McCain's tactic won't work

Over the weekend, John McCain's team members announced that they would adapt a gloves-off approach to the final month before the election, seeking (in their own words) to "change the subject" away from the economy and refocus it on questions of Barack Obama's judgment, personal integrity, and associations. Sarah Palin kicked off this strategy on Saturday by accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."

There are two major problems with this tactic that lead me to predict it won't work — at least not well enough to salvage McCain's sputtering campaign. First, the kind of rhetoric heard from Palin over the weekend is the type that will generally appeal only to those voters who wouldn't have ever considered supporting Obama in the first place. It will not appeal to undecided voters — McCain's only real remaining hope to dig himself out of his hole — who are likely undecided because they are still waiting to see which ticket will present a better case for solving America's catalog of domestic problems. Such voters will see this strategy as an act of desperation and not-so-tacit admission on McCain's part that he can't convince people to support him on the basis of his policies alone. They will not be impressed by the McCain campaign's announcement that he is trying to "change the subject" away from news of record-setting job-loss statistics and the greatest economic crisis this nation has seen since the Great Depression.

Secondly, this decision was splashed all over the headlines on Saturday and Sunday, as was last week's decision to pull campaign resources out of the critical battleground state of Michigan. Publicizing either move was a big mistake on McCain's part. Between the two, it's as though he's broadcasting his campaign's downward spiral. With his poor standing in the polls and less than one month until the election, it's understandable that McCain would want to take drastic measures to save his White House bid. But these are the types of moves that need to be done under the radar. Allowing them to make national headlines is nothing short of stupid. Again, undecided voters won't be inclined to back a ticket that is so vociferously crumbling at its own foundations.

I think it's impossible to overstate how ugly this fight will become in the month of October. McCain knows he has nothing to lose, except for the election, and current polls suggest that's the direction for which he is headed. He also knows that, at the ripe old age of 72, this is likely his last chance ever to achieve his long-lived dream of becoming president. My simple advice for the Obama campaign: Stay focused on the issues — as you are right now — because that's what voters care about. As McCain's team continues to try to throw out distractions from the critical challenges facing our nation, Americans will see that strategy for what it is.