The Politico reports that top GOPers around the country are upset over polls showing Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama gaining strength over Republican Sen. John McCain in key battleground states. The reason for sagging polls: the economy, McCain’s own stumbles and the “distraction” of Republican Veep candidate Gov. Sarah Palin.
Their recommendation: that McCain go negative big-time by hammering Obama on his association with his former pastor and several other figures in an attempt to win over undecideds:
[UPDATE: Coincidence of coincidences….Marc Ambinder reports that a conservative group is now planning to spend $1 million to do just that…]
GOP officials also believe that a sustained attack on Obama’s ties to his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, scandal-stained businessman Tony Rezko and former radical war protester William Ayers could sway undecided voters.
Among those goading McCain to be more aggressive is Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Robin Smith, who said that “people need to see a gladiator who’s willing to defend what exactly he stands for.”
“We’re not talking, for instance, about the radical associations that Barack Obama has, with Mr. Ayers, Tony Rezko and so on,” Smith said. “More could be done.”
Murray Clark, the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party, said he is eager for Obama’s “troubling relationships” to be aired in his state. “I think those things will come up in Indiana again and they do have an impact on mainstream voters in Indiana. You call it going negative, [but] whoever … is in a position to point out these relationships, I think it’s helpful.”
The question: with the gravity of issues this year, would these issues now be as effective as they would have been a year ago? Possibly. Despite the big issues, Obama still has not closed the sale and it’s clear from polling that he still has not opened up a huge lead. People have their doubts. The downsides:
There are some independent voters who’ll be turned off by this kind of attack and see it as trying to change the subject on the big issues on which McCain can make his case detailing his differences with Obama.
And, if it’s yet one more election won on demonization, it means McCain, who has already burned his bridges with some Democrats and independents, will attain power but have part of the country passionately against him from Day One and take power in yet another highly-polarized, highly-personal political climate.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.