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October Demise
« on: 2008-11-01 16:38:28 » |
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The New York Times
November 1, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
October Demise
By CHARLES M. BLOW
John the Contender and Sarah the Subverter limped into these last days hoping against hope. All else had failed, even McCain’s complete apostasy. Their flagging ticket had fallen in the polls, and they were preying for an upset for which there was no precedent.
According to a Gallup report released Monday, there have been only two upsets since 1952: Reagan vs. Carter in 1980 and Bush vs. Gore in 2000. Neither is particularly analogous to the current race.
In 1980, the candidates’ one and only debate was a week before Election Day. Reagan won the debate, and that turned the election. This year, McCain was drubbed in all three presidential debates. In 2000, the lead in the polls flip-flopped constantly. Gore eked out a popular vote win, but didn’t win the Electoral College. This year, McCain hasn’t held the lead in the polls since mid-September. And Obama already has enough states leaning his way to handily win the Electoral College, plus he’s either tied or leading in the toss-up states.
So McCain’s final volley was to brand Barack Obama a socialist, assail his associations and rile up the rurals. For that to work, everything else would have to fall in McCain’s favor. To say that it hasn’t is a gross understatement.
Oct. 19: Colin Powell endorses Obama.
Oct. 20: Al Qaeda endorses McCain.
Oct. 22: Sarah Palin gets smacked down for dressing up. (You know it’s hard out here when you primp.)
Oct. 23: The candidates personally reach out to a campaign volunteer who claimed that a black man had carved a backward “B” on her face during a mugging to punish her for not supporting Obama. The volunteer later confesses to fabricating the story. Scars all around.
Oct. 24: $22,800 for makeup. Wow.
Oct. 25: McCain’s people begin to turn on Palin, making her sound like the title character of a bad movie: “Whack job,” “diva,” “gone rogue.”
Oct. 28: The Pew Center reports that Obama leads among early voters by a margin of 19 percent.
Oct. 29: Obama buys a chunk of prime-time and broadcasts a love-in to himself, then he has a late-night rally with his former grudge buddy Bill Clinton. It looks like a coronation. McCain responds on Larry King in a room that looks like the lobby of a funeral parlor.
Throughout October: The Republican Egghead Revolt: the party’s highbrows huff that the appeal of the Grand Old Party needs to be broader than the audience of the Grand Ole Opry. Many defect to Obama.
And there you have it — a calamity of missteps and misfortunes.
Of course, anything could happen. There are three days left. McCain could still win. And, a drunk man wearing a blindfold could get a puck past Marc-André Fleury.
Yeah, unlikely. It’s a wrap. Fade to black.
E-mail chblow@nytimes.com
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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