Thursday, August 21, 2008

Today's big story: HowmanyhousesdoesMcCainhavegate

Welcome to 2008, where a single comment from a candidate who probably didn't think twice about what he said can become a talking point for the opposition and the focus of an ad in less than 24 hours.

Yesterday, John McCain told Politico that he wasn't sure how many homes he actually owned. You can hear audio by clicking the link, but here's the quote.

"I think — I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told Politico in Las Cruces, N.M. "It's condominiums where — I'll have them get to you."


Now, Virginia governor and VP hopeful Tim Kaine jumped on this remark this morning on CNN's American Morning.



Maybe he can't, Tim. Maybe he can't. If that wasn't enough, there's already an ad by the Obama campaign centered around the question of McCain's numerous mystery homes, that even gives us an answer.



How are they privy to such information? I don't know, but the McCain campaign should ask them.

You get the feeling Democrats are going to try and get some mileage out of this one. For the last month they've watched McCain make headway by hammering Obama for being an out-of-touch elitist who drinks tea and goes to the gym. But now he'll be able to say "At least I know how many homes I own."

This gaffe is classic John McCain. It's part of the reason he won the Republican nomination in the first place, but also why so many Republicans were nervous about his chances in the general election. He's reshaped his image this decade on being Mr. Straight Talk, a self-styled maverick who shoots from the hip. He doesn't need your fancy-pants speechwriters or Ivy League eggheads to tell him what's what. He knows what he says and he says what he knows. Kind of like former Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

But in a general election, the lights are always on you. As much as you want to appear like you're a normal, everyday American, you can't really do that. Because normal, everyday Americans make mistakes. They say things that sound stupid as soon as they leave your mouth. They have moments where they're tired and frustrated and confused and sometimes just blurt out whatever at whoever. They don't like being taken out of their comfort zone, which is pretty much all a campaign is. And in these instances, just saying whatever comes to mind can make you look like an idiot. Kind of like former Arizona senator and Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater (who, in his frustration with the at-the-time-east-coast-dominated Republican Party made a joke about how much easier things would be if the eastern seaboard could just be sawed off from the rest of the country and had it turned into a talking point that made him look like a psychopath.)

Or McCain could just be really old. Either way.

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