The Political Fiend

Bill Ayers. Yes, that guy. As much as I hate to admit it, Bill Ayers was the name of the game tonight. Let’s just face it. Maybe six months ago this would have been big news. Maybe at an earlier time McCain could have capitalized on the tenuous relationship between Obama and the former member of the Weathermen. But timing in politics, as in so many other disciplines, is everything. Tonight was too late. The moment Ayers’ name rolled off McCain lips signalled the death knell of his presidential aspirations. Sure, our recent financial troubles laid the lid on the coffin, but McCain’s reliance on Rovian attacks such as his Ayers rhetoric and Palin’s “palling around with terrorists” remark pounded in the nails.

None of these were smart moves, though they arguably became necessary after Obama started creeping ahead in the polls. Obama’s surge put McCain in a tailspin. He went negative to distract the public from his policy weaknesses; the less time he spent discussing policy issues, the more time he had to devote to negativity, and so a cycle was born. It rings of a Coen Brothers plot; blunders get covered by bigger ones until a hilarious tragedy results. Not so funny for John McCain. Especially since the biggest complaint among undecided voters is that McCain spends too much time on meanness, and not enough on actual issues.

Until McCain brought up the Ayers issue tonight, I’d say that he was winning the debate. Obama came off as nervous, cagey even. But he addressed the Ayers question in stride, visibly irritating McCain. Thereafter McCain wouldn’t let the issue go, and therein lay his folly. Bill Ayers was in no way a major part of the debate, as far as substantive discussions go. But he served as McCain’s breaking point, exposing his desperation, and more importantly, his frustration with a failing campaign built on a lifetime of legislative experience and political will.

And now, a brief rundown of the debate questions:

Question 1: How is your economic plan better?: Winner: Tie

• Obama relied heavily on his talking points, came off as over-rehearsed
• But he was able to lay out his tax plan in a clear concise manner