Just as the narrative of a McCain comeback was starting to emerge, Democrats woke up to two amazing pieces of news this morning that should quiet down talk of an Obama weakening - at least temporarily.
The first, of course, is Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama. Rumors had been circulating for months now, but it was never clear whether Powell would actually take the jump, nor how strongly he would explain his decision. But on Meet the Press this morning, Powell did much more than announce he would vote for the Democratic nominee; he also offered a detailed rationale for his endorsement. He heralded Obama as an “exceptional” and “transformational figure” with “steadiness” and “intellectual vigor.” Powell also praised his willingness to talk to leaders of “rogue” nations - one of the main points of contention between the two presidential nominees.
Powell also hit Republicans on all sorts of issues, from McCain’s inability to deal with the financial crisis (”every day there was a different approach”) and from the poor judgment McCain exhibited in choosing Sara Palin to the GOP’s campaign tactics (“over the last seven weeks, the approach of the Republican Party has become narrower and narrower”). Powell also spent a long time praising the contributions Muslims have made to the United States, and he accused Republicans of drifting rightward - citing Sarah Palin as an example.
Powell’s performance was essentially a variation of the “I haven’t left my party, it has left me” routine - but that is exactly what gives it the potential to make a difference in the election. Very few endorsements actually matter - even those that are celebrated as game-changers (Ted Kennedy’s endorsement in the run-up to Super Tuesday didn’t prevent Obama from getting trounced in California and Massachusetts, Al Gore’s endorsement of Howard Dean was certainly not the deal-clincher). But whatever you think of Powell (and there are certainly plenty of reasons to not hold him in high regard), his stature, association with the Republican Party and experience in military matters make this endorsement very much worth clinching.
Powell might directly not gain Obama any votes, but he helps neutralize some of McCain’s most powerful attacks. Powell’s endorsement comes at a time Republicans are drumming up their suggestions that Obama is connected to terrorists or that his economic policies are un-American. For voters who have been having doubts about Obama’s allegiance to the United States or who have been wondering about Bill Ayers, Powell’s stamp of approval could be taken as a trustworthy stamp of approval, a sign they should put those concerns aside and not worry about Obama’s alleged terrorism.
At the very least, Powell’s endorsement helps Obama run out the clock. With 16 days to go before the Election and a large deficit for McCain to climb back, he can ill-afford to waste a day but what else will evening news, cable shows and tomorrow’s papers talk about?
(Drudge and Rush Limbaugh are clearly trying to make the case that the endorsement is about race, perhaps playing on the fear some white voters have publicly voiced that an Obama Administration would favor African-Americans at the detriment of whites. It could be interesting to see whether Powell’s cross-party endorsement feeds that paranoia, but Powell is popular enough among white voters - and certainly among Republican-leaning voters - that this should not be a concern.)
Democrats’ second strong news of the morning is the Obama campaign’s September fundraising numbers: A jaw-dropping $150 million were raised in one month, shattering Obama’s previous record of $65 million in August and any other record held by any candidate in the history of presidential campaigns. This once again confirms the Obama campaign’s discipline, as they once again managed to break all expectations and quash any talk of faltering momentum.
To the Obama campaign’s total should be added a good month by the DNC, which raised $50 million in September alone and has half of that amount left as of the end of September. (McCain is limited to $84 million over the months of September and October, and the money the RNC is spending on his behalf comes with limitations.)
This fundraising news is of course in a very different category than Powell’s endorsement. No voter will be convinced to vote for Obama because he raised $150 million. But the impact could certainly be far more important. There is now no doubt whatsoever that Democrats will massively outspend Republicans over the last 16 days - just as they have swamped McCain over the past 6 weeks. That has allowed Obama to drown some of McCain’s message, and do so mostly undercover. The recent CBS/NYT poll that showed that more voters think their taxes will go up under McCain that under Obama is an example of a surprising shift in public opinion that is largely due to Obama’s ads.
In fact, Obama’s war-chest is so gigantic the campaign will probably have trouble figuring out what to do with it, which is why Democrats are talking of investing in states like Kentucky or why the Obama campaign is coming up with uncommon advertising methods like the 30-minute slots of primetime TV he has bought on October 29th.
At the very least, Obama’s fundraising allows him to compete in as many red states as he wants, a situation Al Gore and John Kerry certainly wish they had been in (Gore had to pull out of Ohio, Kerry of Missouri and West Virginia). By contrast, the GOP is having trouble defending all the red states that have emerged as heated battleground states - let alone invest much in blue states. So expect Obama to keep increasing the volume of his advertising in Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and North Carolina over the next 16 days; McCain will simply not be able to keep up.
