Obama, McCain Downplay Success to Make Appeal Amid Economic Woes
Both millionaire candidates work hard to downplay their own success.
Aug. 22, 2008— -- The latest front in the war for the White House is a battle between two elite millionaires trying to tag each other as out of touch with the economic struggles of working class Americans.
For months, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been depicting his rival, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as a "fussy" effete celebrity who drinks fancy teas.
But Obama got a clean shot back when Politico published an interview in which Sen. John McCain was asked how many homes he and his wife, Cindy, own.
After mumbling for a moment, the Arizona senator said he would have his staff find out.
The answer, after a couple of tries at accounting for them all, turned out to be 10 houses on eight properties ranging from two beachfront condos in Coronado, Calif., to another condo in Virginia.
McCain Gaffe Opens Opportunity for Obama
Obama pounced on the image of a Republican presidential candidate so rich that he can't keep track of all his homes.
And the Obama campaign is hoping that the McCain gaffe, coupled with Obama's announcement of his running mate within the next 24 hours, will be a one-two punch that will give Obama the upper hand in the 10 weeks to go before the election.
McCain's aides tried to fight back against the suggestion that their candidate was too wealthy to relate to most Americans by pointing to Obama's $1.6 million home and the controversy over how Obama was able to afford it.
In a TV ad, the McCain campaign criticized Obama for getting help in buying the sprawling house from shady political fundraiser Tony Rezko. Rezko was recently indicted for political corruption.
"I think this was a bit of a deeper hit in favor of Obama because they were able to open up a new front and really try to make headway on this idea that [McCain's] not an average working class American," George Stephanopoulos, ABC's chief Washington correspondent, told "Good Morning America" Friday.
McCain's Rezko shot stung, but Stephanopoulos said, "The Obama team is willing to take that hit in order to drive this other message home."
Stephanopoulos said Obama's camp is hoping that McCain's housing blunder will be "a metaphoric moment" similar to George H.W. Bush's amazement over supermarket scanners during his losing 1992 race against Bill Clinton, and John Edwards' $400 haircuts during this year's Democratic primaries.
Dems Still Holding Breath Over Veep Pick
The Democrats are hoping to follow up with a "power boost" by finally announcing Obama's running mate pick, Stephanopoulos said.
He said that Obama's preference is to hold off as long as possible, maybe until Saturday morning, which would be just hours before he is scheduled to kick off a campaign swing with his vice presidential candidate at the Illinois state capitol in Springfield.
The Democrats' nominating convention opens two days later, on Monday in Denver.
The long, drawn out veep pick announcement will be made to the media and thousands of Obama supporters by e-mail, and Stephanopoulos told "GMA" that the campaign is eyeing time periods when cell phones and BlackBerries are in peak use.
"That leaves three windows: lunchtime today; prime time tonight, somewhere between 8 and 10, maybe during the Olympics; or tomorrow morning between 7 and 9," he said.
The speculation has concentrated on Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh.
Kaine met with Obama Thursday during an Obama campaign swing through Virginia and later sounded as if he were no longer under consideration for the veep spot.
"I've always thought it seemed a bit unlikely, but I'm not going to tell you it hadn't been fun," Kaine said.
Still a possibility is long-shot candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the former first lady who battled Obama bitterly for the presidential nomination.
The Republican pick is also creating waves, due largely to McCain's speculation that he might choose someone in favor of abortion rights, such as former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge or former Democratic vice presidential candidate turned independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
"McCain has been getting a lot of pushback on the idea of a pro-choice running mate like Tom Ridge … or his good friend Joe Lieberman. … That would lead you more toward Mitt Romney or maybe Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty," Stephanopoulos said.
"But everything I've heard from the McCain camp says that John McCain has not yet made up his mind."