The DNC released today their first ad attacking McCain. The ad hits him on the economy. It is pretty effective in portraying McCain as out of touch with America and what is happening to our economy. The ad is below. However, I think the strategy is flawed. Karl Rove's philosophy for attacking candidates had been to dismantle their biggest strength (see: John Kerry and Vietnam) and then leave them with nothing. McCain's experience with regard to foreign affairs is unquestionably his strength. The war in Iraq still highly unpopular and McCain has been explicit in his support of the war so why not go after him about that? The other possibility is that DNC doesn't want to show their best cards yet, we will see...Either way, it is good to see that the DNC isn't sitting and twiddling their thumbs while Obama and Clinton rip each other apart...
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I think this ad is pretty effective--even if the economy isn't McCain's biggest strength, the fact that it may be his biggest weakness is significant since the economy will be an incredibly important issue in the coming months. The fact is, probably more Americans are personally affected by the failing economy than are affected by the war in Iraq, since the burden of that battle is shouldered disproportionally by relatively few families. As gas prices skyrocket and people are losing their homes, voters will be wary of a potential chief executive who has admitted that he doesn't know as much about economics as he should.
I suspect that for voters who don't hold ending the war in Iraq as a paramount concern, McCain's inarguable military experience and expertise to some extent will neutralize his unpopular views on the war. I think it would be a mistake even to attempt to "swiftboat" McCain; to undercut McCain's service to his country in any way would be a terrible move for Democrats, especially Obama, who already grapples with questions about patriotism. The fact is, Rove's strategies may not work for Democrats since the parties are held to different standards based on reputations and expectations.
Beyond presenting a plan to bring the troops home, which McCain doesn't offer, there isn't much more Democrats can do to tarnish his strength on foreign policy. Depending on developments between now and November, McCain may be able to argue credibly that he was right on the surge and knows the best way to proceed without leaving Iraq in shambles and without having wasted lives and resources with nothing to show for it. Of course, the withdrawal argument will be a powerful one for many voters, and I'm sure the DNC will highlight it in future ads, as you mentioned.
Still, the economy is a great issue for the Democrats to maximize their advantage on. As this ad illustrates, it's easy to make a case that Bush's policies--which are largely shared by McCain--have left America worse off, so perhaps it's time to give the other party a shot.
A very interesting post...thanks for sharing that ad.
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