Why McCain Will (and Should) Lose

I don't like to do a postmortem premortem, but I want to see if my predictions come true. There were two distinct issues going into this campaign with a third showing up smack in the middle of it. The issues are as follows:

1. Energy independence.

2. Raising taxes and increasing spending in recession.

3. The financial meltdown.

The McCain campaign is only now hammering issue 2 which is raising taxes in the face of recession. Thanks to Joe the Plumber, McCain can put a real face on the common American who believes it is service to the community to run a successful business that provides good service and jobs. But this is only half of the equation. McCain should be making a bigger case for cutting government spending. Why is it that only average people need to tighten the belt when times get tough? McCain could have distanced himself from Bush by denouncing the profligate spending over that last 8 years.

Second, what about energy independence? Why isn't McCain stopping in every town saying, "Our American Energy Independence plan will promote your community to develop new energy sources. There is $700 billion being sent overseas that needs to come home to small towns like Springfield, especially as we have an economic slowdown facing our future." Say this everywhere.

Finally, the financial crisis had McCain's so-called maverick reputation written all over it. He bottled the whole thing by going to the nest of vipers instead of using his already established position as reformer. In 2005, McCain submitted legislation to reign in Freddie and Fannie which the Dems blocked. Now $2 trillion in bad paper has infected our financial system with most, if not all, forced down our throat by Government. Why have I not heard a single mention of Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters, Henry Waxman et al.? These are the people who supported this wretched practice by blocking reform after reform. McCain had the opportunity and squandered it. The people on Wall Street who fenced this $2 trillion are losing their jobs and hopefully their bonuses. The people in Washington who stole this $2 trillion are safe.

These are all real world issues that effect the average person. The candidate who spoke directly to the people on the issues would have broken the Obama spell. The Obama/Media template is to blame all our ills on the rich and corporations. This is a caricature of reality and an easy myth to dispell, but McCain only grabbed onto the template...one that has Obama as gatekeeper. Because Obama mostly controlled the message of this campaign, he wins.