McCain recasts himself as the real agent of change in the US elections

Last Modified: 05 Sep 2008
By: Felicity Spector

Publicity cuts both ways, as do campaign slogans. Change you can believe in, say Obama's banners, change you can trust, say McCain's.

'Change' is not a destination, just as 'hope' is not a strategy' - Rudi Giuliani told the Republican convention this week, mocking Barack Obama's best known campaign slogan - but that hasn't stopped John McCain trying to recast himself as the real agent of change in this election.

Aside from all those references in the big convention speech, 'Change is coming', there was no mention at all to the R-word, other than to condemn those Republicans who got tempted by the dark arts of Washington lobbyists.

The downside for McCain himself was that the big speech itself fell somewhat flat, especially after the rapturous welcome given to his rather more vigorous running mate.

It was the old family uncle who drones on too long at the wedding: apart from some crowd-pleasing flourishes at the end, almost entirely devoid of drama.

But the whole change stragegy is much more about Florida, Ohio and Michigan than the delegates in St Paul. In the run up to November, campaign staff say the game plan will focus on McCain the maverick - distancing himself from the last administration as well as a Republican mainstream that's growing ever harder to defend.

That's why you'll have looked hard to find any references to President Bush at all this week - it's almost as if his presidency never existed.

Is anyone worried about alienating the GOP faithful? Not a bit of it. The party base, it seems, is already covered - newly energised and excited by Sarah Palin: millions of dollars in donations are rolling in, as well as countless volunteers, most of them hard line conservatives.

And her selection is also critical to that change theme. As one top aide put it: "They'll be the reforming, crusading duo who are uniquely suited to shake up Washington."

Because clearly, it's not the easiest thing in the world to depict yourself as an agent of change when it's your party which has been in charge for the last eight years.

But then again, the polls show more than 80 per cent of voters think the country's on the wrong track and most elections tend to be more about the future, than about the past.

And it's not like the Republicans are jettisoning all their old ideas - the GOP is, after all, just one step away from GOD, which was, according to a rather nifty New York Times graphic, the top buzzword used by speakers at the convention - followed by, natch, taxes.

Obama's strategy, then, is to keep trying to regain control of the script: that all this just represents four more years of the last eight years.

They might be struggling to find a way of treating Palin - but they're kind of hoping that her own ultra-conservative record will turn the tide against her all by itself. Then there's the potential for gaffes, from someone with so little experience, who still hasn't been exposed to the full glare of public scrutiny.

There's certainly been no shortage of material so far - and already Palin has been forced to make one public apology - over her very first fundraising email to supporters.

The email claimed that "The Obama-Biden Democrats have been vicious in their attacks directed toward me, my family and John McCain."

So was she prepared to name names? It appears not - instead she's had to admit that actually, the Obama campaign was not responsible for any specific attacks after all.

The Democrats are rubbing their hands: spokesman Bill Burton commenting "I hope she gives a speech every day". For just as Palin is galvanising her own party's base - her candidacy is also bringing a new flood of donations and volunteers into the Obama campaign.

Publicity, then, cuts both ways. And so do campaign slogans. Change you can believe in, said Obama's banners, but change you can trust, say McCain's. Quite how they intend to achieve it, remains to be seen.