He who dares..?

[shreena]

 The latest move in the American election is quite intriguing, I think.  It's a rather courageous move.  I'm not sure, though, whether it's going to turn out to be courageous in the Humphrey Appleby sense of the word or not.

On balance, I think "well played."  On grounds that, until very recently, the media was all but ignoring McCain entirely. He

Comments

[beckyc]

I've been impressed with some of the tactics and game-play that is going on here. I think you're right about the cool-factor.

[editor]

Another perspective (to which I myself incline).

[shreena]

Oh, totally, I think it might well backfire. I just think that, on balance, it was probably worth the risk since it was increasingly looking like he'd lose anyway.

[oedipamaas49]

Good tactics maybe (it doesn't seem so to me, but I'm not following the race closely enough to judge). But courageous? How? He's ducking out of a debate to try and attach his name to a deal being made by other people.

[shreena]

Basically because it's a big risk. It'll either play as statesman like "putting country before politics, caring more about the economy than the election, yadda yadda yadda" or "coward, trying to duck out of the debate, yadda yadda yadda" - he's risking possibly the whole election on how this plays with the public.

[kerrypolka]

I haven't seen any positive American press on this at all - what coverage I have seen is people (including other Republicans and notoriously right-wing outlets) saying, "That's quite a transparent ploy, actually." I think it's being perceived as more cowardly (that he's afraid of the debates) than courageous.

[shreena]

I see some positive press on this in the links on Google News.

For example:

http://www.kansascity.com/772/story/812465.html

But, mostly, I'm seeing a lot of articles not quite sure on it. For instance:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/24/AR2008092403950.html

I haven't seen that much that is unequivocally critical, although obviously there is some.

Viewer comments from Illinois -

http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/viewer.comments.mccain.2.825119.html

Quite mixed and that's the reaction from Obama's state.

I don't think it's going to be clear how people really feel about it until the weekend. I think the media was a bit stunned and is having a hard time deciding on their view.

[kerrypolka]

Possibly I'm blurring the media view on this specific move of McCain's with its general disillusionment with him and his campaign. I don't expect very many outlets to come out immediately with "Well that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!", but I don't think there are many national outlets who approve of it, and that there'll be quite a few following the Letterman lead. I also anticipate that national media will keep tabs on McCain's moves very closely this weekend.

[shreena]

I'm not so sure that there is general disillusionment with him and his campaign.. there is some, obviously, but I think that there is starting to be some disillusionment with Obama too. I also think that, if the media does mostly follow Letterman's lead, there will start to be more of the general public who start to support McCain's move just out of stubbornness/mistrust of the media. Or maybe I'm projecting. I've found the British media's fawning over Obama makes me suspicious of him just because I'm not that inclined to trust the media..

[kathrid]

I quite like one of the Obama response quotes, that presidents must be able to deal with "more than one thing at once." It gives the impression that McCain is getting slightly infirm, without actually mentioning the age thing at all.

[kathrid]

And it appears that the bipartisan talks were actually proposed by Obama. McCain then decided to grab the headlines by 'suspending his campaign', but forgot to mention the whole meeting was Obama's suggestion.

Most of the analysis seems to think that McCain's not doing himself a favour by swinging around wildly and yelling. People, they say, prefer caution to precipitous action in times of crisis.

[shreena]

>People, they say, prefer caution to precipitous action in times of crisis.

I prefer caution to precipitous action but I'm not so sure that that's the majority opinion. I think some people genuinely prefer "leadership" aka doing something quickly even if it's stupid.

Also, from what I'm picking up on google news, the number of comments on the US equivalents of Have Your Say on the BBC supporting McCain is a lot higher than one might suppose from the analysis.

[kathrid]

And yet according to this poll he's nine points down, and much further behind in trust on the economy.

Besides, any online debate on america seems to bring out an inordinate number of extremely partisan pro-republican comments, regardless of what the actual mood in america seems to be.