McCain’s ‘Fundamental’ Problem
Jul 31, 2020106.5K Shares4.6M Views
Sen. John McCain knows as much about the economy as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin knows about the Bush Doctrine.
That’s the thrust of the Obama campaign’s current offensive, which blasts McCain at every turn for saying this week, oddly, that the “fundamentals” of the American economy remain strong.
The attack is more about McCain being clueless than wrong — and it’s harder to attack his economic stands anyway, since they keep reversing.
He spoke out against an A.I.G. bailout, then backed it; he railed against market regulation for decades but now says he supports more of it, and the classic, he voted against President George W. Bush’s tax cuts but now insists that he supports them.
The Obama campaign is circulating a Washington Post articletoday that says these economic problems should “worry” McCain because they constitute:
“„…the biggest obstacle standing between the Arizona senator and the White House. McCain didn’t single-handedly create this problem, but he made it worse Monday when, as Wall Street was melting down, he uttered words — “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” — that totally muddied the real message he meant to deliver. Barack Obama has hammered him at every stop since as a man out of touch with reality.Were McCain known as a student of the economy, this instance of a badly delivered statement would matter little. Because he is known as someone who is not, it matters plenty. McCain has responded by ratcheting up his rhetoric about cracking down on Wall Street and its regulators in Washington. (emphasis added)
Even McCain’s “get tough” rhetoric has also sounded off-key. On Wednesday, Obama seizedon McCain’s promise to confront the “Old Boys Network” in Washington:
“„Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he’s president, he’ll take on, and I quote –- “the Old Boys Network in Washington.” I’m not making this up. This is somebody who’s been in Congress for 26 years –- who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign –- and now he tells us that he’s the one whose gonna’ take on the old boys network. The Old Boys Network? In the McCain campaign, that’s called a staff meeting. (emphasis added)
In politics, sometimes the only thing worse than holding the wrong position is looking clueless. Obama is not only arguing that McCain has the wrong approach to this financial crisis, or that he keeps reversing his position, but that McCain is clueless about the depth of the challenge and delusional to think he will challenge the status quo. In other words, part of the solution is recognizing that McCain is part of the problem.
Dexter Cooke
Reviewer
Dexter Cooke is an economist, marketing strategist, and orthopedic surgeon with over 20 years of experience crafting compelling narratives that resonate worldwide.
He holds a Journalism degree from Columbia University, an Economics background from Yale University, and a medical degree with a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopedic medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dexter’s insights into media, economics, and marketing shine through his prolific contributions to respected publications and advisory roles for influential organizations.
As an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery and laparoscopic procedures, Dexter prioritizes patient care above all.
Outside his professional pursuits, Dexter enjoys collecting vintage watches, studying ancient civilizations, learning about astronomy, and participating in charity runs.
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