No Mo-Joe for McCain

After giving up Joe Lieberman as a running mate in favor of Mrs. Joe Sixpack, John McCain brought out Joe the Plumber for tonight’s debate–to no avail. The networks’ instant polling shows a third straight loss for the Republican’s attempt to sell himself as the champion of the average Joe.

The candidates squared off after a day of dismal economic news–another stock-market plunge, retail sales down, factory orders at historic lows–and the best John McCain could do was jibe that, if Obama wanted to run against the Bush Administration, he should have done so four years ago.

But voters apparently aren’t buying McCain’s attempt to run away from the Bush-Cheney debacle that has left them distressed about their homes, their jobs, their retirement funds and savings for their kids’ college educations.

McCain, who had promised to kick Obama’s posterior, ended up flat on his own after another encounter in which his opponent looked presidential, often smiling at attacks, while McCain seemed barely able to control his anger and frustration with odd grimaces.

(Adam Nagourney of the New York Times notes, “The split-screen visual contrast between the two men–McCain often appearing coiled and annoyed, Mr. Obama seeming at ease and smiling–was striking.”)

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