State of the race

I'm struck by how long it has been since I posted anything about the 2008 race. But that's why this blog is entitled "Ramblings" with politics and religion as major themes, rather than The Making of the President 2008.

(The real reason is that with the birth of my third daughter three weeks ago tomorrow, I have not had any time to blog substantively. That should change now; Maddy came home this last Thursday!)

So Obama went to Europe and was feted by all of the pertinent dignitaries. Kindly forgive my yawn. I could have done a Nostradamus on that before he even left American soil, with 100% accuracy. The aspect that I find most interesting is that clearly America is not nearly as in love with Europe as Obama is. He got no polling bump for going over there and making another glittery speech, and he shouldn't have.

This may be where Obama lost the election. McCain came back with a very cutting, but funny TV ad with a breathy voice-over: "He's the biggest celebrity ever....but can he lead?" (Fade to images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.) Obama's people howled about how mean it was. The shoe must have fit.

Of course, it must be noted that McCain has had a few missteps of his own in the last couple of weeks. Jon Stewart (yes, I watch occasionally, but I like Colbert better) ran a clever clip of McCain in a grocery store protesting Obama's messianic projections overseas....while behind him, a clerk bent over and spilled a stack of canned peaches all over the floor.

A more serious gaffe involved McCain's assertion last Sunday on "This Week" (ABC, George Stephanopolous interviewing) that "Nothing is off the table" in terms of what is needed to fix the economy, presumably including tax increases. McCain moved quickly to clarify over this last week that he would never raise taxes, but it has left an opening for exploitation.

I noted above that Obama could lose, but don't misunderstand me; he very well may not. It is noteworthy, though, that Obama is not running away with the election, and doesn't seem to be increasing his base. There seems to be a sense that we've seen all there is to see with Obama. The newness has worn off, and we have the same old rhetoric we've had from these leftists for decades.

Our biggest problem is that our side is not energized about McCain. If we were, I believe he would be up in most polls; as it is, though, he's not down by much.

This election could go either way. A lot will happen between now and November 4, including 2 conventions and 3 debates. It will be interesting to see if Obama is able to pull away with a big lead after Labor Day. If he does....it's over. But what if McCain does? This race has been unconventional from the get-go; who is to say that it will not remain so? If that happened, it will be fun to watch the pundits scramble.