Strategists: McCain must hammer on economy

[Suji to Seoul]

Source: Yahoo News

Top Republican strategists believe John McCain’s stalled presidential campaign can only be revived if the Arizona senator takes an immediate and decisive turn in direction, one marked by an almost unwavering focus on the economy and a sharp break from Bush administration economic policy.

While Barack Obama’s past associations with controversial figures such as former radical William Ayers should be a part of McCain's closing argument, they say, the GOP nominee needs to primarily concentrate on the historic nature of the current economic crisis and explain why he is better suited to lead the country out of it.

“Either McCain wins the argument over the economy or he loses,” said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican Speaker of the House. “When the economy is this central to everybody’s life, when everybody is as worried as they are now, then when you are not talking about the economy you are not winning.”

“Can he come back? I think he can. But time is running very short. I would give it about a week, at the most, to turn this around,” said John Weaver, McCain’s former top strategist. “We are speaking in angry Greek and the public wants to hear economic English.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081013/pl_politico/1...

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Keep shooting those blanks, Grandpa!

[nichomachus]

1. He and Bush have hammered on it quite enough, thank you -- they broke it

[SpiralHawk]

2. "This whole mess was created by the Old Republicons. Smirk." - McSame

"As a New, Improved Republicon, you can trust me & my cronies to - um - do a heckuva job on the economy. Smirk."

- McSame

[nxylas]

3. Yeah, that'll work

"My friends, the economy is up shit creek without a paddle, my friends. So, my friends, the only way to fix it, my friends, is to elect a Republican, my friends. We're the party of fiscal responsibility, my friends. PS: Maverick".

[Winterblues]

I have an idea "More Tax Cuts" especially for the wealthy

"They are the job creators" If the wealthy didn't have all that money nobody would have a job.. That is the logic we will have to destroy. This is what McCain is going to say and it is exactly the same thing he said in 1993 when Clinton had submitted his Budget. He said it was disastrous to increases taxes during a recession and every single Republican voted against Clinton's Budget. Al Gore had to cast the tie breaking vote. America went on to experience the "Greatest Economic Expansion in History" proving everything Republicans said to be false. It is still false and needs to be addressed that way.

[FVZA_Colonel]

7. If those recent media reports are correct (cutting capital gains, etc.),

then that's the basis of his new plan. Somehow I doubt Americans will connect with the wealthy getting tax cuts and more "trickle-down" economics at a time like this.

[bemildred]

4. I hope he didn't waste too much money on these guys.

So much for a steady hand on the tiller. I don't know that I've ever seen a more erratic campaign by a major party candidate.

[yellowcanine]

5. "...Ayers should be a part of McCain's closing argument..."

Obama is going to burn McCain's butt on Ayers on Wed. night and that will be the end of whatever "argument" McCain has on this. Not that it will prevent him from still trying to use it. As for the economy, it is a rock and a hard place for McCain. Yes, that has to be the focus if he is to win, but Obama is way more trusted to handle the economy thank McCain (Thank you very much George Bush), so he is not going to get any traction there. The game changer, the October surprise, has already occured and it has benefited Obama, not McCain. It is only a question of how badly McCain loses now, and how many senators and congress critters he takes with him.

[lark]

17. Yep, I think Obama has this set up for a homerun

He was totally egging on McCain by basically calling him chicken - he's afraid to say it to my face. I don't think McCain is smart enough to stay away from this, although he would if he had a brain. By supporting the neo-con Dick Cheney in a skirt choice, he proved he has no smarts and will fall for Obama's set up. Can't wait to see Obama hit this one out of the park.

[Doctor_J]

6. His first move will have to change every vote he made over the last

10 years. Then he can break with * on economic policy. Big Media will help out, I am sure

[Prophet 451]

8. Three problems here

1) This crisis isn't unique, we have been here before and McCain stated economic views didn't help then either.
2) McCain famously doesn't have a clue about the economy.
3) All those yards of videotape of McCain claiming to be anti-regulation.

[NM Independent]

9. Hammer away

[OhioChick]

10. That's going to be tough when he doesn't know jack-shit about the economy. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

11. Sarah can advise him!

8^)

[OhioChick]

18. You Betcha!

[radfringe]

12. if the Arizona senator takes an immediate and decisive turn in direction

another change in direction? lurch to the right in the morning, lurch to the left in afternoon, drive around in circles through the night

[central scrutinizer]

15. with the blinker on for blocks and blocks

[onager]

13. Being advised by that well-known moderate Grover Norquist

It just gets better and better.

Norquist AND Gingrich.

Anyone else remember the documentary that was shooting during the 1998 Congressional elections? A film crew followed Gingrich around as he shot off his mouth about the GOP "picking up 40 seats."

Of course, the GOP took enormous losses in that campaign, mostly fueled by public rage at their impeachment of Bill Clinton.

Gingrich was soon out of office and giving bad advice to the GOP from his new office in some K Street whorehouse.

In the 2000 election, he suggested that the Bush campaign might need a "seasoned GOP veteran" on the payroll. Or maybe even as a running mate!!! They didn't bite.

Go, Newt go! Having that divisive little windbag "helping" McCain is just going to do wonders with the moderates, independents and undecideds. Der Newtster slithered out of office with polls showing him slightly more popular than former GOP spokesman Ted Bundy, and I don't think time has improved that opinion much.

I don't know what is causing this outbreak of mass insanity in McCain's campaign staff, but I'm loving every minute of it.

[central scrutinizer]

14. Hard to engineer a "sharp break" when you are joined at the hip

Sorry, McHoover, nobody is going to buy your epiphany and forget that you were always for de-regulation until about 3 weeks ago and that you voted with Bushco 90% of the time (on those rare occasions when you actually showed up for work).

[Orsino]

16. I have it on good authority that a scalpel is what's needed. n/t