In travels, McCain attempts to frame campaign issues
Itinerary at odds with his political needs, analysts say
LOS ANGELES - This week, when Barack Obama campaigns in Ohio and Colorado, John McCain will visit Colombia and Mexico. It is an unusual path for McCain to follow. But even more, it could be a risky strategy for his presidential campaign.
Not since Richard M. Nixon traveled to all 50 states in 1960, fulfilling a pledge he came to regret, has a presidential candidate followed an itinerary that appears so at odds with his political needs, some analysts say.
For starters, there are no electoral votes to be had in Latin America or Canada, another country McCain recently visited. Even more puzzling to observers is McCain's emphasis on national security and foreign affairs at a time when domestic matters have surged to the fore of voter concerns.
"You can't shoehorn in an issue the American people aren't focused on everyday at their kitchen table," said Matthew Dowd, who ran President Bush's 2004 reelection campaign, which centered on fighting terrorism at a time when Sept. 11, 2001, was far more resonant.
On Saturday, McCain met in Washington with President Jalal Talabani of Iraq and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines.
The same day, Obama announced that he is planning his own foreign tour to Europe and the Middle East. The Illinois senator took a break from campaigning yesterday.
The foreign trip also might pose risks for Obama if his journey takes on the air of a victory lap. But it makes sense politically, because it addresses a gap in his resume.
McCain is attempting something far more difficult: driving the campaign in a direction that voters, at least for now, don't seem willing to go.
Strategists for the Arizona senator believe a big asset is his image as a strong leader who will keep America safe. Even with a mortgage crisis, rising unemployment, and soaring gas prices, that attribute matters a good deal, McCain aides say. Moreover, they insist, most voters don't make the same domestic-versus-foreign policy distinctions as political pundits.
Mark Salter, a senior McCain adviser, noted that the Arizona senator has just finished a week-and-a-half campaign swing devoted to energy policy, telling audiences that ending US dependence on foreign oil was just as important for the country's economic interests as its national security. "These things are always related," Salter said.
So when McCain sits down with foreign leaders to talk about terrorism, the thinking goes, it helps voters envision him as commander in chief. When he travels to Colombia and Mexico, it highlights his record as a free trader and his moderation on immigration and, perhaps, garners favorable publicity in the Hispanic community back home.
But that strategy has drawn consternation from some fellow Republicans. There is, after all, the cautionary lesson of 1992, when President George H.W. Bush lost his reelection bid. One big reason was that voters believed Bush was less attuned to their economic pain than his more domestic-minded opponent, Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas.
Surveys indicate that economic issues again top the political agenda, with many voters saying Obama would do a better job addressing healthcare, record gas prices, even taxes - usually a GOP strong suit - than McCain.
Part of Obama's advantage might be the image of Democrats as the more compassionate party. Some of it may be McCain's bluntness: During the primary season he confessed to being less conversant on economic issues than defense and national security matters, words that Democrats have gleefully thrown back at him.
The biggest part might be guilt by association. Many blame President Bush for the tough economic times and assume McCain will continue his policies, with the same results.
Whatever the reason, analysts say, those underlying attitudes make it all the more important for McCain to shift the debate. "If people are voting on economics, they're going to vote Democratic," said Floyd Ciruli, a nonpartisan pollster in Colorado, a state both candidates are targeting. "To win, Republicans have to focus this election on national security."
McCain's greatest political strength has always been his reputation as someone willing to go his own way when principle demands. He started running for president in 2008 as a conventional candidate and faltered. He reverted to a more freewheeling form and rallied to win the GOP nomination.
For good or ill, McCain is clearly determined to wage a different sort of general election campaign, even if it leads him far from the well-trod path, or away from the issues voters say they care most about. 