From First Read:
The Washington Post’s Balz sets the CW on McCain right now. “As with his Monday ["fundamentals"] misstep, once again the message is mixed. Guns blazing, McCain is promising to ride into town to . . . oversee the creation of a commission to study the problem. He is speaking out in favor of regulation but against a history of opposing a heavy government hand. He has expressed his outrage, but what is the balance he would strike between the old and new McCain?”
“In many ways, the opening provided to Obama by McCain’s verbal misstep is the least of his problems. What should worry the McCain camp most is the intersection of a renewed focus on the economy and the underlying political climate that has created such difficulties for McCain and his party all year.”
The Boston Globe notes McCain’s rhetorical turn toward regulation but notes that contradicts his record. “McCain’s economic worldview could suddenly be a political liability. Since he has said he supports government intervention only in catastrophic times, he is open to criticism from liberals who see deregulation as the root of the problem and conservatives who see the taxpayer bailouts as rewarding reckless decisions. Fifty-three percent of voters surveyed said they were confident in McCain’s ability to make the right decisions about the economy, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll released yesterday, while 60 percent are confident in Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama. The poll showed stark pessimism about the economy – nearly 80 percent rated conditions as negative and 6 in 10 said they are getting worse.”
The Los Angeles Times has a similar piece. “The wildly swinging rhetoric from the McCain campaign has delighted Barack Obama, who just last week was struggling to respond to the enthusiasm whipped up by Palin’s unexpected arrival on the national stage. Campaigning in Nevada on Wednesday, the Democratic nominee mocked McCain’s attempts to cast himself as a reformer. ‘This is somebody who’s been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign,’ Obama said.”
