McCain counts on character to clinch it

In his widely-lauded acceptance speech in Denver last week, Barack Obama challenged John McCain to a debate over the issues. But at their convention in
Minneapolis-St Paul this week, Republicans have made it clear they want the presidential debate to be all about character.

Democrat versus Republican, mainstream media versus ordinary folk, cerebral versus visceral – it is an old division that has served Republican nominees well. In his own acceptance speech on Thursday night, Mr McCain is likely to pick up that line of attack and take it as far as it can go.

His colleagues, most notably Fred Thompson, the former Republican candidate, and Sarah Palin, his running mate, have already laid the groundwork in keynote speeches to the convention. The choice they present is clear: Do you want to elect a professorial, over-educated elitist? Or would you prefer a diehard patriot whose principles survived the enemy’s torture chambers?

“John McCain’s character has been tested like no other presidential candidate in the history of this nation,” said Mr Thompson in his hard-hitting address on Tuesday night. “He comes from a military family whose service to our country goes back to the revolutionary war . . . It’s pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves: ‘Who is this man?’ and ‘Can we trust this man with the presidency?’”

The parallel that best fits 2008 is the tussle between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000. In spite of being able to tout the longest period of unbroken economic growth in the nation’s history and a peace dividend resulting from the end of the cold war, Mr Gore’s campaign floundered on character rather than policies.

When it came to the crunch, most American voters said they would prefer to have a beer with Mr Bush than Mr Gore. And that, albeit seemingly trivial, distinction appeared to clinch the race. This time the economy also favours the Democrats because it is in crisis after eight years of Republican administration. Mr McCain, who has made a career from selling qualities of character, honour, duty and service, clearly thinks it can work again in spite of the fact that on most of the “issues”, the electorate is with the Democrats.

But can they identify with the Democratic nominee? “The argument over elitism boils down to the Democrats pointing at those who have great wealth and the Republicans pointing at those who have been educated in the Ivy League system and who look down on others,” said David Frum, a neoconservative author. “There is no reason to believe it will be any different this time round.”

Nor will Mr McCain and his supporters be squeamish about making their point. “After days of neglect, covered in grime, lying in his own waste in a filthy room, a doctor attempted to set John’s right arm without success . . . and without anaesthesia,” said Mr Thompson about Mr McCain’s days in the Vietnamese prison.

It was probably the first time many Americans had heard of Mr McCain’s ordeals. Between now and November they will hear about it again and again. They are also likely to get a whiff of Reaganite optimism from Mr McCain tonight – another approach that has served Republicans well on the hustings.

“The Republicans need to define McCain as a strong leader in times of worry and danger,” said Noam Neusner, a former White House speech writer. “Obama’s speech was quite angry, stern and challenging. There is a wide opening for McCain to come across as happier, friendlier, funnier and more optimistic than Obama.”

Against this, Mr McCain still has to settle doubts about his temperament and a reputation for impulsiveness – a trait that was reinforced by his seemingly last-minute decision to adopt Mrs Palin as his running mate last week. Although many are likely to identify with Mrs Palin’s blue-collar background, the manner in which she was chosen has raised doubts about Mr McCain’s judgment.

Moreover, Mr Obama, who has remained silent about Mrs Palin following his campaign’s initially derisory statement about her on the day she was announced, has made it clear that he will also target Mr McCain’s allegedly hair-trigger temper. And he will push back against any attempt to question his patriotism or insinuations about his supposed lack of American origins.

Both the overt and subliminal messages coming out of St Paul would appear to bear out Mr Obama’s forebodings. “I realise that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree,” Mr Obama said in Denver. “If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that is a debate I’m ready to have.”

That debate is already joined. The question now is whether Mr McCain can effectively address the economic anxieties most American voters are experiencing, or whether he believes that his character will trump all else. “Voters know he’s a strong leader,” said Andrew Kohut, director of research at the Pew Foundation. “But he also has to tackle his weakness on the economy.”