MTP noted that Obama had a favorable rating by 39% on health care policy. Greg Mankiw, the Harvard economist prefers McCain's policy (see his blog). The WSJ had 2 relevant articles on their web site yesterday. Thus is McCain hoisted on the petard of McCain-Feingold. There may be economic interests that would like to clarify the debate but are thus prohibited.

Following comments on 'What would Obama do?' at Volokh. Also Free Exchange has the facts on what happened to set up the 'credit crisis.'

Any last minute money to counter Barack might go to the RNC link, www.GOP.com/RNCVictory2008Phone, as having taken public funding, McCain can't be contributed to directly.

‘McCain has demagogued the issue of the financial crisis more than Obama,’ you all say. “The problem in the financial markets is due to the deregulation of the Bush Administration,” Obama’s statement in response to the first question in the first debate. Conclusion: It’s not demagoguery if you are talking about a true enemy of the people.

Obama is the communist (associate) in the gray flannel suit. He hasn’t done anything to upset any hierarchy. For instance, as the WSJ points out today, he wrote a letter to the Treasury secretary saying subprime was a problem, but when a bill putting restrictions on the FMs needed a Democratic vote in 2005 to get out of committee he was just ‘present.'

Just One Minute has an interesting post about the potential roots of the Obama Ayers connection.

Following Ann Althouse's Desperate Advice for McCain post.

The End of the Campaign

It looks like we can begin to look back at the attempt of the son and grandson of Admirals to achieve the highest military rank, CIC. In a sense, I believe he will have failed because of a thing that is somewhat alien to the military mind, economics. His response to Barack's challenge that the reason for the financial crisis was 'the failed deregulatory policies of the Bush administration' might have been, as the Wall Street Journal said today, 'Name one.' One could go on in details. I do think he came up with a good answer for Treasury Secretary, Warren Buffet. To look at what might have been, had McCain chosen Lawrence Summers for his VP I think he could have received good advice as to how to discuss and address the credit crisis and other economic issues. One objection would be that Doctor Summers is not a Republican and not a suitable replacement. A moot point, but I think a positive lesson could have been taken, surprisingly enough, from the Cheney vice presidency; in Cheney's case the VP job was not to be a step to the presidency.


Update: However an economist gives a great argument for McCain.

The fact that the R ticket has adopted the populist attitutde is the heart of the problem. Obama has taken McCain prisoner with blaming the financial crisis 'on the last 8 years of the Bush administtration which John McCain would continue.' In fact as is well discussed in comments in a succeeding blogpost: 'McCain and lobbyist shame,' the Dems have enormous responsibility due to their GSEs and the CRA. There isn't going to be any glory in JM beng taken prisoner this time. See also Pethokoukis.

Following comments about Obama's ambivalently positive remarks about America at the close of the first debate.