The Palin-Biden debate drew huge television audiences, but in many ways tonight’s town-hall style debate (you can listen on NCPR at 9pm) has far more potential for drama.<\/p>\n
John McCain has very few opportunities to turn this race around. Poll numbers are grim for the Republican. <\/p>\n
The latest surveys suggest that he’s flat-out losing Florida and Virginia. If those trends hold, the game’s over. <\/p>\n
The Republican absolutely needs both of those states to win.<\/p>\n
Which means that McCain needs to force a big moment tonight. He’s already begun a new onslaught on Barack Obama’s character, hoping to convince Americans that the Democrat is untested and, well, a little scary.<\/p>\n
It’s a dangerous strategy. <\/p>\n
McCain himself has already changed gears so many times (promising a clean, high-road campaign, for example, then going “street”) that he runs the risk of sounding hysterical. <\/p>\n
There’s also the risk of tipping over into racially tinged language. The Associated Press has already dinged Sarah Palin for scuffing that line. <\/p>\n
And when you try to force big, game-changing moments at debates, it’s possible to flop hard.<\/p>\n
But theoretically the town-hall style format is a good one for McCain. And playing it safe just doesn’t seem to be an option anymore. <\/p>\n
So…tune in tonight at 9pm and send your comments to let me know if you think the debate lived up to the hype…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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