The Discourse: McCain v. Obama

I'm disappointed.

Almost everyone thinks the country's headed in the wrong track (pollster talk for "we're going to hell in a hand basket") and the two presidential candidates are arguing over who is the bigger celebrity.

I'll blame McCain for taking us there with his Paris Hilton ads, but Obama went right into the gutter with him. Why couldn't he have responded with a message something like:

John McCain wants to talk about Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears. I
want to talk about how we can come together to solve the big problems facing
this country -- the problems that affect Americans in their daily lives.
We've got some work to do, from getting out of Iraq to defeating Al Queda to becoming energy independent. I have plans to address those issues. So let Sen. McCain focus on Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. I want to focus on how we can
keep America the greatest nation on Earth. I'm serious about going to work
for the American people. I'm serious about uniting this country
again. I'm serious about tackling the big issues that we can only solve
together. Because together, we can.

Maybe the Obama campaign tested that type of response and it didn't work. I don't know. But this current exchange is a school yard spat. We deserve better. And the crying shame is that Obama is capable of "better." I just don't know what happened to it.

The Obama Swing?

There seems to be a swing cycle at play in Obama's candidacy. Remember last summer when everyone felt he was under-performing in the polls, and people were asking when the campaign was going to get traction? Then Obama took Iowa, expectations soared and pundits declared Hillary was "toast." Then New Hampshire and Nevada and a seeming Obama slump...to be followed by South Carolina and his string of victories in February. And then he closed out the primary season with lackluster results.

Now, people are asking why he hasn't taken a sizable lead? Maybe it's the swing factor again (and if there is a swing factor, I'm not sure what causes it, though I think one contributing factor is that the Obama campaign gets cocky).

But I think other things are at play here too. People, like my parents, are too uncertain of him and wary of anyone that younger people go ga-ga over. That's the point of the "celebrity" attack and it plays to older, rural, middle of the road voters.

Obama has got to find a way to get these people over their doubts about him. If he can, I think people will stop being willing to overlook McCain's shortcomings and move to Obama.