Observers who claim Obama's success has only been because of luck and a bad economy are seriously underestimating his skills as a politician. What Democrat, other than Obama, could have turned one of the most successful Republican talking points of the last 30 years completely on its head. Take a look at this nugget from the latest CBS poll showing Obama with a 14-point lead:
Which candidate will raise your taxes? Respondents, by 51% to 46%, say it's McCain.
Now compare that with a Gallup poll from September in which 53% of respondents said Obama would raise their taxes, compared to 34% who said McCain.
Yes, it is in part due to political malpractice on McCain's part. McCain just doesn't know how to counterattack. He's been leading the charge with Talking Point A, and Obama has successfully countered with Talking Point B. But instead of poking further holes with a revised Talking Point C, McCain has just kept repeating Talking Point A with little success.
But until recently, McCain was hitting Obama harder on taxes than perhaps any other issue, and taxes were a major focus of the Republican convention. Not only is Obama still standing, he's winning the argument. That's can't all be because of McCain's incompetence.
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