A small point but David Plouffe said in his video that Obama had raised “over” $150 millon dollars. The real number may be a bit higher (say $160 million) and they therefore could get an extra news cycle and even more amazement out of the announcement of the actual number. I’m probably overanalyzing this but they are very careful in what they say.
McCain is suffering fro a A-CUTE PALINISM.
He also shows symptoms of PLUMBISM BOWEL and SIX PACK DIARRHEA.
PALINISM is the most serious.
It causes people to lose their balance and ability to think clearly.
Eventually they do not know WITCH way is up.
It demonstrates Obama campaign’s discipline, Obama’s leadership and fundraising talents more than anything else. McCain can attack Obama as being out of touch all he wants, but millions and millions of voters have spoken out in rejecting the culture of bigotry and hypocrisy that Palin is the poster child of. Just as Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh are the men of America’s decadence by trying to pit Real America against Unreal American (as they see it in their heads). There is only one America, and it spoke out in the form of more than $150 million. McCain is raising money from mostly desperate bigots who want to continue the game of dividing America called Real vs. Unreal and watching the game of pitting one race against another.
Seriously Taniel, this is an amazing news day for Obama. John McCain really needs to revamp his campaign if he wants to have the chance of winning. I would suggest that he focus mainly on economic and social issues, because if he wants to peel away some independents, he cannot rely on negatives when he knows he is being massively outspent, and if he wants to strengthen his position among conservatives, social issues will help. There is not much advice I can give McCain since he keeps shifting his strategy and may already have been seen as desperate and unsteady, unfortunately.
OK, my friends. I’m just going to say it. Disagree with my comment if you must, but I cannot see how Obama loses the election. Sure, it will be tough, and no doubt the Bachmans and Palins of this world will continue to stoke the flames of racism and “anti-American” bigotry, but with Powell’s endorsement and millions in the bank, the Obama campaign is poised for victory. As Taniel put it, Obama only needs to “run down the clock” at this point.
So Drudge and others attack Powell (up until now respected by them) for endorsing Obama because of his race. They then wonder why the GOP is losing support with moderates! Do they not think there could possibly be another reason for the endorsement?
Who are McCain’s advisers?
Ever new idea that the project falls flat.
ie: Joe the Plumber, Joe Six Pack etc.
No wonder he is losing so badly.
His stump speeches are always the same.
Even the military have gone over to Obama.
What a loser!
McCain is helping to seed division for after the election. Assuming Obama wins then a segment of the population will think he is un-American and that the election was stolen by all those people registered by Acorn.
This is a campaign of The People (Obama) vs The Bigots, quite frankly. Never in the history of politics have The People funded their own campaign and outspent TheBigots threatening America’s greatness. Palin is the leader of The Bigots, and they are poised to experience a painful defeat, if The People prevail. And if McCain had made far more millions of dollars than Obama, then his campaign was all about The People, not the Right-Wingers I call The Bigots (they don’t have to be openly racists or sexists, but the base is so full of racists and bigots just as the Democratis have their own bigots lurking in the Party, albeit greatly outnumbered and outgunned by the Republicans’ own bigots).
This is history where America is getting to the center of its finest image as a nation of diversity, integrity, peace, and intelligence. Its ability to battle the bigots and partially defeat them has skyrocketed it to global greatness and power that made it want to democratize the world and stifle anti-innovation and anti-intellectual conservatism.
Okay, I know I have gone so far as to dismiss those who hold different opinions from me. No, I don’t, and please feel free to attack me and disagree with me. The point is, this is an epic period in America’s history where its finest is being displayed by the election of Obama, which would amount to a rejection of the age-old bigotry and the status quo of white and wealthy men running our nation as though this is a country of no opportunities.
It could happen, guy. And I think Obama needs to preemptively paint McCain as a man of division even more before he can win. He also needs to portray his campaign as the campaign paid and funded by the people and, therefore, his election victory as the people’s victory over division. He can also tie McCain to ACROn, since McCain also presented himsel as a keynote speaker during an ACROn event.
This endorsement speaks volumes and I believe it will be a needle mover for two relevant voter segments this election: (1) moderate Republicans who are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the extreme rightward direction of the McCain-Palin campaign and (2) people who are holding back on Obama-Biden primarily because of foreign policy and national security concerns.
Aside from the blemish on his record in relation to the Iraq war, General Powell still garners tremendous respect from the vast majority of Republicans, and every Republican President in the last three decades has sought his advice on National Security and Foreign Policy issues. I hope that General Powell’s endorsement will sway the votes of some members of the two above-mentioned segments away from John McCain and Sarah Palin and towards Senators Obama and Biden.
This election is still too close for my comfort, and the news about General Powell aside, it will be important for those of who support Senator Obama to get to the polls on election day (or sooner if you can!) and vote not only to ensure his victory, but also to demonstrate the greater sense of unity and solidarity our country desperately needs right now.
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