The unknown unknowns
Thursday, September 11th, 2008 | This post was written by Will GallagherWhen the voters make a choice at election time, their decision is often not about whether they support the candidate’s policy platform as neatly laid out in a manifesto, but whether they trust the candidate’s judgement in the heat of an as yet unknown crisis. In making that decision, voters rely on all manner of quite unpredictable observations of the man or woman asking for their vote. And so they should.
It is in this context that Obama’s inability to ‘deal with’ Sarah Palin could prove quite telling. First he decided to attack her, then to congratulate her. Perhaps in frustration, or even by mistake, he then made an inopportune comment on the stump a couple of days ago. Now he is being tarred as sexist, and seems quite outraged that the media dare even level such an accusation, yet equally unable to make it go away. Since McCain turned the tables on Obama by his choice of VP, he has had neither the strategic judgement nor the political agility to steady himself in the face of a surprise. And should it really have been a surprise in the first place?
It may be over-stating it, but when the world isn’t being swept along in his wake, Obama’s messianic fervour, that is his making, turns all too quickly to self-righteous indignation, which may be his undoing. When events are not unfolding according to the prophecy, he seems at best unsure of what to do…And that is not a quality needed in a President.
Compare that to the McCain campaign, which, when faced with a less than emphatic first reaction to Palin, stuck with the plan, and the narrative they wanted to establish – that she was a gutsy fighter who would make it through and deliver. Moreover, they turned the media criticism to their advantage, by claiming it was evidence that she made the establishment uncomfortable – precisely the narrative they had wanted in the first place. Team McCain have proved much more sure-footed in the face of adversity – and they are being rewarded with medium-term praise after short-term criticism.
McCain is at his best when he’s under pressure, Obama when he’s riding high. I know which quality I would want in a President. And that’s not because I’m an inherent McCain supporter…I am captivated by Obama…but the lingering doubts persist, and recent days are making them worse, not better. He still has a lot to prove…not, for me, in policy but in person.
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