have a safe trip.